The Criterion Collection has long been a favorite among DVD fans for its near-flawless presentations of acclaimed classics, fine foreign films and noteworthy contemporary fare. Criterion pioneered the idea of the all-out special edition with director’s commentary and more, going back to laserdiscs. In the early years of the DVD format, there were few better releases than its editions of films such as The Silence of the Lambs, This Is Spinal Tap, Robocop , The 400 Blows and The Lady Vanishes. And now, the venerable label has finally gone Blu-ray.

Tuesday marks the release of four Criterion-licensed films in the high-def disc format. As is typical for the label, the debut releases reflect an eclectic sampling: Carol Reed’s great 1949 film noir The Third Man, Wes Anderson’s 1996 charmer Bottle Rocket, Nicolas Roeg’s 1976 arty sci-fi flick The Man Who Fell to Earth and Wong Kar-Wai’s 1994 film Chunking Express.

I wrote about The Third Man on Sunday (click to read). Besides the many extras I noted, a few interesting ones I didn’t have room to include are an alternate voice-over for the opening sequence, a montage of the film’s untranslated foreign-language scenes with subtitles and a 16-page booklet that includes an essay by scholar Luc Sante.

Bottle Rocket — in a director-approved edition — includes commentary by Anderson and co-writer/star Owen Wilson, the 13-minute short that inspired the film, a making-0f documentary, 11 deleted scenes and an appreciation by director Martin Scorsese (in the booklet).  The Man Who Fell to Earth — another director-approved Blu-ray — features commentary by Roeg, star David Bowie and Buck Henry, various archival interviews with other cast members and writers, and loads of image galleries. Chungking Express — the lightest disc of the bunch — includes commentary by Asian film scholar Tony Rayns and a 1996 British TV interview with Wong and cinematographer Christopher Doyle.

 Of course, Criterion releases are known for their stunning transfers, and these releases are no different. Seeing them in high-def makes for an eye-opening experience — very film-like. The high quality extends to the soundtracks, too: The two ’90s films have DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, while the other two feature uncompressed audio — mono for The Third Man and stereo for the other Man.

I have to reiterate how cool the elegant fly-out menus are. These are standard fare for many Blu-ray presentations, but they are extra handy for Criterion releases, which always feature layered menus that can grow tedious on standard DVD with all of the back-and-forth switching. With the fly-out design, you can easily see everything at once, which is much easier for exploring. 

Really the only negative is the packaging. Instead of the typical Blu-ray blue-plastic case, these four releases come in cardboard cases. Non-standard packaging always raises the hackles of DVD collectors, and these are especially bothersome because sliding the inner case in and out of the tight-fitting outer slipcase invariably bends the corners of the inner sleeve. But that’s a nit.

Criterion has Blu-rays of El Norte and The Last Emperor coming Jan. 20 and Jan. 6, respectively. Check out its redesigned website to keep tabs on what else is in the works.

While Criterion has lost the rights to many of the early DVD hits mentioned above, it is reportedly working on other catalog favorites for Blu-ray: The 400 Blows, Gimme Shelter, The Complete Monterey Pop, Contempt, Walkabout, For All Mankind and The Wages of Fear. Here’s hoping that my favorites, such as The Naked Prey, Thief of Bagdad and Akira Kurosawa’s films, join them.

What Criterion DVDs do you want to see on Blu-ray?

I voted Thursday in the Digital Entertainment Group’s annual Creative Excellence DVD Awards, which I’ve been doing for several years. Here’s what I ended up selecting (from a list of studio-submitted nominees), what I considered, and what I guess might win when the awards are announced Jan. 8 as one of the side attractions of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

THEATRICAL DVD
My pick: WALL-E
The various disc versions of Disney’s flagship 2008 title have so many extras that the studio’s press release for it included a chart to track them all. Throw in state-of-the-art audio-video quality, and you have a seeming shoo-in. It doesn’t hurt, of course, that Pixar’s robotic charmer is the best-reviewed Hollywood movie of the year.
Also considered: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Get Smart, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The lack of commentary tracks for the two superhero blockbusters was a disappointment — and a clear indication that we will probably get special-edition makeovers next year. The Get Smart DVD had a great gimmick, which allowed viewers to see alternate one-liners during the film, but it was overshadowed by bigger, better movies. Narnia II wasn’t popular enough.
Probable winner: This is going to be a real close race between WALL-E and The Dark Knight, another outstanding film and a fantastic DVD. Unfortunately, the Batman disc is hurt by the lack of director’s commentary and anything about Heath Ledger — or any of the actors, really. (Expect the Heath Ledger Tribute Edition after he wins an Oscar posthumously.) I wouldn’t be surprised if the fan boys among DVD writers like me make The Dark Knight the top choice, but many of them also raved about WALL-E.

