Blog Feed: The Criterion Cast - The Podcast Dedicated To The Criterion Collection

On the Hulu Channel: Jean Renoir’s A Day in the Country

Published on 2012-05-06 14:00:30

Scott takes a Day in the Country. > read more

Catherine Reviews Lauren Greenfield’s The Queen of Versailles [IFFBoston 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-05-05 23:56:15

The Queen of Versailles, Lauren Greenfield's outrageous yet humanistic peek into a billionaire family's struggle with the economic crisis. > read more

Catherine Reviews Stephen Kessler’s Paul Williams Still Alive [IFFBoston 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-05-05 23:39:31

A decent documentary about Paul Williams that you should see because it's a documentary about Paul Williams. > read more

New Trailer And Clips From David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis Arrive

Published on 2012-05-04 11:58:40

Trailer and clips hit in preparation for the film's debut at the Cannes Film Festival. > read more

Kick Start This Film: Cass Warner’s HOPPER: In His Own Words

Published on 2012-05-03 01:48:04

Bringing back the great series. This time a documentary with Dennis Hopper as the subject. Hopefully he talks about Super Mario Bros.: The Movie in it. > read more

The Newsstand – Episode 5

Published on 2012-05-02 20:39:18

On this week's episode of The Newsstand, Ryan, James, and Justin Vactor discuss a handful of Criterion related news stories from the past few weeks. They also discuss the final Cannes line-up, the classics line-up, and the goings-on at Cinemacon this year. > read more

David Reviews Mario Monicelli’s The Organizer [Criterion Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-05-01 22:22:58

May 1 is International Workers Day, and The Organizer has something to say to the rank and file. > read more

Joshua Reviews King Vidor’s Bird Of Paradise [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-05-01 12:25:22

Film is a pre-Code romance epic that is finally hitting Blu-ray thanks to Kino. > read more

Catherine Reviews Andrea Arnold’s Wuthering Heights [IFFBoston 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-05-01 01:37:32

Andrea Arnold's bracingly original take on a literary classic contains a breathtaking first half and an intolerable second half. > read more

On the Hulu Channel: Zoltan Korda’s Forget Me Not

Published on 2012-04-29 15:06:36

Don't forget about Zoltan Korda's 1936 melodrama. > read more

Catherine Reviews Bart Layton’s The Imposter [IFFBoston 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-04-29 14:55:46

Bart Layton's stranger than fiction true-crime documentary will have you aghast and on the edge of your seat throughout. > read more

Lars Von Trier Shooting Two Versions Of ‘Nymphomaniac’; Will Release Each In Two Parts

Published on 2012-04-26 19:12:41

Film to be shot in both hardcore and softcore versions, and will be split after being shot as one feature. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For April 24th, 2012

Published on 2012-04-25 01:33:15

Here are some Criterion Collection related links (as well as some other film related stuff) that I found interesting today. > read more

First Look At Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi

Published on 2012-04-24 22:02:41

Long gestating film is Lee's adaptation of the beloved novel of the same name. > read more

Cannes 2012 Director’s Fortnight Set; Features Films From Michel Gondry And Ben Wheatley

Published on 2012-04-24 13:41:52

Cannes sidebar to feature a cavalcade of new films from some of the most interesting names in the film world. > read more

Off The Shelf – Episode 6

Published on 2012-04-24 11:00:40

This week on Off The Shelf, Ryan and James are joined by Josh Brunsting to take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of April 24th. > read more

West Reviews Alexander Payne’s The Descendants [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-04-24 00:57:28

George Clooney delivers what is undoubtedly one of his finest performances in The Descendants, the most recent film from director Alexander Payne (Sideways, Election) after a hiatus of several years. > read more

On the Hulu Channel: Charlie Chaplin’s Sunnyside

Published on 2012-04-23 23:50:39

Scott looks at Charlie Chaplin's 1919 short film. > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Yasujiro Ozu’s The End of Summer

Published on 2012-04-23 23:41:38

Ozu's penultimate film and his final screen collaboration with Setsuko Hara. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For April 23rd, 2012

Published on 2012-04-23 23:31:58

It's been a while since I've posted my links, but I have been saving them along the way (so there are a lot of links in here). > read more

Joshua Reviews Hideo Gosha’s Three Outlaw Samurai [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-04-20 20:23:46

Film was the debut of iconic director Hideo Gosha. > read more

65th Cannes Film Festival Line-Up Announced

Published on 2012-04-19 08:24:10

Festival includes films from Resnais and Cronenberg. > read more

The Newsstand – Episode 4

Published on 2012-04-19 00:48:05

This week Ryan and James chat with Josh Brunsting about the July 2012 Criterion Collection titles, the latest additions to Hulu, and some potential Cannes 2012 films. > read more

Joshua Reviews Braden King’s Here [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2012-04-18 21:33:10

Film stars Ben Foster and is an oddly disappointing feature from director Braden King. > read more

First Trailer For Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike Arrives

Published on 2012-04-18 20:00:48

New film stars Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey. > read more

David Reviews Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-04-18 02:27:23

David compares and contrasts the rare OOP Criterion DVD with the recent blu-ray release from MGM/20th Century Fox. > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Ingmar Bergman’s To Joy

Published on 2012-04-15 11:00:50

Bergman infuses Beethoven's Ninth in this semi-autobiographical rumination on marriage, infidelity and thwarted artistic ambition. > read more

The Newsstand – Episode 3

Published on 2012-04-11 11:00:44

This week on the Newsstand we discuss several Criterion Collection news stories from the past few weeks, and look forward to the upcoming July 2012 announcements > read more

West Reviews Roy Ward Baker’s A Night To Remember [Criterion Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-04-11 00:55:35

West takes a look at the recent Criterion Blu-ray upgrade for A Night To Remember, and reflects on the 100th anniversary of the TItanic sinking. > read more

Rumor Round-Up: What Can We Expect From The Criterion Collection, For The Second Half Of 2012?

Published on 2012-04-10 21:58:43

Now that we know what will be released for the first six months of 2012, let's take a look at what we think might be coming in the second half. > read more

Steve McQueen’s Twelve Years A Slave Readies As Final Financier Comes Into Play

Published on 2012-04-10 16:51:41

Film is set for a June start date. > read more

David Gordon Green’s Suspiria Remake On Its Way As Financing Solidifies; Shooting In September

Published on 2012-04-10 16:39:10

Film will come after a one-two punch of 'Your Highness' and 'The Sitter.' Hopefully it's better than that pair. > read more

Off The Shelf – Episode 5

Published on 2012-04-10 11:00:17

This week on Off The Shelf, Ryan, James and Travis take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of April 10th. > read more

On The Hulu Channel: Ingmar Bergman’s From The Life Of The Marionettes

Published on 2012-04-08 23:30:01

Scott searches for the strings From the Life of the Marionettes. > read more

West Reviews Otto Preminger’s Anatomy Of A Murder [Criterion Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-04-08 11:00:23

West takes a look at spine 600: the recently released Criterion Blu-ray of Otto Preminger's Anatomy Of A Murder. > read more

TCM To Premiere Bob Hope’s The Iron Petticoat In September

Published on 2012-04-08 10:56:33

TCM is also looking to nab home video rights to finally bring this classic to DVD stateside. > read more

Today’s New Additions To The Criterion Collection Hulu Plus Channel

Published on 2012-04-06 16:23:28

25 new additions to the Hulu Plus channel today. > read more

Episode 121 – Terry Jones’ Monty Python’s Life Of Brian

Published on 2012-04-05 23:14:04

This week on the podcast we're joined by James Marsh from Twitchfilm to discuss Monty Python's Life Of Brian. > read more

Bill Hader Back To Host TCM’s The Essentials Jr.; Starting With 12 Angry Men On June 3

Published on 2012-04-04 11:13:35

From the Criterion Closet to once again hosting one of the best film showcases on television, Bill Hader may be a [...] > read more

First Look At Mira Nair’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist

Published on 2012-04-03 23:29:42

Film will be making its debut at this year's Venice Film Festival. > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Roberto Rossellini’s Blaise Pascal

Published on 2012-04-02 14:00:18

David ponders the austere historical portrayal of a 17th century French genius and his Big Ideas. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For March 24th Through April 1st

Published on 2012-04-02 01:03:26

A collection of links from around the web, for the discerning Criterion fan. > read more

Catherine Reviews Marius Holst’s King of Devil’s Island [DVD Review]

Published on 2012-04-01 22:52:36

The film that broke Norwegian box-office records is a recognizable but wholly engaging work thanks in part to the pair of breakout performances at its icy center. > read more

On the Hulu Channel: Ingmar Bergman’s Secrets of Women

Published on 2012-04-01 22:51:10

Scott attempts to unearth the Secrets of Women > read more

Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master Hitting In October

Published on 2012-03-28 11:41:03

Film will bow on October 12. > read more

Off The Shelf – Episode 4

Published on 2012-03-27 11:00:02

This week on Off The Shelf, Ryan and James take a look at the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of March 27th. They'll discuss box sets, packaging, and more! > read more

New Trailer For Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone In Love Arrives

Published on 2012-03-26 11:51:57

New film will likely debut at this year's Cannes Film Festival. > read more

Joshua’s Favorite 10 Films From SXSW 2012

Published on 2012-03-26 01:01:26

10 days, 40 films, Josh reflects on his favorites from this SXSW this year. > read more

On the Hulu Channel: Ingmar Bergman’s All These Women

Published on 2012-03-25 21:15:35

Scott tries to tell apart All These Women. > read more

Episode 120 – Ishiro Honda’s Godzilla

Published on 2012-03-25 11:00:47

We return to the Criterion Collection by spending an entire episode discussing Ishiro Honda's Godzilla, the film, and the recent Criterion release. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For March 20th Through The 23rd, 2012

Published on 2012-03-23 23:18:18

Here are a ton of Criterion (and general film related) links from the past few days, that I thought you might find interesting. > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Sacha Guitry’s Désiré

Published on 2012-03-23 11:00:39

Impeccable wit, Gallic insouciance, pretty women and saucy innuendo - what more could one desire from a 1930s French comedy? > read more

James Reviews Gareth Evans’ The Raid: Redemption [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2012-03-23 02:01:04

Everyone's been raving about The Raid: Redemption. Is it all that it's cracked up to be? > read more

NSFW Teaser For David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis Arrives

Published on 2012-03-22 12:39:57

Teaser features guns, nudity and...rats? > read more

Joshua Reviews Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk With Me [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-20 17:37:28

Film has been one of the most talked about of 2012 so far. But don't let that fool you. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For March 6th – 12, 2012

Published on 2012-03-13 00:34:33

I've been slacking with my link posting duties, but here I am, with several days of links, to keep you reading. > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Chantal Akerman’s Les Rendez-vous d’Anna

Published on 2012-03-12 14:50:30

March is Women's History Month, as if you needed any more justification for exploring great feminist cinema. > read more

Universal Brings History To SXSW With Restoration Panel; Talk Vertigo Restoration [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-12 14:34:18

Studio showed clips of their restoration for 'The Sting.' > read more

Joshua Reviews Collin Trevorrow’s Safety Not Guaranteed [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-12 10:00:03

The Sundance darling may be the funniest film you'll see all year. > read more

Joshua Reviews Gareth Evans’ The Raid: Redemption [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-12 09:00:59

An Indonesian import, The Raid: Redemption has been billed as the best action film in years. And boy, does this sucker know how to live up to the hype. > read more

On The Hulu Channel: Two By Bergman

Published on 2012-03-12 00:18:09

Scott takes a look at two Hulu-exclusive Ingmar Bergman films coming soon to DVD and Blu-ray. > read more

James Reviews Chad Schaffler’s Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin’ [DVD Review]

Published on 2012-03-11 23:58:12

No babies will be thrown at you during this review. But even if you aren't into the world of professional wrestling, you will fall in love with the people that inhabit it. > read more

Joshua Reviews Guy Maddin’s Keyhole [SXSW 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-03-11 17:30:01

New film from Canadian auteur Guy Maddin is his take on the haunted house film. > read more

The Newsstand – Episode 1

Published on 2012-03-11 13:00:06

We discuss the latest Apple announcements, the June Criterion rumors and teases, as well as a handful of other news stories from this past week. > read more

Joshua Reviews Scott Derrickson’s Sinister [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-11 12:00:01

New film from 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' helmer Scott Derrickson. > read more

Joshua Reviews Neil Berkeley’s Beauty Is Embarrassing [SXSW 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-03-10 23:30:49

This new documentary takes a look at the life of one of the founding fathers of 'Pee-Wee's Playhouse.' > read more

Joshua Reviews Carol Morley’s Dreams Of A Life [SXSW 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-03-10 21:20:32

Film is one of many experimental documentaries hitting Austin this year. > read more

Joshua Reviews A. Sabin And David Redmon’s Girl Model [SXSW 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-03-10 17:20:29

Film looks into the rough world of modeling through the eyes of those smack dab in the middle of it. > read more

Joshua Reviews Paco Plaza’s [Rec] 3: Genesis [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-10 03:25:12

Film tries something new within the beloved horror film franchise. > read more

Joshua Reviews Patrick Forbes’ Wikileaks: Secrets And Lies [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-10 02:55:22

Film takes a look into the controversy surrounding Wikileaks. > read more

Joshua Reviews Amir Bar-Lev’s Re:Generation [SXSW 2012]

Published on 2012-03-10 02:45:50

Re:Generation is the new film from beloved documentarian Amir Bar-Lev. > read more

On The Screen – Episode 1

Published on 2012-03-09 11:00:53

We've rebooted our On The Screen segment as its own show, and this week we discuss all sorts of films and shows that we've been watching. From Breaking Bad to John Carter, we've had a lot of stuff on our screens. > read more

James Reviews Jannicke Systad Jacobsen’s Turn Me On, Dammit! [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-03-07 21:04:24

James takes a look at this Norwegian coming of age tale of a 15 year old girl who is a bit obsessed with sex. > read more

For Criterion Consideration: Jūzō Itami’s The Funeral

Published on 2012-03-07 20:43:33

Robert makes the case for Izumi's 1984 directorial debut. > read more

Off The Shelf – Episode 1

Published on 2012-03-06 11:00:20

In this first episode of our rebranded podcast discussion of the week's new DVD and Blu-ray releases, we're joined by Josh Hurtado from Twitch to talk about what's available on March 6th. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For March 5th, 2012

Published on 2012-03-06 01:22:17

Here is today's collection of Criterion related links.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Joshua Looks At This Year’s SXSW Lineup And Gives His Most Anticipated Films

Published on 2012-03-06 00:38:31

Joshua gives his most anticipated films of SXSW 2012 ranging from Lena Dunham's latest to the new film from Guy Maddin.(Read The Full Article) > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Basil Dearden’s Victim

Published on 2012-03-04 08:42:43

David's latest Eclipse review looks at a groundbreaking British film from 1961 that openly challenged laws criminalizing homosexuality.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For March 1st Through The 3rd, 2012

Published on 2012-03-04 00:19:26

I've been catching up with my feeds, and have a whole lot of links to share with you tonight.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Episode 119 – Gus Van Sant’s Mala Noche

Published on 2012-03-02 01:57:08

This week on the podcast, Ryan, James, and Travis discuss the week's news, rumors, and new releases, as well as Gus Van Sant's Mala Noche. (Read The Full Article) > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 29th, 2012

Published on 2012-03-01 01:48:26

I found a whole lot of links around the web today that I think you might enjoy.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Catherine Reviews Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca [Blu-Ray Review]

Published on 2012-03-01 01:44:11

Revisiting Alfred Hitchcock's first American film in glorious Blu-Ray.(Read The Full Article) > read more

This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Plus Channel

Published on 2012-03-01 01:35:28

Scott takes a look at the most recent batch of films added to the Criterion Collection Hulu Plus channel.(Read The Full Article) > read more

New Trailer For Richard Linklater’s Bernie Arrives In Advance Of SXSW

Published on 2012-03-01 00:38:13

Trailer arrives just a week before the start of SXSW 2012.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 28th, 2012

Published on 2012-02-29 00:16:41

Today's collection of Criterion related links from around the web.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Joshua Reviews Woody Allen’s Annie Hall [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-02-28 21:05:19

Joshua looks at the new Blu-ray of Woody Allen's Annie Hall.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Joshua Reviews Woody Allen’s Manhattan [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-02-28 21:00:22

Joshua takes a look at the newly released Blu-ray of the classic Woody Allen film, Manhattan.(Read The Full Article) > read more

Jonathan Demme Helming Wally And Andre Shoot Ibsen

Published on 2012-02-28 19:27:42

Think of it as this generation's Vanya On 42nd Street.(Read The Full Article) > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About: Criterion’s Oscar Alternatives

Published on 2012-02-28 02:46:06

James takes a look at some Criterion Collection alternatives, for those seeking out films similar to (or completely different from) Sunday's Oscar winners. > read more

Behold, The Trailer For The Restored Children Of Paradise

Published on 2012-02-28 02:00:03

Check out this lovely new trailer for the restored print of Children Of Paradise, which will be touring this year thanks to Janus Films. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 24th Through The 27th, 2012

