Pina: Criterion Collection
February 14, 2013
More than 20 years in the making, Pina (2011) was originally conceived by filmmaker Wim Wenders as a documentary about famous choreographer and dancer Pina Bausch. However, he couldn’t figure out how to translate the artistry and elegance of the performers...
Two-Lane Blacktop: Criterion Collection
January 4, 2013
In anticipation of its release later that year, Esquire magazine ran a substantial piece on Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) and boldly proclaimed it to be the best film of the year. Despite high praise from such a prestigious periodical, the studio refused to...
Following: Criterion Collection
January 2, 2013
Shot on a bare-bones budget of approximately $5,000, Following (1999) is the auspicious feature film debut of writer/director Christopher Nolan. Shot sporadically over a year on black and white 16 mm film stock, it would introduce many of the themes that...
Weekend: Criterion Collection
December 6, 2012
Jean-Luc Godard’s Weekend (1967) is an outrageous pastiche of 1960s intellectual discourse, fusing together the ideas of Karl Marx, Jacques Lacan and Bertolt Brecht (among others). Along with his cinematic contemporaries, chief among them, Pier Paolo...
Sunday Bloody Sunday: Criterion Collection
November 15, 2012
Fresh from the success of his Academy Award-winning film Midnight Cowboy (1969), director John Schlesinger parlayed his newfound clout by convincing United Artists to bankroll his next film, Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), which focused on a love triangle...
In the Mood for Love: Criterion Collection
October 22, 2012
Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai may be the master of unrequited love. Think of the cop with a crush on a femme fatale in Chungking Express (1994) or the hitman whose handler admires him from afar in Fallen Angels (1995). However, In the Mood for Love...
Lonesome: Criterion Collection
August 27, 2012
Due to the passage of time that resulted in several of his films disappearing forever, Paul Fejos is a long-forgotten filmmaker from the silent era of cinema. Before picking up a movie camera, he had already studied medicine and served as an orderly in...
Le Havre: Criterion Collection
August 9, 2012
Aki Kaurismaki is arguably Finland’s most famous export – a filmmaker that favors understated stories of basic human decency, usually involving the working class. His films also celebrate life and the right to live it however one wants. His latest...
Metropolitan: Criterion Collection
July 19, 2012
The early 1990s marked the emergence of two independent filmmakers who were seen as possible heirs to Woody Allen’s cinematic legacy: Noah Baumbach (Kicking and Screaming) and Whit Stillman. The latter filmmaker, in particular, has often been cited...
Down By Law: Criterion Collection
July 17, 2012
After he helped revitalize the American independent film scene with Stranger Than Paradise (1984), New York filmmaker, Jim Jarmusch followed it up with Down By Law (1986). While it didn’t make as big an impact as his previous film, Down By Law adheres...
