Amazon some $40 Criterions 60% off ($15.99)

[Superdaddy]

Just bought Amarcord from this sale.

Someone...please stop me before I order again...just tell me to step away from the computer...thank you...

[ctyankee]

Originally Posted by Sessa17

This is beyond absurd, you guys have your panties in a bunch over some $5 off coupons, of which an entire thread of people did the same thing I did. Get off the holier than though attitude as if you have lead a morally perfect life. If you two don't want to use coupons that others do, fine, but there is no reason to call others "sleazy" for doing so & then rant & rant about it.

Cut the crap. Cheato took you to task for suggesting that others could make use of a membership and then get their money back for the membership after taking advantage of member pricing. That's sleazy, so lose the nonsense.

I would have left you alone if you were simply sleazy but you had to cop an attitude rather than just being real about things. Then you made up stories about the big purchases you made ending in your local merchant's pocket.

If you have anyone to blame, look in the mirror. And rather than taking it like a man, you continue not to wear the big boy pants.

For some strange reason I get the feeling that you were going to make that donation regardless of this proposed deal(good on you).

Yeah, you read me right.

Since Brief Encounter is my favorite movie, I could not recommend it more, but not as a blind buy. As you see, it's not for everyone.

Agreed. I happen to love it and I think it's one of Lean's best films. The camera angles and the way he handles the rather simple sets show that he is not just someone that does the huge films well (Kwai, Lawrence).

[MoviePage]

All the Criterions in my cart went up 50 cents this afternoon, from $15.99 to $16.49. Ah well...I'm still debating whether to order any at all, given the amount I spent on the Barnes & Noble sale.

[Solid Snake PAC]

Bought M...don't really need the others.

[Mosskeeto]

The other night I ordered 2 that I didn't have; Hands Over The City and This Sporting Life.
I've previously watched HOTC and enjoyed it very much including all those scenes of Naples during filming and revisited.

[doctaheath78]

Just found this thread............too busy with Big Lots thread.

Recently purcahsed my 1st Criterion.........Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

I am thinking of others, but wanted to know if there is any high profile US movie recommended that is Criterion.

On a side note.............FYE has a new membership program where you can sign up for 30 days free and cancel at no additional cost. It is different than the 1-year flat rate backstage pass. I did not want to sign up for it, but the mangaer practically tried to convince me for several minutes to sign up and I could cancel within 30 days. I said I wasn't interested and she went on and on about a free gift card. She even told me to set a reminder in my cell to cancel it. I ended up signing up for it. Bought a bunch of stuff over the 28 day period I had it and canceled it.

I just thought it was funny how the manager was promoting to cancel it and everytime I said no.....she kept telling me to sign up for it and cancel it within 30 days.

[Mosskeeto]

Originally Posted by Sessa17
This is beyond absurd, you guys have your panties in a bunch over some $5 off coupons, of which an entire thread of people did the same thing I did. Get off the holier than though attitude as if you have lead a morally perfect life. If you two don't want to use coupons that others do, fine, but there is no reason to call others "sleazy" for doing so & then rant & rant about it.

Originally Posted by ctyankee

Cut the crap. Cheato took you to task for suggesting that others could make use of a membership and then get their money back for the membership after taking advantage of member pricing. That's sleazy, so lose the nonsense.

I feel that many here may share my opinion that if you were to save enough money during a sale, by becoming a member/renewing etc., that your membership paid for itself, then I would consider it immoral to cancel and expect a refund. It's not necessarily sleazy, but it violates my moral sense of right and wrong. How cheap can you be that you don't feel the membership was worth the price if it more than paid for itself.

The 3 orders I placed as a non-member, using the two different 20% codes and Visa or Military links, were enough to satisfy my needs and if I found the thread earlier I would have jumped in with a membership.

[beebs]

Taking a membership and then ending it before the "trial" period is a well-heeled bargain practice. Saving $25 by following the rules is not wrong, sleazy, or immoral or anything else.

What if I join now but decide later that I no longer want to be a Member? Can I get a refund?

If you purchased your Membership at a Barnes & Noble bookstore, you may cancel the Membership at any store within 30 days of the purchase date for a full refund with the original receipt. If you purchased your Membership online at www.bn.com, you may contact Member Services at 866-238-READ within 30 days of the purchase date for a full refund.

