Filmstruck / Criterion Channel

Been reading a lot of information on the website and elsewhere, but haven't seen anything that says the TCM movies will also be part of the package. I have a nagging feeling that they're not. Also wonder if the Criterion movies will be available in 1080, instead of the 720 now on Hulu.

I don't think everything on nightly at TCM will be on there but a selection of TCM-sequel films.

I'm going to guess it will be like Mubi with a larger rotating library plus Criterion.

TCM-esque

yeah, TCM's tweet that filmstruck "will focus on indie, foreign & cult titles, not Old Hollywood. Some limited titles, not many" considerably dampened my enthusiasm.

https://twitter.com/tcm/status/777661149911347200

my guess is milo z otm re: criterion plus larger mubi. Which is cool, but not the turner library plus janus library nearly nonstop excellence that i had prematurely imagined

I have a Hulu subscription and honestly never watched a single Criterion title. The ones I want, I just buy.

I was excited when I thought this was gonna be criterion + old Hollywood tcm stuff. The latter element was critical for me. If it's criterion + buffet of other stuff then no.

Yeah, that's a bummer. I figured $99 was a no brainer but if it's Criterion plus some random rotating films I don't know.

basically i would pay... let's see... $15 a month for some reasonable fascimile of access to TCM's programming without having to have fucking cable tv

aw man. I too was pretty stoked for the TCM+Criterion version of this.

This weird in-between time where the biggest events still happen on old-fashioned cable TV, the "prestige" TEH DISCOURSE TV shows are on Netflix, film is either exploded across multiple competing streaming services or iTunes rental downloads that disappear after 24 hours or totally unavailable, video stores are rare — is totally excruciating.

whiney otm, i feel a deep nostalgia for, like, 2008-2010, when a full decade of DVD production had led to lot of foreign/classic/arthouse stuff to be available, and Netflix was still in the business of providing just about any DVD that got produced.

Like, the fact that we let this happen is ridiculous: http://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2014/09/12/netflix_streaming_dvds/

maybe i just wasn't reading the early filmstruck announcements carefully, but it seems like everyone i know was expecting it to have a major focus on classic hollywood, given tcm's involvement. My guess is that getting streaming rights to that old hollywood stuff is probably just insanely complicated and, from a business perspective, not worth the investment of time and resources. Still disappointing though.

I've never watched any Criterions on Hulu but that's because their interface is such a disaster - you don't know what's streaming in HD, there's no easy way to sort the entire Criterion list, etc. Higher hopes for this, though I'm a lot less inclined toward a burning need to watch Truffaut than when I was 23.

Their interface/searching/tagging/credits is all pretty awful in comparison to Netflix and even Amazon Prime. That said, damn I'm gonna have to rush out some screenings before they leave. Better get Lady Snowblood queued up.

The FAQ has changed to specify that only 4th-gen Apple TV will support this, so me and my 3rd-gen box are out of luck. I'll have to load a film on my iMac and push it to the tv with Airplay.

With airplay/casting, does it make a difference if you're casting from a phone vs. a computer?

(I think my Apple TV is second generation...)

I honestly don't know. That time David Lynch cussed traumatized me so bad I've never tried watching film or video on my phone.

sad trombone

Hello film fans:

We want to share some news that the launch of FilmStruck is delayed until November as we work to complete a seamless and easy registration process for subscribers.

Just like the final stages of completing a film, this additional time will allow us to put the finishing touches on FilmStruck in order to bring you a premium service with beautifully curated content and the largest streaming library of world-renowned arthouse, indie, cult and foreign films. Rest assured, we're working hard to bring you the high-quality streaming movie service you've been waiting for.

Thank you for both your patience and your enthusiastic interest in FilmStruck.

The FilmStruck Team

At this point they should wait until the Hulu contract for the Criterions expires.

Yep. I wasn't planning on starting any free trial until everything was available.

Launched.
Looks like the Criterions are up with an 11-day overlap with Hulu. Seeing a lot of fussing on the Facebook page about errors while setting up payment.

Anyone start using this yet? Any thoughts (apart from the still unavailable (?) Criterions?