Published on 2012-02-28 00:49:09

Here is my collection of links from this past weekend, for your bookmarking pleasure. > read more

Janus Films To Tour New 4K Restoration Of Marcel Carné’s Children Of Paradise

Published on 2012-02-27 21:14:19

An incredible restoration for one of France's largest productions will be touring soon, can a Criterion Blu-ray be far off? > read more

David Reviews Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture [Criterion Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2012-02-27 02:29:51

David takes a break from his Eclipse series, to see what Lena Dunham has to offer in this new Criterion Collection release. > read more

Joshua Takes A Look At The Criterion Collection On Hulu Plus For Its One Year Anniversary

Published on 2012-02-26 23:09:45

A year after Hulu Plus was announced, Joshua looks back at where Criterion is at, where it went from, and where it's going. > read more

Complete List Of Oscar Winners Announced

Published on 2012-02-26 22:39:08

It's finally here, and thank heavens, it's finally over. Here are your winners. > read more

Andrew Reviews Don Argott & Demian Fenton’s Last Days Here [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-26 15:34:05

As PIFF winds down this weekend, Andrew takes a look at the new documentary highlighting the Pentagram frontman, Bobby Liebling. > read more

James Reviews Young-doo Oh’s Invasion Of Alien Bikini [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-25 20:38:59

Sometimes a film expands upon it's quirky title. And other times a film has only a title to go by. This is the latter. > read more

James Reviews Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol’s A Cat In Paris [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-25 20:35:53

Does this film deserve its Oscar nod for Best Animated feature? > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 23rd, 2012

Published on 2012-02-23 23:32:51

Here are the Criterion Collection related links that I found interesting today. > read more

Episode 118 – Liliana Cavani’s The Night Porter

Published on 2012-02-23 21:15:07

This week on the podcast, Ryan and Travis discuss the May 2012 Criterion titles, the possibility of a Beauty And The Beast film directed by Guillermo Del Toro, as well as Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter. > read more

New Russian Trailer For Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmasters Hits Despite The Film Still Not Having A Debut Set

Published on 2012-02-23 13:41:55

A Cannes debut is rumored, but nothing is set in stone quite yet. > read more

Joshua Reviews Stuart Beattie’s Tomorrow When The War Began [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2012-02-23 11:32:12

Film is based on the first book in a beloved young adult novel series from writer John Marsden > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 22nd, 2012

Published on 2012-02-23 00:21:35

Today's collection of links that I found around the web today, for your enjoyment. > read more

Catherine Reviews Julia Murat’s Found Memories [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-21 23:45:06

A Brazilian village with only eleven elderly inhabitants are changed by the appearance of a young photographer in Julia Murat's first narrative feature. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 21st, 2012

Published on 2012-02-21 23:32:39

Some interesting links that I thought I'd share with you today. > read more

New Trailer For Lena Dunham’s Girls Arrives

Published on 2012-02-21 11:02:18

Show will debut its first three episodes at this year's SXSW Film Festival. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 17th Through The 20th, 2012

Published on 2012-02-21 00:09:22

All of the links fit to print, from this past weekend. > read more

Antonio Banderas Joins Carlos Saura’s 33 Days

Published on 2012-02-20 12:08:25

Film will look at the creation of Pablo Picasso's masterwork, Guernica. > read more

David Reviews Kaneto Shindo’s Postcard [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-19 22:28:34

Shindo's final film is a moving reminiscence of grief and endurance in the aftermath of World War II. > read more

David Reviews Alysa Nahmias & Benjamin Murray’s Unfinished Spaces [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-19 22:20:09

A documentary about art, architecture and persistent creativity in post-revolutionary Cuba. > read more

Catherine Reviews Corinna Belz’s Gerhard Richter Painting [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-19 22:07:33

A startlingly insightful look at painter Gerhard Richter, and the indescribable creative process, in this observational documentary. > read more

Episode 117.5 Disc 2 Off The Shelf And On The Screen – February 14th New Releases

Published on 2012-02-19 20:08:53

On this week's Disc 2, Ryan, James and Travis discuss the new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of February 14th, as well as what they've been watching. > read more

Sundance Selects Nabs New Film From ’4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days’ Director Cristian Mungiu

Published on 2012-02-18 11:52:19

Film is entitled 'Beyond The Hills,' and is his follow-up to '4 Months.' > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 16th, 2012

Published on 2012-02-17 02:07:03

Here are some film links I found online today that I think are worth a read. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 15th, 2012

Published on 2012-02-16 02:11:01

Here are today's film links, for your enjoyment. > read more

Joshua Reviews Jean-Pierre And Luc Dardenne’s ‘The Kid With A Bike’ [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-16 00:35:05

The latest film from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is one of their best yet. > read more

Joshua Reviews Tusi Tamasese’s ‘The Orator’ [PIFF 2012 Review]

Published on 2012-02-16 00:34:07

Film is the first feature from the nation of Samoa. > read more

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Restoration To Theatrically Debut During TCM’s ‘Road To Hollywood’ Series

Published on 2012-02-16 00:25:51

Universal will also hold a panel during SXSW promoting their restorations for their 100th Anniversary. > read more

Episode 117 – Max Ophul’s Lola Montès

Published on 2012-02-15 21:22:08

This week on the podcast, the team continues their month-long arc of "romance" films by discussing Max Ophul's 1955 film, Lola Montès. > read more

Ryan’s Criterion Link Collection For February 14th, 2012

Published on 2012-02-15 00:00:43

Some of my favorite links for the day. > read more

Clips From Upcoming 4K Restoration Of ‘Lawrence Of Arabia’ Debut At HPA Technology Event Tuesday

Published on 2012-02-14 20:54:41

If there has ever been cause for a film to be put onto Blu-ray, it’s ‘Lawrence Of Arabia’. One of cinema’s [...] > read more

Catherine Reviews James Watkins’ The Woman in Black [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2012-02-13 23:48:15

The Woman in Black effectively resurrects Gothic atmosphere and tropes but does not offer much else. > read more

Catherine Reviews Steven Soderbergh’s Haywire [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2012-02-13 23:39:31

Catherine reviews Steven Soderbergh's latest as Gina Carano receives the Sasha Grey treatment. > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 87.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen

Published on 2011-07-06 02:26:36

Disc 2 episodes are bonus / supplement episodes of The Criterion Cast. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick & Travis George are joined by Moises Chiullan to chat about the weeks new releases on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as what they’ve been watching. > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 87 – Byron Haskin’s Robinson Crusoe On Mars [Criterion Collection # 404]

Published on 2011-07-05 02:42:18

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick & Travis George discuss Criterion Collection news & rumors and new releases. They also discuss Criterion # 404, Byron Haskin’s 1964 film, Robinso > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: William Klein’s The Model Couple

Published on 2011-07-04 11:00:40

A few weeks ago I began a four-part miniseries here, reviewing Eclipse films that deal with the topic of marriage. My first selection was Ernst Lubitsch’s One Hour With You, published almost exactly a year after I covered a different Lubitsch f > read more

James Reviews Prachya Pinkaew’s Elephant White [Blu-Ray Review]

Published on 2011-07-04 01:08:08

A straight to DVD movie starring Djimon Hounsou as an assassin and Kevin Bacon as a gun runner in Thailand directed by Prachya Pinkaew, the director of two of my favorite action films in the last 10 years, Ong Bak and Chocolate? How could I have miss > read more

James Reviews Shout Factory’s Gordon’s War / Off Limits Double Feature [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-07-04 00:38:44

Shout! Factory once again is giving us a double feature DVD, one a blaxploitation film set in New York City and the other a gritty noir-flavored film set in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Both have the connection to the war itself. And I’ll be > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel

Published on 2011-07-03 23:55:15

Didn’t I just write one of these a week ago? Of course I did, because this is your destination for the best coverage of all the new titles Criterion puts up on their Hulu Plus page, and this week is no different. There’s fewer films (unle > read more

Help Save The Hotel From Bottle Rocket With The Alamo Drafthouse

Published on 2011-07-03 23:51:49

A fan of Wes Anderson? Have an affinity for his debut feature, Bottle Rocket? Well, now is your chance to not only show your appreciation and love for the film, but help save a part of it in the meantime. Within Bottle Rocket, there is one locale tha > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Allan King’s A Married Couple

Published on 2011-06-29 10:00:36

When I mentioned in this column a few weeks back that I planned a short series of reviews on the topic of marriage, anyone possessing more than a passing familiarity with the Eclipse Series probably could have guessed that the film I’m writing > read more

Catherine Reviews André Øvredal’s The Troll Hunter [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-06-29 02:16:23

Found footage films, almost always taking place within horror, have certainly made themselves a cozy spot in the bevy of subgenres within cinema. Every time one of them comes out, its detractors call found footage played out and tired. Because these > read more

James Reviews Jules Dassin’s Rififi [Arrow Films Blu-ray]

Published on 2011-06-28 01:48:50

Only a few days after he’s been released from prison, Tony Le Stephanois (Jean Servais) is reunited with his former partners in crime Jo (Carl Möhner) and Mario (Robert Manuel). They want him to do one more job at a Parisian jeweler’s sh > read more

Film Society Of Lincoln Center Holding Sidney Lumet Retrospective

Published on 2011-06-28 01:22:18

With the passing of iconic filmmaker Sidney Lumet came not only an outpouring of love and respect for the late, legendary New Yorker, but a re-visiting of his filmography. Now, thanks to the Film Society Of Lincoln Center, it’s time for his surroga > read more

For Criterion Consideration: Toshio Matsumoto’s Funeral Parade of Roses

Published on 2011-06-28 01:06:58

When thinking of a film to return to this series of articles, I racked my brain constantly. So many films came to mind, favorites of mine that I would geek out like crazy if Criterion put out in a supplements laden edition. But the harder I thought a > read more

Kick Start This Film: Tom Bean and Luke Poling’s Plimpton! Starring George Plimpton as Himself

Published on 2011-06-27 17:40:57

Over the past several months, we’ve attempted to showcase several older films that deserve the attention of the Criterion Collection with our series, For Criterion Consideration. We’ve noticed how other sites are changing the film business as we > read more

Our Favorite Criterion Collection Releases From The First Half Of 2011

Published on 2011-06-27 15:37:09

We are half-way through 2011. This Tuesday marks the release of the last three June titles that Criterion is releasing: Zazie Dans Le Metro, Black Moon, and People On Sunday. We thought that we’d take some time out of our busy lives to reflect > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel

Published on 2011-06-26 18:23:47

This one is coming up late, due to Criterion jam packing a ton of releases on Friday, right while I was finishing up the original post. I think they wanted to mess with me, which is very funny. But being the premier (and only) site that gives you the > read more

Joshua Reviews Rocko’s Modern Life Season One DVD [Shout! Factory DVD Review]

Published on 2011-06-24 13:36:05

There are various cornerstones of a person’s childhood.  Be it singular moments such as the first day of school, or much broader entities like your first favorite album or the first time you see a movie in theaters, nothing quite impacts a child q > read more

Hulu Looking To Be Bought

Published on 2011-06-24 12:53:43

UPDATE (7:40pm, 6/22/11): THR is reporting that the company has hired a group of investment banks to help look at possible deals to be made.  This is a story that appears to be moving relatively rapidly, so definitely stay tuned, as we will bring yo > read more

Manuscript Documenting Chaplin’s First Attempt At Making A “Talkie” Discovered

Published on 2011-06-24 12:52:32

It goes without saying that Charlie Chaplin was a prolific cinematic entity.  Be it the films he actually had the chance to shoot, or the ones that he ended up having to scrap, Chaplin was never without a project somewhere in production. Now, the mo > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 86.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen With Special Guest: West Anthony

Published on 2011-06-23 12:43:32

Disc 2 episodes are bonus / supplement episodes of The Criterion Cast. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick & Travis George are joined by West Anthony to chat about the week’s new releases on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as what they’ve been watch > read more

ZDF picks up Werner Herzog’s Gazing Into The Abyss: A Tale Of Death, A Tale Of Life

Published on 2011-06-22 02:05:10

With his last film, Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, playing to strong returns out of both its run on the festival circuit (I saw the film at SXSW this year and absolutely fell in love with Herzog’s striking look into cave art) and its subsequent theatric > read more

First Look At Vivi Friedman’s The Family Tree

Published on 2011-06-22 01:53:24

While the modern day familial drama is squarely in the independent film world’s wheelhouse, very rarely do they get casts as strong as the one assembled here for The Family Tree. The film, seemingly inherently inspired by films from the likes of No > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 86 – Akira Kurosawa’s The Bad Sleep Well With Special Guest: West Anthony [Criterion Collection # 319]

Published on 2011-06-22 00:19:34

This is the podcast dedicated to the Criterion Collection. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, and Travis George are joined by West Anthony to discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 85.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen

Published on 2011-06-22 00:07:00

Disc 2 episodes are bonus / supplement episodes of The Criterion Cast. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, Travis George, and Moises Chiullan chat about the weeks new releases on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as what they’ve been watching. “Off the Shel > read more

David Reviews Eclipse Series 27, Raffaello Matarazzo’s Runaway Melodramas [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-06-21 23:39:15

With this week’s New Release Tuesday now past, those of us who are obsessed with Criterion’s Eclipse Series of DVDs (as well as those who remain merely curious, just beginning their exploration) are now able to latch on to what might be o > read more

Trailer For David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method

Published on 2011-06-21 14:31:23

Just about a week after a horribly grainy bootleg copy of the first trailer for the much hyped David Cronenberg film, A Dangerous Method, hit the web, we finally have our first official trailer, and it’s absolutely breathtaking. The film is based o > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel

Published on 2011-06-19 01:04:47

It’s another week which means another round up of all the titles Criterion has put up on their Hulu Plus page. And it’s a great smorgasbord of releases that will keep your eyes full until the next installment. Also, thanks again to everyo > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 85 – Carol Reed’s Night Train To Munich [Criterion Collection # 523]

Published on 2011-06-18 23:58:04

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, Travis George, and Moises Chiullan discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also highlight Criterion # 523 Carol Reed’s 19 > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 84.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen

Published on 2011-06-18 23:36:06

Disc 2 episodes are bonus / supplement episodes of The Criterion Cast. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick & Travis George chat about the weeks new releases on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as what they’ve been watching. “Off the Shelf” runs throug > read more

James Reviews Michelangelo Antonioni’s Le Signora Senza Camelie [Masters of Cinema Blu-ray]

Published on 2011-06-18 13:00:21

Le Signora Senza Camelie (aka The Lady Without Camelias) is about Clara Manni (Lucia Bose), a young woman form Milan who has come to Rome to become a movie star. Already appearing in a smaller film, film patrons have already been impressed with her g > read more

James’ Top 10 Johnnie To Films That Should Be In The Criterion Collection

Published on 2011-06-18 12:00:10

One of the the most prolific directors in Hong Kong, let alone the world, Johnnie To is a filmmaker who I’m surprised has never been asked to join the Criterion Collection with any number of his films. Until now, perhaps. Not only did IFC Films > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Mikio Naruse’s Street Without End

Published on 2011-06-18 11:00:39

Last week in this column I mentioned that I’m dedicating the month of June to watching and reviewing a few Eclipse Series titles focused on themes of marriage, being that this is a traditional month, in Western societies anyway, for those vows > read more

Mondo Unveils Prints For Guillermo Del Toro’s Cronos And The Devil’s Backbone

Published on 2011-06-16 13:00:41

If you’ve been following along with Mondo over the past several months, you’ll know that they’ve been releasing some incredible prints for the various films from Guillermo Del Toro. So far they’ve done prints for Hellboy, Hell > read more

Joshua Reviews Ralph Nelson’s Soldier In The Rain [Warner Archive DVD Review]

Published on 2011-06-15 01:03:19

When one thinks of Steve McQueen, the last thing that pops into that person’s mind is the iconic actor acting like a loveable oaf, opposite someone like Jackie Gleason.  However, that’s exactly the case when it comes to the underrated gem of a c > read more

Kino Bringing Sergei Eisenstein’s Strike And Tarkovsky’s Sacrifice To Blu-ray This Summer

Published on 2011-06-15 00:47:55

While we may have a bias as to who we all think does some of the best DVD and Bu-ray releases around, Kino is slowly cementing their name as one of the biggest and best players in the arthouse DVD and Blu-ray game.  The company has now announced two > read more

Straw Dogs Remake Gets A Poster

Published on 2011-06-14 23:54:55

Apparently they aren’t even trying to hide the connections to the iconic Sam Peckinpah film any more. Thanks to director Rod Lurie’s Twitter account, we have the first poster for his upcoming take on the classic Peckinpah film, Straw Dogs, and it > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 84 – Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator [Criterion Collection # 565]

Published on 2011-06-12 01:09:52

This is the podcast dedicated to the Criterion Collection. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick and Travis George discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze Criterion Collection #565 Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 fil > read more