After 30 days, Membership fees are non-refundable. Partial refunds of the Membership fee are not available.

[Trevor]

Originally Posted by Sweet Baby James

I'll certainly recommend Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, especially for $15.99.

Originally Posted by JoeySeven

Any specific strong recommendations in that amazon list? Lots of potential blind buys for me.
Here are ones that I own or would recommend to watch.

M...(Just bought)
Bicycle Thieves(own,Image one)

Originally Posted by ororama

M and Brief Encounter are the only movies on this list that I've watched from the Criterion DVDs. M is one of the greatest films of all time, is clearly a major influence on film noir, and has an incredible performance by Peter Lorre. Brief Encounter is overrated, due to the excellent direction and performances by Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. I had assumed that the lack of explicit sexuality was a result of the censorship of the time, and didn't realize until my most recent viewing that they seem not to have done it at all-Celia Johnson apparently becomes hysterical at the thought of it.

The Third Man and I Know Where I'm Going are great movies that I want to watch whenever they are shown. The Tin Drum is also a great movie, but I don't think it's one that I'd watch over and over again.

Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Small Back Room and Green for Danger are excellent movies, but I was surprised when they were released as upper tier Criterions, because they don't seem like "important" films compared to some of the others on this list.

Originally Posted by Sessa17

I can't recommend enough Small Back Room.

Thanks all. Either had already bought at B&N, or picked these up at Amazon before the price jump.

[creekdipper]

The only Criterion I'm searching for is "A Connecticut Yankee in King Sessa's Court".

I feel like I could quote the dialogue by heart, but the DVD will be worth it just for the commentary track.

[Cheato]

I REALLY hate to contribute to derailing this thread again. Apologies all around. I wasn't going to address this again, even though Sessa included me in his/her more recent post. As I said earlier, there's no convincing people when it comes to something like this. You either see it for what it is, or you don't. However, the incredibly poor logic of Beebs' post compelled me to reply. And, I actually did have something to say about this sale, too.

Therefore, spoilered out, but read it if you care...

Spoiler:

Originally Posted by beebs

Taking a membership and then ending it before the "trial" period is a well-heeled bargain practice. Saving $25 by following the rules is not wrong, sleazy, or immoral or anything else.

I just had to point out the poor logic happening in this post.
Again, the main point was about intentionally signing up for the membership with intent to use the member discounts and then canceling the membership for a full refund.
You have cited the out-clause that allows people to try it out and if they're unsatisfied, get out without losing anything. Basically, this is a selling point for the memberships so B&N can encourage you to see the benefits of the membership in a no-risk situation. It is not B&N's wish that you do what Sessa suggested, which is simply an abuse of the rules and the system. And most damning of all, in my opinion, is that it's just so petty and shameless.
So once again, you can attempt to justify it, but you are not following the spirit or the letter of the rules (thanks, Beebs, for illustrating my point precisely by quoting the rules). You aren't deciding later; you're deciding before you even join.
As for behavior like that being a "well-heeled bargain practice," that might be true for people on sites like SlickDeals, where there are no morals or qualms about anything, and the almighty dollar is king. I guess I like to think that DVDTalk is better than that. It seems that "heeled" is a double entendre in this case (for you wrestling fans).

For me, a fair test of something like this is:
If this were literally a "mom & pop" operation, as in YOUR mom and pop, would you do the same thing? If not, then why do you think it's OK to do it to a corporation, or to someone else's mom and pop? They don't owe you anything, and you don't NEED these DVDs. So what's the problem with having some sense of personal values where saving $.75 by lying really isn't worth it?

Back to the topic of saving money in this sale.

I was just reminded on another forum that Bing has been leaking word that they will be upping cashback as a "Back to School" promotion starting August 10th. Well, apparently, some people have gotten an email that cites Amazon as a Bing cashback retailer included in the promotion. I have no idea if this would potentially include DVDs, or what the cashback percentage could possibly be if it does, but it might be worth it to wait a couple of days to see. On the other hand, a few prices just went up by $.50 each, so if that kind of thing repeats itself or continues, it might offset any potential cashback gains by waiting. It's all a gamble, but I think I'll wait a couple more days to place my order.

