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Criterion will stream notable titles by black filmmakers for free
Criterion Collection announced a few steps it’s taking to fight systemic racism, including lifting the paywall on select titles from black filmmakers.
Criterion Collection streaming library to remain a Hulu exclusive
The Criterion Collection became a part of Hulu's lineup back in 2011, quickly turning into an essential feature within the company's premium video streaming service, Hulu Plus. Today, Hulu announced it has reached yet another multi-year deal with Criterion, allowing it to keep the streaming rights for over 800 films from the popular Criterion Collection. Hulu says this agreement will also allow it to offer previously unreleased films as Hulu Plus exclusives, adding that the goal is to "create a destination to drive discovery and appreciation of some of the greatest films from around the world." To celebrate the extended partnership, Hulu's now letting Plus subscribers stream The Great Beauty, an Oscar-winning film by Paolo Sorrentino. And in case you're not familiar with it, perhaps the trailer after the break will help spark your interest.
Hulu Plus for iOS updated to v2.3, resumes resuming
Sure, Hulu Plus is on the Xbox 360 now, but that's not the only platform getting some love this week as the app for iOS was updated yesterday. New tweaks in v2.3 include tabbed search results, a dedicated menu for the Criterion Collection plus improvements for the iPad 2 and other minor tweaks. If you were missing the "resume" button take heart - it's back now. Hit the app store for the updated version of the free app and put that $7.99 per month subscription to work.
Hulu Plus for PS3 updated, users still complaining about playback issues
Just a few weeks after hitting v1.01, the Hulu Plus app for PlayStation 3 was updated to v1.03 a few days ago, crediting user feedback as helpful in clearing up issues with skipping or stalling during playback. Unfortunately, in the comments many users are reporting they're still having issues, with many saying they only started in the last month or so. It's hard to determine the cause of each individual's issues from here, but if you're having any problems we'd suggest letting Hulu know so they can get straightened out. In happier Hulu news, the company released its Q1 stats at the beginning of the month, calling its projected growth to 1 million Hulu Plus subscribers this year the fastest launch it is aware of for any online subscription video service, and 90 percent revenue growth over last year. Criterion fans should also notice some new sorting options, along with supplemental videos which, if you'll recall, was a part of what lured the flicks away from Netflix in the first place. Feel free to check them out whenever the PlayStation Network comes back up again.
Criterion Collection now streaming on Hulu Plus, maybe Sanjuro and Hanbei will settle differences (update: Netflix and Hulu won't)
Hulu Plus just got a whole lot more appealing for cinephiles. The streaming service just rolled out 150 properties from the Criterion Collection, perhaps the premiere pusher of amazing films, with that number expected to top 800 in "the coming months." It'll include the regulars, like plenty of offerings by Kurosawa, along with some films "so rare that they have never been seen in the U.S. in any medium." Indeed this deal is available only in America, so we'll send our apologies to our friendly neighbors to the north, but you're certainly welcome to come on down on movie night. Just bring some popcorn. Naturally the quality here won't match a Blu-ray and we're guessing the usually epic Criterion special features won't be streaming, but you can't have everything for $7.99 a month. Update: We got a note from Hulu indicating that, yes indeed, special features will be here too. Director commentary, deleted scenes, and lots of other bonus goodies will be coming to the mix. Maybe there'll be something in there explaining the deep, hidden meanings of Sans Soleil. Oh, and it's an exclusive deal, which is a bummer for Netflixers. Update 2: Netflix is losing out in more ways than one: "All of the films that are currently on Netflix streaming will be down by the end of the year," reads a somewhat bitter Criterion Collection post on Facebook. Criterion will continue to ship Netflix discs, but we all know that Netflix doesn't care about those so much anymore. [Thanks, Dan]
Criterion Collection's October Blu-ray release schedule includes Seven Samurai
It hasn't been that long since Criterion collection started shipping its classics on Blu-ray, and one of the most recently announced movies on the way is Akira Kurosawa's classic, Seven Samurai. A flick which should need no introduction, it will get a three disc set when it arrives October 19 with a $49.95 MSRP, while we'll have to wait for more specs and features, there will also be a few other incredible movies like The Magician, Paths of Glory, House and The Darjeeling Limited arriving around the same time, so make your preorder choices wisely.