Catherine Reviews Kihachi Okamoto’s The Sword of Doom

Published on 2011-06-12 00:38:28

We open on a mountaintop. An elderly man (Kamatami Fujiwara) and his granddaughter (Yoko Naito) emerge. He tells her the Buddhist origins of the lands surrounding them. They stop to rest and eat their lunch before beginning their downhill descent. Th > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel

Published on 2011-06-12 00:20:11

There are TONS of new releases this past week, and as my co-host and friend Travis George said, it was going to be a hell of a time to write these up for all of you people out there who want to know about Criterion’s blossoming Hulu Plus page. > read more

Acclaimed Cinematographer Gunnar Fischer Passes Away At 100

Published on 2011-06-11 23:58:57

Sad news tonight folks. Longtime Ingmar Bergman collaborator, Gunnar Fischer, has passed away earlier today at the ripe old age of 100. I just saw the Masters Of Cinema twitter feed posting a link to this Swedish web site (HD.se), announcing that he > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Ernst Lubitsch’s One Hour With You

Published on 2011-06-09 11:00:51

For the month of June, I’m trying something a little different for my (more or less) weekly review column here on CriterionCast.com. Going with the old tradition of June as the ideal month for weddings that I alluded to just about a year ago, i > read more

Catherine Reviews Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men First Class [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-06-09 02:13:39

When it was announced that X-Men: First Class was being made, many including me, groaned. After X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the prospect of being put through a likely awful prequel was disconcerting. Luckily, the result is sur > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 83.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen

Published on 2011-06-09 01:42:03

Disc 2 episodes are bonus / supplement episodes of The Criterion Cast. Moises Chiullan, James McCormick & Travis George chat about the weeks new releases on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as what they’ve been watching. “Off the Shelf” runs throu > read more

New Images And First Reviews Of Carey Mulligan In American Stage Adaptation Of Bergman’s Through A Glass Darkly

Published on 2011-06-07 02:30:25

Last year we wrote about the adaptation of Ingmar Bergman’s Through A Glass Darkly (Criterion # 209, a part of the Ingmar Bergman Trilogy) which was being performed on the Almeida Theater in London. This past January it was announced that an Am > read more

Joshua Reviews Arthur Lubin’s Hold On [Warner Archive DVD Review]

Published on 2011-06-06 15:13:45

While names like The Beatles and The Monkees may rule the historic roost when it comes to mop-topped pop icons, a little known group is looking to return to the public’s mind thanks to The Warner Archive. Following the relatively recent Criterion C > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 83 – James L. Brook’s Broadcast News With Special Guest: James Rocchi

Published on 2011-06-06 04:01:08

Apologies for the delay in getting these past two episodes up so late after they were recorded. Things should be posting more frequently, I promise. – Ryan This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. This week Moises Chiullan is > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 82 – Stanley Donen’s Charade With Special Guest: Jette Kernion

Published on 2011-06-06 01:29:20

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. This week Moises Chiullan is joined by Travis George and James McCormick as well as their special guest Jette Kernion, from Austin’s Slackerwood, to discuss Criterion News & Rumors > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel

Published on 2011-06-04 15:14:10

Another week has gone by and as usual, Criterion has put up some choice content on their page on Hulu Plus. Using the service more than ever to stream films that I’ve seen before and don’t own or have never even heard of until Criterion p > read more

Mathieu Kassovitz Joining Costa-Gavras’ Capital

Published on 2011-05-31 12:28:25

Just a few days after it was revealed that actor Vincent Cassel would be teaming with director Costa Gavras for his upcoming financial thriller, Capital, the film appears to be moving along at one hell of a clip. Variety is reporting that actor/direc > read more

Forgotten Chaplin Short Heading To Auction

Published on 2011-05-31 12:22:15

One would imagine that anything involving the name Charlie Chaplin could garner a small fortune if it were to ever head to auction. Well, according to Yahoo, that’s exactly what may happen when a forgotten short film starring the iconic comedic act > read more

Blogging Through The Collection: This Month In Criterion Blogs [May 2011]

Published on 2011-05-30 23:42:16

It’s been about a month since my last look at what has been going on in the world of Criterion Collection blogs, and I thought it’d be appropriate to finally just change the column to be “this month in…” instead of ̶ > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Ingmar Bergman’s Port of Call

Published on 2011-05-30 12:07:04

As most readers of this site have probably heard by now, the late and great Swedish director Ingmar Bergman unexpectedly stirred up chatter on the web when doubts were cast on the circumstances of his birth. Recently released DNA tests apparently sho > read more

Catherine Reviews Mitch Glazer’s Passion Play [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-05-28 14:11:27

Back in April, Mickey Rourke made a brutally unhinged comment about two of his upcoming films, Passion Play and 13. He called them both ‘terrible’. Naturally, this sparked curiosity on just how bad the former, Mitch Glazer’s straight-to-DVD dir > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel

Published on 2011-05-28 13:24:24

A little late this week, mainly because of my own random b.s. that one goes through when attempting to juggle too many things at once. Try not to do it kids, because it means a Hulu article gets sidetracked a bit. A ton of stuff was added since I las > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 81.5 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen With Alonso Duralde

Published on 2011-05-27 21:55:06

This week on the podcast, Moises Chiullan is once again joined by James McCormick and Travis George, as well as their special guest host: Alonso Duralde. They talk about this week’s new releases on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as what’s been > read more

James Reviews Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Les Diaboliques [Arrow Films Blu-Ray]

Published on 2011-05-27 19:17:44

“Don’t be diabolical. Don’t spoil the film for your friends by telling them what happens. Thanks on their behalf.” Those are the words of Henri-Georges Clouzot at the end of the film, Les Diaboliques. For good reason too, the > read more

Vincent Cassel To Star In Costa-Gavras’ Le Capital

Published on 2011-05-27 19:15:15

It’s a pretty good week to be Vincent Cassel. Following the announcement that he would be starring in the awesomely titled sequel Dobermann 2: Arm Wrestle (sequel to Dobermann, a crime film starring Cassel), Cineurope has revealed that the actor wi > read more

Janus Films To Tour Restored Print Of Fassbinder’s World On A Wire, Criterion Release Likely To Follow In 2012

Published on 2011-05-27 18:58:02

Earlier today, it was announced by Criterion that Janus Films would be theatrically touring the new restored print of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1973 television production, World On A Wire. This new print has toured in a very limited fashion ov > read more

Richard Linklater’s Bernie Opening The LA Film Festival

Published on 2011-05-26 15:04:04

With the recent return to the big screen of his beloved debut, Slacker, and the impending Blu-ray release of his equally huge hit, Dazed And Confused, Richard Linklater is set to see the premiere of his newest film in a matter of weeks. The LA Film F > read more

Oscilloscope Picks Up We Need To Talk About Kevin

Published on 2011-05-26 14:39:32

Coming out of Cannes this year, one film stood above them all as both the festival’s most buzzed about film, as well as the film likeliest to hit the Criterion Collection coming out of this year’s slate.  That film happened to be Lynne Ramsay’ > read more

Olivier Assayas’ Something In The Air Picked Up By IFC

Published on 2011-05-26 14:23:36

With Summer Hours already a member of The Criterion Collection, and his latest effort Carlos set to see a release sometime soon, director Olivier Assayas is not only a Criterion favorite, but also a favorite of distributor IFC. And now, according to > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Roberto Rossellini’s The Age of the Medici

Published on 2011-05-25 14:51:01

A couple weekends ago, as part of my ongoing Criterion Reflections blogging project, I watched Il Generale Della Rovere, a 1959 film directed by Roberto Rossellini that marked one of the commercial and critical high points of his career, yielding hi > read more

Kick Start This Film: Motke Dapp’s The Many Monsters of Sadness

Published on 2011-05-23 23:48:26

Over the past several months, we’ve attempted to showcase several older films that deserve the attention of the Criterion Collection with our series, For Criterion Consideration. We’ve noticed how other sites are changing the film business as we > read more

IFC Films Picks Up A Few Titles At Cannes This Year, Any Criterion Hopefuls?

Published on 2011-05-23 23:22:27

Apparently, no distributor made the Croisette their playground this year quite like Criterion buddies, IFC. The distributor, who have a much talked about DVD distribution deal with The Criterion Collection, picked up a cavalcade of films coming out o > read more

Cannes Film Festival 2011 Roundup: Lars Von Trier, Reviews, And Jafar Panahi

Published on 2011-05-23 23:20:19

Cannes usually manages to captivate the film community, but this year’s festival had its fair share of both hype and controversy. I was lucky enough to attend this year’s Cannes Film Festival thanks to Gordon And The Whale, and it being my fi > read more

James Reviews Vittorio De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves [Arrow Films Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2011-05-22 17:28:07

Vittorio De Sica, director of Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette), was a leading force in the neorealist movement in Italy. It’s no wonder that this 1948 film is the one people point to as the perfect example in the genre. A crowning achievem > read more

Kick Start This Film: Scott Swan’s The Real Cowboy

Published on 2011-05-22 17:23:29

Over the past several months, we’ve attempted to showcase several older films that deserve the attention of the Criterion Collection with our series, For Criterion Consideration. We’ve noticed how other sites are changing the film business as we > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 81 – Robert Epstein’s The Times Of Harvey Milk – With Special Guest Alonso Duralde [Criterion Collection # 557]

Published on 2011-05-21 20:21:55

In episode 81 of the CriterionCast, Moises, James, and Travis are joined by Alonso Duralde to discuss Robert Epstein’s classic documentary: The Times Of Harvey Milk. In addition to the discussion, they cover the week’s news and new releas > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? [This Week In Criterion's Hulu Channel]

Published on 2011-05-20 19:10:06

This past week Criterion put up a ton of new content on their Hulu Plus page, a number totaling 37. What’s even more interesting is that they put 10 films that aren’t in the collection or any of their Eclipse sets either, which is always > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Kenji Mizoguchi’s Osaka Elegy

Published on 2011-05-19 00:05:27

Last month, in the course of reviewing Hiroshi Shimizu’s The Masseurs and a Woman, I impulsively committed myself to review “next week” another 1930s Japanese film by Kenji Mizoguchi, in order to complete the sampler I’d start > read more

August 2011 Criterion Collection Titles Announced

Published on 2011-05-18 02:38:54

It’s so strange, writing this so long after the announcement yesterday. In today’s internet world of instant information, and twenty four second news cycles, yesterday’s August 2011 Criterion Collection new releases may as well have > read more

Catherine Reviews Giuseppe Capotondi’s The Double Hour [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-05-17 21:52:24

Plot twists are inherently risky. Over recent years, they have become much more complicated. Certain genres, like horror or thriller, naturally invite the convention to the point where inclusion instantly subjects the film to a battle with predictabi > read more

Netflix Signs Multi-Year Streaming Agreement With Miramax

Published on 2011-05-17 21:33:02

Miramax Films has signed a multi-year agreement with Netflix to allow the streaming of their vast library of films via the Instant Watch service. Reportedly a $100 million deal, Miramax decided to go with a larger payment from Netflix to assure a non > read more

Documentary On Jodorowsky’s Dune In The Works

Published on 2011-05-16 23:40:32

As a film nerd, you grow up hearing about certain films that almost got made but something (or everything) went wrong. Like Kubrick’s Napolean film. Or Gilliam’s Man of La Mancha. Or Swrilee, a film about a man with an ice cream cone for > read more

26 Criterion Collection Films Will Expire From Netflix Watch Instantly On May 26th

Published on 2011-05-14 22:22:58

Well we all knew this would happen. Back in February, when Criterion announced their epic digital streaming partnership with Hulu, they also quietly revealed that their streaming options on Netflix would be coming to an end over the course of the nex > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 80 – David Mamet’s House Of Games And Homicide – Special Guests Tyler Smith and David Bax From Battleship Pretension [Criterion Collection #s 399 and 486]

Published on 2011-05-14 21:39:16

In Episode 80 of the CriterionCast, Moises Chiullan is joined by Tyler Smith and David Bax from Battleship Pretension to discuss David Mamet’s House Of Games and Homicide. They also discuss the week’s Criterion Collection related news, and ne > read more

James Reviews Mystery Science Theater 3000 Volume XX [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-05-13 00:47:51

“Uh-oh. Seven years bad acting.” It always feels like Christmas (no puns about Santa Claus films) when a new Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD set comes out. For all us fans out there, we wait with bated breath for every release, each time > read more

The Paramount In Austin Announces Their Summer Classics Film Series

Published on 2011-05-12 22:23:20

One more reason to be super jealous of our friends in Austin, the announcement of the Paramount’s Summer Classic Film Series 2011 would make any classic film lover think they had died and gone to heaven. Celebrating 36 years and going strong, t > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? [This Week In Criterion's Hulu Channel]

Published on 2011-05-12 20:41:19

It’s the time again, my friends. When I go through Hulu’s Criterion page and give you what’s new, what’s exciting and what might be a hint at a future release within the collection. There’s even a ton of new supplemental > read more

James Reviews Robert O’Hara’s The Inheritance [Blu-Ray Review]

Published on 2011-05-12 00:56:25

Where do I begin with this film The Inheritance? I guess the best place to start in the plot itself. Five cousins drive to their family reunion during a winter storm. They hope to please the elders and secure their inheritance, a fortune that dates b > read more

James Reviews The Ron Howard Action Pack With Eat My Dust And Grand Theft Auto [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-05-12 00:24:28

I hear you, pappy. But I can’t quite reach you. When you hear the name Ron Howard, I would assume most would think either Opie, Richie Cunningham or one of the top directors in Hollywood today. But if one was to say action star, badass or drive > read more

Kick Start This Film: Michele Josue’s Matt Shepard Is A Friend of Mine

Published on 2011-05-12 00:08:27

Over the past several months, we’ve attempted to showcase several older films that deserve the attention of the Criterion Collection with our series, For Criterion Consideration. We’ve noticed how other sites are changing the film busines > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 79 – Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs With Special Guest: Damon Houx [Criterion Collection # 182]

Published on 2011-05-10 22:25:57

In Episode 79 of the CriterionCast, Moises Chiullan, James McCormick, and special guest Damon Houx discuss Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs. They also discuss the week’s Criterion Collection related news, and new releases. What do you think of the sho > read more

James Reviews Blake Edwards’ Wild Rovers [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-05-10 19:02:17

It’ll be safer than getting married. When I first heard about this film, it was when I was being sent a review disc from the Warner Archive. A Blake Edwards film that was a western? How hadn’t I ever heard of this film before. Known for > read more

For Criterion Consideration: Thunderbolt And Lightfoot

Published on 2011-05-10 17:04:57

Thunderbolt! Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. That sounds like somethin’. While you’re waiting for a better flavor of pistachio, this entry in the For Criterion Consideration catalog this week is one of my favorite films of all time, Thunderbol > read more

Cannes 2011: Trailer For Takashi Miike’s Harakiri Remake

Published on 2011-05-08 00:20:24

With new news surrounding the impending remakes of both Seven Samurai and the Sam Peckinpah film, Straw Dogs, a trailer for yet another remake of a Criterion Collection film. Twitch has the first teaser for the upcoming Takashi Miike-directed remake > read more

Catherine Reviews James Marsh’s Project Nim [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-05-08 00:17:57

Beginning to write about James Marsh’s documentary Project Nim, it becomes tempting to immediately spring into all-out praise mode. Marsh approaches stories from different angles. 2008’s Man on Wire functions as a heist narrative. Project Nim is > read more

Criterion Remakes: The Weinsteins Hire A Director For Remake Of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai; First Photos From Straw Dogs Update Hits The Web

Published on 2011-05-07 23:44:17

This week hasn’t been a good one for those who keep a few of the most beloved members of the Criterion Collection close to their chests. First up, Variety is reporting that The Weinstein Company has hired a director for their upcoming remake of Aki > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? [This Week In Criterion's Hulu Channel]

Published on 2011-05-07 23:23:02

It’s that time of the week when you want to sit back, relax a bit and throw on something new and exciting. Well, you’ve come to the right place. It’s the second week in this Hulu Plus excursion, and I’ve had a blast with it. A > read more

David’s Ten Criterion Collection Films to Celebrate Mother’s Day

Published on 2011-05-07 21:11:33

[From the Editor: I'm publishing this Mother's Day list tonight, before the holiday, so that readers will have the opportunity to head out to their local video store, and get these films before their Sunday viewing. That is assuming, of course, that > read more

Catherine Reviews Miranda July’s The Future [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-05-04 01:04:40

Miranda July’s brand of storytelling works mainly in spurts. When her methods work, they resonate with an authenticity that rarely comes around in film, making a meaningful impact. When her ideas do not work the way they are meant to, moments and s > read more

Catherine Reviews Liz Garbus’ Bobby Fischer Against the World [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-05-04 00:47:31

Biographical documentaries always present an inherent problem; how does one sum up a person’s life in ninety minutes? Some films take an event-heavy approach; we get a sense of the subject by accounting for the major events in their life and how th > read more

Focus Features Picks Up Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom

Published on 2011-05-04 00:30:30

With the film set to start production, Wes Anderson has already found a home for his next film. Focus Features has announced that they’ve picked up the worldwide rights to the director’s upcoming film, Moonrise Kingdom, from Anderson’s frequent > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Paul Czinner’s The Rise of Catherine the Great

Published on 2011-05-04 00:18:56

So you probably saw the headline and thought to yourself, “Oh Dave came up with a cute tie-in to all the pomp and ceremony that went on over in London last week, how clever of him to find an Eclipse title that connects so well with the marriage > read more

New York Times Reveals Upcoming Criterion Collection Titles For August 2011 [Updated]

Published on 2011-04-30 22:41:45

I’m sure you’re all thinking to yourself “isn’t Ryan away on paternity leave?” Well yes, technically. However, my pregnant wife (our daughter hasn’t debuted quite yet) is currently snoozing soundly in bed (finally) > read more

Catherine Reviews Michael Winterbottom’s The Trip [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-04-30 19:22:20

The Trip boasts an unusual combination of dialogue-heavy comedy, of scenic travelogue complete with a focus on high-end food and finally a somber self-reflexive experiment. While these are occasionally at odds with each other, The Trip is hilarious f > read more

Catherine Reviews Richard Ayoade’s Submarine [IFFBoston 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-04-30 19:16:07

By the end of Submarine, the audience will have spent ninety minutes in the head of Oliver Tate.  It is an inventive mind, one full of hypothetical situations, observations and the typical self-absorption maintained by all teenagers. Richard Ayoade > read more

What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? [This Week In Criterion's Hulu Channel]

Published on 2011-04-29 14:46:54

In a world that is getting more and more used to streaming their TV shows, their movies and even their lives, one company is known as the king of it all, and that’s Netflix. But Hulu, being around since 2007, has started to gain some steam this > read more

Gus Van Sant’s Restless Set For A September 16 Release

Published on 2011-04-29 10:00:20

Hopefully this will be the last time this thing gets shifted. Variety is reporting that Sony Pictures Classics will be releasing Gus Van Sant’s upcoming film, Restless, on September 16.  This comes after not only a release date shift (having the f > read more

Darren Aronofsky Heading Venice Film Festival Jury

Published on 2011-04-29 09:00:14

There is no place like home, particularly when that home’s been rather nice to you. The Venice International Film Festival revealed that director Darren Aronofsky is set to lead the festival’s jury this year.  This comes a year after his film, B > read more

Cannes Announces Classics Sidebar Lineup, Includes Five Film History Documentaries

Published on 2011-04-29 08:00:12

With each day that passes, Cannes is becoming closer and closer, and now, for those looking forward to seeing a few, let’s say, more classic features, your sidebar has just been announced. Cannes has announced their Classics Sidebar lineup, and wha > read more

Joshua Reviews Matt D’Elia’s American Animal [Late SXSW Review]

Published on 2011-04-29 01:41:26

Film can do many things.  Inspiring awe in its viewers, drawing tears out of their tear ducts, or bringing laughs right from the gut, film is unlike many other artistic mediums.  However, sometimes these pretensions can become far more important th > read more

Film Society Of Lincoln Center Hosting “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”, Elizabeth Taylor Retrospective

Published on 2011-04-29 01:35:39

With her still shocking death earlier this month, the proclamations of appreciation for the life and career of one Elizabeth Taylor are still rolling in. The Film Society Of Lincoln Center has announced that they will be hosting a new film series, en > read more

LA County Museum Of Art Holding Terrence Malick Retrospective Leading Up To Tree Of Life

Published on 2011-04-27 08:00:27

Are you a fan of Terrence Malick? Looking to revisit his films prior to the release of his hotly anticipated The Tree Of Life?  Well, if you live in Los Angeles County, the LA County Museum Of Art is set to make your dreams come true. The LA Times i > read more

70 Criterion Collection DVDs And Blu-rays On Sale At Amazon.com

Published on 2011-04-27 01:59:38

In case you’ve been living under a rock today, I thought it’d be nice to share with all of you lovely Criterion addicts that Amazon is currently holding a sale on 70 Criterion Collection DVDs and Blu-rays. The sale started this morning, a > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 78 – Guillermo Del Toro’s Cronos [Criterion Collection # 551]

Published on 2011-04-26 23:54:25

In Episode 78 of the CriterionCast, Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, Travis George, and Moises Chiullan discuss Guillermo Del Toro’s Cronos. They also discuss the week’s Criterion Collection related news, and new releases. What do you think > read more

Olivier Assayas Joins The 2011 Cannes Film Festival Jury

Published on 2011-04-26 23:23:27

With the Cannes Film Festival just a matter of weeks away, and the film’s announced, it’s now time for the jury to be filled out with a really interesting mixture of names. The closest Criterion Collection connection is in the form of Olivier Ass > read more

For Criterion Consideration: Phantom Of The Paradise

Published on 2011-04-26 22:24:48

With the release of the amazing Brian De Palma film Blow Out today from Criterion (which the stellar blu is half off on Amazon right now), there’s one film in his repertoire that I’ve been wanting, wishing and waiting for to be released w > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Hiroshi Shimizu’s The Masseurs and a Woman

Published on 2011-04-25 14:00:01

Family, job and taxes, that inevitable trio of obligations looming large over most of our lives, intruded severely enough on my leisure last week that I simply didn’t have the time to crank out another one of these Eclipse reviews. But I’ > read more

Jafar Panahi To Be Honored At This Year’s Cannes Film Festival

Published on 2011-04-22 08:00:08

It may not be a much needed statement of release for the filmmaker, but jailed Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi is about to get yet another sign of solidarity from his contemporaries within the film world. The Cannes Film Festival has revealed that Panahi > read more

Joshua Reviews Michael Dowse’s Fubar: Balls To The Wall [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2011-04-22 01:16:56

Festivals are truly a special portion of the overall film world. While many may play home to otherwise bigger pictures (look at Cannes, who this year will premiere films like KUNG FU PANDA 2), but there is truly nothing quite like seeing a film that > read more

Blogging Through The Collection: This Week In Criterion Blogs

Published on 2011-04-22 00:07:22

It appears that I should re-title this semi-regular column on the blog “this month in criterion blogs,” rather than “this week,” given that I haven’t written one of these since the end of March. If you’ve been foll > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 77 – Terry Gilliam’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas [Criterion Collection # 175]

Published on 2011-04-19 21:13:48

In Episode 76 of the CriterionCast, Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, Travis George, and Moises Chiullan discuss Terry Gilliam’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas. They also discuss the week’s Criterion Collection related news, and new releases. Ord > read more

New Images From Takashi Miike’s 3D Remake, And Upcoming Cannes Entry, Of Harakiri, Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai

Published on 2011-04-19 09:00:55

After it was announced as a member of this year’s Cannes Film Festival lineup, we now, finally, have our first look at the hotly anticipated 3D remake of the Masaki Kobayashi film, Harakiri, directed by Takashi Miike. Entitled Hara-Kiri: Death Of A > read more

Janus Films Founder Cyrus Harvey Passes Away At 85

Published on 2011-04-19 08:00:56

Founder of the legendary distributor Janus Films, Cyrus Harvey, died on Thursday from complications of a stroke he had suffered four days prior.  He was 85. Teaming with actor Bryant Haliday, Harvey founded Janus Films in 1956 after converting the h > read more

James Reviews Benjamin Meade’s Bazaar Bizarre [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-04-19 01:23:28

Bob Berdella. Does the name ring a bell? I know it didn’t for me. But for Kansas City, the name meant something vile and totally evil. To most, Bob Berdella was the guy who owned a weird booth at a flea market, who dealt with trinkets from arou > read more

James Reviews Steve Carver’s Capone [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-04-19 00:49:49

“You spend all your time hitting people?” “I take Sundays off.” Al Capone is a man who has been depicted or based on the man in films multiple times over the years. Roger Corman definitely saw the potential in making a period > read more

July 2011 Criterion Collection Titles Announced!

Published on 2011-04-15 15:09:48

Note: I’ll be updating this page as Criterion makes the release dates and final art available. – Ryan 4/15/2011 Well here we are, another mid-month Criterion new release announcement. This time last year, we were treated to the incredible > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 76.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen

Published on 2011-04-14 21:15:20

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, and Travis George chat about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has been on their s > read more

Cannes 2011 Lineup Announced; Features Films From Terrence Malick, Lars Von Trier And Lynne Ramsay

Published on 2011-04-14 11:53:54

Finally, the speculation can end. The minds behind this year’s Cannes Film Festival have announced the slate for the said festival, and it’s one of the more jaw-dropping lineups of recent memory. First up, the biggest addition here is, to no one > read more

The Harder They Come To Be Remade

Published on 2011-04-13 00:56:35

While it’s not all that rare for a classic film to find itself as fodder for a possible remake, it is rather rare for the said film to be a part of the storied library of The Criterion Collection. However, one film that does, or did rather, call th > read more

Joshua Reviews Shout! Factory’s Dirty Mary Crazy Larry / Race With The Devil Double Feature [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-04-13 00:36:04

Over the past few years, the world of the big screen genre film has seen a massive up swing. Thanks to films like Hobo With A Shotgun, the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez Grindhouse double feature, and with regards to this new “Action-Packed Dou > read more

James Reviews Nathan Greno and Byron Howard’s Tangled [Blu-Ray Review]

Published on 2011-04-13 00:25:16

“You broke my smolder.” When Disney announced they were making an animated film about the Brothers Grimm story Rapunzel , I know I wasn’t one to be that excited about that idea. The story seemed very one note: A girl with long ha > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Yasujiro Ozu’s I Was Born, But…

Published on 2011-04-12 23:52:04

Maybe it’s only fitting that family commitments (and, I’ll admit, the return of nice weather to the area where I live) kept me busy enough to delay the writing of this week’s Eclipse Series column. After all, the themes of the films > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 76 – Michael Powell And Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes [Criterion Collection # 44]

Published on 2011-04-12 20:15:36

In Episode 76 of the CriterionCast, Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, Travis George, and Moises Chiullan discuss Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes. They also discuss the week’s Criterion Collection related news, new rel > read more

Dish Network Buys Blockbuster

Published on 2011-04-11 10:00:45

Talk about coming out of left field. Blockbuster has finally found a buyer, and it’s not a name that one would normally have in mind.  None other than Dish Network has come out the winner of the Blockbuster name, and is the new owner of Blockbuste > read more

Fox Classics Being Released By Twilight Time

Published on 2011-04-11 09:00:43

Don’t worry folks. This isn’t a Twilight related news article. We don’t do that here on The Criterion Cast. Instead it’s the exciting news that specialty DVD label Twilight Time has partnered with 20th Century Fox to release l > read more

Bong Joon-Ho Leading The Camera d’Or Jury At This Year’s Cannes Film Festival

Published on 2011-04-11 08:00:39

While his own first feature (Barking Dog) is hard to find, there are very few names that know what it takes to make a great first feature, quite like director Bong Joon-ho. With films like the aforementioned stunner of a debut and his last film, Moth > read more

Catherine Reviews Joe Wright’s Hanna [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-04-10 23:28:53

Sometimes a film’s failings can be completely trumped by its strengths, so much so that it becomes an absolute triumph in spite of itself. This is the case with Hanna, the new action/fairy tale/thriller from director Joe Wright who takes himself co > read more

Tobey Maguire Reteaming With Ang Lee For Life Of Pi

Published on 2011-04-10 23:23:14

As production on his upcoming adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel, Life Of Pi, kicks into gear, director Ang Lee is looking to a past partner for this new project. Variety has revealed that star of The Ice Storm and Ride With The Devil, Tobey Maguire > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 75.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen

Published on 2011-04-08 00:20:11

So if you were following my test last week to release the Disc 2 before the main episode, you’ll notice that this week I quickly reverted to our old way of doing things. I just found that putting out a Disc 2 before the Disc 1 caused a minor te > read more

Joshua Reviews Shout! Factory’s Roger Corman Action Packed Collection [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-04-07 13:51:04

With the words “Action Packed” adorning the upper portion of the latest release from Shout! Factory and their long running series of genre films from the iconic B-movie God himself, Roger Corman, the latest Corman Cult Classics set is quite an in > read more

Catherine Reviews Wanda Tuchock and George Nichols Jr’s Finishing School [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-04-07 13:14:02

Right up until the end of the Production Code era of filmmaking in 1930’s Hollywood, the various studios churned out stories that pushed the boundaries of transgression for audiences everywhere. These films may seem more than a little tame today, b > read more

Jay Baruchel Joins David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis

Published on 2011-04-07 12:24:59

While the film’s cast has been somewhat of a revolving door, it appears as though things are really settling down. Deadline is reporting that actor Jay Baruchel has joined the cast of David Cronenberg’s upcoming film, Cosmopolis, currently slated > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 75 – Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor And The Naked Kiss – Special Guest: Damon Houx

Published on 2011-04-05 23:26:17

In Episode 75 of the CriterionCast, Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, Moises Chiullan, and Travis George are joined by Damon Houx (from CHUD, Collider, and Screen Crave), to discuss Samuel Fuller’s 1967 film, Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss. > read more

Catherine Reviews Duncan Jones’ Source Code [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-04-04 23:20:41

Did you know that life is precious? Did you know that you should make every minute count? If you didn’t, Source Code is going to make sure you do. What starts out as a very tight and tense high concept science-fiction film eventually becomes a para > read more

James Reviews Lindsay Ellis’ The A Word [Film Review]

Published on 2011-04-04 23:06:16

Abortion. A word that makes many people uneasy. And it’s also the center of an ongoing war between the Pro-Life supporters and the Pro-Choice side. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Like most wars, both sides have some positive things about > read more

Criterion Will Likely Bring Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture To The Collection; Many IFC Titles Confirmed & Debunked

Published on 2011-04-04 22:56:57

Earlier this evening, a user on the Criterion Forum posted several pieces from a conversation that he had with the IFC President, Jonathan Sehring, after a screening of Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams. In his forum post, he discusses s > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Basil Dearden’s Sapphire

Published on 2011-04-04 14:00:03

Last week this column featured a review from the most recent Eclipse Series release, Silent Naruse. Sharp-eyed, or perhaps somewhat obsessive-compulsive, readers may have taken note that I had not yet made any mention in this space of the Eclipse set > read more

David Mamet’s Latest Play, The Anarchist, To Debut In London

Published on 2011-04-04 09:00:09

While it’s been a while since we’ve last seen David Mamet on the big screen (the 2008 film Redbelt was his last feature), the writer/director/playwright hasn’t been resting on his laurels. According to Variety, the Homicide and House Of Games d > read more

Jean-Paul Belmondo To Be Honored At This Year’s Cannes Film Festival

Published on 2011-04-04 08:00:14

Arguably one of the biggest names in French cinema, actor Jean-Paul Belmondo was not only the most distinctive face in the country’s New Wave movement, but also one of its most storied thespians.  And now, thanks to the debut of a new film, the ac > read more

James Reviews Robert Young’s Vampire Circus [Blu-Ray Review]

Published on 2011-04-04 01:24:26

Hammer Films was a premier company when it came to making horror films in the 1950′s and 1960′s. But as times were changing, the company started faltering and were putting out watered down stories and sexually exploitative cinema. It seem > read more

Out Of The Vault! Disney And Criterion To Release Song Of The South

Published on 2011-04-01 02:01:00

What started off as a rumor that in the world of films and rights negotiations, and usually would be scoffed at, has supposedly just been signed, sealed and ready to print in the next two weeks or so when Criterion sends out their usual New Release e > read more

Time Bandits Remake In The Works

Published on 2011-04-01 01:28:25

While director Terry Gilliam himself can’t get a project off the ground, it appears as though a remake of one of his classic features has no such issue. A while back, rumblings of Gilliam considering taking on converting his beloved feature, Time B > read more

David Interviews Criterion Affection Blogger Michele Rosenthal

Published on 2011-03-31 22:30:46

Though real-life experience doesn’t always work out so convincingly, sometimes a cliche like “one good thing leads to another” actually does ring true. At least that was the case back on February 1 of this year, when I was catching > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 74 – Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï [Criterion Collection # 306]

Published on 2011-03-31 21:30:04

In Episode 74 of the CriterionCast, Ryan Gallagher and James McCormick are joined by Moises Chiullan (from Badass Digest), as well as their old co-host, Travis George, to discuss Jean-Pierre Melville’s 1967 film, Le Samourai. In a career-defin > read more

Blogging Through The Collection: This Week In Criterion Blogs

Published on 2011-03-30 22:31:18

A couple weeks back, I decided to round up all of the Criterion Collection related blogs that I read on a regular basis, to share with all of you. For one reason or another, I missed last week (mostly because not all of the blogs had updated last wee > read more

James Reviews Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Santa Sangre [Blu-Ray Review]

Published on 2011-03-29 23:11:20

It was 12 years between films for Alejandro Jodorowsky when he announced his making of the film Santa Sangre. Nobody knew what to expect, and for good reason: Jodorowsky is a dividing director. A visionary, a master at his craft, eccentric and diffic > read more

Catherine Reviews Peter Godfrey’s The Two Mrs. Carrolls [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-03-29 22:51:26

