In the "Movies" thread on Reddit a poster has posted the information that Criterion is having a 50% Off Sale starting at noon, EST. Promo code SWAK so I guess it's to take advantage of Valentine's Day.
Please note I haven't found anything anywhere else to support this, but it seems reasonable to believe it may be an actual sale. YMMV.
jrsl76
02-14-12, 05:29 AM
It's true. Criterion sent out emails to people who had set up My Criterion pages with wish lists.
riotinmyskull
02-14-12, 06:48 AM
just got my tax returns....trouble. probably just going to pick up 2 or 3 though.
dex14
02-14-12, 09:21 AM
Ugh...I didnt set up a wishlist. I only added my collection. My friend who made a wishlist got a coupon for $10 off too. Some people got them for just making a MyCriterion account. I didnt get anything...
Mister Peepers
02-14-12, 09:47 AM
Do they rape people on shipping?
dex14
02-14-12, 10:09 AM
Yea... but over $50 is free I believe
MooMooMooMoo
02-14-12, 11:19 AM
No matter what I do on the site, I get the following,
"We’re sorry; something went wrong.
Please go back and try again."
I wouldn't mind World On a Wire if it's been released yet, though with the shipping I might be better off waiting for B&N or DD as I already do have a non Criterion copy.
smurr05
02-14-12, 06:20 PM
Enter the code SWAK at checkout. Only problem is, is that it won't work on pre-orders! Tried to order Anatomy of a Murder and it would not do it but the other title in my cart was reduced to 50% off. Sucks!!!:(
Mister Peepers
02-14-12, 07:41 PM
No matter what I do on the site, I get the following,
"We’re sorry; something went wrong.
Please go back and try again."
I wouldn't mind World On a Wire if it's been released yet, though with the shipping I might be better off waiting for B&N or DD as I already do have a non Criterion copy.
F5 until it works.
MoviePage
02-14-12, 08:54 PM
Dear Criterion newsletter subscribers,
It’s been a frustrating day for many of our fans—and for us. While a lot of customers have been able to successfully place orders, many have not. We apologize for any difficulties this has caused. We’ve done some work on the site, and it is functioning more efficiently, but certainly not as well as we’d like. Unfortunately, we anticipate that it will remain slow for the duration of the sale.
Many of you were on Criterion.com at the same time trying to get your orders in on certain titles before we ran out of them, which caused a major site slowdown. To alleviate this pressure, after the sale ends we will announce a separate code to honor sale pricing on any titles that go out of stock.
And keep in mind that although the site is not operating at full speed, you should be able to place your order tonight with a bit of patience. Just enter the promotional code SWAK on your shopping cart page at Criterion.com to get 50% off the suggested retail price (SRP) on all in-stock Blu-rays and DVDs before noon EST on February 15th.
Thanks for hanging in there with us. We appreciate it!
The Criterion Collection
Doesn't really help the primary problem of the website not working correctly, but it's something. The site does seem to be doing better at the moment, though.
Living Deadpan
02-14-12, 09:12 PM
Yep, I had to hit Refresh many, many times but eventually I completed the order & got an email confirmation.
I suppose it's rather fortuitous that one idle night I added 2 titles to My Criterion wishlist. With the $10 credit, the Monsters & Madmen set finally seems reasonably priced.
-Monsters and Madmen Criterion DVD Box Set (CC1671D) $39.97
-Kuroneko Criterion DVD (CC2067D) $14.97
-Subtotal: $54.94
-Shipping & handling: $0.00
-Credit: -$10.00
-Total: $44.94
Harold Chasen
02-14-12, 09:43 PM
Oops guess I should read the whole thread - was just mentioning the email update.
I did pick up the new Three Colors set and Chungking Express on Blu-Ray, yay
Gobear
02-14-12, 11:24 PM
Couldn't get through until midnight. Everything I wanted was sold out. Nice web site maintenance, Criterion.
Dr. Calamari
02-15-12, 01:07 AM
Couldn't get through until midnight. Everything I wanted was sold out. Nice web site maintenance, Criterion.
What a goddamn nightmare that site is...my finger is worn down from hitting refresh a zillion times, and after all that the stupid code didn't work. And, I wanted to give them my money directly rather than to Amazon or B & N, but the site wouldn't let me.
Sorry for opening this can of worms...I hope everyone else had better luck than I did.
Living Deadpan
02-15-12, 02:28 AM
What a goddamn nightmare that site is...my finger is worn down from hitting refresh a zillion times, and after all that the stupid code didn't work. And, I wanted to give them my money directly rather than to Amazon or B & N, but the site wouldn't let me.
Sorry for opening this can of worms...I hope everyone else had better luck than I did.
You think this is a can of worms, you should've seen all the delayed shipments on the Severin Films webstore clearance I posted months ago! :)
At any rate, remember the sale ends at noon EST. And to reiterate what MoviePage quoted from their email newsletter: "after the sale ends we will announce a separate code to honor sale pricing on any titles that go out of stock. " Maybe the site will be more functional for night owls who shop while the rest of the world is asleep?
jrsl76
02-15-12, 03:44 AM
Criterion sent out another email this afternoon/evening saying that due to the problems, things that go out of stock will go back on a 50% sale with a different code over the next couple weeks.
MoviePage
02-15-12, 06:34 AM
You don't say!
jrsl76
02-15-12, 02:59 PM
You don't say!
Yep,
I kind of hope they say what the heck and do it on everything, because by that time I should be able to get Vanya On 42nd Street as well.
Gobear
02-15-12, 04:16 PM
Yep,
I kind of hope they say what the heck and do it on everything, because by that time I should be able to get Vanya On 42nd Street as well.
I just rewatched my original Columbia disc of Vanya a few days ago; it really is compelling theatre, filmed in the rotting, long abandoned New Amsterdam Theater to accentuate Chekhov's themes of genteel decay and regret. Of course, Disney swooped in afterward, fixed the New Amsterdam up and now it's the home of The Lion King.
I wasn't going to upgrade because the new disc has few features, but watching the original release reminded me how muddy the transfer is, so I guess I'm in for the Criterion Blu-Ray. If you liked Malle's My Dinner with Andre, then you'll enjoy Vanya On 42nd Street as well. And it's a great introduction to Chekhov's work.
Buy: