FilmStruck/Criterion

[xisxisxis]

As most cinema buffs are probably aware, Filmstruck is closing down tomorrow due to poor leadership by AT&T/Time Warner/WarnerMedia. For those not in the know, Filmstruck was a streaming service partnership between Turner Classic Movies and Criterion that focused on film classics through the Criterion collection, TCM and other sources. While I had issues with Filmstruck it didn't impact my subscribing to the service. The main desire for me was access to the Criterion library of classic movies and their great supplements. Criterion.com/Criterion announced before Thanksgiving that they would offer their own streaming service starting in "Spring 2019". For those not aware, you can sign up for "charter membership" at criterion.com (just a name/email/type of membership) signup at this point (no credit card, payment info, etc). For anyone interested in this resource I recommend going to criterion.com and signing up. Filmstruck from all indications was not a money losing operation, it just didn't encompass a large enough footprint for a large media giant to care about. If you are looking for alternatives to the Hollywood movie drones/clones, MUBI (Love it), Criterion (Love it) and Fandor (Like it) are three options for streaming services of alternative movies/films, shorts, documentaries. Support real cinema and go to criterion.com and signup (you don't have to commit to anything)!

[homer]

Thanks for the heads up. I was aware of the Filmstruck disintegration but didn't know Criterion was doing their own thing. Didn't they used to have a deal with Hulu? Anyway, this is great info.

[RobertR]

Kanopy is something worth keeping in mind while waiting fir Criterion Channel to relaunch. It's mainly only accessible via library and university memberships, but it carries a lot of Criterions and it's free.

[homer]

Kanopy is something worth keeping in mind while waiting fir Criterion Channel to relaunch. It's mainly only accessible via library and university memberships, but it carries a lot of Criterions and it's free.

 

Welcome back, Robert!

[JosephC]

Man I just love Criterion. Working my way through the Ingmar Bergman's Cinema collection right now.

[RobertR]

Kanopy is something worth keeping in mind while waiting fir Criterion Channel to relaunch. It's mainly only accessible via library and university memberships, but it carries a lot of Criterions and it's free.

 

Welcome back, Robert!

 

Never really gone, just really busy.

[homer]

Man I just love Criterion. Working my way through the Ingmar Bergman's Cinema collection right now.

 

How far along are you? I've been meaning to watch more Bergman but the fiancee would make it about five minutes so I need to do it while she's not around. I definitely have a few Tarkovsky films on my list for the near future.

[JosephC]

Man I just love Criterion. Working my way through the Ingmar Bergman's Cinema collection right now.

 

How far along are you? I've been meaning to watch more Bergman but the fiancee would make it about five minutes so I need to do it while she's not around. I definitely have a few Tarkovsky films on my list for the near future.

 

I'm watching the films in chronological order, not the "film festival" order of the box set. Watched "Summer with Monika" last night and will be watching "Sawdust and Tinsel" sometime today.

[sveumrules]

That Bergman box looks absolutely insane. Almost initimidating in its breadth/scope.

 

Not sure which Tarkovskys are on your list homer, but I recently watched Stalker for the first time & absolutely loved it. A lot funnier than I expected.

 

Pretty sure Barnes & Noble has 50% off all Criterion titles the rest of the month or at least until Xmas. I Always try to stop in & pick up a stack of discs this time of year.

[homer]

Stalker was first on my list.

[RobertR]

Stalker is pretty terrific. Not at all the intimidating experience that Tarkovsky has.

 

If it's okay to plug my podcast, we covered The Virgin Spring and Hour of the Wolf for Halloween.

[JosephC]

I have the Andrei Rublev, Solaris and Stalker in my collection.

 

I'm not huge into Tarkovsky but respect what he does and his films always seem to be better on repeated watches.

 

Stalker kind of freaked me out the first time I saw it because I kept thinking about how much it had to been influenced by Chernobyl, and then halfway through it popped into my mind that Chernobyl happened in the early 80s and this film was a 1979 release.

 

Will be watching The Seventh Seal from the Bergman box tonight.

[xisxisxis]

In case you haven't seen it, Criterion Channel has an official launch date of April 8th. If you sign up for an account before that date, you will lock in slightly lower monthly and yearly pricing moving forward. You will get a 30-day free trial included plus they are streaming 1 movie per week for "Charter" subscribers, however, only through a web browser, until April 8. Apps for Apple, FireTV, Roku and a few other devices are said to be ready on April 8th for mobile access.

 

Robert, thanks for the reminder on Kanopy. It provided me with an excuse to finally fix my account connection to my library card and now I have access. I've been reviewing my media library and trying to catch up on streaming of some missing films to find there isn't an outlet these days for many of the classics. If I want to pay $3.99 for a rental, yes, but most paid streaming services have really cut back on older/"Classic" film offerings.

[JosephC]

www.criterion.com

 

Criterion is having a 24 hour flash sale currently going on their website. Ends at noon, eastern time, tomorrow. Free shipping for orders over $50. Only applies to in-stock titles, no backorders or pre-orders for titles that haven't been released yet.

 

I am pretty bummed out because I wanted to get the Eclipse Set 17: Nikkatsu Noir, but that one is sold out. It was #1 on my want list for this sale. That is certainly not a title I would have suspected they'd run out of.