[stronghold7000]

Originally Posted by Cheato

As for behavior like that being a "well-heeled bargain practice," that might be true for people on sites like SlickDeals, where there are no morals or qualms about anything, and the almighty dollar is king. I guess I like to think that DVDTalk is better than that. It seems that "heeled" is a double entendre in this case (for you wrestling fans)...

.. So what's the problem with having some sense of personal values where saving $.75 by lying really isn't worth it?[/spoiler]
Back to the topic of saving money in this sale.

A question. Did you take advantage of the $10 off Blockbuster sale more than once? Your previous posts seem to indicate as such. Many people took advantage of that sale, for new and used releases, utilizing multiple email addresses, etc - whereas the code was supposed to be used one time only. And all power to them.

There are many "cancel within 30 days" memberships out there. Whether someone wants to cancel in 1 minute, 1 hour or 5 minutes before the membership expires is none of your business. You might find it sleazy, but thats your opinion.

Trial memberships, stackable coupons, whatever. If a company wants to offer them, people will take advantage of them.

People are quick to play the morals card. I am sure there are few among us who have not taken advantage of the system, one way or another.

[Cheato]

Only responding here because this was directed to me here. I wish it had been a PM. Again, sorry to have another OT post in this thread.

Spoiler:

Yes, I did. The terms of that code were very specifically stated as one use per email address. They could have restricted by name, address, BB membership number, IP address, or possibly some other ways, but they chose to do it by email address. A bizarre choice, seeming to have some ulterior motive. I used my same credit card, name, and address on every order (some people used virtual CC numbers, thinking BB was trying to limit the orders somehow), and other than 2 Criterions (Ran and Kagemusha), all my orders were for new items, not used, so I got no $.01 orders like other people were getting. And by the way, I worked for Blockbuster. Using the code multiple times did not violate the written terms of the code (nor the implied ones, in my opinion). As I said, there seemed to be an ulterior motive to restricting by email address. They must know that MANY (almost all?) people have more than one email address.

I once also used a sale code I stumbled upon for the Disney Movie Club that hadn't been advertised that gave a B1G1+50%-off-additional-items. I used it myself and posted the details in the Clubs forum. I didn't use it to score a Nightmare Before Christmas Collector's Edition for free, like other people did, since I thought that was not what the DMC had intended it for, and it seemed to me to be a glitch in the programming of how the code would work on the site, and I didn't want to abuse a glitch; I used it to get a season of Lost, which was consistent with how other advertised sales from the DMC work.

Should I continue to research my past and confess more "sins?"

I almost took part in the Columbia House B1G4 excitement, but stopped myself once the details of CH's promotion were publicized (that others circumvented, first though normal means, and later by modifying the URL). I refused to take part in the Amazon fiasco a few years ago, and the same for the Borders coupon deal.

I guess I missed the part where any of this means anything to anyone. Did I ever claim to be morally pure? No. Are there things in my life I have done that I am ashamed of? Of course. Are we heading down the road of "He who is without sin, cast the first stone?" Because if we are, you really should check out what that quote means. In the words of the great Inigo Montoya, "I do not think it means what you think it means." There is no such thing as a morally perfect person. That does not mean that no judgments can be made. And it doesn't mean that nobody should question or condemn another person's behavior. It just means that the punishment should fit the crime, which does not apply to this situation at all.

Let's leave the "gotcha" games to the Politics forum, or to Hannity and Colmes (or whatever that show is called now). "You said THIS 5 years and 3 months ago, so now you're saying THAT, so you're a HYPOCRITE, and ALL your opinions are invalid! Gotcha!" If a person does something wrong at some point(s), it does not invalidate all that came before, nor all that came (and comes) after.

[dino88]

^Your screen name doesn't suit you Cheato. How about FollowTheRulesO?

[gryffinmaster]

My order for If.... and the remastered M shipped today. Exciting stuff.

[Cheato]

Originally Posted by dino88

^Your screen name doesn't suit you Cheato. How about FollowTheRulesO?

It lulls you into a false sense of security.