I'm in, just getting the apps installed now. I need a tivo app! Apple and Amazon will do for now.

Sound like it's worth waiting a few weeks for them to get all the bugs worked out

Not available on Roku til Jan so nope for a while. Also copy on their site suggested that virtually all Criterions wd be available but several that I've searched for are not (incl All That Jazz, ugh)

They have someone responding to comments on Facebook, putting on the shiny happy face but being really vague with specific questions.

Some Guy Named Dave: Your Criterion selection seems to be quite limited. Are you ever going to offer the same number of Criterion titles as Hulu - over 900?

FilmStruck: Hi Dave, on the #CriterionChannel side you will find the largest selection of Criterion releases available to stream

Me: That doesn't really answer the question that was asked...

FilmStruck: #CriterionChannel has the largest Criterion selection available streaming, more than was ever available elsewhere.

Me: Ozu on Hulu: 30 features, 2 shorts and a trailer
Ozu on Filmstruck: looks like 18 features

Filmstruck: (crickets)

Huh, why would it have less than Hulu does? That doesn't make any sense to me. I did notice through a cursory search that they had at least two titles not on Hulu (Godard's Every Man for Himself and Yang's A Brighter Summer Day), so I was hopeful that maybe it had more than Hulu.

It doesn't have all the Oshima titles that are currently on Hulu either

I'm hoping they're still loading up the buffet table. They have quite a few things that aren't on Hulu -- Blood Simple, that JFK documentary stuff. They got The Killing of a Chinese Bookie back, which disappeared from Hulu a year or more ago.

I'm hopeful too, though the way filmstruck has been marketed and rolled out has dampened my expectations all around

Even Criterion doesn't have the rights to all the Criterions anymore

yeah, otm, and i'm sure there are a number of criterions that got dvd release, but where they never had streaming rights. the more i search around on filmstruck the more i think that WilliamC is probably right that they're still adding movies to the service.

hm. no amazon app even!

TBF, this is the day where they're going nuts with the press.

They managed to go with all the devices that I don't own. Not sure it's worth picking up a new AppleTV just for this.

seems lame that it's not on xbone/ps4; that's what a very significant chunk of the population use to stream stuff, no?

Oh wait, I do have an Amazon Fire TV in my office, guess I can watch Kurosawa while filling out payroll forms and stuff.

filling empty space with the greatest cinema ever made is kinda why i'm willing to give up a c-note for even the dream of that actually happening.

They managed to go with all the devices that I don't own. Not sure it's worth picking up a new AppleTV just for this.

― Kiarostami bag (milo z), Wednesday, November 2, 2016 1:41 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

A Chromecast is $35

for me, it's about having a tv with limited HD inputs... one for the ps4, one for the tivo and switching stuff out means a painful boot up period and extra hassle so i find i just don't do it

It's not available for the Chromecast, according to them That means I can screen mirror if I got one but have to leave my laptop up and running the entire time.

Screen mirroring quality is pretty meh, IME, but it's been a while since I used a Chromecast.

It's available for Chromecast in December, you won't die if you have to wait 30 days before you can see Andrei Rublev

It will be available for XBox One and Roku in six months, pretty sure I could find plenty to watch on Netflix and Amazon Video until then. We're talking about now, though.

It's available for Chromecast in December, you won't die if you have to wait 30 days before you can see Andrei Rublev

― Whiney G. Weingarten, Wednesday, November 2, 2016 11:11 AM (fifty minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

also as a public service announcement the criterion print of andrei rublev is shitty and you can watch a much better transfer on youtube right now

They said PS4 "first half" of the coming year, so most likely I'd wait a while. No Chromecast/Roku support at launch seems pretty weak, though.

Roku support was slated for January 2017 acc to some infographic I saw on their website but now cannot find (because their website seems to be three completely different websites cobbled together and filled with contradicting info).

Barb Wire is close to unwatchable. Gigli is NOT good also Gigli (spoiler) is Affleck's character and not JLo, which is shocking. Wicker Man 06 is unapologetically great. Showgirls is a fine movie I never need to watch again.

Fully the first six of those movies listed -- Cruising (1980), Heaven’s Gate (1980), Xanadu (1980)*, Querelle (1982), Under the Cherry Moon (1986), Ishtar (1987) -- are not just good but in many cases great.

