Two "new" sites for film lovers
November 25, 2008 8:58 AM Subscribe

The Auteurs is a new web site (in beta) for film lovers--and, for those film lovers, Criterion has relaunched their site. Now with the ability to watch (some of) their films online for $5 (good for a week's worth of watching one title). The viewing cost is also applicable to the cost of buying the same title on DVD.
posted by Manhasset (22 comments total) 21 users marked this as a favorite

Yes! Now I can watch Salò anywhere I go. Thanks Criterion!
posted by geoff. at 9:25 AM on November 25, 2008 [2 favorites]

Finally, someone is releasing Simon Del Desierto on DVD!
posted by rottytooth at 9:26 AM on November 25, 2008

PS, hurry up with the damn HD titles already.
posted by geoff. at 9:27 AM on November 25, 2008

I know, i've been waiting for Chungking Express for ages and ages. Sons of bitches. I still don't understand how they had the rights to make a laser disc version of the film, but not the DVD. Well i'm glad they got the rights back now.

There are some great essays on line about their movies now too -- i.e. Chungking Express: Electric Youth.
posted by chunking express at 9:34 AM on November 25, 2008

I'd pay $5 to watch Criterion streaming. I hope they add more titles.
posted by stbalbach at 9:38 AM on November 25, 2008

On the Auteurs site, don't miss The Auteur's Notebook, which is quickly growing into one of the better film blogs around, with writers like Daniel Kasman, Glenn Kenny, and Dan Sallitt.
posted by muckster at 9:46 AM on November 25, 2008

Oh, I am waiting for the Blu-Ray version. I know the DVD is already out. I figure, I've already waited so damn long, may as well wait the extra month and get the that instead. Though, I'd have to visit my brother to actually play watch it. Maybe I'm an idiot. Hm.
posted by chunking express at 10:29 AM on November 25, 2008

I had to.
posted by mandal at 10:31 AM on November 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

Hate to be "that guy" but I don't think Criterion's redesign is very useful. It appears as if you can no longer go directly to a page listing all the films by one director, which you could do rather easily on the old site.
posted by dhammond at 10:57 AM on November 25, 2008

It's pretty cool that the $5 can be applied to the price of a purchase. I'd have used that a lot pre-Netflix.
posted by roll truck roll at 11:08 AM on November 25, 2008

This looks promising, and, on balance, I'm excited about the possibilities of these two very attractive sites, and I hope that the library of streamable titles grows.

But -- speaking as somebody who would much prefer to watch movies on his TV than on a computer screen -- I can't say that I'm too thrilled by the present proliferation of streaming video sites, each with a potentially different solution (if any) for TV playback.
posted by cobra libre at 11:32 AM on November 25, 2008

“The Spy Who Came In From the Cold” just came out on Criterion, check it out if you haven't seen it, major Martin Ritt work, and Claire Bloom is amazing
posted by matteo at 12:43 PM on November 25, 2008

I wonder if they just added this $5.00 thing because I have had an account with The Auteurs for two months now. I watched San Soleil a while back and part of a couple of other films. I guess I was part of the beta beta?
posted by Rashomon at 2:16 PM on November 25, 2008

Now, if only Something Weird Video would create their own forum.
posted by signalandnoise at 4:56 PM on November 25, 2008

I still don't understand how they had the rights to make a laser disc version of the film, but not the DVD.

Says a voice behind me: "They didn't. Buena Vista did. Criterion never released any Wong Kar-Wai on LD to my recollection."
posted by Manhasset at 7:55 PM on November 25, 2008

Ignore that voice behind you. Criterion had a Chungking Express laser disc. I apparently discovered this back in 2004, when they had a list of their films online. Sadly the list of laserdisc films is no longer on the site, but you can see a cached copy (for now?). It's mentioned in this review. They released it in 1997.
posted by chunking express at 6:55 AM on November 26, 2008

Though I notice now it doesn't have a spine number, unlike their other Laserdics. Strange.
posted by chunking express at 6:57 AM on November 26, 2008

I was the voice behind Manhasset last night and I'm calling bullshit on a CC LD of Chungking Express. I worked in a video/laserdisc store up until mid-1998 (when Criterion started releasing DVDs) and we specialized in Criterion. I've never seen a laser of that title besides Buena Vista's. It's possible it was a USA only release and that they didn't have Canadian rights (where I worked) but that happened very rarely (though did with their DVD of In the Mood for Love).... but I find it very strange that I've never seen one on eBay, never seen one in the flesh, and they have no spine number.

In addition, the review you cite doesn't mention having had seen it and has no shot of the cover so I think he's probably just going by the listing on the LD page on Criterion's site, just as you were. I'd go with a more authoritive review like this one at Criterionforum.org which says, "Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express finally receives the Criterion treatment (and it's Tarantino free.)" I don't they'd use that wording if they'd seen a previous release.
posted by Manhasset at 3:53 PM on November 26, 2008

Oh, and just to be clear: that criterionforum.org review is referring to the new DVD release.
posted by Manhasset at 4:14 PM on November 26, 2008

Cool. I've never ever seen it either, I just assumed it existed because it was on the old site.
posted by chunking express at 5:07 AM on November 27, 2008

My Chungking Express Blu-ray arrived today. OH FUCKING HELLS YES.
posted by chunking express at 7:17 AM on December 17, 2008

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Two "new" sites for film lovers November 25, 2008 8:58 AM Subscribe

Two "new" sites for film lovers
November 25, 2008 8:58 AM Subscribe