Soooooooooweeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!

They opened up a Canadian website.

It was $34.52 in the Nov '04 sale.

Sure, but for around $5 more I can have it as part of my Criterion collection. I collect Criterion discs, not Anchor Bay discs.

Interesting. You collect the disc over the content?

It's actually not that uncommon. All my friends who are into the CC drop their jaws when I say I'm perfectly content with my non-Criterion editions of Robocop and This Is Spinal Tap, etc.

I would like to withdraw my enthusiasm for DDD's Canadian website. The prices on the Canadian site is more than doubled that of their USA site.

Taking into account the low exchange rate, $5.95 shipping cost and possibly any duty and taxes, if caught by Canada Customs, you still come out ahead through the USA site.

Example:

Charade - $21.97 US / $49.41 CDN
8 1/2 - $21.97 US / $49.41 CDN
The Honeymoon Killers - $16.47 US / $37.05 CDN
Time Bandits - $21.97 US / $51.88 CDN
The Vanishing - $16.47 US / $37.05 CDN
The 39 Steps - $24.77 US / $51.88 CDN
Hamlet - $20.97 US / $39.52 CDN
The Lady Vanishes - $23.97 US / $49.41 CDN

That's a tougher choice there. I have the Robocop and Spinal Tap Criterions(as well as the MGM Spinal Tap). The former is worth hanging onto for the 1.66:1 aspect ratio as well as the original commentary that wasn't carried over. And the Spinal Tap CC disc is a bonafide collector's item. Lots of exclusive extras as well as a print of the film with the burned-in subs(albeit non-anamorphic).

But if what you care about is anamorphic transfers, unfortunately you have to go with the MGM discs which lose some of the extras and in the case of Robocop have a different aspect ratio and Spinal Tap have player-generated subs. At least they're cheap though.

There's nothing the Criterion Long Good Friday has over the Anchor Bay release. The only reason to get it is if you collect every CC DVD released which has gotta be an expensive habit, even with DDD offering these great prices. I hope you're not also trying to track down every one of their laserdisc releases.

Good point. I'm typically more of a content over anything else kinda person. I think it would be COOL to own the Robocop/TIST Criterions, but since the editions I have were so cheap and have MOST of the features, I can live with them. I'd rather buy a Criterion that essentially has no other edition that I don't already own unless it happens to be one of my absolute favorite films or something. I mean, they're certainly nice collector's items, but when you're on a constrained budget...

And I wholeheartedly agree--If there's another edition that's better than the Criterion AND cheaper, it definitely wins out in my book. But if you're an avid Criterion collector and your mission is to own as many as possible/all of them, then I totally understand wanting one over the other or even both. I think it would be rad to own every Criterion (at least on DVD), but it's not something I foresee happening on my end!

This sale gets even better with the extra 5% off (see the $20 cash back link at the bottom of DDD's website for info). 16.47 titles come out to 15.65 shipped. May not seem like much, but it could save you a few bucks on higher priced sets.

You do realize that that costs $10 a month, right?

First month's free, I'm on my 1st month about to cancel and i just used this 5% deal on 4 Criterions in this sale.

3 FILMS BY LOUIS MALLE (CRITERION)
THE CRANES ARE FLYING (CRITERION)
FASSBINDER'S-BRD TRILOGY (CRITERION)
NIGHT & FOG (CRITERION)
SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE (CRITERION)
SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (CRITERION)

Who doesn't love Veronica Lake? "Cranes Are Flying" is a great movie.

And you can also pay more for an inferior non-anamorphic transfer and no extras!!

I collect movies...not labels.

Videodrome. Worth an upgrade?

There are a half dozen Criterion releases that are in terrible condition when compared to other regions' versions: from incorerct color scheme (Le Samourai), to terrible prints (Mona Lisa), to cropping (La Bette), to messed up framing (Jules and Jim) to visibly inferior prints (Julliet of the Spring/Le Mepris/The Wind Will Carry Us, etc)...

I could pull up a detailed roster that indicates precisely what non R1 versions of Criterion releases are significantly better.

Ciao,
Pro-B

Oh, I don't doubt that at all, and I would love such a roster. I wish I had more money to put forth to other region releases--It stinks that many of the States' releases are so much more inferior a lot of the time.

I ended up throwing in the towel and ordering Ali: Fear Eats the Soul since it's way up there on my list. These sales are killing me.

I think saying Criterion's "Jules and Jim" is in terrible condition is a bit of an exagerration - a short scene has some reversed frames, and it's otherwise a terrific release with great extras and an excellent transfer. Otherwise, yes, there are some Criterion releases that are not as good as those in other regions, but overall a large majority of their films are the best releases you can find. DVD Beaver is the best place to compare releases, in my opinion.

Though I really do wish they would release "The Wind Will Carry Us".

I hope my order got through. I placed it last night and it's still not showing up in my order history and no conirmation email.

Here's what I got:

3 Films by Louis Malle CC
Au hasard Balthazar CC
Bob le Flambeur CC
Children of Paradise CC
Fassbinder's BRD Trilogy CC
Harakiri CC
Rebel Samurai: Sixties Swordplay Classics CC
Smiles of a Summer Night CC
Youth of the Beast CC

Ordered these over at the new DVDPlanet/Digital Eyes site:

The 400 Blows CC
The Alec Guinness Collection
Die Nibelungen
Elevator to the Gallows CC
The Flowers of St. Francis CC
John Cassavetes: Five Films CC
Nosferatu (1922 Kino)
Underworld Beauty

With all due respect, I am not going against the notion that Criterion are in fact a great company, especially when it comes to treating classic films with the proper amount of care. However, AND I have gone quite a few times on record regarding this issue, they have done some massive slips when it comes to some very specific films. As to Gary and his comparisons, as much as I respect his work, there are so many instances where he obviously favors Criterion product over other releases (or for whatever reason there are notable comparisons missing from the site such as for example Juliet of the Spirits) that I often find his final verdicts quite questionable. The issue of "cropping" for example comes to mind where in the past quite a few releases were disregarded based on the fact that they were cropped yet in recent months with Criterion consistently cropping their product the final results have not been adjusted (read: Criterion is almost always the preferred choice).

Anyhow, I am most certainly not keen on arguing about specific technical aspects from Criterion's catalog and how they compare in other regions!! All I wanted to point out to you (considering that this is the bargain forum where people come to look for the "best bang for their buck") that an extra 20min or so of research is always recommended in order for one to get the best possible quality on the market.


Ciao,
Pro-B

I agree that MOST of the Criterion releases are the best of the R1 releases (I can't say for other regions as most if not all of my DVDs are R1), which is why I hold them in such high regard. And thanks for suggesting DVD Beaver as a comparison site.

Probably the most looked down on Criterion besides "Armageddon", but does anyone know if DDD carries "The Rock Criterion" anymore? Can't seem to locate it on their site...

I don't think they carry it. I checked DVD Price Search to see if DDD came up under The Rock: CC's listing, but it doesn't.

Uhhh, yeah? Then again I'm unaware of any version other than the Criterion and a barebones edition out there.

If you're in any way a fan of David Cronenberg, GET VIDEODROME NOW!!!

And Naked Lunch.

...and find Dead Ringers: CC as soon as you can.

I'm having the same problem. Ordered '3 Films by Louis Malle CC' last night, and haven't received an e-mail yet, nor does the order show up in my order history. Strange--guess I'll have to call them to figure this out.