Filmstruck / Criterion Channel

The film streaming service from TCM & Criterion Collection goes live in 13 days — October 19th.
$6.99/month for the basic service, $10.99/month (or $99/year) for Filmstruck + Criterion Channel

Who's in?

looks good that they have the commentaries, extras etc of Criterion discs, or at least some of that kind of content. i hope this won't mean the end of the Criterion blu rays. i'm expecting 'that market' will always want the 36 page books and fancy packaging and such. i know i will.

http://www.filmstruck.com/

I'm in.

i wonder why the TCM lot and the Criterion gang decided to get into bed together. i mean Criterion doesn't seem like an obvious match for Ted 'Colourization' Turner.

Turner hasn't been involved in years...? TCM is a pretty good channel. Have they ever shown a colorized film?

Cons: US only, no Roku support at launch, extreme vagueness (how many films? "HUNDREDS of films!")

But I'll sign up, at least for a few months.

I'll wait to start until Criterion joins up in November. I'll drop the $99 for their catalog alone.

Criterion won't be available from day 1? I hadn't heard that part.

Yet no one posts on my Fandor thread

November 11th for Criterion. They have to wait for the Hulu deal to expire.

Not bad, if you do the $99 once-a-year payment, it's about $20 cheaper than a year of Netflix. Is there any way to browse the TCM catalog at the moment?

On their FB page they said Criterion will be available at launch.

I want to sign up but my two devices (Nvidia Shield TV and XB1) aren't supported.

I went by this press release that says the 1th of November.

https://thefilmstage.com/news/filmstruck-and-the-criterion-channel-reveal-subscription-pricing-plans/

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.

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.

Lots of good stuff in this month's Hollywood Crack-Up collection

https://www.criterionchannel.com/hollywood-crack-up-the-decade-american-cinema-lost-its-mind

i don't know why but everyone i follow on letterboxd (including me) watched "what a way to go!" from the shirley mclaine collection. it is a pretty insane movie, with dean martin, dick van dyke, paul newman, robert mitchum, and gene kelly, several movie genre pastiches/parodies, a ton of insane edith head gowns, and some very wacky sight gags. i didn't rate it as high as some other people but it's very enjoyable and did make me laugh out loud a few times.

old soviet recs? tyia

https://films.criterionchannel.com/?country=Soviet%20Union

Tarkovsky, Shepitko, Eisenstein and Come and See, for sure.

June 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8471-the-criterion-channel-s-june-2024-lineup

from this month's additions, The Plot Against Harry is great. you'd think if it was actually released at the time instead of rejected by studios, it'd have launched Michael Roemer into an even more considerable career. Just absolutely excellent throughout, and meandering in the best way.

No Jean Grémillon before 1937? CC I am disappoint. (I've seen all of the scheduled films except The Strange M. Victor, and will vouch for them, but we need good copies of Daïnah la Métisse and La Petite Lise.)

Oh man! End of the Century on Queersighted -- one of the 2010s least seen good films.

Oh I might have to finally work myself up to Come and See. How bad could it be, right? :)

It's really intense.

Give yourself a couple extra hours or days to recover from it, but see it.

Watched Isabel Sandoval's Lingua Franca last night: a sweet, funny, erotic thing, one of the best depictions of the trans woman experience I've watched. She wrote, directed, and stars. Eamon Farren, the prettiest young actor I've seen in weeks, plays her lover.

https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8503-the-criterion-channel-s-july-2024-lineup

Never seen Times Square, will watch!

(I'm sure it's not a patch on my beloved Smithereens, but I'm a sucker for that era of NYC-sploitation.)

Times Square is amazing, in its way every bit as good as Smithereens which I also like.

Times Square is really really good.

Times Square, Pump Up the Volume, and Empire Recirds form a really remarkable trilog. I’m a big fan of Allan Moyle’s first feature, The Rubber Gun (1977), too

August 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8538-the-criterion-channel-s-august-2024-lineup

release all the naruse as DVDs you cowards.

September 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8566-the-criterion-channel-s-september-2024-lineup

Free advertising in the Post: https://wapo.st/4dZwB2b (gift link)

Lol

the newsworthy novelty of a channel that broadcasts content 24/7. what will they think of next?

More newsworthy that the writer finally forced himself to watch some good movies.

Criterion Closet is hitting the road

Cool. Assuming image of HDS is from Two-Lane Blacktop

Paris, Texas imo

Probably

Yeah, that's Travis

https://kxci.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ParisTexas.jpg

October 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8600-the-criterion-channel-s-october-2024-lineup

Huh, usually they have a good horror themed collection. This year it's ... three? Witches (good idea, would have found some more interesting movies), Japanese horror (cool), and FX (which looks kind of lame, not least because "Lifeforce" is on it, and iirc that movie's fx were shit).

Stephen King & John Carpenter selections are on there too

lol at Lawnmower Man in a Criterion collection.

Huh, the only (theatrical, not TV) Carpenter I see is The Fog and Christine? There's a Cronenberg section, too, but with just a few films. Stephen King one is pretty limited as well, with just four movies, one of which is Christine. Japanese horror has the most solid line-up, followed (maybe) by giallo.

The Spell, made for tv in 1977, rips off Carrie (although the makers claim this script was in development first) and is ridiculously incoherent besides. Dumb fun, but more the former.

So far the giallo films haven’t been doing it for me.

November 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8625-the-criterion-channel-s-november-2024-lineup

West Indies, nice, I can cross one more off the S&S list.

December 2024 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8648-the-criterion-channel-s-december-2024-lineup

Beavis and Butthead Do America *chef kiss*

January 2025 additions: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8677-the-criterion-channel-s-january-2025-lineup