"Crapterion" Collection

"Everyone who's keen on Criterion seems to bag on Armageddon and Michael Bay. Seems unfair to me. I'd actually like to see more films like his in the Criterion collection and fewer "classics" like Sisters or 3 Women. How about given Transformers the Criterion treatment? Who's with me on this? That's a title that will be worth money some day, especially if they only print 500 copies."

As many have said earlier, the charm of the criterion collection is bringing forgotten films into the public eye so that they can be given the chance to be appreciated. It's not about lionizing films that are marketed to the teeth. You are missing the entire point.

As far as making a huge popcorn movie part of the collection to create Collectors status...I can only assume that you are joking.

When I don't have the energy to go to Movie Madness in Portland, which has an incredible selection, I walk down the street to Hollywood Video, which I kinda loathe most of the time. Thank goodness for the criterion collection. It definitely sneaks smaller films into the abyss of copies of poopy new releases, and the like. Do we really need two walls full of the movie, "Lonely Hearts"?
 
I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but there seems to be a Disney / Criterion connection.

Couldn't resist. :)

Anyway I've been a fan of the collection since back in the Laserdisc days. There's a hugh catalog of Criterions that hit LD that will never be transferee to DVD because the studios opted for their own release instead of letting Criterion do it. Blade Runner, Citizen Kane, the theatrical cut of Close Rncounters, just to name a few.

I think they give films wonderful treatments and I appreciate the work that they do. My only complaint is if I come across a Criterion film I've never heard of I'm compelled to buy it because that little symbol means I have to see it, right? That's worked out for me before, and burned me before. Which brings me to my last point: Criterions have excellent resale value.:thumbsup:
 
I actually own three Criterion films--Rushmore, Straw Dogs, and Seven Samurai. All great films though the transfer on Seven Samurai is rather crappy. My next Criterion purchase may be Man Bites Dog. Would love to get my hands on Hard Boiled too.
 
Criterion version of Down by Law is amazing. I mean phone conversations with Jim and the stars years later about the film, old never released Tom Waits video, etc. If you are a fan of something the criterion versions are must haves. The more content they put in there the better for me. Fishing with John is an aquired taste and is not a film. I happen to love it. Classic dry sarcasm voice over that I will never get tired of....
 
From what I heard, criterion wanted Rushmore. They said "no" not unless u do Armageddon and the Rock" criterion reluctantly said "uuuhhh, I guess so, what can we do"

Armageddon and the Rock weren’t really supposed to be criterions.

If you don’t like crapterion go to blockbuster and get whatever crap u like.
I have about 80, so more for me:). %100 of them I would buy if they where criterion or not. Bought them for the movie itself. I have about 20 more films that I bought before there where criterion versions available (Wish i had the criterion version) The criterion transfers are great.

Another reason I love criterion is because allot of the time they release the film back into the theater right before a DVD release. Since im not old enough to have seen "Hard Boiled" or "Army of Shadow" or "In the Mood for Love" when they where release it is a real treat. (Especially since Army of shadows was band in the US)
 
deedive said:
From what I heard, criterion wanted Rushmore. They said "no" not unless u do Armageddon and the Rock" criterion reluctantly said "uuuhhh, I guess so, what can we do"

Armageddon and the Rock weren’t really supposed to be criterions.
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If I were Criterion, I think I'd recognize that "Rushmore," while a film worthy of the collection, isn't worth compromising the integrity of the collection over.
 
I have several videos from this collection. But, like anything else, you have to look before you buy. There are some golden flicks, as well as some real stinkers. So my advice is, buy the movie not the collection.
 
Jazz Dog said:
Criterion version of Down by Law is amazing. I mean phone conversations with Jim and the stars years later about the film, old never released Tom Waits video, etc.
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The standard rental version in The Netherlands even had those phone conversions on it. The main thing I like about Criterion is stuff like a written Kurosawa essay on Tarkovsky (and 9 deleted scenes on Solyaris etc...)
 
Chris Messineo said:
I love the majority of the criterion discs and I own a bunch of them.

I just wish they weren't always so poo pooing expensive.
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I know...Rushmore set me back almost 80 bucks, if I recall, with tax and everything. That was a few years ago, and in Canadian dollars.
 
Herman Witkam said:
Interesting nickname - I just saw Umberto D yesterday :) (I loved it)
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I know. Brilliant.

Without De Sica, would we have had the French New Wave, Cassavetes, or Dogme 95?

It pains me to think that if he didn't move behind the camera, Truffaut may never have put down his pen and picked up a camera. No Quatre Cent Coups? No thanks.

Criterion has a bunch of the little frenchman's stuff available. I dool every time I pass by his little section at the video store.
 
What's awesome is that audio visual libraries will just buy Criterion movies no matter what. So as a college kid I had access to all these great movies not knowing a damn thing about em' when I grabbed it from the librarian.
 
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