Barnes & Noble Criterion 50% Off Sale (November 1 - 21, 2011)

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DetroitSportsFan

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Barnes & Noble's 50% off Criterion sale will be running November 1-21. This applies to any Criterion Blu-Ray and DVD released before the end of the sale. Pre-orders do not apply.

Now make your lists and prepare your wallets. :bouncy:
 
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[quote name='Easystride']My advice is to not give up. I use to be the same way, and I would rarely watch any movie from before the 90s. One day I decided to check out Seven Samurai, and I fell in love with foreign and black and white films since. I will say that for me, it wasn't immediately love. I stopped and started Seven Samurai about 6 times in the first hour because I wasn't getting into it, haha. But I've since rewatched Seven Samurai like 4 times in the past 2 years.

I think a good introduction to Criterion would probably be Kurosawa or Melville. In particular, High and Low from Kurosawa, or Le Samouraï by Melville, but that's just my opinion. :)[/QUOTE]

I started watching Seven Samurai last night, I figured it was the perfect time for it with the bonus hour and everything :D. One of my favorite movies and I've seen it about 5 or so times now, maybe more.

As for my recommendations for someone who may have been warped by today's action packed movies I'd say the most "modern" and approachable Kurosawa movies would be Yojimbo and Sanjuro. They're not overly long and they're thoroughly entertaining throughout.
 
[quote name='sunnysky']I want to get in on this, just to see the true awesomeness of Criterion, but I really don't know what to get.
I tried watching The Killing last night with netflix. I fell asleep half way through. I was quite tired. But I really do wonder if the Action packed movies of today have warped me into somebody who just can't deal with the slower moving movies of yesteryear. I HOpe not.[/QUOTE]
I started my Criterion collection with the film Naked, a complete blind buy. Eventually you come to appreciate film as what it can be instead of what mainstream media has turned it into today.
 
I picked up Seven Samurai for $19, used my membership + 20% off coupon. I didn't feel like testing my luck with the $8 off $40.
 
Frack, apparently my BN membership expired yesterday. Hardly used the card, so I'm wondering if I should sign up again for just the one or two Criterion movies that I want from this sale.

I did receive a 15% one item coupon today...is that the best that's out there to use at the moment?
 
[quote name='nflsonic']Frack, apparently my BN membership expired yesterday. Hardly used the card, so I'm wondering if I should sign up again for just the one or two Criterion movies that I want from this sale.[/QUOTE]

That's a call to make based on your purchasing habits. $250 is the break-even point on the member discount (i.e., you have to buy $250 worth of stuff before you save the $25 that the membership costs; only after that do you start coming out ahead). If you're going to spend more than $250 at B&N over the next year, then it's worth it, if not, probably not. Of course there are other perks like free shipping and members coupons to factor in as well, but those are probably minor in comparison to the discount.

I'm probably buying somewhere around 20 titles on this sale alone (picked up 8 already), so it's well worth it for me. If you're only buying one or two, and not doing a lot of shopping there otherwise, then it might not be for you.

[quote name='nflsonic']I did receive a 15% one item coupon today...is that the best that's out there to use at the moment?[/QUOTE]

There's a members-only 20% coupon, and a general 20% coupon for people with American Express cards, both of which were posted earlier in the thread (sorry, don't have time to dig up the links right now). Other than those, yeah, 15% is the best I've seen.
 
So far I've gotten:

Breathless
Revanche
Paths of Glory
Repulsion
Kiss Me Deadly

All 10.88 each with 8/40 coupon. Love this sale.
 
[quote name='deadbird']So far I've gotten:

Breathless
Revanche
Paths of Glory
Repulsion
Kiss Me Deadly

All 10.88 each with 8/40 coupon. Love this sale.[/QUOTE]

Was this with 20% off?
 
[quote name='deadbird']All 10.88 each with 8/40 coupon. Love this sale.[/QUOTE]

Wow, you're lucky if you're getting them to take the 8/40 coupon. I tried it several times during the last sale, and got shot down every time. I haven't even bothered with it this time around.
 
Yea I just used the 8$ off 40 coupon. I plan to get a couple more. Maybe The Thin Red Line, The Rules of The Game, Pierrot Le Fou, High and Low, and maybe Harakiri.
 
So far picked up:

F For Fake
Le Samurai (can't believe I found it in the physical stores)
Essential Art House: Rashomon
Essential Art House: Knife In The Water
High and Low -blu ray

Question for anybody that knows: Is it worth picking up the For All Mankind Blu Ray over the dvd version? Is it THAT much of a difference? Like does it look INSANE. or just better. If anybody knows, thanks.
 
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[quote name='AshesofWake']Le Samurai (can't believe I found it in the physical stores)[/QUOTE]

Why? It's not out of print... I'm holding out for the blu-ray, personally.
 
