Criterion News and Discussion

[I Love a Magician]

hope i get this job so i can afford all this jazz

[Gold Trumpet]

Alright, if Criterion has their entire library on Hulu plus and I had to pick either Netflix or Hulu to have, which one should I pick?

[S.R.]

I'm sticking with netflix because I can still get everything criterion has and more. Do they have special features like commentaries on hulu?

[modage]

Netflix has no commercials (commercials are the worst) but don't have streaming special features which supposedly Hulu Plus will have eventually.

[S.R.]

Why does Hulu plus have commercials? Isn't it the paid version of Hulu? That's wack.

[RegularKarate]

I like the Great Dictator cover.  It's an Olly Moss poster from around 2008 or so.  Olly Moss is one of my favorite poster designers working today.

it's cool that the hat upside down kinda looks like a torso with little arms, but when you flip it with the hair at the bottom it doesn't look like anything at all.

Sure it does, it looks like a beard.  Like he's an orthodox Jew or in ZZ top.

[Ravi]

Sure it does, it looks like a beard.  Like he's an orthodox Jew or in ZZ top.

SS Top

[S.R.]

^lol.

So wait, this means Criterion titles won't be available to stream on Netflix anymore? That sucks. I hope you can still get them through the mail.

What is the appeal of Hulu plus? Isn't it just $8 a month for TV shows? Why not just download those tv shows from a torrent? It's not like quality is that important when it comes to TV the way it is with Criterion films.

[socketlevel]

so criterion and canada haven't sorted out their shit. for some reason amaracord and still walking haven't been released but we got fish tank a week early...

[Sleepless]

So wait, this means Criterion titles won't be available to stream on Netflix anymore? That sucks.

Is that right? There's no mention of Netflix or even that Hulu gets exclusivity, but it was something I wondered about too. I hope it's not correct.

It's interesting, very recently I read something somewhere about Hulu declining. It doesn't make much sense that Criterion is partnering with Hulu, they already have Mubi and if anyone "gets it" it's Netflix.

[S.R.]

We love Netflix, and they are still one of Criterion's most important partners, but Hulu demonstrated a real commitment to the Criterion brand that persuaded us they would be the better home base for our streaming efforts. It has never been easy to find Criterion movies on Netflix — "Criterion" is not even a searchable term there. Compare that with Hulu's willingness to develop a whole area of their site around us, brand the films associated with us, and develop the capability to show many of our supplements alongside our films. The energetic, independent, creative team at Hulu was willing to build their business around us in a way that just wasn't in the cards anywhere else.

We chose to make a deal with Hulu because we feel the Criterion brand will in the long run be better represented there. As we put up more films and and our supplements too - which have to be made available with the films - we felt that the treatment of the brand and flexibility within Hulu and Hulu Plus would enable us to provide a better user experience at the end of the day. We will continue to support Netflix on the package goods side and continue to work with them to provide Blu-ray and DVD copies of the films we release, but all of the films that are currently on Netflix streaming will be down by the end of the year. In case you're curious, we're as committed as ever to the physical goods side of our releases and will publish more DVDs and BDs this year than ever before.

Let us know here if you have further questions and we'll do our best to address them.

haha basically Criterion is selling out, it seems.

[modage]

It sucks, it really does.  I would pay for Hulu Plus if i could get it with no commercials.  But there is no fucking way I'm paying for a subscription to anything where I have to sit through commercials.  It's just not happening.  But I think Netflix really did drop the ball here.  Criterion should have had their own section on Netflix, they should have been searchable, etc.   I see how Criterion saw Hulu's promises and were swayed, Netflix fucked it up for everyone.

[I Love a Magician]

big fuckin babies can't sit through a 30 second commercial before a 2 hour movie

[S.R.]

big fuckin babies can't sit through a 30 second commercial before a 2 hour movie

I wouldn't mind commercials on a free service. Makes sense. But a pay service? No way, man.

I doubt Criterion would allow Hulu to use commercials on their titles. It would severely hurt their integrity.

[modage]

big fuckin babies can't sit through a 30 second commercial before a 2 hour movie

I wouldn't mind commercials on a free service. Makes sense. But a pay service? No way, man.

Exactly.  If I am going to pay, I'd rather pay MORE for a Hulu Plus Premium and not have to watch commercials.  Netflix doesn't have commercials, why should I have to watch them someplace else?

I doubt Criterion would allow Hulu to use commercials on their titles. It would severely hurt their integrity.

The commercials are all before the movie so there are no interruptions.  Still, that's not the case with Hulu's other selections.