What's The Deal with The Criterion Collection?

[@IamT-Rex]

Let me know your thoughts on the criterion collection and which ones should I get next!

[@222aloof]

Sword of Doom

[@Martinmd12-zt7vu]

Godzilla (1954) is on the criterion collection. I think you would love that since you have a dinosaur head.

[@IamT-Rex]

@@Martinmd12-zt7vu I actually got it for christmas

[@cdover911]

You definitely should of got ONIBABA if you like Japanese, European section I would check out LA Dolce Vita or 8 1/2. I would also check out HEAVENS GATE. Any Terrence Malick on there.

[@Badcomedy336]

Fear and loathing in las Vegas is great of you want a fuckin trip my guy

[@bentertainmentproductions8451]

The Criterion Collection is perhaps, in my definition, the saving grace for cinephiles who are becoming sick and tired of sequels, remakes, reboots, and superhero movies. Not saying we aren't getting anything cinematic anymore, but if you really want to get some fresh air, willing to put down the phone down for a bit, and immerse yourself into in depth pieces projecting iconic imagery and sometimes universally themes than I couldn't recommend Criterion more. Here are a few I'd recommend. -Ikiru (Akira Kurosawa) -Brazil (Terry Gilliam) -Come and See (Elem Klimov) -8 1/2 (Federico Fellini) -Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Caring and Love the Bomb (Stanley Kubrick) -High and Low (Akira Kurosawa)

[@IamT-Rex]

Great recommendations! I love Dr Strangelove and I definitely want to check out some more Kurosawa!

[@jasonleetaiwan]

Brazil. Not on my to buy list.

[@AlanisOcasio123]

Great list I would include Pan’s Labyrinth if you haven’t seen it before.

[@dir390]

@@IamT-Rex Be advised that Dr. Strangelove has a 4K release, the Criterion version is only 1080p. With that said, the packaging on the Criterion edition is fantastic. If you're a fan, it's almost worth it for the packaging alone.

[@hunterdean4766]

Criterions are always between $20 -$35 on Amazon year round. Barnes & Noble has terrible prices on ALL of their physical media.

[@IamT-Rex]

And buying straight from criterion is basically putting your wallet on suicide watch

[@MaskMan191]

Barnes and Noble have exactly the correct price for Criterion: MSRP. Buying on Amazon at a discount, you run the risk of getting one of the many, many bootlegs.

[@zachmetry6124]

@@IamT-Rexmate, I think you went to my Barnes and noble…

[@thepoloranger420]

FACT

[@NicEeEe843]

You can’t expect an online store with no overhead to sell the same product as a brick and mortar that has to pay for rent, employees

[@jerrycalva7567]

Most people buy criterion discs during the 50% off sale because of the absurd regular prices I think they did that on purpose because it sort of feels like an event because you have to wait months to get them

[@bUnkkErr]

When is that sale ?

[@jerrycalva7567]

@@bUnkkErr every July & November Sometimes they do sales on the website too

[@jerrycalva7567]

July & November sales are only at Barnes & Nobles

[@Hypno_BPM]

@@bUnkkErrblack friday , christmas week

[@kimmathis1945]

It's a marketing trick. They know people will go for a haul on that special day and just splurge.

[@jnanamyotherapy]

Criterion Collection created the concept of boutique brand for blu-rays, much like how people pay a premium just for a Hugo Boss branded T-shirt. The market has the choice of going for something special, over something standard. Also, Criterion has a group called Janus that is involved in film restoration, so Criterion can ensure quality in their releases.

[@NicholasCarroll-r4f]

I could argue Anchor Bay did the same back in the dvd days.

[@omegashenron8]

The $50 for a criterion is because of all the effort that goes into making the extras and packaging. Expecting a criterion to be the same price as a regular bare bones blu ray is a little unrealistic. Although I do agree $50 is a bit much and that it should be $30-$40 at the most.

[@IamT-Rex]

Great insight! Yeah maybe I’d buy more if they hovered around steel-book price.