[quote name='AshesofWake']

Question for anybody that knows: Is it worth picking up the For All Mankind Blu Ray over the dvd version? Is it THAT much of a difference? Like does it look INSANE. or just better. If anybody knows, thanks.[/QUOTE]

Personally I think it's worth the upgrade. Picture quality is only marginally better than the DVD release but when your source material is 16mm film there is only so much you can do.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Why? It's not out of print... I'm holding out for the blu-ray, personally.[/QUOTE]

I've never seen it in retail stores recently. Yeah it's online, but I'm super anal about the case and inserts in case they're ripped or something (it's happened before when ordering online and don't want to hassle returning). And I did a search for it on B&N for local stores, looks like I picked up the only copy for right now in a 20 mile radius. It's weird! And I'm not too anal about blu ray/dvd when it comes to movies I love and have been searching for, dvd doesn't bother me. It was $15 bucks too :D

[quote name='kill3r7']Personally I think it's worth the upgrade. Picture quality is only marginally better than the DVD release but when your source material is 16mm film there is only so much you can do.[/QUOTE]

just some reviews I've read hail it as unreal footage on bluray and other reviews say it's definitely looks good but exactly what you said. Guess i'll wait to the last minute to bite maybe....
 
Opened my copy of The Phantom Carriage that I bought the other day, and found that the case was significantly cracked on the inside where I couldn't see it while it was still sealed. What a pain in the ass, since Criterion cases are so hard to replace. Anyone ever tried returning/exchanging something because of a broken case at B&N? Think they'd allow it?
 
[quote name='arcane93']That's a call to make based on your purchasing habits. $250 is the break-even point on the member discount (i.e., you have to buy $250 worth of stuff before you save the $25 that the membership costs; only after that do you start coming out ahead). If you're going to spend more than $250 at B&N over the next year, then it's worth it, if not, probably not. Of course there are other perks like free shipping and members coupons to factor in as well, but those are probably minor in comparison to the discount.

I'm probably buying somewhere around 20 titles on this sale alone (picked up 8 already), so it's well worth it for me. If you're only buying one or two, and not doing a lot of shopping there otherwise, then it might not be for you.



There's a members-only 20% coupon, and a general 20% coupon for people with American Express cards, both of which were posted earlier in the thread (sorry, don't have time to dig up the links right now). Other than those, yeah, 15% is the best I've seen.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, I really appreciate the detailed response. Not going to go through with renewing my subscription as I think I barely spent anything close to $100 when I had it!

Ended up picking up Secret Sunshine as I'm a sucker for Korean dramas/thrillers with the 15% off coupon. Unrelated to this sale, but picked up the anime Paprika (for college research purposes) for $12.99.
 
25% off members coupon coming this Thursday according to some folks at bluray.com. I'll post a link to it when it becomes available.
 
[quote name='kill3r7']25% off members coupon coming this Thursday according to some folks at bluray.com. I'll post a link to it when it becomes available.[/QUOTE]

Oh, nice, guess I'll hold out on buying any more until then. My wallet could use a break for a few days anyway. :lol: Thanks for the info!
 
[quote name='arcane93']Opened my copy of The Phantom Carriage that I bought the other day, and found that the case was significantly cracked on the inside where I couldn't see it while it was still sealed. What a pain in the ass, since Criterion cases are so hard to replace. Anyone ever tried returning/exchanging something because of a broken case at B&N? Think they'd allow it?[/QUOTE]I can't see them having an issue with it, since it is defective out of the box.

I'd check with the BN.com website to find a store that has it in-stock, then do an in-store reserve for it to make sure it's there.

You should be able to go in with the defective copy and the receipt and do the swap without issue. I ran into that issue a number of months back with a copy that had some issue with the case and they did an exchange without any issue.
 
Help! This is what I've gotten so far:

Kuroneko
High and low
Night of the hunter
House
Seventh seal
Carlos
For all mankind
Cronos
The killing
Seven samurai
Solaris
Yojimbo and sanjuro
Harikari
Kagemusha
Days of heaven
 
We can't help you here, we can only tell you more titles to buy. ._.

Every time I check this thread, my list gets longer.
 
[quote name='jughead']Help! This is what I've gotten so far:

Kuroneko
High and low
Night of the hunter
House
Seventh seal
Carlos
For all mankind
Cronos
The killing
Seven samurai
Solaris
Yojimbo and sanjuro
Harikari
Kagemusha
Days of heaven[/QUOTE]

Hope you took advantage of some of the great coupons. Otherwise, it looks like you got yourself some awesome movies there.
 
I've only used thee non member 10% off coupon. I once was a. Member so I would have to open a new account for that. Also, I don't have an AMEX. Oh well. It has been good enough as is.
 
[quote name='jughead']I just watched "The Killing" last night. I loved it.[/QUOTE]

I recommend watching High and Low next followed by Night of the Hunter.
 
I couldn't find any reliable answers, but can I exchange, return, or get store credit from items I bought on BN.com in the store? Thanks.
 
