CriterionCast » Reviews

Joshua Reviews Robin Hardy’s ‘The Wicker Tree’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 15:36:47 +0000

New film is a long awaited sequel to the iconic cult classic, The Wicker Man.

Joshua Reviews Frederick Wiseman’s ‘Crazy Horse’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:17:22 +0000

Joshua reviews the newest film from iconic documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman.

James Reviews Jalmari Helander’s Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale [Blu-ray Review]

James McCormick — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:57:25 +0000

James takes a look at the recent Blu-ray release of Rare Exports from Oscilloscope Laboratories.

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Akira Kurosawa’s Sanshiro Sugata

David Blakeslee — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:20:04 +0000

A look at Kurosawa's debut feature, a martial arts saga that laid the foundation for many themes he'd explore over the following fifty years. With LOTS of screencaps.

Joshua Reviews ‘The Cinema Of Jean Rollin,’ Kino’s Five New Redemption Film Blu-ray Releases [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:28:55 +0000

Joshua reviews the Blu-rays of five classic thrillers from director Jean Rollin.

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Takashi Nomura’s A Colt Is My Passport

David Blakeslee — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:00:51 +0000

In this 1967 film, Japanese tough guy Joe Shishido warmed up for his role in Branded To Kill as a steely-nerved hitman running for his life from the gang that betrayed him.

Joshua Reviews Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Haywire’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:47:11 +0000

And spoiler: it's a kick-ass piece of work from the director of 'Schizopolis' and 'Traffic.'

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Three Popular Films by Jean-Pierre Gorin

David Blakeslee — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:29:21 +0000

In the newest offering from Eclipse, the so-called "Southern California Trilogy" uses three disparate subjects (developmentally delayed twins, model railroad builders and urban street gangs) to ponder how we learn, communicate and make sense of the world around us.

Joshua Reviews Patric Chiha’s ‘Domain’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:30:08 +0000

Joshua reviews the new film from from first time director Patric Chiha.

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Dušan Makavejev’s Man Is Not a Bird

David Blakeslee — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:21:26 +0000

Testing the limits of both Communist censorship standards and narrative filmmaking conventions was a specialty of the great Serbian director Dusan Makavejev. In the muted satire of Man Is Not a Bird, he began the trek that made him one of the most notorious agitators in cinematic history.

Joshua Reviews Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Film Socialisme’ [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:00:18 +0000

Joshua reviews the latest film from French New Wave icon Jean-Luc Godard.

Joshua Reviews Tran Anh Hung’s ‘Norwegian Wood’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:10:01 +0000

Joshua reviews the new adaptation of the beloved novel from cult Japanese writer, Haruki Murakami.

Catherine Reviews Lech Majewski’s The Mill and the Cross [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 05:49:43 +0000

Not many films deal with how humans have always used art to cope and reconcile what we experience and see. The Mill and the Cross uses a recent medium to show how an older medium lends itself to creative expression that gives desperately needed meaning to the inconsolable atrocities that can occur.

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Yasujiro Ozu’s Late Autumn

David Blakeslee — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:24:07 +0000

Tucked away toward the end of Yasujiro Ozu's monumental filmography, Late Autumn is a must-see for fans of his acclaimed masterpiece Late Spring, reworking its central plot and revealing much in both the similarities and contrasts between the two.

James Reviews Shinji Imaoka’s Underwater Love [UK DVD Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 02:43:46 +0000

For months we were hearing little whispers of this pinku eiga film from Japan. Why was a pinku eiga film getting so much attention? [...]

Joshua Reviews Kino’s Nothing Sacred And A Farewell To Arms [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 04:17:49 +0000

Joshua reviews two iconic classics newly released on Blu-ray via Kino.

Joshua Reviews David Fincher’s ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 05:34:48 +0000

Joshua reviews David Fincher's adaptation of the beloved Swedish thriller.

David Reviews Ernst Lubitsch’s Design for Living [Blu-ray Review]

David Blakeslee — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 21:08:39 +0000

A new Blu-ray edition gives The Lubitsch Touch its well-deserved Criterion Treatment. More than just enshrining a nearly forgotten historical artifact in state-of-the-art digital technology, this free adaptation of a Nöel Coward play fearlessly treads over taboos still intact nearly 80 years later.