[@CRanapia]

And also, there's some titles I'd be willing to pay the premium nut for because they're restorations supervised and approved by the director and/or key crew. David Lynch is one of my favourite directors, and the DVDs and BRs I have are perfectly watchable (if some more so than others) but the Criterion ERASERHEAD I saw is a genuine step up from the edition I own. And that level of restoration work isn't fast or cheap. So, yeah, it's a high price point and a lot of Criterion titles are very much for the hardcore fan/collector market, but I don't begrudge paying a bit more so the people doing the work to add value get paid. :)

[@milesallarie3334]

I have the criterion collection for a night to remember and it's a standard blue ray case but came with a pretty thick booklet on the real history of the ship and movie and the actual sound quality and visual quality of the movie looks timeless

[@IamT-Rex]

I've never heard of this movie before so thanks for the recommendation! Looks really cool so I'll add this to the watchlist!

[@jcole4517]

As someone that owns around 800 Criterion releases (collected over 10 years), always, always, always shop the sales.

[@nickbundt]

The restoration and film scanning process is why they are $40. For some films they literally travel around the world to bring together copies of the film (some that could literally burst into flames in not properly stored), find the proper equipment to scan them digitally, and piece together the film from all the copies to make a cohesive visual look (because all physically film will be developed slightly different, so they look slightly different). Then, they painstakingly remove any other defects digitlaly, frame by frame. Its quite remarkable. I recommend watching one of their restoration docs on youtube. They are doing the film worlds most grueling and necessary work.

[@thomasdrysdale4240]

A movie critic who hasn’t seen Citizen Kane or Seven Samorai

[@andrewchristian7004]

He has now though

[@nicolasdavidson3470]

Stumbled onto this video randomly so this will probably get buried, but I’m going to try to explain the appeal Criterion to me. -First off one of the big things they do is restoration. You don’t really need this for their newer films, but having a restored version of older and rarer films is so nice. Especially foreign movies that don’t have good and readily available translations. -The physical copy is apart of the appeal. It’s like people collecting Vinyl records it’s outdated but it’s nice. the amazing picture and aesthetic is lovely to see on a shelf. They aren’t just movies they are collectors items. They also come with plenty of bonus features like you mentioned which are great to further analyze/understand the film. -Also like you said, nobody I know buys these at full price unless they have money they can just throw around. Criterion has regular sales throughout the year and then some flash sales which is when most people get them. -Also I feel physical media is becoming more popular lately with streaming services going to shit. And while criterion’s expensive it has a guarantee of quality. Sorry if this came out a mess

[@IamT-Rex]

Great insights!

[@DetectivePhatWeedington]

One of my friends introduced me to The Criterion Collection in 2020 since I wanted to rebuild my dad's movie collection. Now I have a bookshelf full of them. Thanks, Dumbs.

[@lozu8947]

It’s the same that when people pay $300 for a pair of tennis shoes when they can pay $20 for a pair at Walmart

[@storyteller2882]

Criterion streaming is only $11 a month. IMHO, it's a much better bet monetarily than the physical objects--not to mention it has a lower carbon footprint. You've experienced the awe of buying and opening a well-produced DVD. Now you can use method acting to put yourself in the mindset of total focus when you stream. I'm an old lady. I was introduced to classic foreign movies when PBS had a Criterion series when I was a teen in the early 70s. I own Criterion's Les Enfants du Paradis and M--gorgeous!--but I did buy them before streaming became available.

[@jasonleetaiwan]

The channel is great, but it doesn't have a lot of their titles. Buying physical is still necessary.

[@Hypno_BPM]

sad thing is , with streaming a lot of movies are on a rotating list. sometimes you wanna watch something and it’s not there, yeah it’s not a big deal but what i do i get the movies i really want and wait for a sale around $10 to $15 i think that’s a reasonable price.

[@NicholasCarroll-r4f]

you own nothing with streaming. Your worries over a carbon footprint are utterly ridiculous compared to what else goes on in this world.

[@storyteller2882]

You own nothing? Quelle horreur! Are you planning on leaving your discs to your children in hopes they have the money to keep their player functioning? What's the big whoop about owning a piece of plastic? Throughout the 70's I went to at least ten movies a week at university cinematheques and commercial art houses and repertory theaters. Many of my favorites never even made it to disks. I still "own" the memories. @@NicholasCarroll-r4f

[@njt002]

I use the Criterion Collection as a resource for films I should watch. I've never purchased one.

