Well it appears we all managed to survive Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. And if you happen to still have any money in your wallet, have we got some deals for you!
Criterion Collection
Amazon’s huge Criterion sale continues this week, with a plethora of titles available for 55% off or $17.99. This is, to our collective collector knowledge, about the cheapest Criterion Blu-rays have ever been discounted. While BN has a few Criterion sales yearly, they max out at 50% off, unless you are a BN member AND shop the Criterion sale at their brick and mortar locations in which case you get an extra 10% off for a total of 60% off. In any event, Amazon’s sale is awfully tempting for us Criterion completists.
Universal 100th Anniversary Editions
Universal has really done an outstanding job of releasing a huge number of titles from their back catalogue on DVD and Blu-ray as part of their 100th anniversary. Amazon has a vast majority of the titles available from 40-50% off. The best deals are on the collector’s edition digibook versions of To Kill a Mockingbird and The Sting which are both available for $18.99. John Hughes classics like The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles are also discounted.
Arrow Films UK
Our friends across the pond with Arrow Films have built a reputation releasing a catalog of films similar to Blue Underground in the States but with, in my opinion, far nicer packaging and their own set of special features. Because of licensing agreements, some of their catalog is region free and some is locked to region B. It’s best to double check blu-ray.com for region compatibility before being. They’re running a sale currently on most of their titles. Some region free standouts include Brian de Palma’s Obsession, William Lustig’s Maniac Cop and Lucio Fulci’s fantastic film The Beyond for around $12.50 USD. Free shipping on all orders over £50.
Best Buy
While things have pretty much returned to normal for the big box retailer, there is one sale that may interest collectors. Best Buy currently has Blade, Blade II and Blade: Trinity all on Blu-ray for $7.99 apiece. Looks to be good both online and in stores. While Amazon also has Blade II on sale for $7.99 the other two are difficult to find on their site. This is mainly because of Amazon’s propensity for listing imports without any kind of import designation. You don’t want the Canada Blade releases from Alliance. You want the US versions. Stick with Best Buy here.
Other Great Deals
To Catch a Thief Blu-ray - Amazon – $12.29
While the fancy new Hitchcock box set is all the rage, it doesn’t contain every film by the master of suspense. Make sure to pick up other Hitch titles like this one for the film fan on your gift list.
Deadwood: The Complete Series Blu-ray – Amazon – $59.99
HBO’s hit series set in the fictional town of Deadwood in the old west was a fantastic show. Despite running only 3 seasons and having perhaps the most profanity ever used in the history of ever, Deadwood won plenty of critical acclaim to go with its rabid fanbase. Own the whole series on Blu-ray for a steal at 67% off list.
Thelma & Louise Blu-ray – Amazon – $7.99
The gender-bending classic hit Blu-ray in a 20th Anniversary edition and thanks to Amazon it can be yours on the cheap.
Ben-Hur Blu-ray Collector’s Edition – Amazon – $27.99
William Wyler’s epic film made it’s Blu-ray bow after a huge restoration that yielded a stunning HD transfer. Own the big box set that includes all kinds of extra memorabilia alongside the discs!
Downton Abbey Limited Edition Blu-ray – Amazon – $25.99
So British, so good.