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Ernst Lubitsch’s The Smiling Lieutenant

David Blakeslee — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:07:35 +0000

If you're as smitten with Miriam Hopkins as I am after watching her illuminate the screen in Criterion's new Design for Living DVD/Blu-ray, take heart! There's more of Miriam to enjoy, starting with her first appearance in a comedy, The Smiling Lieutenant, with Maurice Chevalier and Claudette Colbert.

Joshua Reviews Buster Keaton’s ‘Seven Chances’ [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 08:08:39 +0000

Joshua reviews the new Blu-ray of Buster Keaton's 'Seven Chances' from Kino.

Joshua Review’s D.W. Griffith’s ‘Way Down East’ [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:23:13 +0000

Joshua reviews the classic D. W. Griffith melodrama, 'Way Down East,' and its recent Blu-ray release from Kino.

Joshua Reviews The Warner Archive’s ‘What! No Beer?’ [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:32:36 +0000

Joshua reviews the Buster Keaton talkie 'What! No Beer?' and it's DVD release via The Warner Archive

Joshua Reviews D. W. Griffith’s ‘The Birth Of A Nation’ [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 06:23:40 +0000

Joshua reviews the new Blu-ray of D. W. Griffith's controversial masterwork, 'The Birth Of A Nation,' hitting shelves thanks to Kino.

Joshua Reviews The Warner Archive’s ‘Sidewalks Of New York’ [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 17:27:06 +0000

Joshua reviews an early talkie from Buster Keaton, 'Sidewalks Of New York', and its home video release thanks to The Warner Archive. Spoiler: it's a winner.

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Robert Flaherty & Zoltan Korda’s Elephant Boy

David Blakeslee — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:52:12 +0000

Criterion fans know Sabu's feisty charisma from The Thief of Bagdad and Black Narcissus. His screen debut in Elephant Boy shows that his transition from orphaned servant to international movie star was instinctive, instantaneous and seemingly inevitable.

Catherine Reviews Michelangelo Frammartino’s Le Quattro Volte [Blu-Ray Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 06:04:43 +0000

Part minimalist observations, part docudrama; it is a trancelike rumination that shows everything and tells nothing, allowing us to drift in and out of our own ponderous observations. Kino Lorber’s Blu-Ray release amply captures this meditative wonder.

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Kenji Mizoguchi’s Sisters of the Gion

David Blakeslee — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:00:39 +0000

This past October marked the 75th anniversary of the release of Sisters of the Gion, and that fact [...]

James Reviews MST3K’s “Manos” The Hands of Fate [DVD Review]

James McCormick — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:18:01 +0000

Where does one begin when speaking about one of the worst movies ever made? Well, when you’re the Mystery Science Theater 3000 [...]

Joshua Reviews Tristan Patterson’s Dragonslayer [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:37:27 +0000

The past few years have been a golden age for the documentary. With Werner Herzog working at a crazy clip, and other films [...]

Catherine Reviews Clint Eastwood’s J. Edgar [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 20:38:59 +0000

Is it possible to, knowing a film cannot sum up a historical figure’s life, make enough of an artistic impression [...]

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Akira Kurosawa’s One Wonderful Sunday

David Blakeslee — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:00:06 +0000

If one were to somehow make a word cloud of all the superlatives that have been written in praising the films of [...]

Joshua Reviews Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 06:17:21 +0000

Throughout a film’s history, particularly that of a silent film, the piece in question may or may not take various shapes when being [...]

Catherine Reviews Lars von Trier’s Melancholia [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 07:33:12 +0000

This review does contain spoilers

It may seem contradictory to say that Lars von Trier’s end-of-the world opus is the director as [...]

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Koreyoshi Kurahara’s The Warped Ones

David Blakeslee — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:00:59 +0000

Regular readers of this column know by now that whenever an Eclipse film falls into the chronology I’ve created for my

Joshua Reviews Bertrand Blier’s Going Places [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 03:42:08 +0000

Despite being best known in today’s world for a recent bladder issue whilst taking a flight, actor Gerard Depardieu is and has always [...]