Sometimes ideas are better left unfulfilled. A case in point; taking two of the biggest studio stars of all time, Humphrey Bogart and Barbara Stanwyck, and putting them in a suspense noir with strong Gothic overtones. In concept, this is not a bad id > read more

James Reviews Shout! Factory’s Gamera Vs Zigra / Gamera: The Super Monster [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-03-29 22:41:25

Nobody has given credit where credit is due when it comes to Shout! Factory’s great treatment of the original Gamera series. Each film in the series has been remastered and put out on DVD, this being the last double feature, and for all kaiju f > read more

Whit Stillman’s Latest Now Has Distribution Through Sony, Steve James’ The Interrupters Through Cinema Guild

Published on 2011-03-29 22:30:49

So far, this week’s been quite good if you’re a director in the Criterion Collection. First off, director Whit Stillman has found a home for his upcoming film, Violet Wister’s Damsels in Distress (formerly known as simply Damsels In Distress). > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 74.5 – Disc 2 – Off The Shelf And On The Screen With Ryan, James, And Travis

Published on 2011-03-29 02:39:29

With this episode, I’m trying out a new method of releasing our Disc 2 episodes. To coincide with “new release Tuesdays,” we’ll be including a new segment in our Disc 2′s: Off The Shelf. This will be a rundown of the wee > read more

Joshua Reviews Shout! Factory’s Jackson County Jail / Caged Heat! [Roger Corman Cult Classics DVD]

Published on 2011-03-28 22:15:51

While he may be best known for his low-budget, science fiction pictures, nothing truly says Roger Corman or his New World Pictures brand quite like the prison, or in the case of both Jackson County Jail and Caged Heat, women-in-prison, film. Paired t > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Mikio Naruse’s Flunky, Work Hard

Published on 2011-03-28 22:03:58

Early 2007 saw the introduction of both the Eclipse line of DVDs (with the first release, Early Bergman) and the work of Mikio Naruse (with his late-career masterpiece, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs) into the Criterion Collection. Four years late > read more

Joshua Reviews Andrew Rossi’s Page One: A Year Inside The New York Times [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-28 21:01:10

The newspaper business has seen better days. Over the past decade, with the rise of internet news, social networking and other outlets, the world of print journalism has been on a strict and exponential decline.  That is the thesis at the core of th > read more

Joshua Reviews Peter Richardson’s How To Die In Oregon [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-26 15:09:14

Death is not a subject many like to tackle head on. However, much like any worthwhile documentary, the latest film from documentarian Peter Richardson, How To Die In Oregon not only takes a distinct and absolutely haunting look into the idea of death > read more

Joshua Talks To Alan Berg, Director Of Outside Industry: The Story Of SXSW [SXSW 2011]

Published on 2011-03-25 02:13:34

One of the great pleasures of attending the SXSW Film Festival, is that it’s not rare to run into filmmakers, and get the chance to chat with them about their respective pieces, showing at the festival. A film that I admittedly loved from this > read more

James Remembers Elizabeth Taylor With A Top Ten List (1932 – 2011)

Published on 2011-03-25 02:04:26

We’ve lost a classic star, one that was almost too good to be true. She had brains and beauty in copious amounts, and film fans loved her every moment she was on screen. Not going to go into any of the ill will people threw upon her, this isn&# > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 73.5 – Disc 2 – On The Screen With Moises Chiullan Of BadAssDigest.com

Published on 2011-03-25 00:49:26

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick chat about movies, television, and other media. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has been on their screens > read more

Catherine Reviews Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-03-24 16:51:00

The story of Jane Eyre shares several similarities with the phenomenon known as the teen romance, which has taken over young adult literature and film in recent years. A young inexperienced girl, a potentially dangerous and fiercely attractive male a > read more

James Reviews Henry Saine’s The Last Lovecraft: Relic of Cthulhu

Published on 2011-03-24 15:26:11

As many of you know from reading our site and listening to our podcast, we are pretty big H.P. Lovecraft fans. Fans to the point we will check out anything and everything that is influenced by his stories or are as close to an adaptation as you can g > read more

Joshua Reviews Jason Eisner’s Hobo With A Shotgun [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-23 01:59:08

Grindhouse style films are an interesting beast, within the world of film. Often created out of promotional material like posters or low-budget trailers, no film personifies the idea of the modern Grindhouse film quite like the feature debut from up > read more

Joshua Reviews Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-23 01:30:12

Very few filmmakers have the ability to shock an audience quite like the master of that emotion, Takashi Miike. That’s exactly what was given to attendees at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, although in a much different way than viewers of his fil > read more

Joshua Reviews Jodie Foster’s The Beaver [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-23 01:00:16

Sometimes, the most gifted artists also happen to be the most troubled. A perfect example of this would be the ever talented actor-turned-director Mel Gibson.  Over the past few years, not only has the icon become one of the most talented filmmakers > read more

Joshua Reviews Evan Glodell’s Bellflower [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-22 23:50:09

There are truly hand made films, and then there are films like Bellflower. Arguably one of the most original pieces of narrative filmmaking in quite some time, Bellflower is, at its very core, a film built by the hands of the film’s cast and crew, > read more

First Images From Roman Polanski’s Latest Film, Carnage, Hit The Internet

Published on 2011-03-22 23:13:23

Say what you will about Roman Polanski, but it’s an event every single time a new bit of news comes out of his camp, be it a project announcement, or on set photos. The latter is what we have today, as thanks to Empire, we have the first look at Po > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 73 – Nicolas Ray’s Bigger Than Life With Special Guest: Moises Chiullan From BadassDigest.com

Published on 2011-03-22 00:47:53

This week on the podcast, Ryan Gallagher and James McCormick are joined by Badass Digest’s Moises Chiullan. They’ll cover the week’s Criterion Collection news, new releases, as well as a featured discussion on Nicholas Ray’s B > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Akira Kurosawa’s No Regrets for Our Youth

Published on 2011-03-21 14:00:35

The natural and technological disasters that have fallen upon Japan over the past ten days have undoubtedly drawn the attention of just about anyone capable of feeling empathy for people who suffer so terribly and undeservedly. Many other parts of th > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 072.5 – Disc 2 with Elisabeth Rappe [On The Screen and Movie Review - Battle: Los Angeles]

Published on 2011-03-21 02:06:58

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has bee > read more

Rudie’s Thoughts On Netflix Streaming Vs. Hulu Plus: The Online Fight For Your Money

Published on 2011-03-19 19:25:08

We have all been excited about the Criterion Collection joining with Hulu Plus. In the recent weeks, we have discussed, in length, the possibilities of having 150 movies from the Criterion Collection at our fingertips, instantly. Right now, Criterion > read more

Catherine Reviews Kim Ji-woon’s I Saw the Devil [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-03-19 19:03:25

Revenge films have been done plenty of times. Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy and Tarantino’s Kill Bill have reestablished the subgenre as the go-to subject matter for hip hyper-violent cinema. They allow the audience to actively justify their > read more

Criterion Amends The Artwork For The Great Dictator Ever So Slightly

Published on 2011-03-18 01:00:53

I know, I know, this has to be one of the silliest posts I’ve done, right? Well, you might think so at first, as slight amendments to a proposed cover aren’t big news in any film circles, but I thought this could springboard into a larger > read more

Rudie Reviews Tom McCarthy’s Win Win [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-03-18 00:24:25

It’s easy to know the difference between right and wrong but it’s tough to actually act upon. This is what makes good cinema interesting, dealing with the grey area most people live in. Nothing is so clear-cut and black and white. Do you give a k > read more

Wacky Criterion Collection Newsletter Drawing Hints At Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing

Published on 2011-03-18 00:18:25

It has certainly been a busy week for Criterion, and I have a dozen or so drafts of news stories to finish up over the weekend. With Tuesday’s June 2011 new release announcement, new Three Reasons videos, additions to the Hulu Channel, and a ha > read more

Joshua Reviews Steve James’ The Interrupters [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-17 20:53:43

While names like Morgan Spurlock and Michael Moore may in fact garner the most publicity and attention, the true king of the modern day documentary is a name far less talked about, and far more talented. Steve James, director of Hoop Dreams, is back > read more

Joshua Reviews Xavier Gens’ The Divide [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-17 01:51:46

“To survive the end of the world, you must first survive each other.” That is the plot synopsis for the latest film from director Xavier Gens, the horror/thriller known as The Divide.  Starring a great cast, The Divide saw its world premiere at > read more

Donate To The Japan Earthquake / Tsunami Relief, Enter To Win A Criterion Disc

Published on 2011-03-17 01:05:52

Last week’s horrifying earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan has been terrifying to watch unfold. I’ve been trying to think of how we as a podcast and website can help organize our readers and listeners into donating to the relief, an > read more

Possible Cover For Criterion’s Release Of Alambrista Revealed

Published on 2011-03-16 21:48:55

One of the rumored titles that has kicked around on the various forums over the past few months, Robert M. Young’s Alambrista!, has yet to be officially announced by Criterion at this point, but we might have a new sign indicating it will be re > read more

Blogging Through The Collection: This Week In Criterion Blogs

Published on 2011-03-16 20:54:54

Over the past (almost) two years, I feel like we’ve managed to shine some more light on the Criterion Collection, through our podcast and website. Clearly we were not the first people to get the idea to take a trip through the Collection, going > read more

Joshua Reviews Morgan Spurlock’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-15 23:44:04

Say what you will about documentary giant Morgan Spurlock, but the guy knows how to make a compelling documentary. After making a massive splash on the documentary scene with his beloved fast food take down, Super Size Me, Spurlock has gone on to tap > read more

Rudie Reviews Greg Mottola’s Paul [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-03-15 23:02:00

This year’s spring slate of movie releases seem to be drawing from the overload of summer movies. And by all means, Paul’s appeal leans toward the summer movie market than the spring. It appeals to a broad audience but at the same time to a niche > read more

Joshua Reviews Sophia Takal’s Green [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-15 22:58:00

While film festivals may play host to various A-list features, looking for some good buzz prior to its massive theatrical release (I’m looking at you Source Code), it’s films like Green that make festivals wholly worth the long wait in lines. The > read more

June 2011 Criterion Collection Titles Announced!

Published on 2011-03-15 14:50:31

It always manages to amaze me how fast the months fly by, it seems like only yesterday we were announcing the May 2011 Criterion Collection titles, and here we are with June’s. This month continues Criterion’s recent trend of increasing t > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 072 – Laurence Olivier’s Henry V with Special Guest: Elisabeth Rappe of CHUD.com and Film.com [Criterion Collection #041]

Published on 2011-03-14 23:00:09

SPECIAL GUEST: Elisabeth Rappe – A writer for CHUD.com and Film.com. This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, t > read more

Joshua Reviews James Gunn’s Super [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-14 22:55:02

While the superhero film genre itself has now become one of the most prevalent genres in modern filmmaking, the films deconstructing this very film model have also begun to grow in numbers. After becoming something of a polarizing hit amongst the pub > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Chantal Akerman’s Je tu il elle

Published on 2011-03-14 14:00:43

Last week I was poking around in the MUBI.com Forum, as I’m inclined to do whenever I’m curious to see what fellow cinephiles are chatting about at any given moment, when I happened to see this thread, titled March 7: Chantal Akerman. Tho > read more

Rudie Reviews Jonathan Liebesman’s Battle: Los Angeles [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-03-13 23:00:12

Alien invasion is not a new theme in storytelling. From H.G. Wells classic novel to Orson Welles re-telling on a radio broadcast to Steven Spielberg’s underrated film adaptation; and to 1996’s blockbuster hit Independence Day, the list goes on an > read more

Joshua Reviews Ti West’s The Innkeepers [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-13 22:50:45

Apparently 2011 is going to be quite the year for the ghost story on the big screen. With Insidious kick starting this year’s SXSW Film Festival with its first midnight screening, the raining “it” director within the horror genre, Ti West, is b > read more

Rudie Reviews Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-03-13 22:16:56

Since the beginning of the moving image there have been twenty-six iterations of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre on the big screen and on TV. Cary Joji Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre is the twenty-seventh. It would seem as if this was well-worn territory, so > read more

Joshua Reviews Nicolas Lopez’s Que Pena Tu Vida [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-13 22:05:54

What’s in a name? Apparently, when it comes to the latest film from writer/director Nicolas Lopez, it means a lot. Entitled Que Pena Tu Vida (Fuck My Life, or FML from here on out), this marks the third film for Spanish director Lopez, and is his t > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 071.5 – Disc 2 – Netflix Streaming Vs. Hulu Plus

Published on 2011-03-13 20:45:32

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has bee > read more

Joshua Reviews Constance Marks’ Being Elmo [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-13 01:05:19

“Who’s more famous than Elmo?” That ones the one question brought up during the introduction of the new documentary, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey.  However, a different question is at the core of what makes this film the charming, coma > read more

Joshua Reviews James Wan’s Insidious [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-12 14:44:29

James Wan is back, and he is back in one hell of a big way. Best known for being the man that brought us the harbinger of the modern day torture porn craze known as Saw, Wan has since moved on to revenge films (Death Sentence) and even more films wit > read more

Joshua Reviews Duncan Jones’ Source Code [SXSW 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-12 14:27:36

With the recent cavalcade of silly, innocuous alien invasion films and bland attempts at philosophically charged science fiction, it’s about time that we get a taut chunk of sci-fi filmmaking. And who better to fit that bill than Moon director Dunc > read more

Catherine Reviews Elia Kazan’s America, America [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-03-11 01:05:05

Elia Kazan’s deeply personal and ambitious epic America, America is based on his uncle’s immigration to America from Turkey at the turn of the twentieth century. Right at the start of the film we are aware of the director’s direct connection to > read more

Criterion Continues To Tease The Upcoming Black Moon Cover On Facebook

Published on 2011-03-09 23:57:24

Last month, Criterion sent out their usual e-mail newsletter, complete with a nice little wacky tease for Louis Malles’ 1975 French fantasy film, Black Moon. We discussed it on our recent episode with David Blakeslee, in which we covered Stanle > read more

Michael K Williams Visits The Criterion Collection Closet, Solondz’s Life During Wartime Release Inevitable

Published on 2011-03-09 23:56:08

Earlier today, Criterion published yet another in their series of jealousy-inducing videos, showing off a celebrity in their legendary closet of DVDs and Blu-rays. This time around they invited the incredible actor, Michael K Williams (Omar from The > read more

CriterionCast Is Heading To SXSW 2011!

Published on 2011-03-09 14:57:14

Starting this Friday, the film, music, and technology geeks of the world will descend upon Austin, Texas, for the week long party that is South By Southwest (SXSW). I was fortunate enough to attend last years film events, where I was able to meet all > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 071 – Peter Yates’ The Friends of Eddie Coyle – Special Guest: Matt Singer of IFC.com [Criterion Collection #475]

Published on 2011-03-08 12:59:29

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #475 Peter Yates’ 1973 f > read more

Guillermo Del Toro Confirms He Won’t Be Heading To The Mountains Of Madness

Published on 2011-03-08 00:43:18

Earlier today, io9 got everyone’s hopes up by reporting that Guillermo Del Toro’s At The Mountains Of Madness would begin shooting this June. Then Mike Fleming over at Deadline came along and reported that Guillermo would be heading to Wa > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Aki Kaurismäki’s Ariel

Published on 2011-03-07 14:00:41

When it comes to ranking my favorite months of the year, there are none that I enjoy bidding good riddance to more than February. Sure, it’s a short month that signifies events I look forward to, but February’s passing means that better t > read more

SXSW 2011 Preview: Aaron Rottinghaus’ Apart

Published on 2011-03-07 01:53:10

While much of the focus going into this year’s SXSW Film Festival is on films like Paul, Source Code and The Beaver, the festival’s smaller films often mark the most intriguing aspects of the festival. One of these films happens to be home grown. > read more

Catherine Review’s Amy Hardie’s Edge of Dreaming [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-03-07 01:37:32

How much stock do you put into your dreams? How much do you believe our reality impacts them? Do our dreams affect our reality and if so, what is the extent of their power? Amy Hardie thought she knew her beliefs. She is a rational person, working in > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 070.5 – Disc 2 – On The Screen with Tim Buel

Published on 2011-03-06 23:15:15

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has bee > read more

For Criterion Consideration: The Films of Alan Clarke

Published on 2011-03-06 22:41:52

Sometimes in this series of articles, we’re going to focus on specific filmmakers who deserve a spot within the Criterion Collection. Especially those the public might not even be that aware of or the impact they’ve had in the art of cine > read more

Joshua Reviews Gordon Parks’ The Learning Tree [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-03-04 17:25:48

It goes without saying that filmmaking is truly a labor of love. Whether it be a film breaking box office records with a team of writers and a director who is simply there to shoot actors acting, or be it the smallest of small independent film, withi > read more

Set Photos From Steve McQueen’s Shame

Published on 2011-03-03 17:47:30

While 2011 may be a stuffy year when it comes to mainstream Hollywood blockbusters, it’s the arthouse fair that really holds the meat of what appears to be quite an interesting 12 months. One of the year’s  most anticipated films comes to us fro > read more