NeoGAF cranking out gorgeous 'Criterion Collection' box art
Something magical is happening over on the NeoGAF forums. For the past week, ultra-skilled Photoshoppers have been crafting replacement box art for some of their favorite titles as part of "The GAF Collection," a nod to the similarly stylish "Criterion Collection" film catalog. They're beautiful, precious works of art which we'll soon be proudly sliding into the plastic sleeves of our comparatively hideous game cases. Do your brain's aesthetic receptors a favor, and go check them out.
Criterion Collection Blu-ray Disc review roundup
Sometime between the third crescent moon and a witch's equinox (or early last week, to be specific), Criterion began shipping out its long-awaited Blu-ray Disc collection. The question remains, though: are these much ballyhooed discs worth their weight in gold, or what? We've rounded up a number of reviews from around the web covering a wide range of the first wave titles, and generally speaking, critics were floored. Almost every single reviewer had a difficult time hitting the "stop" button on their praises of the visual / auditory qualities, and while the plots of each film are completely subjective, it's safe to say that these are quite the must-haves for strict audio- / videophiles. The only title that didn't receive an inordinate amount of laud was Chungking Express, with the reviewer noting that it had "a somewhat erratic look on Blu-ray, alternately semi-soft and sharp." Outside of that, however, it's all glowing.Read - The Third Man reviewRead - Bottle Rocket reviewRead - The Man Who Feel To Earth reviewRead - Chungking Express reviewRead - Overview of Blu-ray transfer process
First wave of Criterion Blu-ray Discs to tout plain packaging, ship December 19th
The long wait for Criterion's break into the world of Blu is just about over, and we're assured that our patience will not have been in vain. According to Criterion technical director Lee Kline: "If our Blu-ray discs are going to come out, then they'd better look right." Presumably addressing the delays, he noted that "we had to make sure that the compression was right, that the audio encoding was up to par, and we had to make sure that the discs played on all players, particularly the older generation models, as well as [the] PlayStation 3." Possibly the most exciting news is that the first wave of releases will be available for purchase on December 19th. Also of note, each title will "not be housed in the traditional blue-colored Blu-ray boxes that the major studios have adopted, nor will they carry the Blu-ray Disc logo. Rather, the Criterion titles will carry a small credit on the back of the box indicating that the title is in the Blu-ray format, and there will be a blue sticker on the shrink wrap indicating the same." Way to go your own way, Criterion.
Criterion Blu-ray collection delayed again until at least December
We'd like to think that anything put out by Criterion would be worth the wait, but this is getting a wee bit annoying. After first announcing that a gaggle of Criterion Blu-ray Discs would be out by October, we were hit with the unfortunate news that things were being pushed back 'til November. Here we are in that very month, and now we're staring yet another month-long delay in the face. For reasons unknown, classics like Bottle Rocket, Chungking Express, The Third Man, The Man Who Fell to Earth and The Last Emperor have all been knocked back to December with the exception of the last film, which is being delayed until January of 2009. Bah, humbug![Via Sound & Vision, thanks Anthony]
Criterion Blu-ray movies detailed, priced same as DVDs
The film buffs over at Criterion Collection (not to be confused with game developer Criterion Games) have finally announced the details to their much-anticipated Blu-ray releases. Those of you who know Criterion know their prices ain't exactly mainstream, but surprisingly, Criterion Blu-ray releases will be priced the same as DVD releases. Amazon has the following for preorder for $27.95: The Last Emperor, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Chungking Express and Bottle Rocket. We noticed that the price for the The Last Emperor on DVD is more, at $39.99! You are better off preordering The Third Man from the official Criterion site though, who has it for $31.96. The new Criterion releases Chungking Express and Bottle Rocket are headed our way on November 25th, while existing releases The Last Emperor, The Third Man and The Man Who Fell to Earth will land on Blu-ray on November 18th.Criterion has also promised to use the current DVD numbering and beautiful packaging for the Blu-ray releases, "with the only physical difference being the use of the blue Blu-ray case," according to blu-ray.com. What if I have the DVD version already?! There is an upgrade program available for $25, where you send in the original DVD in exchange for the Blu-ray. That seems a little pointless though, when the discs can purchased at $27.95.Finally, special features and bonuses for each movie are after the jump:Source -- blu-ray.comSource -- blu-ray.com
Criterion Blu-ray debut delayed until November
Criterion's firmed up its release plans, backing off the initial October projections and announcing the first five flicks to get the C stamped on their Blu-ray case. Included are three classics already out on Criterion DVD due November 18 - The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Third Man and The Last Emperor. The following week Bottle Rocket and Chungking Express hit day and date with their DVD counterparts, all for the promised MSRP of $39.95 (tagged $31.96 in the Criterion store.) Original aspect ratios, BD-50 dual layer discs and the company's usual care and attention to detail, of course, are part of the package, the only question is whether you can wait one more long month.
