I'm cancelling my subscription to the Criterion Channel since these erstwhile champions of film preservation have decided to get into the censorship business. In their new mission to purge anything that offends, scenes and language from the Gene Hackman classic, The French Connection have been exised because they do not conform with contemporary mores and sensibilities. Enough. Since when does a film released in a 1971 cultural context have to justify itself to the archangels of presentism. Write a review and tell the world that the film's anachronistic view of police methods is offensive and outmoded. I may even agree with you but don't force me to watch a compromised version because you can't handle it. Isn't it enough that it just exists for viewers of any era or generation to take from it what they will. Criterion was always a fierce defender of cinematic integrity whether it delighted or offended. No more... which includes my subscription. read more

Okay so I'm a huge fan. I'm going to confess. For two years in my spare time I checked out all the old movies from the library. I used a machine and a application on my MacBook and digitized them. I have 1000 Gigs. Sometimes I watched Series like Lord of the Rings. Sometimes I went by my favorite movie stars. I have most of Jimmy Stewart and Humphrey Bogart and more. There's my favorite movies from every stage of my life. Yes Criterion would love to sell these at astronomical prices. I don't do this anymore. I realize that I have more access to films and music than I'll ever be able to view and listen to in what's left of my precious life. Collecting anything is futile. You can believe I'll get out my favorite Xmas movies though. Thank you Criterion for making this possible. read more

For a long time, when I bought a Criterion Collection DVD, it was at Barnes & Noble or the now sadly defunct Borders. They weren't cheap, but if the DVD was of a film you treasured, you could be assured that it would be a fully restored and enhanced print, and the "extras" were abundant. The collection runs the gamut from Kurosawa, Bergman and Truffaut to "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" (one of the best gangster movies ever made and arguably Mitchum's best performance) to "The Night Porter" (in retrospect, an exploitative trivialization of the Holocaust and Nazis, but it does have Dirk Bogarde, as well as Charlotte Rampling in a variety of semi-clothed and nude scenes; in the scenes with Rampling, it bothers me now to see such an accomplished and talented actor so misused, but...when I first saw the film in my late teens and was acutely hormonal...well, it didn't bother me quite so much back then, if you get my drift...). There's "The Long Good Friday," an excellent British gangster film from 1980 with the late, great Bob Hoskins and the incomparable Helen Mirren starring in it. There are modern "classics" like "Silence of the Lambs" (a film I'm ambivalent about; I think Anthony Hopkins is one of our great actors, but his Hannibal Lector is floridly overblown and almost operatic; I prefer the understated and more realistic performance of Brian Cox in the same role in 1986's "Manhunter") and "Repo-Man" (a film I didn't like when I first saw it, but maybe I need to revisit). There's "Vagabond" by Agnes Varda (a film I highly recommend, although it's profoundly depressing) and Pasolini's "Salo; the 120 Days of Sodom" (not nearly as repugnant as De Sade's novel; if Pasolini had tried to replicate everything that was in that nauseating novel, he assuredly would have ended his life as an incarcerated degenerate). It's not all high-brow stuff. They have "Son of Godzilla," for God's sake! And "Blood for Dracula" by Paul Morrissey (if you have a strong stomach, I recommend it; Udo Kier is an absolute hoot! Andy Warhol has his name attached to this film, but Morrissey is the creative force behind it). No Paul Naschy films yet, but I live in hope. After all, if you're going to offer "Son of Godzilla," why not "The Werewolf and the Yeti"? (And...yes...that's a real film; one of my favorite "guilty pleasure" films.) And prices aren't as expensive as they used to be. Just recently, I bought John Waters' "Multiple Maniacs" and "Female Trouble" (in recent years, Waters has become something of a household name and accepted by "conventional society"...he's even taken to appearing occasionally on the FoxNews TV show of that puckered reactionary Ur-anus and alleged "comedian" Greg Gutfeld...but back in the day, his films were as transgressive and offensive as anything out there...and were often laugh out loud funny, even as they repulsed. The late Divine was far more comedic and talented than Adam Sandler, David Spade, or Will Ferrell, in my humble opinion. And Waters' "ensemble" of idiosyncratic actors/oddballs wasn't necessarily talented, but they were far more fascinating than Andy Warhol's stable of beautiful, talentless, drug-addicted, solipsistic zombies. Anyway...Sorry, but it wouldn't be me if I didn't digress...) for about $14 each on Amazon. I don't "stream" these films-- I prefer owning the DVDs-- but you can buy them on Amazon or on Criterion's own website (they're available in DVD, Blu-Ray or "4K Ultra HD"...whatever that is; I'm assuming that means "streaming"). Any film of substance ever made is probably a part of their extensive catalogue, and even a few not of very much substance. In other words, absolutely indispensable to any true film buff, scholar, filmmaker, film historian, film student, casual fan, etc. read more

Same thing as the other posters. Awful customer service. Logging in here, there, and everywhere else they demand does not work. Strongly advise again using this channel. Btw, today marks my sixth time trying to log in. (as for that suggestion to be understanding, how about if Criterion gets its act together to earn the good reviews it wants? And nice news about no refunds, despite claiming otherwise on one of its websites (( guess what? One won't sign you in. The other one doesn't either. Awful service. Avoid.)) read more