Catherine Reviews Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:05:19 +0000

Pedro Almodóvar made a horror film? Oh the possibilities! Well, apparently not. The Skin I Live In feels like any other Almodóvar [...]

Joshua Reviews Ely Mennin’s ‘The Waterhole’ [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 02:13:45 +0000

Movies about men and their relationships with one another seem to be the darling of Hollywood. Be it big budget pieces like The [...]

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Aki Kaurismäki’s Leningrad Cowboys

David Blakeslee — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:00:46 +0000

Jimi Hendrix. The Who. Janis Joplin. Simon & Garfunkel. The Rolling Stones. The Monkees. Spinal Tap. Beastie Boys. Despite the [...]

Joshua Reviews Edgar Michael Bravo’s Mother’s Red Dress [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:13:19 +0000

With the onslaught of consumer cameras increasing in quality and decreasing in price, more and more people are starting to jump [...]

Joshua Reviews Shout Factory’s Lethal Ladies DVD Set [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:12:09 +0000

When it comes to B-movies, sometimes, too much is indeed a bad thing.

Over the past year or so, the crew [...]

Joshua Reviews Michael Brandt’s ‘The Double’ [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 03:11:06 +0000

Going into a film blind these days is nearly impossible. Be it the crazy accessibility of trailers, or clips, or even [...]

Catherine Reviews Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 03:43:36 +0000

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

Jeff Nichols does not play the ‘is he or isn’t he’ game with his audience; Curtis (Michael [...]

Joshua Reviews Lu Chuan’s The City Of Life And Death [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 16:08:00 +0000

Over the span of recorded history, the human race has had both its bright days, and in [...]

James Reviews Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado’s Rabies [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:16:59 +0000

If anyone knows me, they know I’m a bit of a horror fanatic. I will check out the majority of horror films [...]

James Reviews Brian De Palma’s Dressed To Kill [Blu-Ray Review]

James McCormick — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:09:05 +0000

Following his ‘Carrie-lite’ The Fury in 1978 and his comedy Home Movies the same year as the film that will be reviewed, [...]

For Criterion Consideration: Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita

David Blakeslee — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 20:27:01 +0000

Instead of doing my usual Journey Through the Eclipse Series thing this week, I’m borrowing an idea that James McCormick [...]

James Reviews Yoshimasa Ishibashi’s Milocrorze: A Love Story [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:41:10 +0000

Director Yoshimasa Ishibashi (of The Fuccons TV series fame) brings us a fever dream of colors, self help, violence, love, pain, destruction, [...]

Joshua Reviews The Criterion Collection’s Complete Jean Vigo [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:11:29 +0000

Spielberg. Kubrick. Kurosawa. Hitchcock. These are a few of the cavalcade of names that one would find to be synonymous with greatness [...]

James Reviews Noboru Iguchi’s Karate-Robo Zaborgar [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:00:37 +0000

Sometimes a film comes along, shoves insanity right into your eyeballs and you accept it right from the start. This is one [...]

Catherine Reviews George Clooney’s The Ides of March [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 04:55:23 +0000

It is difficult to pinpoint why The Ides of March never quite had me in its grip. All of the elements are [...]

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Samuel Fuller’s The Baron of Arizona

David Blakeslee — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:22:04 +0000

To start things off, let me admit that the main reason I picked The Baron of Arizona for this week’s [...]

Joshua Reviews Nick Broomfield And Joan Churchill’s Sarah Palin – You Betcha! [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:13:21 +0000

Politics, be it the people involved or the topics which they draw their focus on, are tough to handle in any way outside [...]

James Reviews Michael Roskam’s Bullhead [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:43:49 +0000

When you think about crime films, usually you don’t think of Belgium. I personally do, but that’s because I love the film [...]

James Reviews Nacho Vigalondo’s Extraterrestrial [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:32:33 +0000

When Nacho Vigalondo came into Austin back in 2007 with his film Timecrimes, nobody knew who he was. This all changed when [...]

Catherine Reviews Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:17:37 +0000

Seen through Cinecache’s Free Preview Screening at Brattle Theatre on September 27, 2011

How far will people delude themselves in [...]

Joshua Reviews Kino’s Go West And Battling Butler 2-Disc Set [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 04:09:05 +0000

When it comes to Buster Keaton, more is truly better.