Cocktail is p good; 80's NY as featured is pretty great to look at (TGI Fridays)

Cruise is hot as fuck in Cocktail, about the only time he ever was. I wish he'd made more trash.

Cocktail is not a good movie but it is a fun time capsule.

Yeah I'm going to be watching it more as a historical anthropology exercise.

This was the period when young me confused Bryan Brown and Michael Caine.

Bryan Brown's FX, now that's a great movie. Or at least I remember it as one when I was in middle school and really wanted to do special effects and horror movie makeup.

I’ve tried Showgirls twice, never managed to get through it.

guess I finally have to watch heavens gate

blair witch project got a razzie????

the razzies are dumb, kinda wish this was just a "so bad it's good" or "underrated at the time" category rather than being tied to the razzies

I managed to block that Blair Witch was in the mix for the '99 Razzies. Nominated for worst picture (lost to Wild Wild West) but, gallingly, Heather Donohue "won" worst actress.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_Golden_Raspberry_Awards

Razzies are also incredibly sexist

And lazy and reactionary ... they're all the bad things

John Mellencamp recorded a Buddy Holly cover I really liked for Cocktail - I don't think I've really seen the movie though, maybe just a chunk of it many years ago when it was screening on local TV over a weekend.

Ishtar is really uneven but what's best about it - mercilessly satirizing U.S. policy in the Middle East - is really great. I want to say the intentionally horrible musical numbers are done too well because it was really hard to sit through that climactic show.

Cocktail I only know from Walmart DVD bargain bins. They loved minor movies with big stars. The Seventh Sign with Demi Moore was another common one.

Lol

Arrebato (1979) is leaving today. The opening logos are worth a look....

April 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8418-the-criterion-channel-s-april-2024-lineup

Co-sign on The Swimmer, see it if you haven’t before it leaves at the end of the month. Very thought provoking.

I was also really moved by Testament, a nuclear war film that starts like a Hallmark Channel movie, but gets deeper and darker as it progresses.

Jean Eustache?

That will make for an interesting streaming challenge

After Hours, which I watched last night, is better than I remembered but not much better.

Really? I remember liking it when it came out but maybe you had to be there

I love After Hours, but it's a love that began as an adolescent so ...

Highly recommend Mambar Pierette.

After Hours gets better the more you watch it.

I felt like it accuratedly captured something of the vibe of the time- the sights, the sounds, the smells, if you will. Plus a lot of it very funny-funny and menacing and scary at the same time! Just like life itself!

I only know that era of SoHo from articles, photos, firsthand accounts, and songs, and YES, it captures a mood -- the lighting reminds me of period Alan Rudolph.

idk the movie's amiable. I appreciate how Scorsese didn't dehumanize the leather guys -- they kiss onscreen! -- and a couple of the performers make their mark (John Heard is as real as he always is; Linda Fiorentino too), while others (Teri Garr) do unfunny variants on previous performances. Dunne's slow burn is better paced than I remember. But this is the point at which Rosanna Arquette started to annoy me as an actress; like in Desperately Seeking Susan she's tentative, unfocused, a drip. And the setup for the coincidences didn't have much payoff.

I guess NYC was a different animal in that era, but it's hard to watch After Hours today and wonder why he didn't just hoof it from Soho to Midtown.

Fair enough. Always felt her best performance was early on, in Baby, It’s You, but I haven’t seen The Executioner’s Song, which is course even earlier.

xp obv.

Which feature doesn’t seem to be working correctly in latest Zing Touch.

Had to leave thread and come back

Hey, just noticed two Bonello films are available. I really liked the one I've seen and KJB told me that new one was his favorite of last year.

https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/criterion24-7

Their new thing, a 24/7 stream. Seems to be taken mostly from the core of the core of the permanent collection. I've seen bits of Daisies, Black Narcissus, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (on now), Seven Samurai in the last 2 days. But also Cane Toads: An Unnatural History.

May 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8444-the-criterion-channel-s-may-2024-lineup

Madame Sousatzka ! I haven't seen it since the Poppy Bush era.