Rudie Reviews Gore Verbinski’s Rango [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-03-03 17:32:45

From the opening of “Rango”, I knew I was in for something special. Four little owls dressed as a classic mariachi band telling the tale and legend of Rango. Automatically, I had hints of a classic Italian Westerns, commonly known as Spaghetti We > read more

Andrew Reviews Hilda Hidalgo’s Of Love And Other Demons [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-03-03 01:24:50

There are moments in “Of Love and Other Demons” where it feels as though the main character of the film is Eliza Triana’s hair, I mean that in a good way. There are at least two feet of striking red curls cascading across her shoulders and onto > read more

High Resolution Look At The May 2011 Criterion Collection Covers

Published on 2011-03-03 01:07:46

While I may have been a little unimpressed with the covers from the April 2011 Criterion titles, which were predominantly stills from the films, I am a huge fan of the May covers. All of the covers feature original artwork from some of the greatest g > read more

Criterion Has Three Reasons For Ken Loach’s Kes

Published on 2011-03-03 00:49:34

I cannot wait to see Ken Loach’s Kes. As anyone who listens to the podcast on a regular basis over the past 6 months can attest, we love talking about Kes. Now we may have initially expressed a certain amount of dis-interest towards yet another > read more

20th Century Fox And MGM Teaming Up To Bring John Lennon’s How I Won The War To The Limited Edition Collection

Published on 2011-03-03 00:30:17

A few months back, I wrote a series of blog posts, highlighting several films from MGM that would likely find their way into the Criterion Collection. In one of the last posts, I picked 5 final films, one of which was Richard Lester’s 1967 film > read more

Bill Hader Visits The Criterion Collection Closet

Published on 2011-03-02 22:40:06

Earlier today, the folks at Criterion uploaded another video to their Facebook wall, showing off a celebrity in their closet, picking out some DVDs and Blu-rays. This video featured Bill Hader, star of many of the Apatow films, and Saturday Night Liv > read more

Secret Cinema In London Presents The Red Shoes

Published on 2011-03-02 22:06:26

Each month, the Secret Cinema in the UK presents a completely new way to experience a film. Through the work of hundreds of actors, production artists, and dancers, they recreate a film. This past February, they brought the incredible Powell and Pres > read more

Martin Scorsese, The Film Foundation, And Gucci Premiere New Leopard Restoration Video For TED2011

Published on 2011-03-02 21:15:53

This week is the annual TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Conference down in Long Beach, California. Some of the smartest, geekiest folks in the world gather together to talk about their passions, and how they are changing the world. While > read more

SXSW Announces Closing Night Film And More Additions

Published on 2011-03-02 14:00:08

With SXSW rapidly approaching, the full film lineup is starting to get rounded out. And today we know what will not only be closing the festival, but what will also likely be some of the more buzzed about films leading up to this year’s already mas > read more

Catherine Reviews Vincente Minnelli’s Two Weeks in Another Town [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-03-02 01:14:39

Two Weeks in Another Town reteams key members from 1952’s The Bad and the Beautiful. These members are director Vincente Minnelli, actor Kirk Douglas, producer John Houseman and screenwriter John Schnee. Both films address similar thematic territor > read more

Sundance And Tribeca Looking To Expand Distribution Output

Published on 2011-03-02 00:16:03

With SXSW only a few weeks away, two of the film’s worlds foremost film festival operators have decided to steal a bit of the Austin based festival’s thunder. According to the NY Times, both Tribeca Enterprises and The Sundance Institute are set > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 070 – Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou with Special Guest: Tim Buel of The Golden Briefcase on FirstShowing.net [Criterion Collection #300]

Published on 2011-03-01 23:46:50

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #300 Wes Anderson’s 2004 > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Ingmar Bergman’s Crisis

Published on 2011-02-28 14:00:45

Last Friday marked the 65th anniversary of Ingmar Bergman’s solo debut as a film director. So even though the Academy Awards ceremony took place last night, I’m going to honor Bergman and let every other movie blogger in the Western Hemisphere ta > read more

Joshua Reviews Ronald Reagan’s Brass Bancroft of the Secret Service Mysteries [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-02-28 01:31:35

It’s not rare for actors or actresses to move from the world of acting, to a medium wholly different. You have your actors-turned-musicians that come a dime a dozen. Actors like Johnny Depp, Russell Crowe, or even someone like Billy Bob Thornton al > read more

Joshua Reviews Alex Cox’s Repo Chick [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-02-26 23:25:10

Alex Cox is an interesting filmmaker, to say the least. Whether it be hugely popular cult fare like Repo Man, or Criterion Collection fodder Walker and Sid & Nancy, Cox has been a filmmaker that either most people haven’t heard of, or one that > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 069.5 – Disc 2 – On The Screen With David Blakeslee – Borders Bankruptcy Discussion

Published on 2011-02-26 22:57:28

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has bee > read more

Catherine Reviews George Cukor’s Two-Faced Woman [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-02-25 17:29:21

“Garbo Laughs”: one of the most famous movie taglines of all time. In 1939, MGM paired up screen legend Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas and director Ernst Lubitsch for the comedy Ninotchka. It would be Garbo’s first attempt in the genre after a car > read more

Criterion Announces 50% Off Sale To Honor Facebook Fans

Published on 2011-02-24 17:54:45

[Up to date as of 3:53pm] Criterion just announced on Facebook that when they hit 50,000 fans, they’ll have a 50% off sale on Criterion.com for 50,000 seconds (which equals 13 hours, 53 minutes, 20 seconds). They have now passed 50,000 fans, bu > read more

Andrew Reviews Oscar Ruiz Navia’s Crab Trap [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-24 01:02:52

[Hey readers, Ryan here. I'm so pleased to present the first review from a local cinephile here in Portland, Oregon: Andrew Collins. Andrew currently produces one of my favorite screenshot blogs, and has a lot of the same film-loving sensibilities th > read more

Film Society Of Lincoln Center To Present Janus Films Classics This March, 14 Criterion Collection Films Screening

Published on 2011-02-24 00:14:20

The folks at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York are screening some incredible films over the next few months. Over the next month they’ll be hosting their Film Comment Selects series, which will feature films from directors like Her > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 069 – Stanley Kubrick’s Paths of Glory with David Blakeslee [Criterion Collection #538]

Published on 2011-02-23 23:01:14

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #538 Stanley Kubrick’s 1 > read more

Netflix Watch Instantly Adds Tons Of Classic CBS Content

Published on 2011-02-23 00:00:59

Coming on the heels of Hulu’s game changing announcement that they have teamed with The Criterion Collectionto ultimately bring Hulu Plus users over 800 streaming films, Netflix have announced a partnership that may lack in numbers, but not in qual > read more

Jamie Reviews Iciar Bollain’s Even the Rain [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-22 23:36:04

The Spanish film Even the Rain begins with an open casting call. Bolivian locals have lined up around the block for the chance to audition to be extras in a production of a new movie about Christopher Columbus. This historical epic’s director, Seba > read more

Four More Fan-Made “For Criterion Consideration” / “Three Reasons” Videos

Published on 2011-02-22 23:24:15

A couple weeks back I shared the Three Reasons / For Criterion Consideration mash-up videos that Robert of Primolandia Productions had sent us. Robert has sent us three more videos that he created, highlighting some more films that he thinks should b > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 068.5 – Disc 2 – On The Screen With Travis George

Published on 2011-02-22 22:32:05

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has bee > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 068 – Preston Struges’ Unfaithfully Yours with Travis George [Criterion Collection #292]

Published on 2011-02-21 17:17:02

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #292 Preston Struges’ 19 > read more

Watch This Fan-Made Three Reasons Video Celebrating For All Mankind

Published on 2011-02-21 16:59:06

While we all eagerly await the arrival of Criterion’s Three Reasons video for Ken Loach’s Kes, I thought it would be nice to share another fan made entry, into our recent series. Our friend Evan Mather, who previously created a video for > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Sacha Guitry’s The Pearls of the Crown

Published on 2011-02-21 14:00:06

As I was in the process of deciding which Eclipse film to review this week, I heard from someone that banks will be closed and no mail will be delivered in the USA on Monday, Feb. 21,  the date of this column’s next installment. I had no idea > read more

Jaume-Collet Serra Latest To Direct Le Cercle Rouge Remake

Published on 2011-02-21 09:00:51

Apparently director Jaume-Collet Serra is one hell of a hot commodity in the current world of Hollywood. After making a splash with the relatively fun and absurdly engaging thriller Orphan, the director not only has the recently released Unknown to h > read more

Abbas Kiarostami Looking To Cast Aoi Miyazaki For Lead In Upcoming Film, The End

Published on 2011-02-21 08:00:40

Coming off of his beloved 2010 festival hit, Certified Copy (which is set to hit theaters on March 11), director Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry, Close-Up) has found an actress for his next film, according to reports. Nippon Cinema and Tokyograph a > read more

Jamie Reviews Hans Petter Moland’s A Somewhat Gentle Man [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-19 20:47:13

Ulrik, played with understated humor and gravity by Stellan Skarsgård, has been in prison for 12 years. Too long for him, but not long enough for others. Most people he meets back in his old ’hood didn’t expect him to be out so soon, including h > read more

Jamie Reviews Giuseppe Capotondi’s The Double Hour [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-19 20:37:26

A “double hour” occurs when the hour is the same as the minutes on the clock. So, for instance, the first time it appears in the movie of the same name, when it’s 23:23 (I guess Italians are on the 24-hour system). If you happen to look at your > read more

Jamie Reviews Craig McCall’s Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-19 20:15:26

Any cinema fan knows the story of a good cinematographer is really the tale of a good painter. Legendary cameraman Jack Cardiff gives us solid proof of that idea, and Craig McCall’s documentary tribute to the influential artist lets us not only hea > read more

Museum Of Moving Images Interviews Michael Fassbender For Fish Tank

Published on 2011-02-19 19:44:16

Over the past few days I’ve had the opportunity to preview the upcoming Blu-ray release of Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank, which will be getting a Criterion DVD and Blu-ray release this Tuesday, February 22nd. It is an intense, personal look a > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 067.5 – Disc 2 with Moisés Chiullan of BadassDigest.com [Topic of Discussion: Twitter and Spoilers]

Published on 2011-02-19 13:29:32

SPECIAL GUEST: Moisés Chiullan – A writer from BadassDigest.com. Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On > read more

Criterion Updates The Kes Cover Art

Published on 2011-02-18 17:46:42

A couple days back, Criterion quietly updated the cover art for Ken Loach’s film, Kes, which is set to be released on DVD and Blu-ray on April 19th. This is a film that we’ve certainly spent some time chatting about on the podcast, ever s > read more

Jamie Reviews Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-18 11:00:17

You pretty much know where this one is going to go. A pretty young girl is hired to work as the live-in maid and nanny for a rich family. Her name is Eun-yi (Jeon Do-yeon, Untold Scandal), and she’s a girl with a past that is only casually hinted a > read more

Jamie Reviews Susanne Bier’s In a Better World [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-18 10:00:11

One of the nominees for this year’s Best Foreign Language Oscar, the Danish film In a Better World is really two movies: In a Better World and In a Crappier World. Though really, the better one is only better by comparison to the other, just as the > read more

Juliette Binoche And Mathieu Amalric Joining David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis

Published on 2011-02-18 09:00:03

Now the question remains, how much longer until they leave the film? With the door continually seeming to revolve with regards to the cast of David Cronenberg’s upcoming film, Cosmopolis, the next two members of the film’s cast have apparently be > read more

SXSW Announces Festival Favorite Lineup Additions, Includes Steve James’ The Interrupters

Published on 2011-02-18 08:00:59

While most of the films that will be playing this year’s SXSW Film Festival have been properly announced, there are a few that are still making their way into the lineup. They festival has announced a few new films that will be playing as part of t > read more

Classics From Stanley Kubrick And Martin Scorsese Coming To Blu-ray, Some For The First Time

Published on 2011-02-18 01:05:44

In the wake of The Criterion Collection’s announcement that they will be bringing ultimately over 800 films to their Hulu online streaming page, a few classics will be making their debut on Blu-ray to boot. First, according to Home Media Magazine, > read more

In The Wake Of Criterion’s Union With Hulu, Netflix Watch Instantly Users Will Lose

Published on 2011-02-16 00:35:33

While I am currently working out a post with my thoughts on today’s epic announcement that Criterion will be streaming the entire Collection on Hulu, including many films that have not been released previously on DVD or Blu-ray, I thought you a > read more

SXSW 2011 First Look: Greta Gerwig in The Dish & The Spoon

Published on 2011-02-16 00:30:44

With SXSW being only a few weeks out, we are slowly getting our first looks at films that will be making their debut at the beloved festival. One of the most interesting films stars Greta Gerwig, who will be seen in Whit Stillman’s (Metropolitan, T > read more

Jamie Reviews Larysa Kondracki’s The Whistleblower [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-16 00:02:33

I swear this film festival is trying to break me. The Whistleblower is tough viewing. Know that up front. It’s not particularly essential viewing, though the atrocity it is trying to inform us about is essential information. Dramatizing true events > read more

Werner Herzog Directing Death Row Prison Documentary

Published on 2011-02-15 23:30:47

Apparently director Werner Herzog isn’t ready to sit down and wait for financing for his upcoming film, Queen Of The Desert, before jumping back into the director’s chair. Screen Daily has revealed (via The Playlist), that Herzog is at work on a > read more

Mondo Presents A Gorgeous Down By Law Poster, On Sale Tomorrow

Published on 2011-02-15 22:56:33

Over the past few years, the folks over at Mondo Tees have produced the finest, limited edition, film themed prints / posters that the world has seen. The “limited” factor is what makes them truly special (of course the fact that they are > read more

Film Panel Lineup For SXSW 2011 Announced

Published on 2011-02-15 22:18:36

When it comes to the average film festival, while most of the focus may be on the films debuting or showing, one of the most interesting aspects happens to be the panels. Focusing on nearly every aspect of the film world, from distribution, to writin > read more

Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmasters Finds A Distributor In Berlin, New Images Surface

Published on 2011-02-15 22:08:38

Just a few days after it was revealed that billionairess Megan Ellison would be backing two projects from director Paul Thomas Anderson, the heiress appears to be back at it, nabbing the rights to one of the film world’s most anticipated art house > read more

Janus Films To Tour New 35mm Print Of Francois Truffaut’s Soft Skin This March

Published on 2011-02-15 21:52:41

Next month, the folks over at Janus Films will be screening a new 35mm print of Francois Truffaut’s 1964 film, The Soft Skin (La Peau Douce). This was once a part of the Criterion Collection, during the laserdisc years, but has only been availa > read more

James Reviews Yony Leyser’s William S. Burroughs: A Man Within [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-02-15 21:28:39

William S. Burroughs, the beat poet who took the literary world by storm with his novel Naked Lunch gets the documentary treatment with a candid and caring look at his life from not only the people who knew him and loved him most but also from the ma > read more

Time To Subscribe To Hulu Plus, Criterion Just Uploaded A Ton Of Unavailable Films And Upcoming Releases

Published on 2011-02-15 02:48:36

I know that I just wrote a post, celebrating the fact that Criterion had finally decided to add something new to their Hulu page. I was all set to go to sleep, when I started going through some of my RSS feeds, to discover that Hulu just updated the > read more

Criterion Adds Clouzot’s Diabolique To Their Hulu Plus Line-Up

Published on 2011-02-15 00:50:10

Just when you thought that Criterion had completely forgotten about it’s Hulu Channel, which kicked off last year around this time with the collection of Zatoichi films, it returns to add a very timely release to it’s line-up. In what has > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Dušan Makavejev’s Love Affair

Published on 2011-02-14 14:00:02

With the calendar indicating that my next step in the Journey Through the Eclipse Series was due to publish on Valentine’s Day, it seemed pretty obvious that the occasion called for something romantic for our next selection. However, that lighter, > read more

May 2011 Criterion Collection Titles Announced!

