What’s All The Hulu-baloo About? This Week In Criterion’s Hulu Channel

A little late this week, mainly because of my own random b.s. that one goes through when attempting to juggle too many things at once. Try not to do it kids, because it means a Hulu article gets sidetracked a bit. A ton of stuff was added since I last was here, but unlike last week’s where I focused on 10 specific films that weren’t in the Collection, this time it’s a bunch of familiar (and not so) faces, be it in their great Eclipse sets or in Criterion’s own pantheon.

A huge thanks to who have already used this link to enjoy their own Hulu Plus and in turn keeping this series of articles up and running. We can always use the help, so please sign up using that specific link. Every little bit does keep this nice and polished. But enough about that. You want to know about the amazing films showcased this week.

Jumping right into it, I’m going to mention the fantastic film Z from 1969, directed by Costa-Gavras. A name that sadly isn’t too familiar here (check out Amen. from 2002 for some recent work). It is such a powerful thriller that many have copied since, sometimes lifting shots right from the film. Winner of an Academy Award, it’s another powerful film from Criterion that showcases why they’re essential for film fanatics everywhere.

Next up is a film that will always have the warning ‘Sexually Explicit’ and various other statements to let you know this film is one to watch out for, which is Nagisa Oshima’s In the Realm of the Senses, his amazing barrier breaking 1976 film. It isn’t for everyone but is definitely one you’ll never forget. A favorite of mine, it’s a tale of insatiable sexual desire which is still banned in its own country.

We get a taste of the upcoming Eclipse set The Warped World of Koreyoshi Kurahara with The Warped Ones (1960), which is about a juvenile delinquent who gets out of the pen and unleashes his anger at the world, especially toward one young woman. An anarchic descent into amoral madness is what Criterion says, and that’s all I need to know. A movie that gets compared to what Godard was doing in France at the same time, this seems like the perfect starting point for one to get intimate with Kurahara’s upcoming set.

Part of the Three Films by Hiroshi Teshigahara set, Pitfall (1962) is one that took me by surprise when I finally checked it out. Teshigahara’s film debut, it’s a ghost story that is more about alienation than about scares. And that black and white picture is one that I keep going back to in order to make sure it’s not really in color. That’s how much I love it. And if you want to see the other two films in the set, Woman in the Dunes and The Face of Another are also available. You’re welcome.

What’s this? A film that isn’t in the collection that stars Michael Redgrave and is directed by Joseph Losey? A pleasant surprise in the film Time Without Pity (1957) is a suspenseful thriller where a man is about to be executed for a crime he didn’t commit and his alcoholic father, already not in good terms with him, attempting to get to the bottom of it all. Joseph Losey was blacklisted here so England got a gem, and Losey kept churning amazingly tight films. Also check out La Truite (1982), also not in the collection. Let’s hope for more Losey films.

The Most Beautiful (1944), Men Who Tread on the Tiger’s Tail (1945), and Sanshiro Sugata, Part 2 (1945) are all part of the Early Kurosawa Eclipse set, one that everyone needs to check out in order to see where the legend started his career with these interesting choices. Sagata is definitely the most fun film here, especially in this sequel to the popular and profitable Sanshiro Sagata (1943), which was Kurosawa’s debut feature. These definitely show where he was going with his later films, such as Yojimbo, Sanjuro and Seven Samurai. The same goes with Tiger’s Tail, which is less than an hour, tells the story of a true story of a group of samurai in the 12th century have to wear monk’s robes to get past a dangerous checkpoint. The most interesting is The Most Beautiful (see what I did there?), which is a portrait of female volunteer workers in a plant during World War II and is a patriotic film in a time of war. Continuing the Kurosawa lesson, we also get one from his Post-War Eclipse set, I Live in Fear (1955). It’s a fascinating story of one man (Toshiro Mifune) who is so paranoid of a nuclear attack, he moves his entire family to South America. It’s the final film of this collection and to me, the most powerful. A truthful tale showing what people were thinking at this time of nuclear paranoia.

Hiroshi Inagaki gets a showcase next with his fantastic Samurai Trilogy, which also gets its own page. The saga of Musashi Miyamoto (Toshiro Mifune), a seventeenth century samurai, where we see his entire life, from unruly youth to an enlightened warrior. Beautifully shot while showcasing the brutality of a civil war, it’s definitely one that gets overshadowed by Mifune’s other samurai work. This is truly one of the greatest trilogies of all time. Here’s all three links for easier viewing: Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto, Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple and Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island

One of my favorite films was also just added, which is Kill! (1968). A pair of down on their luck swordsmen enter a dusty town and get involved in a dispute. It’s a pitch black action comedy, one that gets funnier every time I watch it. Kihachi Okamoto directs this gem of a film, also taken from the same story Kurosawa based Sanjuro on, but tweaks it in a more comedic fashion and sprinkling in a bit more Italian western into the mix.

