Criterions to stay away from?
03-13-07, 05:07 PM
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Criterions to stay away from?
There are so many out there now, and some just seem to be not worthy, as in a different region release is better, the transfer is bad/due for a re-release, or they are just not worth a blind buy with the big price-tag. Which criterions were you dvdtalkers not satisfied with and recommend not to purchase? I know there is a whole review database of them on this site, but I just want to hear from members who bought them.
03-13-07, 05:32 PM
#3
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I guess the old ones that now have new releases.
I guess one I would probably stay away from now is Oliver Twist. I seem to remeber the transfer as looking as it could use alot of restoration but its been along time. Also I dont think there was one extra on the disc but a trailer.
I wonder whatever happend to the Mgm release from a couple of years ago. I guess it never made it out.
http://www.dvdpricesearch.net/cgi-bi...&tmpCart=35981
I guess one I would probably stay away from now is Oliver Twist. I seem to remeber the transfer as looking as it could use alot of restoration but its been along time. Also I dont think there was one extra on the disc but a trailer.
I wonder whatever happend to the Mgm release from a couple of years ago. I guess it never made it out.
http://www.dvdpricesearch.net/cgi-bi...&tmpCart=35981
03-13-07, 05:52 PM
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ooh. don't get me started....for starters..
1) anything by Andy Warhol.. ugh.
2) John Woo's films. You can get them for 1/7th the cost with the same A/V, better commentary and better menus from anchor bay
3) Spinal Tap. I prefered the MGM version - the commentary was a hoot!
4) My Man Godfrey. Save $24 and get the $5 fox version.. just as good. I thought the Criterion supplements sucked.
5) Lady Eve. Get the Preston Sturges collection - you can get 7 of his films (including Lady Eve) for little more than the Criterion. Transfer looked the same to me.
6) Bank Dick. Get the WC collection. See #5 above for comments.
7)Blob. This film should be on a $9.99 MGM Midnight double feature. not a $40 list price single disc by itself! Waste of good money imho.
8) Fiend without a face. See comments to #7 above.
9) Carnival of Souls. I would get the image version if you can get it cheaper. I found the supplements to be extrememly boring and repetitive. The movie is good -but not a classic in my book that warrants the extra cost.
10) WC Fields 6 shorts. Only get if you are a WC Fields completist. No supplements, and the A/V ranged from acceptable to "huh? did I purchase this from Madacy?"
as a rule I never buy Criterion unless I am sure that nobody else releases it. Otherwise I am paying (on average) 4 times the money for the same movie.
Of course, if you are a completist, or really into a lot of supplements, then my comments won't mean much.
1) anything by Andy Warhol.. ugh.
2) John Woo's films. You can get them for 1/7th the cost with the same A/V, better commentary and better menus from anchor bay
3) Spinal Tap. I prefered the MGM version - the commentary was a hoot!
4) My Man Godfrey. Save $24 and get the $5 fox version.. just as good. I thought the Criterion supplements sucked.
5) Lady Eve. Get the Preston Sturges collection - you can get 7 of his films (including Lady Eve) for little more than the Criterion. Transfer looked the same to me.
6) Bank Dick. Get the WC collection. See #5 above for comments.
7)Blob. This film should be on a $9.99 MGM Midnight double feature. not a $40 list price single disc by itself! Waste of good money imho.
8) Fiend without a face. See comments to #7 above.
9) Carnival of Souls. I would get the image version if you can get it cheaper. I found the supplements to be extrememly boring and repetitive. The movie is good -but not a classic in my book that warrants the extra cost.
10) WC Fields 6 shorts. Only get if you are a WC Fields completist. No supplements, and the A/V ranged from acceptable to "huh? did I purchase this from Madacy?"
as a rule I never buy Criterion unless I am sure that nobody else releases it. Otherwise I am paying (on average) 4 times the money for the same movie.
Of course, if you are a completist, or really into a lot of supplements, then my comments won't mean much.
03-13-07, 07:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Steve
5) Lady Eve. Get the Preston Sturges collection - you can get 7 of his films (including Lady Eve) for little more than the Criterion. Transfer looked the same to me.
6) Bank Dick. Get the WC collection. See #5 above for comments.
Seventh Seal. This was an early Criterion DVD, and the video is very digital looking. This one is overdue for a re-release.
