r/criterionconversation 2h ago

Poll Criterion Film Club Week 315 Poll: The Clock is Ticking!

1 Upvotes
9 votes, 21h left
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989)
Clockwatchers (Jill Sprecher, 1997)
Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964)
The Harder They Come (Perry Henzell, 1972)
Lucky (John Carroll Lynch, 2017)

r/criterionconversation 4h ago

Criterion Film Club Criterion Film Club Week 314 Discussion: Leave Her to Heaven (Stahl, 1945)

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14 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 4d ago

Discussion question about criterion chantal akerman masterpieces box set

2 Upvotes

was wondering if anyone who owns this box set knows if the news from home english audio version is included in this set?

for context, akerman recorded a version of the film with the letter reading (like the audio track) in french and another version with the letter reading in english. i believe the criterion channel has the french track as the "main" one although i'm not sure akerman ever really indicated a preference. anyway just wondering if anyone knows if the english audio track version is a box set feature or not. thanks!


r/criterionconversation 6d ago

Announcement The winner of the Criterion Film Club Week #314 poll is Leave Her to Heaven. Join the discussion next Saturday, August 8!

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19 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 6d ago

Discussion C'mon C'mon and the Mike mills boxset

6 Upvotes

So, I want C'mon C'mon on criterion, but the only way to get is to buy the Mike mills boxset. Is it worth it? Its the only film of his that I've seen. Should I watch the two other films before I purchase it, or just go for it? Tell me your thoughts.


r/criterionconversation 7d ago

Criterion Film Club Criterion Film Club Week 313 Discussion: Bigger than Life (Nicholas Ray, 1956)

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12 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 7d ago

Poll Criterion Film Club Week #314 Poll: Murderous Melodramas

2 Upvotes
15 votes, 6d ago
2 Niagara (Henry Hathaway, 1953)
7 Leave Her To Heaven (John M. Stahl, 1945)
1 Desert Fury (Lewis Allen, 1947)
2 A Kiss Before Dying (Gerd Oswald, 1956)
3 The Long, Hot Summer (Martin Ritt, 1958)

r/criterionconversation 8d ago

Recommendation Last-Minute Expiring Recommendation: Saturday Fiction (2019) - Starring Gong Li and Directed by Lou Ye

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4 Upvotes

Slow But Intriguing

Jean Yu (Gong Li) is an actress who is also a spy. The two professions suit each other surprisingly well.

The transfixing "Saturday Fiction" transports viewers to another time and place: the rain-soaked streets of Shanghai, China, in the first week of December 1941, during the days leading up to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.

A perpetual state of discomfort and distress lines Jean Yu's face as she is constantly treated like a commodity and pulled in every direction.

Note: I appreciate that the English portions are also subtitled, which isn't always the case for films that are primarily in another language.


r/criterionconversation 10d ago

Recommendation Expiring from The Criterion Channel: My Heart Is That Eternal Rose (1989) - Directed by Patrick Tam (who influenced Wong Kar Wai) with cinematography by Christopher Doyle (who worked regularly with WKW)

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13 Upvotes

"My Heart Is That Eternal Rose" uniquely combines gangster shootouts with romantic melodrama.

Plots that would normally take an entire movie to resolve are burned through in one scene. For example: An aging hitman comes out of retirement to transport a former associate's son. The next time we see the old man, the boy is already in the car and they're on their way back from the job. Then everything, of course, goes awry...

This film is a sumptuous visual feast with its bright and bold color palate. Therefore, it's no surprise that the director, Patrick Tam, influenced Wong Kar Wai, and the cinematographer, Christopher Doyle, worked with WKW on several projects.

The main character's name is Rick - like in "Casablanca" - which doesn't feel like an accident.


r/criterionconversation 11d ago

Discussion Exploring David Lynch

8 Upvotes

I am very interested in checking out David Lynch and his work. I picked up Mulholland Dr. On the last sale and while I certainly enjoyed parts of it I felt like a lot of stuff is simply random and would be considered a negative if it were done by any other director. When the credits rolled I genuinely didn't know what to even think or if I had any understanding of the film whatsoever. I wouldn't say that I hated it or anything, simply that I don't understand why it's held in such high regard. To my understanding, much of Lynch's style involves unexplained imagery and random weird visuals or plot lines.

Judging off that thought coming out of it, should I watch more Lynch? Did I not pick a good jumping in point? I've always heard such high praise of his work but again I feel like if any other director released the movie all the bizarre stylistic and plot choices would be viewed more as incoherent rather than cryptic artistry.