Excitement is exactly the word I’d use when I saw a Claude Chabrol film being added onto Criterion’s Hulu Plus page. And one that I somehow overlooked, which is Masques (1987). A deadly game of cat and mouse, all centered around Roland Wolf (Robin Renucci), who wants to write a book about game show host Christian Legagneur (Philippe Noiret) and is invited to his estate. But not everything is as it seems and murder is in the air. Sounds like a fun thriller, one that I’ll be watching this Memorial Day weekend. And hoping for some Chabrol in the collection too.

Another entry from the Silent Naruse Eclipse set, this time with Every-Night Dreams (1933). This is a set I’ve been meaning to get my hands on, and I might start on this tale of a single mother, who works hard to support her son. Until one day her long lost husband returns. Sounds like a film full of happiness, doesn’t it? I can’t wait to check it out.

Yasujiro Ozu is one that we all love at The Criterion Cast, especially our very own Moises Chiullan. I already know he owns this film, Early Summer (1951), and it’s one that everyone should check out. A family seeks a husband for their daughter Noriko, but she has plans all her own. She chooses her best friend, which at first seems like it fits in perfectly but ultimately tears the family apart. Seek it out as soon as you can. We also get Passing Fancy (1933), which is from the Silent Ozu: Three Family Comedies Eclipse set, which is the first of the single father films with Kihachi (Takeshi Sakamoto). The same goes for Late Autumn (1960), a film that is in the Late Ozu Eclipse set. Setsuko Hara, a Ozu regular, is amazing as a mother who is trying to get her daughter to marry in this retelling of Ozu’s very own Late Spring (1949), which you definitely should watch first. What I love is that we get Ozu from varying times in his career, always with the theme of family throughout.

Street of Shame (1956), another fantastic title from Kenji Mizoguchi’s Fallen Women Eclipse set, is about a brothel full of hopeful women whose dreams keep getting shattered by the socioeconomic realities surrounding them. This is Mizoguchi’s final film, and one that showcases why he’s one of the greatest of all time and should be more known, especially with women. He was telling their stories and it still amazes me that he isn’t more well known here. A film that was so popular, when an anti-prostitution law was passed a few month’s later in Japan, most looked at this film as being the reason why it was pushed forward. A powerful film.

The Last Metro (1980), Francois Truffaut’s film about a French theater company under the German occupation during World War II. Starring the radiant Catherine Deneuve and Gérard Depardieu, it’s a tale of overcoming adversity and when you have a theater manager who is a Jew in hiding and a star on stage who is also in the Resistance, you are set for a powerful and at times comedic tale that has some small parallels with Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Yes, I went there.

With Ingmar Bergman sadly being in the news about being adopted (who cares), I’m grateful for Criterion for putting up his warmest film Fanny and Alexander ‘” The Theatrical Version, an epic tale told from a 10 year old boy’s point of view. A wonderful film that truly is Bergman’s most autobiographical film, with such swooping emotions and a sense of joy that you can’t fake. If you’re a Bergman fan and haven’t seen this film, consider that your homework assignment. Only it’s more enjoyable.

One more from Allan King’s The Actuality Dramas Eclipse set, Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company (2005). A documentary showing the lives of those who reside and work at a geriatric care center. A touching story, we get to see four months with these people, and what they go through with dementia and memory loss on a daily basis. Powerful is too weak a word for this one.

As I said earlier, I love it when Criterion throws some curveballs with their selections for their Hulu Plus page, especially when it’s a film not in the official collection yet. Knight Without Armour (1937) is another of these films, this time directed by Jacques Feyder. A British agent (Robert Donat) must save a Russian countess (Marlene Dietrich) from her Bolshevik captors. Sounds like a fantastic film of intrigue, espionage and beautiful leading actors. This film, like a ton from last week’s entry, was produced by Alexander Korda. Come on Criterion, where’s the announcement already?

So another week, another huge list of movies to keep you satisfied. Of course keep checking Criterion’s Hulu Plus page for more new releases, which happens more often than you think. Also keep on donating to the site if you can and signing up via this link, which would help keep this article up and running. Thanks again and until next week, keep on streaming.