Published on 2011-02-14 11:43:25

[I'll be updating this post with cover art and release dates, as Criterion makes them available on the site.] While today’s announcement was slightly spoiled by last Fridays e-mail, regarding the Solaris news, the rest of the titles announced t > read more

Magnolia To Distribute Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia In North America

Published on 2011-02-14 08:00:53

Talk about an interesting turn of events. IndieWire has revealed that Magnolia Pictures has pre-brought the North American rights to Lars Von Trier’s upcoming sci-fi film, Melancholia, at this year’s Berlinale in what has been described as a “s > read more

Fan-Made Three Reasons Video Highlights Orson Welles’ F For Fake

Published on 2011-02-13 23:13:20

While we’re all awaiting the possibility that Orson Welles’ lost film, The Other Side Of The Wind, may finally be assembled and released, I present to you the latest fan creation in our call for fan-made Three Reasons videos. Our friend E > read more

Criterion Announces New Solaris DVD & Blu-ray For May 2011, Selling Current Stock At 65% Off

Published on 2011-02-13 23:01:41

This past Friday, Criterion dropped a nice little pre-announcement e-mail in all of our inboxes, letting us know that they will finally be announcing a new DVD and Blu-ray edition of Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris. Anyone who has been following alo > read more

Jamie Reviews Benjamin Heisenberg’s The Robber [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-13 13:00:16

The new film from Benjamin Heisenberg (Sleeper) is based on a novel by Martin Prinz, which in turn was taken from a true story. Revanche’s Andreas Lust stars as Johann Rettenberger, a serial bank robber who has spent a prison bid working his body a > read more

James Reviews Kenji Mizumi’s Shinsengumi Chronicles: I Want to Die a Samurai [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-02-12 19:54:00

“Your eyes were sparkling when you wanted to join. Now they are dull.” If anyone knows me, they’ll know I’m a huge fan of samurai films. Especially when it comes to that unstoppable force to be reckoned with, the warrior who h > read more

“Three Reasons” Meets “For Criterion Consideration” In New Fan Series

Published on 2011-02-12 19:38:19

When we brought up the notion that our readers and listeners might find it entertaining to create their own Three Reasons videos, I didn’t think I’d get something this heartfelt and original. As we all know, Criterion has begun producing > read more

James Reviews Samuel Fuller’s Shock Corridor [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2011-02-11 11:00:19

All of the men want me, Johnny. But I want you. And you – you want the Pulitzer Prize. A film that is almost 50 years old, Shock Corridor is as shocking and relevant today than most films made a year ago. Samuel Fuller, the in your face storyt > read more

Jamie Reviews Feng Xiaogang’s Aftershock [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-11 10:00:15

A few years back, a couple of friends of mine were running their own meme where they described the movie tastes of folks in our social circle by picking two defining words. Mine were “Chinese” and “long.” Well, smart alecks, if that’s so tr > read more

Jafar Panahi Letter Read By Isabella Rossellini At Berlinale

Published on 2011-02-11 09:00:09

“These might be the last words we hear from him (for a long time).” Those were the sentiments uttered by Berlin Film Festival director Dieter Kosslick, after Isabella Rossellini took to the stage during the 2011 Berlinale opening night gala. With > read more

Jamie Reviews Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-10 10:00:26

“It would be stupid for us to ruin our lives for an ideal.” If ever a film was made for an International Film Festival, it’s Certified Copy. A French-funded film directed by an Iranian director, set in Italy, and featuring a script that alterna > read more

29th Turin Film Festival To Honor Robert Altman With 40 Film Retrospective

Published on 2011-02-10 09:00:10

Talk about a retrospective. THR is reporting that this year’s Turin Film Festival has announced that they will be honoring the late, seven-time-Oscar-nominee Robert Altman, by screening a collection of over 40 films, and a series of television prog > read more

Berlinale To Screen Four Films From Jafar Panahi

Published on 2011-02-10 08:00:08

While the festival itself has left a seat on its jury open for the imprisoned filmmaker, that’s not the only way the 2011 Berlin Film Festival will be honoring and showing support for jailed Iranian director Jafar Panahi. THR is reporting that the > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 067 – Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless with Moisés Chiullan of BadassDigest.com [Criterion Collection #408]

Published on 2011-02-10 01:00:51

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #408 Jean-Luc Godard’s 1 > read more

IFC Films Is Bringing Bruno Podalydès’ Park Benches To Theaters And On-Demand In March 2011

Published on 2011-02-10 00:50:21

Back in 2009, Bruno Podalydès finished his film Park Benches (or in French: Bancs Publics). Based on the fact that I can’t seem to find any reviews or news stories about the film, I’m going to assume that very few have seen this film in > read more

Criterion Has Three Reasons For Brian De Palma’s Blow Out [Slightly NSFW]

Published on 2011-02-10 00:20:10

In January, Criterion started releasing their Three Reasons line of videos, featuring upcoming titles. We’ve seen videos for The Sweet Smell Of Success, The Times Of Harvey Milk, and Topsy-Turvy. Today they added their latest video, featuring B > read more

Jonathan Demme Prepares For Criterion’s Upcoming Release Of Something Wild

Published on 2011-02-09 23:45:53

Last August, when the film line-up for All Tomorrow’s Parties was announced, we learned that Criterion would be presenting a theatrical screening of Jonathan Demme’s 1986 film, Something Wild. After the festival, we got a chance to see th > read more

Jamie Reviews Jan Hrebejk’s Kawasaki’s Rose [PIFF 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-02-09 00:18:42

Kawasaki’s Rose pulls off a fairly effective rope-a-dope. The Czech film, written by Petr Jarchovskýn and directed by Jan Hrebejk begins on solid ground. Renowned psychiatry professor Pavel Josek (Martin Huba) is being given a humanitarian award h > read more

Lasse Hallström Returns To Sweden For The Hypnotist

Published on 2011-02-08 01:10:17

While we only have his Swedish film My Life As A Dog in the Criterion Collection, director Lasse Hallström is predominantly known for his film work in the States over the past 24 years. With the occasional hit (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and The > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 066.5 – Disc 2 with David Ehrlich of Cinematical.com

Published on 2011-02-07 23:57:58

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has bee > read more

Berlinale To Highlight Ingmar Bergman With Film Retrospective

Published on 2011-02-07 23:40:36

Starting this Thursday, the Berlinale will kick off it’s 61st year of presenting some of the greatest films of the world to their festival attendees. While we won’t be able to attend this year (it’s a rather expensive trip for us lo > read more

Portland International Film Festival Line-Up, Ozon’s Potiche To Kick Off The Festival On Thursday

Published on 2011-02-07 23:28:42

If you couldn’t already tell from the header image and the bit in the left sidebar, we are really excited about the Portland International Film Festival, starting this Thursday February 10th (and ends on the 26th). The opening night film will b > read more

Mychael Danna Teams Up With Ang Lee Once Again For Life Of Pi

Published on 2011-02-07 22:52:33

Film Music Reporter is reporting (via The Playlist) that Michael Danna now pen the music for Bennett Miller’s upcoming film, Moneyball, and Ang Lee’s Life Of Pi. Danna has worked with both directors before (Miller’s Capote and Lee’s The Ice S > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Larisa Shepitko’s The Ascent

Published on 2011-02-07 14:00:05

A wide swath of North America received a wintry blast of historic magnitude last week. It snowed, and snowed, and kept on snowing, icing, freezing and blowing over the course of several days. The storm has since let up but the piles of snow remain an > read more

Catherine Reviews Im Sang-Soo’s The Housemaid [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-02-07 00:15:02

Im Sang-soo’s remake of the essential 1960 Korean classic The Housemaid is one of the more highly anticipated films to come from South Korea in recent years. For many decades, Korean cinema had been weighed down with the trauma of division, the gov > read more

David Reviews Kino International’s “Safe… Not Sorry” and “The Celluloid Salesman” [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-02-06 21:38:41

Anyone curious to know more about how the medium of film has been used in past decades to educate, indoctrinate and propagandize the American citizenry ought to have more than a passing interest in a pair of DVD compilations just about to be released > read more

First Fan-Made Three Reasons Video Highlights Terry Gilliam’s Brazil

Published on 2011-02-06 14:00:54

Last month, Criterion unveiled their latest project: the “Three Reasons” video series. In this, they highlight three reasons why they think an upcoming release is particularly special, and worthy of being a part of their collection. Durin > read more

James Remembers Tura Satana (1938-2011)

Published on 2011-02-06 13:00:51

One of the great personalities of cinema has passed away this weekend. Tura Satana, the iconic actress from Russ Meyer’s equally iconic film Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!, died on February 4th due to heart failure. Born Tura Luna Pascual Yamaguc > read more

Ronald Reagan’s Secret Service Of The Air Streaming Free For The Next 48 Hours, Courtesy Of The Warner Archive

Published on 2011-02-06 01:52:16

In about 10 minutes, the Warner Archive will test out a new option: streaming an entire film for free on their website. Starting at 12am, until Midnight on Monday, they’ll allow you to watch the Ronald Reagan film, Secret Service Of The Air. Th > read more

Olivier Assayas Discusses The Theatrical Cut Of Carlos

Published on 2011-02-05 14:55:52

Last week as I was flying back to Portland from my week of visiting the Big Apple, I finally dug into the latest issue of Cineaste magazine. If you haven’t picked it up already, I’d highly recommend you do so, as it features articles on C > read more

Werner Herzog And Naomi Watts Teaming Up For Queen Of The Desert

Published on 2011-02-04 08:00:21

With his latest film, Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, set to bow at the upcoming SXSW Film Festival, director Werner Herzog is looking to kick start his next project, in a huge way. Vulture has revealed that the director is in “serious discussions” wit > read more

The Warner Archive Is Bringing The Herculoids And The Wonderful World Of The Brothers Grimm To DVD In 2011

Published on 2011-02-04 01:26:45

As I’m sure you’re all well aware, we’re big fans of the Warner Archive here at the CriterionCast. They’ve managed to tap into the hearts and pocketbooks of everyone who has ever stared at the bootleg DVDs at Comic Con, wonder > read more

Joshua Reviews James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2011-02-04 00:35:00

Time is an interesting beast when it comes to its relation to particular films, or cinema as a whole. Often taking a negative toll on films, genres or cinematic eras as a whole, some films are able to not only transcend the concept of time on a narra > read more

SXSW Announces 2011 Film Festival Lineup

Published on 2011-02-03 23:15:57

While Cannes may have taken headlines early on Wednesday (with the announcement of Woody Allen’s Midnight In Paris as the festival’s opening night film), it’s SXSW that has stolen the show. The festival has announced their feature lineup, and i > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 066 – Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress with Special Guest David Ehrlich of Cinematical [Criterion Collection #116]

Published on 2011-02-02 01:19:24

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #116 Akira Kurosawa’s 19 > read more

Berlinale Honoring Armin Mueller-Stahl With Honorary Golden Bear For Lifetime Achievement Award

Published on 2011-02-02 00:44:11

Later this month, the Berlin Film Festival (the Berlinale) will be screening several incredible films that we’ve written about previously. From the new Wim Wenders 3D dance film, Pina, to Ralph Fiennes new adaptation of Coriolanus, the world wi > read more

James Reviews Disney’s Alice In Wonderland [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2011-02-01 09:00:13

A film that was ripped apart by critics when it was released, especially in England, Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland is finally given the Blu-ray treatment. The thirteenth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Alice in Wonderland > read more

James Reviews Adam Green’s Hatchet II [Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2011-02-01 08:00:46

Victor Crowley is back with a vengeance, this time with more gore filled kills than the first time around, in Adam Green’s Hatchet II. This is Adam Green’s follow-up to his amazing Frozen, and is it another notch in Green’s horror b > read more

BFI Bringing Early Kurosawa To DVD In The UK

Published on 2011-02-01 01:00:04

While we here in the states have had the wonderful genius of The Criterion Collection give us most of the Akira Kurosawa film canon on DVD or Blu-ray, cinephiles in the UK have not had that opportunity. Until now. DVDOutsider is reporting that The B > read more

John Woo Producing A Remake Of The Killer In 3D

Published on 2011-02-01 00:00:38

So, while a South Korean remake of John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow appears to be missing its mark with Hong Kong crowds, apparently the iconic action filmmaker is still fodder for remakes on this side of the world. Deadline has revealed a sales announ > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Samuel Fuller’s I Shot Jesse James

Published on 2011-01-31 14:00:10

The recent re-issuing of two old Criterion titles in upgraded DVD and Blu-ray formats has thrust the work of Sam Fuller back into the spotlight. Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss hearken back to the earliest days of Criterion’s entry into the D > read more

South Korean Remake Of John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow Meets Cold Response From Hong Kong Moviegoers

Published on 2011-01-31 09:00:40

While news behind the South Korean remake of the classic John Woo gangster film, A Better Tomorrow, has been relatively empty ever since the film ramped into production, that’s all apparently changed now that the film has been seen, and not in the > read more

For Criterion Consideration: Ossie Davis’ Cotton Comes To Harlem

Published on 2011-01-30 21:42:32

Now what would a bail of cotton be doing in Harlem? We’ve been gone for a bit, but like any good thing, you can’t keep us down. Yes, I’m speaking about For Criterion Consideration, which is our chance to showcase a film of our choos > read more

New Trailer For Ken Loach’s Route Irish Hits

Published on 2011-01-30 13:55:00

With his classic film, Kes, set to join the Criterion Collection in April, Ken Loach is back with a new film, and we have the first trailer for the hotly anticipated project. Thanks to The Guardian (via The Playlist), the first real trailer for his > read more

James Reviews Lynn Hershman Leeson’s W.A.R.: !Women Art Revolution [Sundance 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-01-30 13:41:12

W”.A.R.” asks the question, “Can you name three women artists?” Can you do it? I know I had to think long and hard to name more than three, and one of them was the usually mentioned Frida Kahlo. It’s something women arti > read more

The Criterion Collection Has Three Reasons For Three Upcoming Releases

Published on 2011-01-30 13:06:33

Over the past month, the Criterion Collection has been slowly releasing a series of minute long videos, highlighting “three reasons” why they’re releasing some of the announced titles in the coming months. These videos serve as almo > read more

Steve James Talks The Interrupters In This Sundance Video

Published on 2011-01-30 01:31:55

While The Interrupters didn’t take home any awards tonight, it is still one of the films I am most interested in checking out once it makes its way to Portland. Earlier today the folks at Sundance uploaded a brief interview with director Steve > read more

Sundance 2011 Award Winners Announced

Published on 2011-01-30 00:09:20

Well, what has become a massively busy Sundance Film Festival has come to a close, and while distribution purchases will likely continue to roll in for some time, the festival has announced their award winners. And what a list it is. Taking home the > read more

James Reviews Leonard Retel Helmrich’s Position Among the Stars [Sundance 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-01-29 23:40:40

Leonard Retel Helmrich has been chronicling the lives of Bachtiar “Bakti” Becker and his mother, Rumidjah Sjamsuddin for three films and over ten years, showing their lives change drastically. In “The Eye of the Day”(2001), we > read more

The Hobbit Adds Another Criterion Connection In The Form Of Everlasting Moments’ Mikael Persbrandt

Published on 2011-01-28 15:00:56

While its director, Peter Jackson, was recently admitted to a hospital and subsequently underwent surgery for a perforated ulcer (he is currently doing fine and is looking like he’ll make a routine full recovery), The Hobbit has just gotten a new c > read more

Netflix Reaches 20 Million Subscribers, Looking To Compete With HBO For Content

Published on 2011-01-28 14:00:08

While much of the focus surrounding the world of film directly set upon the shoulders of Park City, Utah and the Sundance Film Festival, the giant elephant in the crowded room that is the world of film and video rentals has made quite a splash as wel > read more

Rudie Reviews Clay Jeter’s Jess + Moss [Sundance Film Festival 2011 Review]

Published on 2011-01-28 13:00:32

The balance between entertainment and art is a slippery slope. Most movies that strive for one or another usually peak with thrilling highs and emotional payoffs; the others strive for the latter are interesting and robotic. The film, Jess + Moss div > read more

Lost Footage To Make Its Way Onto Upcoming Blue Velvet Blu-ray

Published on 2011-01-28 12:00:16

While films like Mulholland Dr. may be more well known for the provocateur known as David Lynch, it is his 1986 film, Blue Velvet, that may not only be his best, but his most beloved. Well, the classic is set to not only get the Blu-ray treatment, bu > read more

Rudie Reviews Joe Swanberg’s Uncle Kent [Sundance Film Festival Review 2011]

Published on 2011-01-28 11:00:26

I’m just going to put this out there, right now, it’s movies like this that make me excited about cinema! Whether it be the really big and visually stunning, James Cameron’s Avatar to the very small and minimal, Joe Swanberg’s Uncle Kent, to > read more

Sundance 2011 Distribution Acquisitions: IFC Makes A Splash, My Idiot Brother And More Find Distributors

Published on 2011-01-28 10:00:11

With Sundance coming to an end soon, a cavalcade of films have finally found distribution, in what has been quite a busy few days. Since the start of Sundance 2011 late last week, many  hotly talked about films have seen their rights be picked up b > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 65.5 – Disc 2 – On The Screen And Listener Feedback

Published on 2011-01-28 09:00:21

Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about movies and movie experiences. “On The Screen” is where they discuss anything and everything that has bee > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Ernst Lubitsch’s The Love Parade

Published on 2011-01-24 14:00:48

Maybe you have, maybe you haven’t taken note of it, but the Academy Award nominations will be announced tomorrow morning, Tuesday January 25, 2011. This will be the 83rd time the Oscars have been handed out, so as befits the occasion, I figured > read more

Keira Knightley Joins David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis As Marion Cotillard Leaves

Published on 2011-01-24 13:00:13

Apparently David Croneberg is looking to entirely revamp his upcoming film, Cosmopolis. After actor Robert Pattinson took the lead role from then attached Colin Farrell, the group over at the film’s fansite noticed that an update on the Alfama Fi > read more

Sundance 2011 Acquisitions: Errol Morris’ Tabloid And Roger Corman Documentary

Published on 2011-01-24 11:00:19

With the Sundance 2011 film festival in full swing, we have some distribution acquisitions to tell you about. First, Sundance Selects has announced that they have nabbed the rights to the Errol Morris documentary, Tabloid. The film follows the “Cas > read more

Oscar Foreign Film Short List Revealed

Published on 2011-01-24 10:00:14

While we’re expecting the final list of nominees to be announced this week, we now have a clearer picture of who is in the running. Deadline is reporting that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed the short list for thei > read more

Berlinale 2011 Lineup Announced

Published on 2011-01-24 09:00:31

While it Sundance may be the festival everyone is talking about, as it’s currently taking place in Park City, it is the Berlin Film Festival that is getting our attention today. The 2011 Berlinale has announced its in competition lineup, and it’s > read more

Berlin Film Festival To Honor Jafar Panahi By Leaving A Seat On Their Jury Open As A Sign Of Support

Published on 2011-01-24 08:00:06

While news revolving around the continuing imprisonment of unjustly jailed Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi hasn’t been good, there are still declarations of solidarity and support ringing in from directors, and now entire film festivals. Variety is > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 065 – Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times [Criterion Collection #543]

Published on 2011-01-21 22:34:39

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight Criterion #543 Charlie Chaplin > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 064.5 – Disc 2 with Special Guest: David Bax From The Battleship Pretension

Published on 2011-01-21 22:23:07

SPECIAL GUEST: David Bax – The Co-Host of The Battleship Pretension and The Previously On Podcasts. Disc 2 episodes are bonus/supplement episodes of The CriterionCast. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick ramble on and on about mo > read more

We’re Having A Criterion Cast Meet-Up This Monday In Brooklyn

Published on 2011-01-21 21:21:45

You might have noticed a considerable lack of posts going up on the site over the past few days. Clearly when I go on vacation, everyone goes on vacation. That’s actually not true. Josh has been cranking out the news stories everyday, and Rudie > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Yasujiro Ozu’s Equinox Flower

Published on 2011-01-17 14:00:56

As I’ve chosen to do a few times over the past several months, this week’s installment of the Journey Through the Eclipse Series ties in with the slow, steady progress I’m making in my Criterion Reflections project of watching all the Criterion > read more

Redbox Numbers Dip In Fourth Quarter, Feeling The 28-Day Delay Pressure?