Also, Cheato is my surname. My first name is Crunchy. My girlfriend's name is "Flamin' Hot," so if we get married, that wouldn't sound as good.

[Superdaddy]

Originally Posted by gryffinmaster

My order for If.... and the remastered M shipped today. Exciting stuff.

Indeed it is. I have If.... and it is a great package from Criterion. I think you will enjoy.

Received my Amarcord yesterday (Thursday). Just ordered it Tuesday night. Got in before the price went up (although $0.50 would probably not have been a deal breaker).

[Kevy]

I really wish Amazon would select a bunch of the Criterions that have the $30 msrp and do the same 60% off. Something to mix this up a little.

[ctyankee]

Originally Posted by stronghold7000

There are many "cancel within 30 days" memberships out there. Whether someone wants to cancel in 1 minute, 1 hour or 5 minutes before the membership expires is none of your business. You might find it sleazy, but thats your opinion.

Trial memberships, stackable coupons, whatever. If a company wants to offer them, people will take advantage of them.

People are quick to play the morals card. I am sure there are few among us who have not taken advantage of the system, one way or another.

Let's not pretend that the issue is canceling a membership shortly before it expires. It's getting a service (i.e. membership) with NO intent of ever keeping the membership. Big difference.

Also, this "if a company wants to offer them, people will take advantage of them" is technically correct but certainly not the real issue. National merchants have NO choice but to provide a cancellation option when offering memberships. To NOT do that would violate state laws. So, states that (rightfully) have put in protection so that unscrupulous merchants don't take advantage of consumers end up with some unscrupulous consumers taking advantage of the situation (i.e., laws intended to protect consumers not for them to profit by).

A membership is a form of contract, the consumer pays money and a merchant agrees to provide a service for a defined period of time. To enter into a contract with no intention of honoring it is fraud. And consumer fraud effects all of us.

[gryffinmaster]

Originally Posted by gryffinmaster

My order for If.... and the remastered M shipped today. Exciting stuff.

... and in a very bizarre turn of events, with Super Saver shipping, I received them both yesterday. Two days. That's pretty impressive, Amazon.

[beebs]

Benjamin Button is $13.99 at Amazon.

[dino88]

Ordered M and got a shipping estimate of Aug.24 - Sep.10. After placing my order the other 2 Criterions left in my cart showed up as Quick Picks the next day. If you're wanting to save another dollar, it's worth a trying.

[JoeySeven]

Update list(work in progress,only 2 new tittles added,nothing deleted) $16.49 Criterions

8 1/2
M
If
Third Man
Third Man Blu-ray $15.99
Overlord
Pandora's Box
Lady Vanishes
La Strada
39 Steps
Man Who Fell To Earth
Bicycle Thieves
Tales Of Hoffmann
Ruling Class
Testament Of Dr Mabuse
Peeping Tom
Great Expectations
Amarcord
49th Parallel
Canterbury Tale
A Night To Remember
Lord Of The Flies
This Sporting Life
Tin Drum
L'Avventura
Black Narcissus
Brief Encounter
Ali Fear Eats The Soul
Life Of Brian
Mona Lisa
Browning Version
Naked
Billy Liar
Red Shoes
Green For Danger
Kind Hearts and Coronets
Threepenny Opera
Oliver Twist
Life And Death of Colonel Blimp
Salvatore Guiliano
Hands Over The City
Divorce Italian Style
Henry V
Mamma Roma
Jubilee
Small Black Room

New titles found
L'Eclisse - Criterion Collection $16.49
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [Blu-ray] $13.99

[Cheato]

Well, I haven't seen jack about Amazon and Bing, so I'm going with my order.
Benjamin Button's down a dollar, Third Man Blu-ray hasn't changed, and the other three Criterions I was ordering are up by $.50 each. So, I only lost $.50 by waiting.
Of course, tomorrow they'll probably all drop in price and my order will have already been processed. So "you're welcome" to everybody who gets the lower price.

[NoirFan]

Ordered the following:

I Know Where I'm Going!
Tales of Hoffman
Salvatore Giuliano
L'Eclisse
A Canterbury Tale
Hands Over the City
49th Parallel
Green for Danger
The Small Back Room
Mamma Roma