This all somehow led to me signing up for a 7-day free trial of the Criterion Channel, the streaming app associated with the Criterion Collection.
Obviously, I'm going to watch Andrei Rublev. When searching for that film, the results also pulled up My Dinner with Andre, which isn't directed by Tarkovsky but does also contain most of the word "Andrei," so I guess apophenia isn't just a human ability to make connections between unrelated things.
Anyway, I've always meant to watch My Dinner with Andre, ever since that one Community episode that, thankfully, Mark reviewed rather than me. He did a much better job than I ever could have.
I've got those two items on my watchlist but am not sure what else to do with my brief subscription. Yes, I googled "best Criterion Channel movies" and got a weird mix of results, so I thought I'd ask the original Google: blog readers, who have not yet, as far as I can tell, been replaced by AI overviews.
Agents and Warriors of Doux, what should I watch on the Criterion Channel? What great, film-bro movies should I add to my list? Bonus points for a mixture of subtitled and English-language originals, because I can't do crafts while watching a subtitled movie.
Josie Kafka is a full-time cat servant and part-time rogue demon hunter. (What's a rogue demon?)
Well, I also did a search of best Criterion Channel movies and didn't recognize any of the titles, so the Criterion Channel might not be for me. :)
ReplyDeleteI would check out the Commentary tracks since they're something that you might not be able to find on other services. Silence of the Lambs might be a cool one, but it also looks like they have a handful of Bond films too right now.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, while this would require subtitles (and may not be your speed in general; I somehow still don't have a good handle on what your taste is yet, Josie!), they have some really good and influential Japanese horror movies. I'd particularly highlight Cure, Ringu (much better than the American remake), and the far more esoteric House.
Josie! I saw Andrei Rublev in a theater for the first time last year. Very interesting movie and will be curious to hear your thoughts. If you have the stomach (lightness of spirit?) to handle the very disturbing but incredible Come and See, it's one of the most effective movies I have seen to date and it's hard to find, should one want to watch. Jeanne Dielman, if you haven't seen it yet. Consider getting lost in some of the really cool director features the channel is so good at making. Everyone from David Lynch to Ari Aster to John Waters. Also Nolan's Following is on here. :)
ReplyDeleteMy moment has come, time to activate cinephilia mode.
ReplyDeleteI recommend trying all of Tarkovsky's films, especially Solaris, Stalker, and Mirror, along with Jacques Demy's musical trio (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The Young Girls of Rochefort, and Donkey Skin), Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Samouraï, King Hu's martial arts epics Dragon Inn and A Touch of Zen, and some of the works of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus, and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp).
That's quite a lot, but if you also have the time check out Harakiri, Sullivan's Travels, Chungking Express, High and Low, Picnic at Hanging Rock, and Paris, Texas.
Fangirl, I read your comment last night and have been thinking about it ever since.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I have a "taste" when it comes to movies. I definitely do for books and TV shows. But I don't watch movies as often as I watch TV or read books.
If I have a taste, it's somewhere along the lines of "weird but still mainstream." Bad Times at the El Royale might be a good example, or The Green Knight. I like slightly offbeat and referential films. I like some degree of postmodern meta-ness. But I don't have much knowledge of art house or classic cinema...hence my puzzlement at what to prioritize with the Criterion Channel.
I like the idea of doing some commentary tracks. I miss the age of DVD commentary tracks! I'll try the Japanese horror, although sometimes horror just freaks me out so much I become convinced there's a monster under my couch.
I'll dive into the Russians that Heather recommended, too, including of course Mark's recommendation that I watch all of Tarkovsky. I suspect I will need more than a 7-day free trial to complete all of these homework assignments. I will report back.
I am working my way through Andrei Rublev. Absurdly, the first 45 minutes or so I kept getting the actors confused with one another. But luckily I have another 138 minutes of film to watch, so I'm sure I'll sort them out eventually.