General Idi Amin Dada. Okay transfer, but I didn't think the film itself was all that great.
Black Narcissus. The Warner Region 2 DVD is taken from a better source
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDRev...knarcissus.htm
Armageddon. Why? 'Cause its f***ing Armageddon!
Last edited by Ravid; 03-13-07 at 07:40 PM.
03-13-07, 07:44 PM
#7
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Beastie Boys Video Anthology - not cinema; a shameless attempt to be hip
The Life Aquatic with Steve whatever-his-name was
I thought the Sam Fuller films (The Naked Kiss, Shock Corrodor, Pickup on South Street) were deserving of much more additional content to justify the price
The Life Aquatic with Steve whatever-his-name was
I thought the Sam Fuller films (The Naked Kiss, Shock Corrodor, Pickup on South Street) were deserving of much more additional content to justify the price
03-13-07, 07:56 PM
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I know this will probably be a controversial statement, but I generally try to be quite cautious when buying anything under spine number 90 or so, unless its been upgraded since its original release ("Beauty and the Beast", "Charade", "M", etc.) From my experience these early discs often aren't up to Criterion's usual standards in terms of video and extras quality, and are much more likely to be inferior to releases from other companies ("Time Bandits", "The Long Good Friday") or other regions ("Black Narcissus", "The Red Shoes"). These are also more likely to be upgraded by Criterion themselves, and there have been strong rumors of re-releases of films such as "Picnic at Hanging Rock", "Walkabout", "High and Low", "Shock Corridor", and "Salo", among a few others.
Mind you, there are also some excellent releases from this time period, but it's best to do some extra research when buying them. Their releases greatly improved afterwards, with usually excellent video quality (though they do have the annoying and inexplicable tendency to crop the image slightly) and worthwhile extras, with only a few exceptions, in my opinion:
-The color scheme of their releases of Jean Pierre Melville's color films has been called into question, especially their "Le Cercle Rouge" release (which is unfortunate since they're otherwise excellent discs.)
-Their "Onibaba" disc has some problems that are not present in the region 2 Masters of Cinema release (an English company on par with Criterion, in my opinion.)
Other than those, I think you're pretty safe buying their later releases if you're at all interested in the film. I can't really list films you probably wouldn't like. I know it sounds extremely fanboyish, but I've never been particularly disappointed in a Criterion film that I've watched. I generally can tell if I won't enjoy one of their films due to subject matter or "extremeness" ("Maitresse", "Salo") and otherwise I have a weakness for classic and foreign films, and they tend to pick some of the most interesting from those genres.
Mind you, there are also some excellent releases from this time period, but it's best to do some extra research when buying them. Their releases greatly improved afterwards, with usually excellent video quality (though they do have the annoying and inexplicable tendency to crop the image slightly) and worthwhile extras, with only a few exceptions, in my opinion:
-The color scheme of their releases of Jean Pierre Melville's color films has been called into question, especially their "Le Cercle Rouge" release (which is unfortunate since they're otherwise excellent discs.)
-Their "Onibaba" disc has some problems that are not present in the region 2 Masters of Cinema release (an English company on par with Criterion, in my opinion.)
Other than those, I think you're pretty safe buying their later releases if you're at all interested in the film. I can't really list films you probably wouldn't like. I know it sounds extremely fanboyish, but I've never been particularly disappointed in a Criterion film that I've watched. I generally can tell if I won't enjoy one of their films due to subject matter or "extremeness" ("Maitresse", "Salo") and otherwise I have a weakness for classic and foreign films, and they tend to pick some of the most interesting from those genres.
Last edited by Sondheim; 03-13-07 at 08:07 PM.
03-13-07, 08:10 PM
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I would urge caution with a Night to Remember. It appears the discs Criterion used are no good and go bad after a while. Maybe later pressings solved the problem, but at least avoid the early pressings.
03-13-07, 08:13 PM
#10
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Originally Posted by Ravid
Armageddon. Why? 'Cause its f***ing Armageddon!
Originally Posted by mike7162
The Life Aquatic with Steve whatever-his-name was
03-13-07, 10:27 PM
#11
I recently saw "My Own Private Idaho". River Phoenix gave probably his best performance but that movie was horrible in my opinion. So bad that I didn't even wantt to watch the special features which is something I Always do.
