So many movies

May 7, 2019 8:07 PM

I am happily throwing my money at the new Criterion Channel, but with this embarrassment of cinematic riches at my remote-tip, what do I watch?

I seriously don't know where to start. In the old days there would have been a blog that would curate my experience. I like Italian Neorealists, The New Wave, Ozu and Varda and Malle, and especially am interested in women directors but... This question is really, what is a film you personally love that is available on the Criterion Channel? If you love it and it doesn't fit my above personal fave profile, that's OK, I'll probably try it, especially if you include a little on why you love it. Thanks!

posted by latkes to Media & Arts (20 answers total)

My understanding is that Melville had a complicated relationship to the New Wave, but Le Samourai, Bob le Flambeur, and Armee des Ombres are all rewarding in their own ways. Alain Delon is mesmerizing as an assassin in the first (and I don't know of an earlier example on film of a modern-tech-assisted manhunt, though there may be one). Bob le Flambeur is a proto-heist film about a retired gangster who can't resist one...last...gamble...Armee des Ombres is just a brutal film about a French Resistance cell.

On a more contemporary note, looks like Hollywood Shuffle is up for the month? Absolutely classic skit-based comedy about an aspiring young black actor trying to find a decent role. Almost 35 years old and still amazingly relevant.
posted by praemunire at 8:26 PM on May 7, 2019

Tampopo is a good movie. Watch Tampopo.
posted by Going To Maine at 8:28 PM on May 7, 2019 [6 favorites]

I love love love In a Lonely Place. It’s a great suspenseful noir, and it’s waaaay ahead of its time as an incisive study of abusive relationships. And it has Humphrey Bogart's greatest performance (imo, of course).
posted by holborne at 8:30 PM on May 7, 2019 [4 favorites]

Have you seen Picnic at Hanging Rock? It’s beautiful, mysterious and creepy- the kind of movie that transforms people into cinephiles.
posted by cakelite at 8:50 PM on May 7, 2019 [4 favorites]

Sweet Smell of Success if you haven’t already seen it, and maybe if you have, and then maybe idk weep for the world bc I just realized the end of that film is actually way more optimistic than current reality allows so I’m not even sure if it’s noir anymore?

The Third Man
Rififi
The Killing

...actually if all those movies are on there I’m gonna go ahead and get this new shiny service myself
posted by schadenfrau at 9:20 PM on May 7, 2019

Chungking Express
posted by bluecore at 9:42 PM on May 7, 2019 [4 favorites]

I just rewatched Mildred Pierce. I had watched it originally during a "let's watch tons of Joan Crawford pictures" phase and had mentally filed it at least a little bit as camp. On rewatching I find it's a fine film with a truly great performance from Crawford, who won an Oscar for it. Golden Era melodrama doesn't fit your profile much but off the top of my head, that's one of my faves.

Similarly off-brand for your list but also stunning if you can get past some predictably gross Orientalism, Powell and Pressburger's Black Narcissus...wait, actually it looks like The Red Shoes is also on there, same filmmakers but less Orientalism and the long dance sequence is unbelievably visually inventive.

If you haven't seen it, 8 1/2 is unlike anything else, surreal and, in the end, deeply moving.

[now I'm scrolling around and looking at titles]

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, again if you haven't seen it, is a through-composed musical with the blinding star power of the young Catherine Deneuve and lovely songwriting by Michel Legrand. If the last scene doesn't kill you, you were already dead.

We just watched Smiles of a Summer Night which is fun if you're a musical theater fan at all but probably also if you're not.

I am just so happy that Filmstruck came back from the dead...
posted by Smearcase at 9:47 PM on May 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

The Young Girls of Rochefort leaps to mind as a favorite that's easy to recommend--so happy and beautiful. If you've seen it and felt the same way, I'd suggest that the absurd and sometimes wonderful Donkey Skin doesn't get as much attention as it deserves, maybe because of the dubious 70s-kids-movie production quality and deadpan take on a fairy tale that's just not right, but it's campy as heck and kind of awesome. Along the same lines--a fractured fairy tale musical I haven't heard many people recommend, maybe because some bits are off-kilter--I think The Lure is pretty great: it's about mermaids working at a dance club in communist Poland, and the accompanying documentary has worthwhile commentary from the woman who directed it, the women who wrote the music, etc.

