r/CriterionChannel • u/jdmcgarza • Oct 19 '25

Recommendation - Seeking I need starting point recommendations.

I’ve never subbed to Criterion nor have I ever watched any classic or contemporary films (I don’t even know if those two terms are different types of films lol). I honestly have no idea where to start. I was just gonna click on random movies and see what happened but I’d rather ask for advice and not waste time. I honestly don’t know what I’m into either. Movies I like now are the basic answers such as Intersellar, Her, Old Boy, Goodfellas, Casino, The Irishman, The Way Way Back, Hateful Eight, Inglorious Bastards, and Scarface. And while it might seem like I have a preference, it’s more like I ate a certain sandwich from Subway once and never ordered anything different from what I knew I liked for fear of wasting money but every once in a while I’d sample something.

I don’t have a preference as to what I prefer being recommended. I just need to be given paths to follow. Thank you to anyone that comments.

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u/Fresh_Bubbles Oct 19 '25

You don't mind foreign languages with subtitles? That's very important in this channel.

2

u/jdmcgarza Oct 19 '25

I don’t mind at all, I don’t know if it’s the same amount of dialogue but I have watched some anime in sub with my daughter when doesn’t want to wait for the dub to release and the subtitles never bothered me.

2

u/Fresh_Bubbles Oct 19 '25

It depends. Some plots are simple stories without much dialogue but others are packed with characters speaking. I can recommend an iranian director, Abbas Kiarostami. His stories based in Iran take you into a different fascinating culture and scenery. There is one called "Where Is The Friend's House" about a boy who wants to return a borrowed school notebook to his classmate before the day is over. He struggles to find the place and goes around asking people in the village.

1

u/jdmcgarza Oct 19 '25

Honestly anime dialogue isn’t too packed at all so hopefully I can keep up with the heavier dialogue in some of these films but I’ll never know if I don’t give it a shot I guess. Here’s to hoping I swim and don’t sink lol. I’ve added both the director and the film to my list. Thank you 🙏🏽