[quote name='D0RC']I couldn't find any reliable answers, but can I exchange, return, or get store credit from items I bought on BN.com in the store? Thanks.[/QUOTE]

Yes. Take your packing slip.
 
[quote name='kill3r7']25% off members coupon coming this Thursday according to some folks at bluray.com. I'll post a link to it when it becomes available.[/QUOTE]

Bah. From the blu-ray.com forums, it looks like this was a one-time use coupon that was sent only to some people. :cry:

B&N never sends me coupon emails anymore...
 
[quote name='arcane93']Bah. From the blu-ray.com forums, it looks like this was a one-time use coupon that was sent only to some people. :cry:

B&N never sends me coupon emails anymore...[/QUOTE]

I haven't received an email either but worse case scenario you can always use the 20% off American Express coupon in store.

EDIT: PDF of the 25% off coupon. Credit goes to layla at slickdeals. I'll try it tonight to see if it can be used multiple times. Coupon expires on 11/13/11.
 
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[quote name='kill3r7']I haven't received an email either but worse case scenario you can always use the 20% off American Express coupon in store.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's what I'm going to do, but I was hoping for a non-AmEx coupon so that I'm not totally loading everything onto my AmEx card. Plus the extra 5%. Heh.

I just hope there's another non-AmEx coupon before next week. The Three Colors trilogy comes out, and I've got a B&N gift card coming that I want to use for it. Having to use the AmEx card to pay for it to get a coupon discount would put a pretty big kink in that.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Bah. From the blu-ray.com forums, it looks like this was a one-time use coupon that was sent only to some people. :cry:

B&N never sends me coupon emails anymore...[/QUOTE]

The wife actually got one today and was asking me what we could use it on (since we have way too many books). Problem is, I'm not sure if there is too much I want from the Critereon sale. Maybe upgrade my copy of Charade or Seven Samurai to Blu-Ray?
 
Woot I got the email. I never get these emails either. Finally some luck goes my way.

*Edit* Woohoo! Actually got two with my dummy account.



M
 
[quote name='shrike4242']Guess it's just Fear & Loathing and Dazed & Confused for me this time around.

Let's hope we have some more coupons during the sale timeframe.[/QUOTE]

I want to buy these two as well. I don't think it's going to happen with black friday around the corner.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Yeah, that's what I'm going to do, but I was hoping for a non-AmEx coupon so that I'm not totally loading everything onto my AmEx card. Plus the extra 5%. Heh.

I just hope there's another non-AmEx coupon before next week. The Three Colors trilogy comes out, and I've got a B&N gift card coming that I want to use for it. Having to use the AmEx card to pay for it to get a coupon discount would put a pretty big kink in that.[/QUOTE]

Here's a copy of the 25% off coupon. Credit goes to layla at slickdeals. I'll try it tonight to see if it can be used multiple times. Coupon expires on 11/13/11.
 
[quote name='kill3r7']Here's a copy of the 25% off coupon. Credit goes to layla at slickdeals. I'll try it tonight to see if it can be used multiple times. Coupon expires on 11/13/11.[/QUOTE]

That particular type of code (13 characters, mixed alphanumeric) is usually one-time use (not per user, but one time at all), so probably not. I believe they may even be tied in to specific accounts. It's not the first time B&N has done those. I hope the person who posted it was smart enough to use it (if they wanted to) before posting.
 
[quote name='arcane93']That particular type of code (13 characters, mixed alphanumeric) is usually one-time use (not per user, but one time at all), so probably not. I believe they may even be tied in to specific accounts. It's not the first time B&N has done those. I hope the person who posted it was smart enough to use it (if they wanted to) before posting.[/QUOTE]

It was posted on slickdeals so I assume by now at least 100 people have used it but thanks for the heads up. I'll give it a shot anyways.
 
[quote name='arcane93']That particular type of code (13 characters, mixed alphanumeric) is usually one-time use (not per user, but one time at all), so probably not. I believe they may even be tied in to specific accounts. It's not the first time B&N has done those. I hope the person who posted it was smart enough to use it (if they wanted to) before posting.[/QUOTE]

If you read on down the thread, someone used the code before the OP realized it was one time use and didn't even say they used it. Typical SD.
 
[quote name='whoasaywhat']If you read on down the thread, someone used the code before the OP realized it was one time use and didn't even say they used it. Typical SD.[/QUOTE]

Well, to be fair, it's entirely possible that the person who used it didn't know that it was one time use either...
 
hey, i got a one-time-use coupon for 40% off via email because I am a member. Keep an eye out!

It DOES stack with this Criterion sale, but only to an extent - it's not fully 40% off as far as I can tell, but it's nearly there. There's some math I haven't bothered to sort out yet, but it's still an awesome coupon combo.
 
Just a heads-up that Amazon will have Seven Samurai (Blu and DVD) as a lighting deal on Cyber Monday (Nov. 28th). The Blu is currently $31 so hopefully it gets a significant enough discount.
 
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