PS3 is Criterion Collection's Blu-ray player of choice
The movie experts over at the Criterion Collection, known for their Laserdiscs and DVDs of unparalleled production values, uses the PlayStation 3 as their reference Blu-ray player. Considering their other equipment, which includes "a Denon AVR-3808CI receiver, an Axiom Epic 80/500 speaker system, an Anchor Bay DVDO VP50 Pro video processor with HD SDI option," this is quite an honor for the PS3.No one is actually surprised by this though, even as just a plain-ol' Blu-ray player, the PS3 has been rated quite highly. Of course, it doesn't hurt that the PS3 allows for firmware upgrades for any functionality tweaks. Oh yeah, and games!This October, Criterion will also begin releasing movies on the Blu-ray format, and we are simply quivering with anticipation.[Via Engadget and CNET -- thanks, jimb!]
Criterion Collection uses PS3 as reference Blu-ray player
Yeah, you read that correctly -- the obsessive audiophiles / videophiles at the Criterion Collection use Sony's PlayStation 3 as its reference Blu-ray player. In all honesty, we can't say we're too surprised. Time and again, Sony's latest console has been rated very highly as a dedicated BD deck, and the plentiful firmware updates ensure that it's always at the forefront of whatever interactive functionality is next. This snippet of factual goodness was extracted from a recent writeup that took an in-depth look at how the CC would be revamping its home theater, and even famed calibration guru Joe Kane gave his approval at using the console for playing back Blu-ray Discs. The real kicker? They also settled upon a DVIGear HDMI cable over one of those obscenely overpriced Ogre cables -- and that was after running clean out of coat hangers.[Via CNET]
Criterion Collection heading to Blu-ray
How did we miss this news? Thankfully, reader Simstim sent us a tip about the esteemed Criterion Collection moving to Blu-ray. Film buffs know the Criterion Collection houses some of the most treasured films, and each volume in the collection is handled with meticulous care. The quality of the packaging and video transfer is something true videophiles can appreciate.Expect the first discs to begin rolling out in October: The Third Man Bottle Rocket Chungking Express The Man Who Fell to Earth The Last Emperor El Norte The 400 Blows Gimme Shelter The Complete Monterey Pop Contempt Walkabout For All Mankind The Wages of Fear
Criterion Collection coming to Blu-ray in October
The Criterion Collection's long-awaited HD debut -- delayed by that annoying format war -- finally has a date, as well as a list of the first movies getting a definitive release in 1080p. If that wasn't enough, try this bit on for size: They won't charge viewers extra for the privilege. That's right, according to the e-mail that went out to subscribers today, all Blu-ray releases will feature HD picture and sound (no word on what codecs, although we expect nothing but the best considering the company has been mastering and restoring all releases in HD for years now), all the supplemental content and a matching (unspecified) price to their standard DVD editions. The complete email and list of a dozen movies follows after the break, along with a note that The Last Emperor will also be released in its original theatrical version on both formats for $39.95, while Walkabout will be an all-new edition.[Thanks, Erik]
Criterion won't enter Blu-ray vs. HD DVD battle yet
Unlike many fans of either format Criterion has so far been satisfied to sit on the sidelines and let things transpire as they may, and for the time being they will continue to. On the new Criterion Collection blog executive Peter Becker spelled out the company's view on the ongoing tiff between HD DVD and Blu-ray. Criterion benefited by moving from making well-received laserdiscs to the DVD format early on, but with the lack of a single standard, it is left with the choice of either alienating some customers, or creating two sets of inventory for all of its content. While dual releases might be feasible for larger players like Warner and Paramount, Criterion is going to let things shake themselves out before releasing HD content on disc. Since it has been mastering all of its films in HD for years one can only imagine the stockpile of content and extras waiting to be unleashed...someday.