[@beastialmoon2327]

The way I see it, the $50 price is to cover for all the interviews, commentaries, and the restoration process that a lot of these films have to go through. I personally just wait for the bi-annual half-off sale, but I think the msrp is entirely fair with how much work goes in to these packages. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of my dad's favorite movies and I loved getting the Criterion edition for him so we have something to share.

[@toneriggz]

Years ago, they came up with a line of DVDs called Essential Art House. These were stripped down versions of certain releases. No bonus content or amazing booklet. Just the remastered movie for a more affordable price. Back then, I bought the Essential Art House versions of Rashomon and The Hidden Fortress.

[@pepsiforbread1416]

The $40 price pales in comparison to the old laserdisc days where some very special editions of titles like Akira, Hard Boiled, The Killer, Se7en, Pulp Fiction and Goldfinger could cost you a whopping $80-124

[@SamDavies94]

As I'm based in the UK, I'm glad that a vast array of excellent classic films and world cinema - aren't locked behind a extortionate pay wall. I like Criterion, but their prices are predatory - having to wait for a bi-annual 50% off sale to get a handful of films is ridiculous to me.

[@kimmathis1945]

Most of those movies have been available and in good quality too. Especially the more recent ones didn't require any restoration to be done. So I am supposed to pay an extra $ 20 for fancy packaging with new artwork and a booklet that tells me how to understand the film - a good movie should speak for itself. I won't debate that there are some true gems to be found, but overall it is a business model. How else could they give a 50 % discount on a regular basis without going bankrupt?

[@shnazsy726]

I live in the UK so I unfortunately don’t have access to the criterion channel, however I have grown a pretty big collection of criterion blurays, I own 25 releases now, including the before trilogy box set I got for Christmas last year! Most recently I purchased Down By Law by Jim Jarmusch to add to my collection, I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it very much!

[@leonardgbrisebois]

I used to purchase some Criterion movies (Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Paths of Glory to name a few), but the prices in Canada are now around $60. The shipping cost even with the 50% sale still make them too expensive. I also find the titles now more miss than hit, but your mileage may vary. But I find the description of movies on the Criterion website cringy. It seems that every movie is the greatest movie ever made, but I find it overly pretentious.

[@ead630]

This was a really well done video

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

Great video. Individuals love a post that articluates what you yourself think. There is however one huge issue with the Criterion collection and that is to do with its half price sales. The reason being that it is only ever available to those in the U.S. Folk in Australia and I assume nywhere else outiose the U.S. never get this option. We therefore are stuck with ebay which these days seems even more expensive than shop prices. Criterion if they love film should give all citizens of the world a chance to see them in the incredible quality and beauty they are presented in.

[@mtcondie]

I just rented The Kingdom of Heaven on KZbin a few days ago. The movie was disappointing because it was heavily edited. It was not the same movie I remember seeing when it came out. The comment section confirmed and reinforced my disappointment, as other people made the same observations. So, I now have a renewed interest in quality physical media.

[@gray6862]

Personally I think the deal with criterion collections is that you can get your favourite sometimes kind of niche films restored with great quality packaging with cool covers and features. I do believe it’s more of a birthday or on sale thing to purchase

[@Graphicxtras1]

They are way too expensive, probably why I have none of them in my collection. Prefer to buy blurays from Indicator and other labels. I suspect that Criterion will be keeping their premium prices so if I get one, it will be via CEX or from a charity shop. Or when they have a sale.

[@TheSteiner49er]

Honestly, what a fantastic video.

[@IamT-Rex]

Thanks!

[@triplejazzmusicisall1883]

Surely we must get to a point when the cream of the cream of movies are exhausted. Then what will Criterio do?

[@donsantos8798]

Is a 4k, 4k!! Which is above bluray quality. Is crazy you don't know the difference between the 2.

[@IamT-Rex]

i know what a 4k blu ray is😭

[@ClarkTeddles]

This video was really informative, well done man! if you have a chance to pick up that "Y Tu Mama Tambien" criterion blu ray, definitely get it, it's such an awesome film, and the packaging is great too. Have a great day

[@IamT-Rex]

Thanks for the recommend. With the rumored sale tommrow I might just pick it up!

[@Itsreag]

I usually get the dvd versions and sometimes on eBay to save money

[@desuroku9426]

What is the song in the background just before the outro?