BTW, you might appreciate everything on the Criterion Channel, sorted by Letterboxd rating, and the /r/criterion subreddit, where the moderators have been posting brief selections curated by users.
posted by Wobbuffet at 10:10 PM on May 7, 2019 [1 favorite]

Amarcord, Fellini
Beauty and the Beast, Cocteau (leaves Disney in the dust)
The Seventh Seal, Bergman
Sullivan's Travels, Preston Sturges
posted by lois1950 at 10:59 PM on May 7, 2019

Based on what you've liked so far, some suggestions in maybe a slightly different vein but not too far removed:

Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy: Pather Panchali, Aparajito, and Apursansar might work. They are along the same lines as some of the neo-realist works but from an Indian perspective. If you like those Ray has a number of other movies on the site to follow up with. Some, like Charulata are based around the experience of women in India.

Movies directed by Naruse, Mizoguchi, and, my favorite, Shimizu might work for you as they are some of the major Japanese filmmakers that were working at roughly the same time as Ozu. Naruse is perhaps closest in subject matter, Mizoguchi more a contrast, and Shimizu, who died young, was admired by Mizoguchi and Ozu for his genius in making directing seem effortless.
For Shimizu try Ornamental Hairpin or The Massuers and a Woman
For Mizoguchi Sansho the Baliff or maybe Ugetsu would be a good start
For Naruse Sound of the Mountain, Yearning, or Floating Clouds
Also check out Sadao Yamanaka's Humanity and Paper Balloons Yamanaka also died young and didn't leave a body of work but Paper Balloons is fantastic

For women directors I think Larisa Shepitko's Wings is extraordinarily great though many prefer her war movie Ascent, Chantal Akerman's The Meetings of Anna is great, though Jeanne Dielmann is the go to for her. News from Home is another good choice. Věra Chytilová's Daisies is a lot of fun.

Jane Campion's Sweetie or An Angel at My Table are worth seeing as is La Ciénaga by Lucrecia Martel. Barbara Loden's Wanda is really good in a more pared down manner than the others. Susanne Bier's (who directed Bird Box) After the Wedding and Brothers are good, but maybe not exceptional. Fish Tank by Andrea Arnold is a bit better than the Bier's movies perhaps, and Claire Denis' White Material is likewise.

I liked Agnieszka Smoczyńska's take on the little mermaid legend, The Lure, but it's an odd and dark quasi-musical that I'm sure isn't everyone's cup of tea. Catherine Breillat is another that some find great and other's don't much like at all for her emphasis on sexuality shown in sometimes disturbing ways. Fat Girl might be one to try from her. Liliana Cavani's The Night Porter is another on the disturbing side that splits opinions.

Kelly Reichardt's movie Meek's Cutoff found some dislike but at least as much love, I side with the lovers on it myself. For Elaine May's Mikey and Nicky though I find myself on the outside, but many love it.

My Brilliant Career, Smithereens, Virgin Suicides and Girlfriends are all enjoyable enough choices, though perhaps not as notable as many of those above. I'm sure I missed a few and haven't seen some of the others, but that's my accounting of what I noticed.

As a last note I'll suggest Olmi's I Fidanzati or Il Posto, Yang's Yiyi, and maybe Bresson's Pickpocket or Mouchette just as a guess as some that might fit with what you like. There are just too many others I dig to even try and name them all, but I hope this gives you something to go with. If any do interest you I can expand on why I like them, but I don't want to spoil anything by saying too much.
posted by gusottertrout at 12:58 AM on May 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

There are several people blogging their way through the 1001 movies to see before you die lists (including me). That's a decent place to start. This guy's blog has a list of links to other 1001 movie bloggers.

If you're looking for Criterion specifically - there are bloggers who also devote themselves to Criterion. This guy is determined to "watch all of Criterion's DVDs", as is this guy.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:43 AM on May 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

If I was just going to recommend one film, I'd pick Children of Paradise, because it is captivating and transporting, and severely under-appreciated.

