Options for Renting Criterion BDs and Eclipse DVDs

[swo17]

Vanya on 42nd Street has officially moved from "On Order" to "Unavailable" in my Blockbuster queue. I don't know why they teased us by adding it to their site if they never intended to stock it. (It's the first Criterion title they've even acknowledged since last November.)

Meanwhile, Netflix is apparently going to start stocking World on a Wire (DVD only) and Traffic on Blu-ray on April 3, though I suppose there's no way to know if you'll be getting the Criterion version of the latter.

[swo17]

For the first time since I started tracking this last year, none of this month's upcoming releases are slated to be available for rental anywhere.

[swo17]

First post updated to reflect that, once again, none of this month's upcoming Criterion releases are available for rent anywhere. Not even a new movie like Certified Copy. (Blockbuster doesn't even recognize that it exists!)

[fantomas78]

It does look like Greencine is getting the Robert Downey Sr.:

http://www.greencine.com/webCatalog?prodid=179277" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They also added the BD for World on a Wire:

http://www.greencine.com/webCatalog?id=297823" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the list. I know the GC search is very inexact, i.e. crappy, so I wanted to add these.

[swo17]

Thanks for the update. Weird that Greencine is randomly carrying WoW. Are these the only Criterion Blu-rays they have?

[fantomas78]

Your link isn't working for me, but the only other BDs they seem to have are 3 Women, 400 Blows, Chunking Express, Rules of the Game, and Third Man.

Also, I don't think this applies to any of the BD's above, but it looks like GC has collapsed their listings of Criterion DVDs with the regular DVDs. In the last month I got the regular versions of Times of Harvey Milk & Belle De Jour even though they were listed as Criterions. I then searched and saw that non-Criterion listings had disappeared for those titles an many more. So renter emptor for any DVD or BD that has a non-Criterion version.

[swo17]

Your link isn't working for me, but the only other BDs they seem to have are 3 Women, 400 Blows, Chunking Express, Rules of the Game, and Third Man.

Those are the only ones my search pulled up.

[Perkins Cobb]

Hopefully with Certified Copy, Netflix will cave and get it at the last minute (or shortly thereafter), if only on DVD. I've yet to see them boycott a major new arthouse release completely, although I guess it'll happen sooner or later.

On the other hand, that workaround for the BBS set at Blockbuster seems to have gone bust -- unless I'm doing it wrong, I'm only getting it to add DVDs to my queue, not Blu-rays. Blockbuster in general has become a lost cause over the last few months -- minimal new acquisitions, at least a day of throttling for every disc I return, and most shipments evidently coming from their shipping center in Alaska, since they usually take 2-4 days to reach me. I can't always turn over each slot in a week, which is absurd.

[swo17]

The BBS workaround still works for me. Are you doing it exactly as I describe here? Blockbuster has gotten completely worthless lately though. Yeah, they get some movies a month before Netflix, but good luck ever getting one of them that early. I've only been holding on to my account lately for a few titles that they claim they'll stock that no one else will (for a recent example: The Innkeepers on Blu-ray) but that always turns out to be a lie. I'll be cancelling my account there this month.

[Perkins Cobb]

Uh, no, I wasn't, and yes, it still works. Whew! On the other hand, adding insult to injury, the BB site also now takes forever to do anything. Like Swo, after I rent the last few things they have that nobody else does, I'll be pulling the plug (if Blockbuster doesn't beat me to it, that is).

[Perkins Cobb]

Certified Copy now in my Netflix queue with a 5/22 release date. Supposedly on Blu, although I'll believe it when it arrives.

[Perkins Cobb]

The following movies have been removed from your Queue:

They are not available in the format you selected. We have updated your selection with the available format.
Black Moon
David Holzman's Diary
The Makioka Sisters
Priest of Love
Insignificance

Latest message from the Death Star. Translation: Don't bother waiting, we're never getting these on Blu.

[swo17]

We'll have to see if this pans out, but it looks like, out of next month's releases, Netflix is planning to stock Shallow Grave and The 39 Steps on Blu-ray, as well as the two Spalding Gray releases on DVD.

[swo17]

Looks like Netflix intends to stock Harold and Maude on Blu-ray. That's 3 of the 7 June releases on Blu-ray and 2 more on DVD.

[Perkins Cobb]

Yeah, now there's a pattern of stocking the most mainstream choices and none of the "good stuff." So Netflix has evolved into that crappy neighborhood video store that I never went to.

[Ishmael]

Netflix's site says they'll be stocking the DVD (no blu) of Summer with Monika starting July 3. It also looks like they'll be getting the DVDs of Lonesome and Rosetta.

[swo17]

Saints be praised, it looks like Netflix is planning to carry the Grémillon Eclipse set, their first since Basil Dearden!

[richast2]

Netflix does carry the Being John Malkovich blu ray. Don't know about the DVD edition.

[swo17]

Thanks for catching that. It also looks like Classicflix will be carrying Lonesome after all.

[swo17]

I do still keep the first post of this thread updated about once a month, for any of the masochists among us. For December, you should be able to get Criterion's Following Blu-ray from Netflix on Tuesday, though if you want the DVD, there's no guarantee which version you'll get. No other December releases are available anywhere for rent.

[swo17]

Whaddya know, looks like Netflix is planning to stock all of Criterion's February releases!

[richast2]

Whaddya know, looks like Netflix is planning to stock all of Criterion's February releases!

It's because I temporarily canceled my account. You're welcome!

[Perkins Cobb]

Saints be praised, it looks like Netflix is planning to carry the Grémillon Eclipse set, their first since Basil Dearden!

Before we get all excited about February, let's remember that this didn't happen.

[swo17]

Huh, I guess not. I remember them showing up at one point near the top of my Saved queue with "Releases (such and such a date)" listed for availability, but I didn't track them beyond that point because I bought the set right when it came out.

[Ishmael]

Huh, I guess not. I remember them showing up at one point near the top of my Saved queue with "Releases (such and such a date)" listed for availability, but I didn't track them beyond that point because I bought the set right when it came out.

That sort of thing happens all the time. Just last month, Our Beloved Month of August moved from the Saved to the actual section of my queue with a release date attached. On the day of its release, it suddenly said Very Long Wait, then it dropped back into the Saved section a couple days later with no new release date listed. I find that happens often enough that there's no reason to assume anything until you actually get a disc in the mail.