Barnes & Noble Semi-Annual 50% off Criterion Sale (2 Viewers)

[Garysb]

Preorders haven't started price matching at Amazon as of this writing. May have to order
The Ranown Westerns: Five Films Directed by Budd Boetticher from B&N. I was able to get Thelma and Louise 4K from Amazon at 50%. The Criterion blu ray of T &L has not price matched yet. Amazon is good if you have Prime and can't reach the free shipping threshold at B&N and you want faster delivery. My B&N store reduced their Criterion section to a 3rd of it's former size. They had not put up the 50% off sign as of 4:00 PM 6/30 and didn't seem to have copies of the latest releases such as T & L. Amazon will delivery T&L on Saturday.

 

[Paul Bosquet]

Strange why The Fisher King 4K UHD does not appear to be 50% off.

Ordered 4k UHD via Amazon:

Double Indemnity
Lost Highway
Time Bandits
Blowout (delivering in August)

 

[David Norman]

At Amazon it's not 50% off? I guess they can only piggyback so many items in a day

 

[DigniT@DigniT!]

Well... so far... Passolini 101 Box set, Ranown Westerns, One False Move, Rules of the Game, Time Bandits, Wings of Desire, The Servant and Zed and Two Noughts... And I said I was going to severely limit my collecting of 4K and Blu Ray. Famous last words.

 

[FincherFan]

Strange why The Fisher King 4K UHD does not appear to be 50% off.

Ordered 4k UHD via Amazon:

Double Indemnity
Lost Highway
Time Bandits
Blowout (delivering in August)

Hi Paul,

I also ordered the 4K of Blow Out just yesterday, but per AMZ, I'll receive it by next Wednesday. Odd that you're expecting it next month.

 

[Paul Bosquet]

Hi Paul,

I also ordered the 4K of Blow Out just yesterday, but per AMZ, I'll receive it by next Wednesday. Odd that you're expecting it next month.

Must have just run out of stock, Amazon now listed it as temporarily out of stock. I cancelled that item and ordered for pickup at a local B&N. Along with the Fisher King.

 

[Garysb]

Amazon link to 4K Criterions. Not the best and may be incomplete but does give idea of what Amazon is matching. Thelma and Louise 4K out of stock at Amazon but they currently still allow you to order. That may end soon. Over 600 T&L sold last 30 days per Amazon listing. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Criterion+Collection&i=movies-tv&rh=n%3A2625373011%2Cp_n_format_browse-bin%3A9397930011&dc&ds=v1%3AsC9%2BhIDFcS6QOPcXQx6MCzZyq%2B5rcq%2FW7rNEwqqGQAE&qid=1688340045&rnid=2650303011&ref=sr_nr_p_n_format_browse-bin_3 Here is the blu ray list, which also includes 4K https://www.amazon.com/s?k=The+Criterion+Collection&i=movies-tv&rh=n%3A2625373011%2Cp_n_format_browse-bin%3A2650305011&dc&qid=1688340550&rnid=2650303011&ref=sr_pg_1

⟩

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Sale is live as I placed two orders.

An expensive trip to my local Barnes & Noble store for me this afternoon:

• Thelma & Louise (4K)
• Lost Highway (4K)
• The Fisher King (4K)
• Wings of Desire (4K)
• The Incredible Shrinking Man (Blu-ray)
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (4K)

Plus two ordered later from the website because they weren't in stock at the store:

• Petite Maman (Blu-ray)
• Sound of Metal (4K)

All the cutbacks in coupon usage and even membership discounts (especially for their Criterion sales) have completely neutered my desire to make the trek (or keep my prior membership)...

While coupons had stopped working for these sales years ago, my local Barnes & Noble had always honored the 10% discount for in-store purchases. Today's trip was the first time they refused to even scan my membership card.

And when I purchased the second two online, I noticed that the 2-day free Member Expedited Shipping is now just called Member Shipping, with a 3-6 day delivery estimate. The 2-day Expedited Shipping is still available, but you have to pay a significant surcharge if you want it.

Both of these moves to devalue the Barnes & Noble membership have made it significantly less likely that I'll renew my membership when it expires.

 

[David Norman]

An expensive trip to my local Barnes & Noble store for me this afternoon:

• Thelma & Louise (4K)
• Lost Highway (4K)
• The Fisher King (4K)
• Wings of Desire (4K)
• The Incredible Shrinking Man (Blu-ray)
• The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (4K)

Plus two ordered later from the website because they weren't in stock at the store:

• Petite Maman (Blu-ray)
• Sound of Metal (4K)

While coupons had stopped working for these sales years ago, my local Barnes & Noble had always honored the 10% discount for in-store purchases. Today's trip was the first time they refused to even scan my membership card.

And when I purchased the second two online, I noticed that the 2-day free Member Expedited Shipping is now just called Member Shipping, with a 3-6 day delivery estimate. The 2-day Expedited Shipping is still available, but you have to pay a significant surcharge if you want it.