 

I ended up getting-

Berlin Alexanderplatz Blu-ray

The Killers (Ernest Hemingway double-feature) Blu-ray

Ugetsu Blu-ray

[homer]

Hmmmm.....Shoah for $49? I might have to pull the trigger on that.

[sveumrules]

Highly recommend the Les Blank: Always For Pleasure box set. Grabbed it a couple years back when B&N had one of their 50% off sales & it is one of my favorites in whole collection.

[RobertR]

Criterion Channel launched last week and I've started on their Columbia noir collection.

 

For those interested in what features are on it, try this link.

 

https://films.criterionchannel.com/?fbclid=IwAR3T3K061oMjJqmtJW_3fBETPCNBWcgrD7P4y_o4I40rGrdDdaM8jC145Q4

[JosephC]

Criterion Channel launched last week and I've started on their Columbia noir collection.

 

For those interested in what features are on it, try this link.

 

https://films.criterionchannel.com/?fbclid=IwAR3T3K061oMjJqmtJW_3fBETPCNBWcgrD7P4y_o4I40rGrdDdaM8jC145Q4

 

Unfortunately, I'm not a steamer.

 

….but looking at some of the titles on that list that don't have Criterion Blu-ray/DVD's. I see they have Mizoguchi's The 47 Ronin and, WOW, would I love to see a quality restoration of that one! I do have a cheap import DVD but would love an upgrade.

 

I have a Kino DVD of Kurosawa's Dersu Uzala and I could badly use a Blu-ray upgrade of that one. I see it's listed here so hopefully that means a Criterion Blu-ray is on the horizon.

 

And it's about time Criterion deliver on that big, bad Godzilla box set that's been rumored for so long. Yep, many of these movies aren't very good. Nonetheless, Godzilla is the best of the monsters. The historical significance of these films would make a big Blu-ray collection and automatic purchase for me.

 

I'll be watching Kobayashi's brilliant The Human Condition films this weekend. There is a Criterion DVD collection and I see they have the films available for streaming. Highly recommended. I had grown tired of waiting for a Criterion Blu-ray of these films, and acquired Arrow Video's European Blu-ray release. It's region B, but I've mod'ed my Oppo so I'm ready to go!

 

But, in all seriousness, as far as I'm concerned this service is essential for movie fans that stream.

[reillymcshane]

Some awesome stuff available. And I'm assuming it's good quality.

[JosephC]

Semi-annual 50% off flash sale at criterion.com happening now. 15+ hours left as I type this.

 

Only applies to in-stock titles. No out of stock or pre-orders included. Buy $50+ and get free shipping.

 

I am a bit bummed, my local Barnes and Noble started with the spiderweb security tags which damages box set packaging so I am now looking to get all Criterion box sets through these twice-a-year flash sales. I wanted to get The Apu Trilogy during this sale, but it is sold out. The backup option was the 3-film Rossellini collection featuring Ingrid Bergman, but that one was sold out too.

[sveumrules]

Barnes & Noble has 50% off Criterion titles currently.

 

Stopped in last week to pick up The Elephant Man & maybe one other, when I saw the B&N employee putting up the half off signs so I ended up grabbing a half dozen instead.

 

My favorites so far of the ones I picked up are probably Wings of Desire (Angels making their way through mostly black & white wall still standing Berlin listening in on people's thoughts) & The Magician (Bergman riffing on the wealthy ruling class's open contempt for, well, anyone that isn't them).

[JosephC]

I'm really unhappy that Barnes and Noble is not giving the extra 10% off for B&N members during this sale. The Criterion sales are the only reason I'm a member (only buy about 3 books a year), and my membership just renewed a couple months ago. There is no way I will get my money back on the membership this year, and if the same policy is in effect for the usual June/July sale in 2021 there is no way I will renew my membership.

 

As I am still practicing early COVID-19 recommendations, I still have not gone to B&N during this sale. However, I am planning on going in on the 24th as that is the release date for the Fellini box set. Sure hope that their stock is not in spider-web security devices, which crease the outer-packaging and makes it an immediate "no buy." Might end up wasting a trip going on, only to leave empty-handed and going home and ordering it through the B&N or Amazon website.

[JosephC]

B&N is also running a 50% off sale on Arrow Video titles. I think the general consensus among blu-ray buyers is that Arrow currently does a better job on their releases than Criterion with the exception of the bonus content (transfer quality of film, bit-rate of disks better with Arrow, amount and quality of bonus material better with Criterion). Arrow has also jumped into the 4k waters (I think only 6 or 7 titles so far) where Criterion hasn't done so.

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/50-off-arrow-video/_/N-2uz4

[RobertR]

Yeah, I'm not too happy about B&N not providing the member discount either. But, given the pandemic, I'm willing to cut them some slack.

 

I didn't go crazy this year. Added Parasite, The Elephant Man, and Eyes Without a Face so far. The Fellini box set is preordered. On a per film set, the Fellini box set is a bargain, 14 feature movies at less than $10 per film during the half off sale is quite the buy. Especially when there are several masterpieces in the set. I'm especially partial to La Strada and Nights of Cabiria.