That is why, throughout their run of releasing Keaton’s films on DVD and [...]

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: William Klein’s Who Are You, Polly Magoo?

David Blakeslee — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 19:00:46 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, someone on Twitter (I can’t remember who) mentioned that William Klein’s 1966 debut feature

James Reviews Evan Kelly’s The Corridor [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 03:51:00 +0000

Paranoia is one of the most frightening things in life and when done well in a film, it gives you that sense of [...]

James Reviews Justin Kurzel’s Snowtown [Fantastic Fest 2011 Review]

James McCormick — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 01:14:10 +0000

Sometimes when you go into a film with some lofty expectations, you’re going to be left disappointed. Sometimes it’s the [...]

Catherine Reviews Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 18:53:55 +0000

It is an all too uncommon feeling when a film ends and you realize you are not yet ready to leave its [...]

Joshua Reviews Tom Tykwer’s Drei [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:43:01 +0000

When it comes to directors, there aren’t many as visually astute as one Tom Tykwer. However, the world of relationship dramas don’t always [...]

Joshua Reviews Shout Factory’s Bad Dreams And Visiting Hours Killer Double Feature [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 03:32:35 +0000

Not everything truly comes better in pairs.

Prime example: the latest release from Shout Factory, their “Killer Double Feature,” the pairing of the [...]

Joshua Reviews Shout Factory’s The Inspector General [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:08:59 +0000

Buster Keaton. Charlie Chaplin. The Marx Brothers. These are just some of the names that people think of when they are asked who [...]

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series: Basil Dearden’s The League of Gentlemen

David Blakeslee — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:00:57 +0000

As a guy who turned 50 at the end of last month (yes, you read me right – F-I-F-T-Y! I’m [...]

Joshua Reviews Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs [MGM Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 06:47:11 +0000

Remakes are an interesting beast.

Most fail to truly connect with either what made the original piece so great, or what would [...]

Joshua Reviews Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:26:35 +0000

One touch. One sneeze. One cough.

Millions dead.

That’s all it takes for a lethal epidemic to spread across the planet, in [...]

Joshua Reviews Lech Majewski’s The Mill And The Cross [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:22:01 +0000

While it goes without saying that cinema is one of the world’s highest art forms, people still see arts such as painting [...]

Catherine Reviews Asif Kapadia’s Senna [Theatrical Review]

Catherine Stebbins — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 05:19:57 +0000

Note: Senna had no subtitles in the theater I viewed it in. A moderate chunk of the film is spoken in Portuguese. [...]

Joshua Reviews Kino Lorber’s American Grindhouse / Nightmares In Red, White And Blue Box Set [DVD Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:44:28 +0000

Some things are just better in pairs.

While the Criterion Collection may be a bit short on true horror pieces (although that [...]

A Journey Through The Eclipse Series: Sacha Guitry’s Quadrille

David Blakeslee — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 05:32:12 +0000

In the heart of Paris, that most romantic of all cities, a whirlwind love affair erupts, with life-changing consequences for everyone it [...]

A Journey Through The Eclipse Series: Koreyoshi Kurahara’s Intimidation

David Blakeslee — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 19:00:10 +0000

Fans of Criterion’s Eclipse line of DVDs have no doubt already taken notice that a new box set was just [...]

Joshua Reviews Vivi Friedman’s The Family Tree [Theatrical Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 05:48:19 +0000

The world of modern American independent cinema is one with both many fans, and many critics. Often seen as either pretentious art [...]

A Journey Through The Eclipse Series: Hiroshi Shimizu’s Ornamental Hairpin

David Blakeslee — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 06:13:24 +0000

Here’s a bonus installment of my Journey Through The Eclipse Series, which I regularly crank out on a weekly schedule. [...]

Joshua Reviews Lee Chang-dong’s Poetry [Blu-ray Review]

Joshua Brunsting — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:59:36 +0000

If you are beloved Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong, you are having one hell of a good week.

First, your 2007 masterpiece Secret [...]

A Journey Through The Eclipse Series: Ingmar Bergman’s Thirst

David Blakeslee — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:31:21 +0000

Over the past week or so, I’ve had two significant preoccupations on my mind: first and foremost, the [...]