I resubscribed to Criterion Channel but am unable to sign on. I reset my password but still cannot sign on. I asked to be sent another Reset Password Link and never received another link. It is impossible to reach any real person through "Help". I got one automated reply to my "Contact Us" email, acknowledging receipt of my email, but no help for my problem. There is no telephone number and no live chat. So I paid $99.99 and cannot watch a movie on this Saturday night as I had planned to with a friend who is visiting. Tomorrow is Sunday. Will they contact me then? Will they ever contact me? I love what the Criterion Collection has done to preserve films, but their Customer Service (or the lack of such) for the Criterion Channel is inexcusably terrible. read more

So much celluloid has been rescued from the jaws of detritus and oblivion by the criteria of the Criterion, curating an unparalleled Collection of the greatest jewels of the 7th art since 1984. All cinephiles are indebted to the Criterion Collection for bringing to their homes the films, the rarities, the seldom-seen, or ad-hoc interviews created for each DVD; thanks to them, the work of the old masters can reach new audiences and captivate Generation Mattel (like myself, born between 1977-1983, the last analog children) X'ers, and Millenials, all of which were reared with a prejudice towards black and white. But I digress. Tucked away in a building in Park Ave South where I've been countless of times for work related presentations, I decided to finally do a lunch-break pilgrimage to the Criterion offices, thinking that perhaps my lucky star would allow me to see their famous movie "closet", where many a director and actor have gone to splurge and make their picks. When the elevator doors opened I was greeted with a lobby filled with movie posters; films I had seen by David Lynch, Antonioni, Pennebaker, and others that I didn't recognize. Black leather seats with Criterion and film books on the coffee table. I wondered if any of my favorite filmmakers had sat on them recently, waiting for their turn at the closet. I made short work of the accolades and platitudes, telling them truthfully how much they were beloved and appreciated, and the staff at the front desk was more than accommodating. Now I knew that staying more than 5-6 minutes was taxing their time and patience, and sure regretted not bringing a token of appreciation, like chocolates. But I still politely asked if there would be a possibility of checking out their closet, and they nicely replied that, unfortunately, that wasn't possible, which is totally understandable. Darn it, should have brought two boxes of Royce and gone for the bribe. They allowed me to take a few postcards though, which was great, and of course I managed to drop in a suggestion; John Huston's "Freud: The secret passion" (1962) which is unavailable digitally in its original version, with only a bootlegged version dubbed in Spanish available via Youtube (and although I can understand it, it's still cringe-worthy to hear Montgomery Clift through the voice of a Catalán) A last word of caution; I don't recommend coming to their offices un-announced, since you have to check-in at front desk, and I happened to be going there on business, but if you really like to show your appreciation, go buy one of their films in Amazon, Rizzoli or wherever you can find them, and rejoice in the magic of cinema! read more

The Criterion Collection - The Criterion Collection: a film lover's Mecca - Music & DVDs Near Me - New York, New York

As I've written before, The Criterion Channel is selectively censoring sex scenes without notifying subscribed viewers. I've written twice to Criterion abut this and they've replied once saying that they knew nothing about censorship. If they don't know, they should know. Fassbinder's Despair, 1978, based on Nabokov's novel, was almost unwatchable because the ubiquitous nude model in the original was almost entirely deleted. In Lars von Trier's Antichrist, 2008, the crucial preface was cut so drastically that it lost all of its original power. The Criterion Channel evidently wants it both ways: display canonical films to impress the knowledgeable film viewer, but censor sexual scenes to appease the puritan. Had I known about the sexual censoring I would not have subscribed for a year. I've noticed that Criterion has its defenders, but sexual censorship without prior notice is indefensible. read more

This company is a godsend for cinephiles. They rescue, restore, revive and revere classic and contemporary films from the US and around the world. All the films of my formative years and new ones I discover are right here and they are the cream of the crop in not just quality films, but fully restored ones. They carefully curate and preserve works that would otherwise be neglected or destroyed. Buy their DVDs and Blu-Rays and anything else they make. They have everything from Golden Age Hollywood, to Silents, to Japanese Classics, to French New Wave, to Soviet era, to B movies and much much much more. IF you are a film lover, this shall and will never disappoint. Take the plunge. And take advantage of the deals from Barnes and Noble for their 50% off sale every July and November. Also, from other vendors that sell the Criterion Collection. For the latter, you would have to search for them and find them, but journeying is half the battle. I guarantee and stand by everything I have just typed here. Oh and Jon Mulvaney is a go-to guru for anything you need. Great employee and a staple of the company. Here is the website to get an account: www.criterion.com (Oh and Yelp, just so you know I live in Beverly, MA, not Houston, TX). read more

The service won't search for what you want. Kicks viewer our when trying to see films. I cancelled, and not surprisingly, Criterion does not give refunds. That's the sort of operation Criterion is. read more

The folks at Criterion are hard working honest people. I had a problem with 2 of my Criterion Blu-ray discs because the manufacturer messed up, not Criterion, in producing faulty discs that became unusable after awhile. As such, Criterion (Jon Mulvaney) stands behind the company and responsibly replaced my 2 discs. The folks at Criterion are very busy, and you just have to give them some time to respond with a replacement, and they will. Anyhow, there are movies, even really good movies, and then there is Criterion... A+++++ Larry RS. read more