DEFINITELY rent it before even thinking of buying it. some parts were just excruciatingly corny and painful to watch.
DEFINITELY rent it before even thinking of buying it. some parts were just excruciatingly corny and painful to watch.
03-14-07, 01:03 AM
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Originally Posted by mike7162
Beastie Boys Video Anthology - not cinema; a shameless attempt to be hip
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is their best-selling release. If the money they make from films like Armageddon, The Rock, Chasing Amy, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, or Fear and Loathing leads to better financing for obscure films, so be it. They'll always make money off these and other a-list films (The Third Man, Seven Samurai, 8 1/2).
Originally Posted by Ravid
Seventh Seal. This was an early Criterion DVD, and the video is very digital looking. This one is overdue for a re-release.
Originally Posted by Steve
ooh. don't get me started....for starters..
1) anything by Andy Warhol.. ugh.
2) John Woo's films. You can get them for 1/7th the cost with the same A/V, better commentary and better menus from anchor bay
3) Spinal Tap. I prefered the MGM version - the commentary was a hoot!
4) My Man Godfrey. Save $24 and get the $5 fox version.. just as good. I thought the Criterion supplements sucked.
5) Lady Eve. Get the Preston Sturges collection - you can get 7 of his films (including Lady Eve) for little more than the Criterion. Transfer looked the same to me.
6) Bank Dick. Get the WC collection. See #5 above for comments.
7)Blob. This film should be on a $9.99 MGM Midnight double feature. not a $40 list price single disc by itself! Waste of good money imho.
8) Fiend without a face. See comments to #7 above.
9) Carnival of Souls. I would get the image version if you can get it cheaper. I found the supplements to be extrememly boring and repetitive. The movie is good -but not a classic in my book that warrants the extra cost.
10) WC Fields 6 shorts. Only get if you are a WC Fields completist. No supplements, and the A/V ranged from acceptable to "huh? did I purchase this from Madacy?"
as a rule I never buy Criterion unless I am sure that nobody else releases it. Otherwise I am paying (on average) 4 times the money for the same movie.
Of course, if you are a completist, or really into a lot of supplements, then my comments won't mean much.
1) anything by Andy Warhol.. ugh.
2) John Woo's films. You can get them for 1/7th the cost with the same A/V, better commentary and better menus from anchor bay
3) Spinal Tap. I prefered the MGM version - the commentary was a hoot!
4) My Man Godfrey. Save $24 and get the $5 fox version.. just as good. I thought the Criterion supplements sucked.
5) Lady Eve. Get the Preston Sturges collection - you can get 7 of his films (including Lady Eve) for little more than the Criterion. Transfer looked the same to me.
6) Bank Dick. Get the WC collection. See #5 above for comments.
7)Blob. This film should be on a $9.99 MGM Midnight double feature. not a $40 list price single disc by itself! Waste of good money imho.
8) Fiend without a face. See comments to #7 above.
9) Carnival of Souls. I would get the image version if you can get it cheaper. I found the supplements to be extrememly boring and repetitive. The movie is good -but not a classic in my book that warrants the extra cost.
10) WC Fields 6 shorts. Only get if you are a WC Fields completist. No supplements, and the A/V ranged from acceptable to "huh? did I purchase this from Madacy?"
as a rule I never buy Criterion unless I am sure that nobody else releases it. Otherwise I am paying (on average) 4 times the money for the same movie.
Of course, if you are a completist, or really into a lot of supplements, then my comments won't mean much.
The W.C. Fields Shorts DVD is far from Madacy quality. While they're not perfect (The Dentist reverts to 16mm for some footage cut out after the original release), they look fantastic compared to the PD releases of the shorts. Pool Sharks looks amazing for a 1915 film. The Fatal Glass of Beer often looks brand new.
The Blob was transfered from the camera negative, so the price is sort of justified.
Criterion's Carnival of Souls is the only one with the director's cut and acceptable picture quality. All other releases look quite bad.
03-14-07, 03:17 AM
#13
Senior Member
Originally Posted by Ravid
Seventh Seal. This was an early Criterion DVD, and the video is very digital looking. This one is overdue for a re-release.
General Idi Amin Dada. Okay transfer, but I didn't think the film itself was all that great.
[B]
General Idi Amin Dada. Okay transfer, but I didn't think the film itself was all that great.