Both of these moves to devalue the Barnes & Noble membership have made it significantly less likely that I'll renew my membership when it expires.

I stopped my membership last year after close to 15 years.
The New Stamp Reward has renewed my interest a little and witht he TRIPLE STAMP reward over the next couple weeks might make the new membership fee worth it. If I'm reading the rewards correctly, the triple stamp Bonus works out close to a 15% discount -- 3 Stamps for each $10 spent (included Criterion) and then 10 stamps = $5 discount.

If I buy the the current releases I want, then the Rewards take effect in a few days and I can then use those toward the July Releases later int he month. If I can find some CC BN Gift Card rewards that could amplify that 15% significantly

 

[Robert Crawford]

Amazon has price--matched the upcoming 4K/UHD release of "The Ranown Westerns". The same with "One False Move" & "After Hours".

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Amazon has also price matched After Hours, which is being released next week on UHD.

Never mind. I missed this at the end of Robert's post above.

 

[JohnRice]

Defending Your Life
Exotica
One False Move

I wonder if Criterion has ever released a movie, in 4K nonetheless, which was originally a low budget, direct-to-video release. Though it did later get a brief theatrical run.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I wonder if Criterion has ever released a movie, in 4K nonetheless, which was originally a low budget, direct-to-video release. Though it did later get a brief theatrical run.

You're talking about One False Move? Despite being low budget and originally intended to go straight to video, it was still shot on 35mm, so the picture information is there for a 4K release.

The more questionable release in my book is Inland Empire, which was shot digitally in standard definition 4x3 480i60 using Sony DSR-PD150 "prosumer" camcorders. The movie was edited in standard definition in Avid, and then cropped to 16x9 -- effectively dropping the movie to 360 lines of resolution. The reframed version was converted to 1080p23.976 for the digital color grading, dropping roughly 12 fields/6 frames per second in the process. The color graded 1080p master was then processed to minimize video noise from the original standard definition source. The processed version was then saved on HDCAM-SR tape and printed to a 35mm film print.

For Criterion's Blu-ray release of the movie in March, Janus embarked on a 4K "restoration" of the movie from the HDCAM-SR tape of the 1080p23.976 processed master. They performed various upscale strategies using AI technology, and let David Lynch choose which strategy he liked best. Based on his feedback, they took the 2006 1080p23.976 master and downscaled it back to standard definition to "throw away false detail introduced during the original HD conversion". The downscaled version was then upscaled again to 4K resolution using the GaiaHD algorithm within Topaz Labs's Gigapixel AI software. The handful of shots that the algorithm had gotten obviously wrong were upscaled using other methods within the software, and then the resulting output was given a new color grading and digitally added grain.

The result probably looks better than the original release did, but it's not what I would call a "restoration". It's more of a recreation with modern tools.

 

[Jason Goodmanson]

I made a "if money was no object list" and it came up to about $750 for around 30 titles which was obviously out of control and unjustifiable.

I did eventually narrow it down to 8 titles for about $240 after taxes.

Insomnia (to replace my DVD version)
Infernal Affairs Trilogy
Once Upon a Time in China
Following (to replace my DVD version)
Touch of Zen
Complete Lady Snowblood
Ride with the Devil
Memories of Murder

 

[Wayne_j]

I am using this sale to complete my Wes Anderson collection. I picked up Rushmore and Life Aquatic today, tomorrow I plan on getting Bottle Rocket and Fantastic Mr. Fox. I had to order The Royal Tenenbaums from Amazon because no local Barnes and Nobles had them in stock, that won't arrive until August. Once I get these I will have the complete Wes Anderson filmography.

 

[Wayne_j]

I don't know how accurate this information is, but the cashier at Barnes & Noble said that today is the last day of the sale.

 

[David Norman]

I don't know how accurate this information is, but the cashier at Barnes & Noble said that today is the last day of the sale.

Well it's 100% inaccurate.

Actually end of business Friday 7/14 in-store and 2.59am 7/15 online is the last day of the Double/Triple Stamps rewards, but the Criterion Sale itself lasts another 2 weeks.

Header on the Criterion Page

The Criterion Collection​

Save 50% on select contemporary and classic films from around the world.

*Online & in stores. Valid on select titles while supplies last. Cannot be combined with B&N Premium Membership discount or other offers. Ends 7/28.

 

[Dave Lawrence]

I don't know how accurate this information is, but the cashier at Barnes & Noble said that today is the last day of the sale.

Either that store is doing its own thing or that cashier is incredibly uninformed. Per the BN website, the sale ends on 7/28.

 

[Wayne_j]

I'm thinking that he was confusing the end of the double stamps deal with the end of the Criterion sale.

 

[David Norman]

On bluray.com, someone also said a BN person told them the STAMPS promotion had been extended to/through 7/16, but I haven't seen any confirmation of this either.

If they really are trying to promote their new membership including an extra full weekend would make some sense.

EDIT 7/14/2023 -- morning emails confirm the double/triple stamp promotion has been extended through Sunday night