Criterion adds streaming videos, Blu-ray dates

The Criterion Collection just went public with a web site redesign, which looks both familiar and new. And it comes with a surprise.

The high-end DVD company now offers streaming video, with Criterion classics going for $5 a pop (as "rentals"). This is in line with the going rate.

Here are some of the films now streaming at a Criterion web site near you:

• "Sans Soleil," that wonderfully spacey travelogue from Chris Marker.
• "Lord of the Flies," that odd classic about kids gone wild.
• "Au Revoir les Enfants," Louis Malle's semi-autobiographical tale.
• "Juliet of the Spirits," Fellini's trippy profile of a betrayed wife.
• "Solaris,: that spaced-out Russian sci-fi downer.
• The Thief of Bagdad, Technicolor fantasy from Alexander Korda and Michael Powell.

Sure, they all should be seen on larger screens, but this streaming feature should be handy for traveling and killing serious time in unlikely places. Plus, the price is right as a preview for the real Criterion DVDs. View the full list of streaming art films at the Criterion Collection's Online Cinematheque.

Criterion also adds a "new social experience" via a linkup with The Auteurs. It's still in beta. The link is on the bottom left of the Criterion home page.

Meanwhile, the site lists some revised release dates for Criterion's Blu-ray slate: On Dec. 16 expect "The Thin Man," "The Man Who Fell to Earth," "Bottle Rocket" and "Chungking Express." In January, the listings have "El Norte" and "The Last Emperor."

What's with the multiple delays?

“If our Blu-ray discs are going to come out, then they’d better look right,” Criterion’s technical director Lee Kline told Video Business. “We had to make sure that the compression was right, that the audio encoding was up to par. And we had to make sure that the discs played on all players, particularly the older generation models, as well as PlayStation."

The Criterion Blu-rays won't come in the customary blue cases. They'll have a sticker on the shrink wrap and some kind of marking on the back of the case. Curious. 

(Check out the Criterion Blu-rays at Amazon, please.)