Martin Scorsese doesn't only make films. For the last thirty years, he has also been restoring old films through his Film Foundation. The Criterion Channel is now streaming a selection of 27 films that Scorsese has restored. I haven't seen all of them. Here are nine out of the 27 that I have seen and … Continue reading Criterion & The Film Foundation
Category: Criterion
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of October
It's scary! You turn your TV to the Criterion Channel, and the film you wanted to see has suddenly disappeared! Don't let that happen! Full recommendations A+ Do the Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee's masterpiece just may be the best fiction film ever made about modern race relations in America. For a 34-plus-year-old film, it … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of October
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of April
At the end of every month, the Criterion Channel drops a lot of films to make room for other pictures. See these, or at least some of them, before it's May. Full recommendations A Ten Canoes (2006) This unique film feels more like a piece of oral tradition than of cinema. A heavily accented, English-speaking, … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of April
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of March
At the end of every month, the Criterion Channel removes a selection of films from their catalogue. These ones will disappear on April 1. Full recommendations A Nosferatu (1922) Forget about sexy vampires; the first film version of Dracula doesn't have one. This unauthorized rip-off got the filmmakers in legal trouble, where Max Schreck played … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of March
Pre-Code Paramount on the Criterion Channel
As silent movies died and the talkies took over, movies became racier. The jokes got raunchier. The gowns were more revealing. And the bad girl could get the good guy – or maybe two good guys. This so-called "Pre-Code era" died in 1934, when the censors of the Production Code Administration took away much of the fun. … Continue reading Pre-Code Paramount on the Criterion Channel
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of February
As usual, a lot of movies available on the Criterion Channel will disappear at the end of February. If you like screwball comedy, and other genres, check out these films before it's March. Full recommendations A+ The Lady Eve (1941) Like most great screwballs, Preston Sturges' The Lady Eve looks at class differences. It also examines the problems … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of February
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of November
At the end of every month, the Criterion Channel removes a lot of movies from their streaming service (although some return surprisingly fast). Here are only a few of the films that will go away when November disappears. Full recommendations A Deep Cover (1992) Here's an extraordinary film noir from the early 1990s. Laurence Fishburne … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of November
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of April
I've been so busy with the SFFilm Festival and life itself, I forgot about The Criterion Channel. Anyway, a lot of good movies will disappear from the Channel when May comes along. Try to catch some of these while it's still April. Full recommendations A A Separation (2011) Writer/director Asghar Farhadi demonstrates how good people … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of April
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of February
At the end of every month, The Criterion Channel removes a considerable number of films from their streaming platform. Here are some that I can recommend. See them, or at least as many as you can, before February becomes March. Full recommendations A Pickup on South Street (1953) Richard Widmark plays a pickpocket who lifts … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of February
What will leave Criterion come midnight
When the trick-or-treaters go to bed and October turns into November, some excellent films will mysteriously disappear. Many of them were directed by John Huston. At the end of this month, Criterion will remove 59 feature films from its streaming service to make more for other classics. Here's a few of them: A The African … Continue reading What will leave Criterion come midnight
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