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
Category: Criterion
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
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of July
A lot of movies will leave The Criterion Channel come July 31 - and several of them written by Dalton Trumbo. Here are some you may want to catch before August - although some of these may be back on Criterion soon. A He Ran All the Way (1951) When I first saw this cheap … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of July
Samuel Fuller Criterion: Pickup on South Street on Blu-ray
Here's one of the best noirs from the dark, grimy, golden age of the genre. Written and directed by the great Samuel Fuller, it doesn't pull its punches, either metaphorically or literally. Richard Widmark (whose cold face cries out for noir) stars as a pickpocket who lifts the wrong wallet on a crowded New York … Continue reading Samuel Fuller Criterion: Pickup on South Street on Blu-ray
What’s leaving Criterion at the end of June – the complete version
Sorry about yesterday's blunder. I accidentally posted an unfinished version of this article. Here's the complete post. Several Marx Brothers will disappear from the Criterion Channel at the end of the month…and that's no laughing matter. Some serious films will disappear as well. Here are just a few of the films that will no longer … Continue reading What’s leaving Criterion at the end of June – the complete version
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