MOVIES I THINK YOU'LL LIKE BASED ON YOUR LISTED TASTES

If you haven't seen High And Low, it's very different from Kurosawa's other movies. It's based on a novel by Ed McBain, and while it's nowhere near as slice-of-life as an Ozu movie, it does have a slightly more contemporary feel than a lot of Kurosawa's other stuff. Seven Samurai is still my favorite Kurosawa but High And Low is an interesting counterpoint.

Wings of Desire is gorgeously shot and even though it's about angels, it presents humanity in a kind of off-hand way that reminds me a little of the neo-realists.

The Taste of Cherry feels like Iranian neo-realism with a teeny hint of new wave impishness.

MOVIES THAT MIGHT NOT FIT YOUR PROFILE BUT I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH

Stagecoach is a great movie, even for people who think they don't like westerns.

8 1/2 is my favorite Fellini movie.

City Lights is a perfect blend of comedy and pathos. Modern Times is great, too. (I'd stay away from The Great Dictator, which I personally consider a misfire.)

Mystery Train is my favorite Jim Jarmusch film.

Wages of Fear spends a long time establishing characters, so that when it suddenly turns into pure suspense, you really care about everybody's fate.

Damn it. Now I want to just stay home and watch movies all day.
posted by yankeefog at 3:47 AM on May 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

Carol Reed x 3.
posted by james33 at 5:09 AM on May 8, 2019

Au Hazard Balthazar is a longtime favorite and, imo, the best Bresson.
posted by dobbs at 5:50 AM on May 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

I love, love, love Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles but I hesitate to recommend it because it works best on a big screen where you can get absolutely lost in it. Maybe check out some other Akerman?
posted by Automocar at 6:58 AM on May 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Andrei Tarkovsky's greatest hits are on Criterion. His work is a bit of an acquired taste, I didn't really like it at first, now he's my fave. His pacing is often quite slow, but it has a hypnotic quality that can draw you in and make a deep impression.
posted by ovvl at 9:13 AM on May 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

The Criterion website has a whole bunch of Top 10 Lists from various directors, actors, musicians, etc.
posted by Clustercuss at 9:32 AM on May 8, 2019

+1 for a Powell & Pressburger festival; I saw Black Narcissus a few years ago, it was amazing. (Here's Scorsese talking about their influence on his work.)
posted by Bron at 2:42 PM on May 8, 2019 [2 favorites]

All the Zatoichi movies are on Criterion - they're a great '60s series about a blind samurai. I think Zatoichi and the Chest of Gold is the best of them, but there are lots (like 20) and plenty of them are good. They're really quite entertaining and well made to boot!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 5:21 PM on May 8, 2019

Danton -- Gérard Depardieu and Wojciech Pszoniak star in Andrzej Wajda's powerful, intimate depiction of the ideological clash between the earthy, man-of-the-people Georges Danton and icy Jacobin extremist Maximilien Robespierre, both key figures of the French Revolution.

OK, so that's the thumbnail description from Criterion's site. I love this movie so much, Depardieu and Pszoniak play off of one another perfectly, unbelievable casting. The guillotine always in the background, but in the emotional foreground. A favorite scene of all movies of all time for me is the dinner scene, Depardieu explodes off the screen, no one but him could pull that off, and Pszokiak runs as icy cold as Depardieu runs hot. A rich, dark, beautiful movie.

I saw Wings of Desire listed by someone upthread and I'd say yes to that, also. The first time I saw it was on VHS, I was caught into it immediately, watched it end to end, rewound it and watched it again. The silver cast of the film is just gorgeous, absolutely beautiful. It even has room, and lotsof it, too, for Peter Falk. At a park or a swimming pool or wherever, I met a young man here (Austin) who was born/raised in Berlin, I told him about Wings of Desire, caught his interest, we watched it together, he said it was dead-on, completely accurate, down to the street slang a prostitute used when talking to herself. He felt like he was back in his home city, and back in his youth. Hell of a movie. I say give it a whirl.
posted by dancestoblue at 5:10 AM on May 9, 2019 [1 favorite]