CATALOG DVD
My pick: Murnau, Borzage and Fox
This stunning 12-disc set from Fox celebrates two of Hollywood’s great early filmmakers: F.W. Murnau, who made the captivating Nosferatu in Germany before heading west to make Sunrise, the first Oscar winner for best picture (for “Artistic Quality of Production”); and Frank Borzage, the first person to win the Oscar for best director. Besides the 12 movies, which include restorations of Sunrise and Borzage’s 7th Heaven, there’s scholarly commentary, a feature-length documentary, featurettes, new scores and loads more. It also comes in a lavish box that includes two hardcover books filled with photos and essays.  Unfortunately, the set faces serious obstacles in getting votes from anyone but me: It retails for $240, much of the content concerns silent films and, most importantly, Fox sent only partial screeners to most reviewers.
Also considered: Special-edition revamps of The Godfather Collection, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Touch of Evil, Sleeping Beauty and The Nightmare Before Chistmas
All of these were fine discs, but they also were re-releases — nothing close to the monumental achievement of my pick.
Probable winner: The big name always seems to win in these awards, which means The Godfather looks like a lock.

TV DVD
My pick: Mad Men
AMC’s show about the 1960s ad scene has been getting all of the accolades, deservedly so, and Lions Gate did a fabulous job with the home-video version of the Emmy-winning first season,  especially the Blu-ray release. And I always give special consideration to a show’s first outing on DVD.�
Also considered: Nothing else.
Probable winner: I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the nod goes to the new complete-series collection of The Sopranos. I view that as just a fancy re-release — and I don’t think it’s fair that complete-series releases are allowed to compete with single-season sets — but the big name tends to be the predictable winner.

DIRECT TO DVD
My pick: Futurama: Bender’s Game
Great reviews, fan-boy appeal and Matt Groenig’s typically comprehensive collection of extras make this an easy choice.
Also considered: Tinker Bell
Disney has the direct-to-DVD category locked up, and this Peter Pan tale was a major release.
Probable winner: The fan-boy angle should give Bender a boost over the wee fairy.

MUSIC DVD
My pick: Shine a Light
This category is always a wash for me. Nothing I like ever gets nominated. So I went with Martin Scorsese’s highly publicized look at the Rolling Stones, because it will win.
Also considered: Nothing else that was nominated.
Probable winner: Shine a Light

BLU-RAY
My pick: WALL-E
Also considered: The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Planet of the Apes, Bond films
Probable winner: See Theatrical.

I’ll let you know which titles won when the awards are announced in a month.

Memorex has introduced a good Blu-ray player that has sold online for as low as $128 and can be found now for $156 shipped. It’s the Memorex MVNBD2510, and AV columnist Don Lindich offers a detailed review of it in his Sound Advice blog. His conclusion:

 “It’s pretty much in a class of its own, providing an extremely affordable way for anyone to try Blu-ray, especially those who want to experience high definition sound without replacing their receiver.  If you have an older receiver and want to get into Blu-ray inexpensively, your player is here.”

The player is not perfect, which Don covers. The biggest demerit is that it can’t handle BD-Live, so viewers using it would not be able to access Web-enabled features, such as Universal’s recent live chat with Hellboy II director Guillermo Del Toro. But most people looking for a player in this price range probably won’t care.

Check out Don’s review to learn more.

Wal-Mart’s posting today of its Black Friday sale is a clear sign that deals await people looking for electronics on the day after Thanksgiving, 5 to 11 a.m. They also are available online. Some samples:

* Xbox 360 Arcade bundle, plus Guitar Hero III and wireless guitar - $199
* Magnavox Blu-ray player (not BD-Live capable) - $128
* Blu-ray movies (selection includes Transformers, Iron Man, Kung Fu Panda and Indy IV) - $15 each
* Samsung 50-inch plasma TV - $798
* Madden 09 and other EA Sports games - $30 each

Scope out Wal-Mart’s and other retailers’ Black Friday deals at Dealnews and Black Friday 2008.

One of the promises of Blu-ray technology will be fulfilled Sunday when director Guillermo del Toro chats with fans through the Web-enabled BD-Live feature of the high-def disc for his new film, Hellboy II: The Golden Army.  While it’s not the live director’s commentary that I’ve long envisioned, this is still a major first for the format. Note that you must have a Web-connected Blu-ray player (such as the PlayStation 3) and the disc for the new movie.

Here’s what you need to know for the chat, which starts at 8 p.m. Sunday (central time), courtesy of Universal Studios Home Entertainment:

Step 1: Log on to http://www.universalhidef.com/ to create a user name and password, or log in if already registered.
Step 2: Once registered, in “My Account,” select the “Directors Chat” tab to submit up to three questions.�
Step 3:  Connect your Blu-ray player to the Internet and chat with Guillermo Del Toro.

Have fun!

With Circuit City filing for bankruptcy and closing 20 percent of its stores, Dealnews offers an important reminder to avoid deals that include a mail-in rebate from the retailer (as opposed to a manufacturer) and to avoid buying the store’s gift cards. The struggling retailer is bound to offer lots of deals on electronics, video games and DVDs (although its selection on the last two has never been stellar) as the holidays approach, but be wary of ones that don’t have an immediate payoff. By the way, based on this list of Circuit City store closings, none appears to be occuring in Minnesota.