Buying Criterion DVDs

[lordofdance]

Personally, I only buy Criterion DVDs that I'm pretty sure I'll like. Rarely do I buy one if I don't know anything about it, or if I think it won't appeal to my tastes.

[criterionmaster]

GREAT thread, I voted that I buy everyone. If that Criterion banner is there, or now just the logo, I know it has a least some merit, or some reason for seeing ('cept “the few”, you know the ones). And since I love the feeling of blind-buying a movie and it being good, often times I just go based on the cover alone, or on things I have heard. Or if I see ANY Criterion in a used store I will basically buy it, even if it doesn't even interest me that much, just because I have come to trust that there is at least something good about the film, some reason that a film buff should see it, or just a fan of film. I basically worship Criterion. I know it is a DVD line but it is the reason I like good film, no doubt about that.

[blackmoses]

Criterion is the greatest thing ever! I need every dvd!

[captainofbeef]

I really only need the ones that I think I would like.

[PTAhole]

Gotta go with Lordofdance and Beed here. Some criterion movies (not the "bad" ones either) I just look at and think, do I see myself watching this more than once? And if the answer is no, then why would I want to own it?

[ie]

I only want to own the Criterions that I really, really like. I might eventually go for the ones that I like/enjoy.

One factor that influnces my decision here is that my library system has at least 2/3rds of the Criterion Collection available in one format or another. So if I want to watch High and Low again, I can just borrow it from the library.


My general policy is that if I see a Criterion DVD for under, oh, $10, I'll buy it. That number would probably be more like $6-$8, and it depends on the DVD, but as a usual thing.

For example, I bought Youth of the Beast and Tokyo Drifter, even though I'm not a big Suzuki fan, because they figured into a three DVDs for $10 deal.

At worst, I could resell them (if only C-Dawg were in the area, then I could sell them to him for OVER $9000 ), and at best, it's not like they're that bad. I still need to watch Youth of the Beast, and Tokyo Drifter isn't that bad.

[Clark Nova]

price doesn't really matter to me, but i'll only buy a movie i really like, just like with any other dvd...the criterion label is nice, sure, but my buying one is no different than with any other movie...which is why i usually don't blind buy.

[kiddo]

I'm not as fanatic about it as that master of criterion that post a few posts here now and then, but clearly, I do care about new realises and such. I don't dare to say how few I own, but nevertheless, I'll try to get hold to the ones I think is great/superb and think will be great/superb. The main problem is that it's so expensive over here...

Talking about Tokyo Drifter, I think it suck. I probably need to rewatch it, but as far as I remember, it was a horribly poorly edited and totally uninteresting movie.