[@Cinema_Inc2000]

Currently I have 17 criterions so far Just bought Midnight Cowboy for £12 + free delivery

[@IamT-Rex]

Yeah i’m up to 9 now with my most recent pickup during the sale being silence of the lambs. That blu ray is rad

[@ead630]

A review of Seven Samurai and/or Citizen Kane in the works?

[@IamT-Rex]

Maybe if in the future I’ll do a video reviewing every criterion collection movie I have but for now I don’t have any individual reviews for those movies in the works. Sorry but if you want I post reviews on Letterboxd you can see here letterboxd.com/iamtrex and I reviewed Citizen Kane on there! Not super in depth reviews but I put my scores there!

[@issaggg1087]

tbh thats their bread and butter. Thee are countless movies i have foumd out on their collection. It can be a stange but why shed light on already well acclaimed films when there are many that dont get their proper dues?

[@punknerd9747]

brand new movies are 25 bucks yet for Blu Ray new big studio ones tho

[@Martinmd12-zt7vu]

What music did you use?

[@korondavis5048]

I payed 140 for the zatoichi collection

[@aarond9563]

I don't think you should blind buy anything really unless it's a box set. We have the criterion channel that has almost every physical equivalent. If you really love something then I think it MIGHT be worth getting the physical copy with all the supplements to consume.

[@666AbbeyRoad]

I'll forgive you for calling that door stop of a console a Blu ray player.............

[@joshiasbaja3934]

I appreciate your video

[@FineTuxedo]

To think you left fantastic planet is astounding 💔

[@davidgagnon5581]

DVD, Blu Ray, now 4K, their just juceing us over & over again. I can afford a $13000 TV but will only be buying a few must have Criterion cause their outrageously expensive

[@clanofclams2720]

30 dollars a blu ray. 40 is for 4k

[@Halalmeat5000rh]

Pay the Price, for the Prestige of the Picture.

[@jimreplicant]

Yours were 50 because they were both 2 disc, regular 1 discs are 40, and no one buys them at full price accept rich people😂

[@georgemiser]

Freddy got Fingered just got added to the collection.

[@IamT-Rex]

Gord finally made his dad proud

[@randallwest1572]

Onibaba was wild

[@Troy1g]

Well said. For arts sake.

[@NicholasCarroll-r4f]

Arrow and Vinegar Syndrome have already far passed them.

[@customsforthekid]

Barnes and Noble are just overpriced. I spend $18 to $25 a release.

[@hvitekristesdod]

Great cinema is priceless

[@movid]

What's the deal with.... those youtubers who talk so fast?🤔 Have to slow down speed to follow your talk at human speed. I also dislike those image fillers, this never changes. Thank you very much, I said it

[@Graphicxtras1]

Probably because the YT algorithm seems to reward fast talking videos over slower ones, I must admit I didn't find this video too bad

[@President-Ratman]

I feel that the selection is a little weird, i was browsing the collection they have 24 ZATOICHI sequels movies but no movie's by Steven Spielberg and Quinton Tarantino. The only Francis Ford Coppola movie they have is Rumble Fish not Godfather, or Apocalypses Now. The only Christopher Nolan movie they have is the Following. The only Ridley Scott movie they have is Thelma and Louise, not Blade Runner, Alien, or Gladiator. they focus too much on unknown movies and to little on genre movies in my opinion. I'm a intermediate film lover, i scrolled through all 1,600 movies they had and i have heard of/watched less then 50 of them

[@MapleMilk]

It might be because licensing lesser known films is cheaper or that other companies won't give up the licenses for physical production of them or even that Criterion specifically picks the more unknown films so you would be out of your comfort zone as a viewer, although that one is less likely

[@juand1rection]

You can probably buy films by Quentin and Spielberg in very good quality in multiple sources, some of the movies Criterion has have almost been saved. I tried to watch Suspiria on some streaming platforms but they all have the censored version, it’s one of those I don’t mind spending a little money to have a decent copy of. The selling point of Criterion is finding something exciting you might’ve not seen otherwise.

[@notnek202]

The DEI collection

[@cdover911]

Haha you should check out the criterion out of print that go for $600 and you worried about paying $40

[@Graphicxtras1]

Well, unless I win the lottery, I won't buy going for any of the OOP criterions then.

[@notnek202]

The DEI collection

[@issaggg1087]

braindead much

[@juand1rection]

Anti-intellectualism is gonna kill the planet