Published on 2011-01-17 10:00:05

Apparently, not all is well in the world of Redbox. According to reports, revenues for Coinstar, the parent company of Redbox, and their fourth quarter clocked in at $391 million, missing the forecasted $415-440 million, and ultimately lowered their > read more

Carey Mulligan To Star In Off-Broadway Take On Through A Glass Darkly

Published on 2011-01-17 09:00:03

With 2011 looking to be quite the year for current “it” girl Carey Mulligan (seeing the actress take on roles in such films as Steve McQueen’s Shame and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive), she will actually next take her talents to the stage. She > read more

Rowan Joffe’s Brighton Rock Picked Up By IFC Films

Published on 2011-01-17 08:00:58

As we begin to get more and more IFC releases thrust into the Criterion Collection, the latest being Claire Denis’ White Material, any newly picked up IFC project has become fodder for discussions on its Criterion Collection chances. The latest fea > read more

For Criterion Consideration: Frederick Wiseman’s High School

Published on 2011-01-17 01:29:46

Frederick Wiseman is one of the most important and iconic documentarians in film history. Since the late sixties, he has consistently made films that observe a diverse range of institutions. At the same time, he defined his own unique style and was a > read more

Gaspar Noe’s Uncut Enter The Void Screening At IFC Center Until Thursday

Published on 2011-01-17 00:34:07

Did you miss Gaspar Noe’s latest film, the mindbending piece of narrative feature filmmaking known as Enter The Void? Well, IFC thankfully has your back. IFC Films has announced that they will be re-releasing the film in theaters, with an additiona > read more

April 2011 Criterion Collection New Releases Announced!

Published on 2011-01-14 16:16:02

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing about the amazing line-up that we’re getting from Criterion in March of 2011, and here we are with April’s announcements. This month is absolutely packed to the gills with goodies, and for t > read more

Watch The Trailer For Steve James’ Latest Film, The Interrupters

Published on 2011-01-14 13:03:31

One of the last podcast episodes that we recorded with Travis, before he went on tour, was a discussion of Steve James’ incredible documentary, Hoop Dreams. While I’m notoriously opposed to enjoying sports, and especially sports movies, I > read more

The Restored Battleship Potemkin Opens Today In New York, Expanding To LA And San Francisco This March.

Published on 2011-01-14 10:57:24

A couple weeks back I wrote about the news that Kino had announced an upcoming theatrical tour of their most recent restored print of Battleship Potemkin. Since then I’ve learned that this is in fact the print that was on their Blu-ray that was > read more

Trailer For Werner Herzog’s 3D Documentary, The Cave Of Forgotten Dreams

Published on 2011-01-14 09:41:09

While 2010 may have been the year of the documentary, one director is hell bent on making 2011 an equally intriguing year for the world of nonfiction filmmaking. Today we have the first trailer for Werner Herzog’s upcoming film, The Cave Of Forgott > read more

Rudie Reviews Paul Giamatti In Barney’s Version [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-01-14 01:25:21

It’s not very often I recommend a movie that is a complete mess, but Barney’s Version is one of them. This movie is a mess, both tonally and thematically. It seems as though it does not know what type of movie it wants to be. Whether that be a co > read more

An Early Look At Rooney Mara In David Fincher’s Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Published on 2011-01-12 18:15:07

With everyone and their mothers seemingly digging through the recently released DVD/Blu-ray of The Social Network this week, anticipation is hitting a fever pitch when it comes to David Fincher’s (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button) follow-up, his > read more

Federico Fellini’s The Clowns Coming To DVD This February

Published on 2011-01-12 17:19:25

While we all would like to see every film from Federico Fellini in the Criterion Collection, sometimes we just have to take what we can get. Next month, thanks to Entertainment One, Fellini’s 1970 film The Clowns will be released on DVD. This n > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 064 – Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger’s Black Narcissus with Special Guest: David Bax [Criterion Collection #093]

Published on 2011-01-11 23:35:21

This is the podcast dedicated to The Criterion Collection. Rudie Obias, Ryan Gallagher, & James McCormick discuss Criterion News & Rumors and Criterion New Releases, they also analyze, discuss & highlight CC #093 Michael Powell & Emer > read more

Criterion Collection New Release Tuesday For January 11th: Robinson Crusoe On Mars & Army Of Shadows On Blu-ray

Published on 2011-01-11 08:00:05

One of my New Years Resolutions for running the site, and writing posts, is to be more consistent with our New Release Posts each week. Last year we were still finding our footing, figuring out what our readers responded to, what they were interested > read more

Rudie Reviews Peter Weir’s The Way Back [Theatrical Review]

Published on 2011-01-10 22:19:44

The Oscar race is in full swing. Studios are pouring millions of dollars to advertise and showcase their films for members of The Academy. But an epic film like The Way Back seems to have gotten lost in the shuffle at the end of 2010. This saddens me > read more

Robert Pattinson Joins David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis

Published on 2011-01-10 15:00:36

Talk about a boost in projects. Apparently director David Cronenberg (Videodrome, Naked Lunch, Dead Ringers) has taken a liking to the performances of one Robert Pattinson, as the actor has joined the cast of his upcoming film, Cosmopolis. The film i > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Chorus

Published on 2011-01-10 14:00:30

Just a few days before the end of 2010, a great Japanese actress passed away. Hideko Takamine had spent the majority of her lifetime in the movie business, debuting in 1929 as a child star that some called the “Japanese Shirley Temple” when she w > read more

Hollywood Welcomes UltraViolet With Open Arms At CES 2011

Published on 2011-01-10 13:00:22

With CES officially wrapped, it’s time to look back and see what the annual convention brought for us in the film world. The biggest thing (save for a great and interesting Blu-Ray panel which you can see in full here), came in the form of digital > read more

Steven Soderbergh Talks Haywire, Contagion, And Retirement

Published on 2011-01-10 12:00:18

When you are as busy a filmmaker as Steven Soderbergh is, there is always a lot to talk about. And now, with talks of the director looking to retire relatively soon, there seems to be even more to talk about. First, in speaking with NFL Total Access > read more

Robert De Niro To Preside Over Cannes 2011 Jury

Published on 2011-01-10 11:00:34

With an amazing lineup rumored to include the likes of Terrence Malick, Lars Von Trier and Pedro Almodovar (and likely additions including David Cronenberg, Woody Allen and Walter Salles), Cannes is looking to be one special festival this year. And n > read more

Edgar Ramirez To Be The God Of War In Wrath Of The Titans

Published on 2011-01-10 10:00:32

Apparently Edgar Ramirez has won over more than just critics with his much talked about turn as Carlos the Jackal in Olivier Assayas’ biopic, Carlos, which we’re going to see this year from Criterion. Deadline is reporting that the actor, who > read more

Toneelgroep Amsterdam Theater Company Combining Three Antonioni Films For The Stage

Published on 2011-01-10 09:00:36

Sometimes, those in Europe really have it better than us on this side of the pond. According to Filmmaker Magazine, those who are lucky enough to be in London come the first week of February will be able to view the upcoming Toneelgroep Amsterdam the > read more

MUBI Takes On New $2M Investment To Grow Business

Published on 2011-01-10 08:00:41

Apparently MUBI is truly looking to make an even bigger name for itself within the world of film related social networking, film distribution, and online streaming. According to Paid Content, the company has taken on a $2.4 million investment “for > read more

Peter Yates Passes Away At 82

Published on 2011-01-10 00:51:14

We just learned that Peter Yates, director of the incredible The Friends Of Eddie Coyle, Bullitt, and Krull, has passed away. Deadline just posted this story, attributing his death to an unnamed illness that Yates had suffered from. I’m sure we > read more

Watch The Entire Blu-ray Panel From CES 2011 With Oliver Stone, Baz Luhrmann, And Michael Mann

Published on 2011-01-08 12:33:52

Earlier this week we wrote about an extra special Blu-ray event that would be happening this weekend at CES in Las Vegas, and no, we’re not talking about Star Wars (but it was put together by 20th Century Fox). Yesterday, 20th Century Fox broug > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 063.9 – Disc 3 – Top Criterion Blu-ray Upgrades For 2011 – with Special Guests David Blakeslee & West Anthony

Published on 2011-01-06 00:35:18

Ryan Gallagher, James McCormick, David Blakeslee and West Anthony discuss their top 5 choices for future Criterion blu-ray upgrades. James McCormick Alex Cox’s Walker Stanley Kubrick’s Spartacus Douglas Sirk’s Magnificent Obsession > read more

First Shipped RED EPIC Camera Stolen, $100,000 Reward Offered

Published on 2011-01-05 08:00:01

Hopeful owners of the hotly talked about piece of hardware known as the RED EPIC better watch out.  Apparently, people are willing to do almost anything to get one.  Even if that means stealing one. According to Reduser.net, the world’s first shi > read more

An 8bit Score To Brighten Your Day: Criterion’s Number 1 “Liked” Film, Obayashi’s House

Published on 2011-01-05 01:08:43

Just when you thought you’d see the last of that crazy orange cat, we bring it back to haunt your dreams. Actually, what we’re bringing you today is pretty awesome, and will hopefully cheer you up while we’re in the midst of a freez > read more

Michael Mann, Oliver Stone And Baz Luhrmann To Talk Blu-Ray Format And Home Entertainment At CES

Published on 2011-01-05 01:00:04

With the CES fair set to start soon out in Las Vegas, the Blu-ray format will be one of the many topics discussed. The sole topic of a panel at the convention, directors Michael Mann, Oliver Stone and Baz Luhrmann will be discussing the format, and h > read more

Apple Bringing New Exclusive Supplements To iTunes / Sony Movie Purchases

Published on 2011-01-05 00:00:26

While Apple may not be the strongest player in the online video streaming/renting world, apparently the extras embedded within their iTunes video releases have started getting a lot of buzz. One of these special features happens to be something reall > read more

James Reviews Rob Epstein’s and Jeffrey Friedman’s Howl [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-01-04 23:00:21

Sadly, Howl was a film that flew right under my radar completely in 2010′s full roster of films. A film dealing with Allen Ginsberg’s life, in a nonlinear fashion, showing us his early life in the 1940′s and 1950′s, his debut > read more

Abbas Kiarostami To Lead Talks At This Year’s Kustendorf Film Festival

Published on 2011-01-04 21:58:58

While this year’s Sundance Film Festival may ultimately take the majority of early year festival buzz, it’s the fourth annual Kustendorf Film Festival that also has one hell of a lineup. According to Variety, Criterion staple Abbas Kiarostami (Ta > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Nagisa Oshima’s Three Resurrected Drunkards

Published on 2011-01-03 14:00:34

Happy New Year greetings to you all, CriterionCast readers! In searching through my stack of Eclipse DVDs, I could find no better offering for the occasion than the title Three Resurrected Drunkards, from Eclipse Series 21: Oshima’s Outlaw Sixt > read more

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno Coming To Blu-ray In March 2011, Thanks To Flicker Alley

Published on 2011-01-03 13:34:08

One of the great, unfinished works of film history is Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno. Last year director Serge Bromberg pieced together the available footage, and created a semi-documentary, telling the story of the film. Some information abou > read more

Netflix Facing Class Action Antitrust Lawsuit From Subscribers

Published on 2011-01-03 12:00:11

While they may have a lock on the world of online video streaming and by mail renting, Netflix has just found their first real set back, albeit a seemingly minor one. According to Home Media Magazine, a federal judge has granted class-action status t > read more

Teaser For Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmasters

Published on 2011-01-03 11:00:39

With a rumored premiere allegedly set for the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, the promotional wheels behind the latest film from Asian auteur, Wong Kar-Wai, have apparently begun moving. Ziyi Zhang From Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmasters, Courtesy of Wil > read more

Gwyenth Paltrow To Star In Marlene Dietrich Biopic

Published on 2011-01-03 10:00:23

The French site Tele2Semaines (via Collider) is reporting that Europacorp TV, BBC and HBO are teaming up for a new, two-part biopic on the life of the legendary German actress, Marlene Dietrich.  The outlet even goes as far as to say that actress Gw > read more

Hideko Takamine, Star Of Mikio Naruse’s When A Woman Ascends The Stairs (And Much More), Passes Away At 86

Published on 2011-01-03 09:00:09

Sad news from Variety, we have learned that actress Hideko Takamine has died at 86. Takamine began her illustrious career as a child, and ultimately spent three decades in front of the camera.  She got her first start in the 1929 film, Mother.  Oft > read more

James Reviews Fritz Lang’s Metropolis [Masters Of Cinema UK Blu-ray Review]

Published on 2011-01-03 08:00:42

There can be no understanding between the hand and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator. How can one review one of the most essential and influential films to ever grace the silver screen? Every great critic who has seen it has had their say a > read more

Rudie Reviews Banksy’s Exit Through The Gift Shop [DVD Review]

Published on 2011-01-02 21:06:26

Banksy’s film about street art is probably the most thought provoking, widely entertaining and hilarious movie of 2010. It explores what the meaning of art, commerce and celebrity in the 21st century. What can possibly be perceived as a huge prank > read more

Wacky New Years Drawing Hints At Criterion’s 2011 Slate Of Releases

Published on 2011-01-01 09:32:31

It seems like only yesterday that we got a Wacky New Years Drawing on January 1st, 2010, laying out (rather cryptically) what Criterion had in store for us throughout the year. While there is one clue that has yet to be released (The Four Feathers, i > read more

Thank You All For An Incredible 2010, I Cannot Wait To See What 2011 Brings Us

Published on 2011-01-01 01:16:12

The new year is quickly approaching, and as I sit here, amidst several drafts of blog posts, half written DVD and Blu-ray reviews, unfinished top ten lists, and so on, I’m reminded of how proud I am of what we’ve created over the course o > read more

CriterionCast – Episode 063.7 – Top 10 Movies of 2010 (Part 2) with Special Guest: Justin Vactor of Geeks of Doom

Published on 2010-12-31 16:26:53

Rudie Obias and James McCormick are joined by, friends to the podcast, Justin Vactor of The Flicks of Doom Podcast. They discuss their 10 Top movies of 2010. In this bonus episode, they discuss their second half of their list (05 thru 01). Rudie Obia > read more

David Fincher Confirms That The Game Is Returning To The Criterion Collection, Might Not Be Ready By Spring 2011

Published on 2010-12-31 15:03:48

Earlier this week, Steve Weintraub over at Collider had the opportunity to sit down with Social Network director David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), to talk about a number of the projects he is working on. Back in September we helped > read more

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Raymond Bernard’s Les Miserables, Part 3

Published on 2010-12-31 14:00:09

Here’s the capper to my three-part review of the 1934 French classic adaptation of Les Miserables, what must surely stand based on its scale alone as the most epic work of cinema to be found in the entire Eclipse series (though I suspect Louis > read more