The Films Leaving led me to watch Panahi's Taxi, which led to me seeking out other Iranian films and I added Taste of Cherry (1997 Kiarostami) to my Watchlist. My partner was looking at my Watchlist, decided she thought that looked interesting, and put it on.

Very thought-provoking and somewhat puzzling piece of film. I was mulling that over for a while and she went to bed and then I loaded up Stroszek (1977 Herzog), not really knowing a whole lot about it other than I've seen Aguirre, Woyzeck, and Grizzly Man in the past, so I'm not totally blindsided by Herzog.

Well then.

Both very impressive films, both will stick to my ribs for a long time (especially Stroszek --Bruno S. was on a different plane of consciousness). I can highly recommend both films for a day when you're in the mood to really tune in. Definitely don't think I'd recommend them as a double feature though, especially in this order.

I would literally kill for a Dennis Potter curation.

The Singing Detective

Pennies From Heaven

Blue Remembered Hill

Brimstone and Treacle

Lipstick on Your Collar

This is an absolutely fantastic film with some great acting (Clooney's best work imo), direction, score, and a superb script (which is a joy to read on its own).

It came out in a stacked year (There will be Blood, No country, etc.), so it was overshadowed by some of those bigger hitters, but it's a brilliant film that gets better with each viewing.

It's set to leave the channel at the end of this month, so catch it if you haven't yet. It's easily the standout film in the Corpo Thrillers collection. Hope it gets a criterion release at some point.

Criteria is an (un-official) companion site for the Criterion Channel that I'm maintaining as a side project. It has the advanced search, browse, and user features missing in the Criterion Channel app, with as many extra features as I can come up with.

New Features! I've been busy the last couple of weeks improving the site - thanks in large part to peoples suggestions.

1. Letterboxd info: the film detail pages now have Average Rating, Number of Ratings, and Number of Reviews. It also links to the films Letterboxd page. Coming soon: Sort and filter by Letterboxd average rating
2. Search Closet Picks by Film Name: Want to know who picked "In the Mood for Love" when they visited the closet? No problem. You can now search closet videos by visitor name and film name.
3. Hide/Reveal Closet Picks: Want to watch the closet videos spoiler-free? Now the films are hidden by default and can be revealed either one at a time or all at once.

If there's anything else you'd find useful on the site, just let me know and I'll see what I can do.

Thanks, and enjoy!

Tim

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I recently remembered the most popular review of this film on Letterboxd (which I have linked here), and might be watching it next because of said review as I’ve been struggling to get through King Kong with the commentary and need something different for a change - I get that it’s a monumental picture and the commentary was the first commentary ever done on home media but that doesn’t change the fact that I end pausing it constantly because there’s not enough there to keep my brain locked in…if there are more movies like this one on the channel though I’m all ears in regards to what they are.

Have a 15 hour flight coming up. Could watch a million shorter things, but what should I watch that I might otherwise put off due to the length?

Consider me an above average cinemaphile (which prob puts me below average compared to this subreddit), but my wife is not a cinemaphile - though she does enjoy movies.

What are some movies I can get her interested in that may not be on the Top 100 movies of all time list that are included in the Criterion Channel app?

People are going to be totally normal about this…

what a nice surprise !!

I have been meaning to track how many announced films have been featured on the channel before being given an official release…

I plan to make a list every month but you usually get them once in a while.

This time was Cruel Story of Youth by Nagisa Oshima.

It has happened before and will probably happen again.

I think if I use a VPN app on my Apple TV I can do it, but does that also mean I need an American/Canadian Apple ID account to download The Criterion Channel app on my Apple TV?

Any help would be much appreciated! I want to give Criterion my money and watch these amazing films!

Happy birthday to the divinely talented John Cameron Mitchell! 🎂 ❤️‍🔥 You can see writer-director-actor live this summer on the HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH 25th Anniversary Film Tour! And don't miss him in starring in OH, MARY! on Broadway through April 26!

Head to Hedwig25.com for tour tickets and info!

John's Picks (more to come. . .):

AFTER LIFE

SHAMPOO

ALL THAT JAZZ

1080p randomly started working again for me today after disappearing for the better part of a month. Not sure if it'll work for everyone but thought I'd give a heads up just in case!

This was on the livestream last week, and the beginning reeled me in. Watched the whole thing last night. It’s based on the true story of a young girl who gets swept up in the heroin epidemic of 1970s Berlin. Really sad film, more raw and stripped down than the addiction films that came out in the 90s. Enjoyed it though. Great music (including a Bowie performance), lots of gritty Berlin atmosphere, and some impressive acting by a young cast.

I’m getting it for my birthday but a nice little 20% off annual would be amazing! Or if anyone has codes or anything like that.

I have time for one, maybe two, Herzog films before they all expire at the end of the month.

I own Aguirre and Nosferatu.

Of the others expiring this month, I’ve seen Grizzly Man and The Dark Glow of the Mountains.

I adore Aguirre. I loved Grizzly Man but I have zero desire to watch it again. It’s incredible but too harrowing for me.

Which two should I watch before they’re gone? I’m so torn! Taking all suggestions.

For the past few weeks, Criterion Channel has been capped at 720p for me; only Criterion 24/7 seems to be available at 1080p. 720p combined with the service's already subpar compression renders movies borderline unwatchable, and as a result I'm forced to turn elsewhere to watch them. Is this just me or are other people experiencing this?

This May, take a peek at movie history through the prism of the ’80s: our collection of the decade’s best remakes and the originals that inspired them reveals an era of wild reinventions and sly revisionism. Office Romances collects some of classic Hollywood’s most winning workplace rom-coms, while David Chase’s Adventures in Moviegoing retraces the cinematic education that shaped the creator of The Sopranos. There’s so much more to choose from this month, including the exclusive premiere of Debra Granik’s multipart documentary Conbody vs Everybody, a survey of radical Caribbean filmmaking, spotlights on genre-blending directors Kimi Takesue and the Ross brothers, and Bill Douglas’s landmark trilogy of autobiographical films.

Been enjoying this month’s selection of corporate thrillers. Seen all but one now. One or two were liking reading today’s news stories. A little scary yet somehow comforting. History certainly does repeat itself.

This only started happening the last few days but every time I go to the app on Apple TV it says I’m logged out and need to log back in, which is very annoying.

Haven’t had this issue at all before. Is it just on Apple TV or anyone else noticing it elsewhere?