Spottedfeather

Well, since 99% of the movies they put out have only been heard of by, like, 12 people....yeah...they are.

Norm de Plume

That's a valid point. Some see it differently, but my perspective is that I only buy movies I like. I know what I like, I know what I don't like, and I wouldn't buy a DVD/BR merely because it's being released by a well-regarded label. If it's a film that is unknown to me and sounds intriguing, I'll give it a look, which might lead to a purchase.
I have probably about a dozen - give or take - Criterion DVDs and LDs.

EddieMoney

I don't buy a lot of Criterions, but I watch a lot of them on Hulu+.

rocket1312

So if someone is familiar with a movie that you are not, that makes them a douche bag?

JumpCutz

You just got added to the Spottedfeather ignore list.

Welcome, friend.

inri222

Own a couple of hundred.

Here's a picture of me :

RagingBull80

I don't know about being a douche-bag but chances are if someone owns a fair amount of Criterions they're a bit of a film snob.

Rockmjd23

Depends. You can own a fair amount and they can all be certified masterpieces from the great directors (Hitchcock, Kurasawa), or you can own a bunch of obscure ones that nobody has heard of.

Jaymole

What if they own a lot of mainstream films as well...does that still make them a snob?

cnicholls44

i think if you own a lot of criterions then you are definitely a film snob.

on another note, I think if you post this thread, then you are a douchebag.

RagingBull80

That's why I said "fair amount" because there are several "mainstream" releases, the Wes Anderson flicks, the Michael Bay flicks and others. Also, to clarify, I'm only referring to the DVD/BD catalog, not the Laserdiscs. Chances are if you own more than 7 or so you're a bit of a snob just by virtue of knowing about the catalog enough to collect the films included.

Just by being someone who cares enough to seek these films out, learn about them and collect them you have to have a certain emotional connection and knowledge about them and generally the people that fit into that category are (even if it's just maybe a little) a snob.

Also, this isn't an indictment of these types of people, I would consider myself one.

rocket1312

I still don't understand this mentality that if a mass audience hasn't heard of a particular movie, then that must mean it's only for douche-bags or snobs, or whoever. Like anyone else, I have my old favorites that I go back to again and again, but as movie lovers, shouldn't it be exciting to discover something new and unknown?

One personal example I would point to is The Red Shoes. This isn't exactly an obscure movie, but it's one I would say of which the general 21st century movie going public isn't aware. I remember I used to browse through the Criterion catalog that used to come packaged with their dvds looking for something to catch my interest and I would constantly pass over The Red Shoes, because a) I had never heard of it, and b) why would I be interested in a movie about ballet from the 1940's? Well, around the time of it's restoration and subsequent blu-ray release a few years ago I checked it out on Netflix and I LOVED it. I would definitely put it in my personal top 50, and maybe even my top 25. Not only that, but it introduced me to Powell & Pressburger, Jack Cardiff, and Anton Walbrook (among others) and gave me a new appreciation for the 3 strip technicolor process.

I guess the point of all of this is that this story is just one of many that I have and that you never know what you might discover when trying something new. The idea that there's some unknown/unseen (by me anyways) masterpiece out there that may one day become an all-time favorite of mine is really cool. I'm grateful that there are companies like Criterion/Olive/Masters of Cinema/Twilight Time/Kino/etc. that release some of the more "obscure" stuff, because otherwise I'd probably never see them. If all of that makes me a douche bag, or a film snob, then just call me Snobby McDouche.

Rockmjd23

If you own The Rock, Armageddon, and Robocop, you are without question a film snob.

Rockmjd23

I don't understand that mentality either. Luckily, that's not what I said.

Why So Blu?

I'm a film snob...and get laid on a regular basis. FYI.

RagingBull80

Thinking about it more, to me it's kind of hard to define what a film snob is. I think it comes down to someone who is very vocal about their love for movies and articulates that in a passionate manner that some may construe as arrogant or prickly. Like I said it's kind of hard for me to "vocalize" it. I'm sure someone else can do a better job with that.

I love Seven Samurai and Yojimbo and several others that are considered classic Criterions but also Die Hard (which is hardly considered fine art) is one of my favorite movies. I still consider myself a snob but it's difficult to define.

Jules Winfield

*Jules eats caviar off his Criterion This is Spinal tap DVD.*

Rockmjd23

I'm a film snob and I never get laid.

Actually I think to be a snob you have to not just be all about obscure criterions and arthouse films, but you must also reject blockbusters and mainstream movies and look down upon them as beneath you.

I'm a fan of the Criterion catalog, but I'm also a fan of Troma's catalog, so I don't think I qualify.

Jules Winfield

I definitely see where you're coming from. Sometimes I wonder when I talk about a movie with "Joe Blow" if they see me as a snob or if its my snobbish side coming out like "This person I'm talking to couldn't possibly understand the intricacies of film like I do, I wonder if I sound snobbish to them." That's when I laugh to myself and say it's definitely them being stupid. *Jules laughs elegantly while dabbing the corner of his caviar encrusted mouth with a Criterion Hard Boiled DVD.*

Ginwen

I don't have even close to all of them, but one reason could be it's just fun, as a collector, to have a complete collection of something. Another reason would be to see movies that aren't what you'd normally pick. It doesn't mean you'll like them all, but you'll probably end up loving some you never would have considered watching ordinarily.

Rockmjd23

Oh if I was rich I would buy every Criterion, because I could. I guess that's kind of snobby.

Mattflix

I'd argue that Die Hard is still an amazingly well made movie on a technical and storytelling level. Just because it's fun doesn't mean it's not an accomplishment.

It would be snobby to dismiss Die Hard because it's popular. Not to side track, but it was snobby of the Oscars to pick Chariots of Fire over Raiders of the Lost Ark, because Raiders is the better movie and it's a freaking blast to watch.

It's not snobby to love action movies and seek out the roots of those movies by finding stuff like Seven Samurai.

Norm de Plume

We're a select group of folks. Only the best. To paraphrase the inimitable Pierre Trudeau, "I've been ignored harder by far better people".

Perhaps. I don't consider myself a film snob, but my tastes just happen to gravitate towards the more esoteric offerings in foreign, documentary, drama, horror, suspense, and away from mainstream Hollywood fare. I simply have no interest whatsoever in Hollywood blockbusters. And yet, I own only a fraction of Criterion's output. Maybe I'm a snooty douche, but I'd like to think not. Those areas just happen to be where my interests lie. I'm certainly not a hipster. I'm just me. I don't follow anyone else.

rocket1312

But you specifically drew a line between the so-called masterpieces (Kurosawa, Hitchcock, etc.) and the more obscure titles in response to RagingBull80's comment as if to imply that "yes, it is possible to own a large number of Criterions and not be a film snob because your collection may include these particular popular titles." If that's not what you were trying to say, then I apologize. My point still stands though, even if not in direct response to what you were saying.

Rockmjd23

Yeah I wasn't meaning to imply that it definitely made you a snob, just pointing out that having a bunch of Criterions could mean different things.