[B]
General Idi Amin Dada was highly fascinating and a great cinematic documentary, unlike the garbage documentaries that have been spewed out in recent years (i.e. Super Size Me, Michael moore films, etc.). This one also had some interesting extras on it with interviews with barbet Schroeder.
Originally Posted by mike7162
The Life Aquatic with Steve whatever-his-name was
03-14-07, 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted by PatrickMcCart
Criterion's Carnival of Souls is the only one with the director's cut and acceptable picture quality. All other releases look quite bad.
03-14-07, 09:57 AM
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A better release of "Kwaidan" is available from MoC in R2-UK (longer version and a different, arguably more accurate color-timing).
A better release of "Black Narcissus" is available in R2-France (but missing alot of good supplements).
A better release of "The Third Man" is forthcoming from Criterion.
We think Criterion will release a new, improved version of "Andrei Rublev" this year or next.
Re "The Seventh Seal" - this may be due for an upgrade, but I haven't heard anything that makes it seem likely or imminent. I happen to think the transfer holds up quite well even though it was one of the earliest Criterions. And I have no idea what hiccup refers to re the "lack of features", as it boasts one of the finest Bergman-related commentaries I've heard. Also, the "annotated filmography" - basically a text essay with tons of illustrations and clips from several Bergman films (including an extended scene from the yet-to-be-released in R1 "The Magician) - is one of those fantastic "multimedia" extras that I really wish they'd do more of. Still, I'd love a new transfer using the latest telecine technology!
A better release of "Black Narcissus" is available in R2-France (but missing alot of good supplements).
A better release of "The Third Man" is forthcoming from Criterion.
We think Criterion will release a new, improved version of "Andrei Rublev" this year or next.
Re "The Seventh Seal" - this may be due for an upgrade, but I haven't heard anything that makes it seem likely or imminent. I happen to think the transfer holds up quite well even though it was one of the earliest Criterions. And I have no idea what hiccup refers to re the "lack of features", as it boasts one of the finest Bergman-related commentaries I've heard. Also, the "annotated filmography" - basically a text essay with tons of illustrations and clips from several Bergman films (including an extended scene from the yet-to-be-released in R1 "The Magician) - is one of those fantastic "multimedia" extras that I really wish they'd do more of. Still, I'd love a new transfer using the latest telecine technology!
03-14-07, 10:02 AM
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I can see why some titles get thumbs down on. I understand older releases get/will get newer transfers, but not all.
Remember CC moto? "...a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements."
Some of the ones people complained about, like Beastie Boys anthology, need to remember this, but alas it all comes down to personal opinions.
Before I get ripped on, I guess I cant even figure out why Armegeddon or The Rock got releases, but someone said it was due to their popularity would support little known films for CC.
General Idi Amin Dada is a great doc, hands down. Who's directing who?
Fiend without a Face is essentially the first gore film. Plus CC has a deal with the producer, that's why we have that, Blob, and Monsters and Madmen collection. Essential? no. But really fun stuff.
I'm surprised no one has complained about Equinox? I think the film is a rarity but not essential. The extras on the other hand are essential.
Remember CC moto? "...a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films, is dedicated to gathering the greatest films from around the world and publishing them in editions that offer the highest technical quality and award-winning, original supplements."
Some of the ones people complained about, like Beastie Boys anthology, need to remember this, but alas it all comes down to personal opinions.
Before I get ripped on, I guess I cant even figure out why Armegeddon or The Rock got releases, but someone said it was due to their popularity would support little known films for CC.
General Idi Amin Dada is a great doc, hands down. Who's directing who?
Fiend without a Face is essentially the first gore film. Plus CC has a deal with the producer, that's why we have that, Blob, and Monsters and Madmen collection. Essential? no. But really fun stuff.
I'm surprised no one has complained about Equinox? I think the film is a rarity but not essential. The extras on the other hand are essential.
03-14-07, 11:01 AM
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Besides the already mention non-anamorphic releases, the only Criterions I've regretted buying were:
Peeping Tom
Fiend Without a Face
The Life Aquatic
Honeymoon Killers
Traffic
Jules and Jim
Peeping Tom
Fiend Without a Face
The Life Aquatic
Honeymoon Killers
Traffic
Jules and Jim
03-14-07, 04:12 PM
#22
DVD Talk Legend
Don't we already have enough Criterion bashing on this forum?