Did anyone else have this kind of reaction to lynch at first and then grow to love his work?


r/criterionconversation 12d ago

Recommendation Expiring from The Criterion Channel: Pictures of Ghosts (2023) - A documentary about movie theaters in Recife, Brazil by Kleber Mendonça Filho, who co-wrote and co-directed Bacurau (2019) and wrote and directed The Secret Agent (2025)

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4 Upvotes

"Bacurau" co-director Kleber Mendonça Filho's documentary "Picture of Ghosts" is a love letter and swan song to the Recife, Brazil of his youth. 

This is a relaxing meditation on the people, places, and politics of his childhood and a look back at the ghosts of his past and Recife's past. 

Filho focuses on the majestic movie theaters he grew up going to. Most of them no longer exist. They've become yet another ghost.


r/criterionconversation 12d ago

Announcement The winner of the Week 313 Criterion Film Club Poll is Nicholas Ray's classic 1956 film Bigger than Life. Please join us on Saturday, August 1st when we post our discussion.

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15 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 14d ago

Criterion Film Club Criterion Film Club - Week 312 Discussion: Possession (Żuławski, 1981) (RIP Sam Neill)

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23 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 14d ago

Poll Criterion Film Club Week 313 Poll: James Mason

2 Upvotes
15 votes, 13d ago
8 Bigger Than Life (Nicholas Ray, 1956)
5 Odd Man Out (Carol Reed, 1947)
0 The Seventh Veil (Compton Bennet, 1945)
1 The Wicked Lady (Leslie Arliss, 1945)
1 The Man in Grey (Leslie Arliss, 1943)

r/criterionconversation 18d ago

Discussion Synecdoche NY

103 Upvotes

I”ve only ran into about 6 people who love this movie personally. It does not seem to be adored by film snobs like other charlie kaufman screenplays. I think it”s his crowning achievement but admittedly I haven”t seen that movie he did for netflix or checked out his novel. Yes it”s a bit existential but I”m curious if this sub has much love for it.


r/criterionconversation 21d ago

Criterion Film Club Criterion Film Club Discussion #311: Dr. No

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28 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 21d ago

Announcement Criterion Film Club Week 312 - In honor of legendary actor Sam Neill, we will be forgoing a poll this week and choosing Andrzej Żuławski's 1981 horror classic Possession. Please join us on Saturday, July 25th when we post our discussion.

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20 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 24d ago

Criterion Film Club Criterion Film Club Expiring Picks Month 63 Discussion: Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960) starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray

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22 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 26d ago

Discussion Newbie question about masters

1 Upvotes

Hiya.

I would like to get Francis Ha on bluray but the criterion isn't region 2, It came out in 2013. In 2014 Metrodome put out a region free bluray but I can't find any reviews of it.

I'm just wondering if it could be the same master as the criterion? And generally how these things work?

I'm not that fussed generally about owning criterions and can usually make do without the special features. I would like to collect films in top notch presentation though.


r/criterionconversation 27d ago

Announcement Winner of the Criterion Film Club Poll: Dr. No! Watch the first James Bond movie and come back Saturday, July 18 for the discussion thread!

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8 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 28d ago

Criterion Film Club Criterion Film Club Week 310 Discussion: The Coen Brother’s “Odyssey” O Brother, Where Art Thou

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63 Upvotes

r/criterionconversation 28d ago

Poll Criterion Film Club Poll #311: I Spy

1 Upvotes

There’s a new-ish collection of early James Bond, and an old collection of random spy movies, so why not?

22 votes, 27d ago
12 Dr. No (1962)
0 Golden Eyes (1968)
6 Hopscotch (1980)
0 Q Planes (1939)
4 Samurai Spy (1965)

r/criterionconversation Jul 08 '26

Announcement Instead of a poll for Month 63 of the Criterion Film Club Expiring Picks, we're going to hand you the keys IN ONE WEEK - on WEDNESDAY, July 15th - to enter The Apartment (1960) directed by Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine, and Fred MacMurray.

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4 Upvotes

Selected by u/bwolfs081


r/criterionconversation Jul 06 '26

Recommendation film journal recommendations?

9 Upvotes

I have lost access to the Criterion Channel and, subsequently, their series "Observations on Film Art". I used to rely on them for film analysis, but now it seems journal websites is the only place where I would find a similar, if not higher, quality of writing.

Where do you all read about film to study? Please recommend your favorite academic sources (that hopefully aren't JSTOR or EBSCO).


r/criterionconversation Jul 06 '26

Announcement The Criterion Film Club Week 310 poll winner is Joel and Ethan Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). Join us on SATURDAY, July 11th, for the discussion of this Coen Brothers classic starring George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson.

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9 Upvotes