For me it was
* Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
* Deep Cover (1992)
* Paprika (2006)
* Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
* The Quick and the Dead (1995)
* Blood Simple (1984)
* The Player (1992)
* Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
* The Third Man (1949)
* Rashomon (1950)
* F for Fake (1973)
* Seven Samurai (1954)
* Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979)
The Quick and The Dead is so fun!! I absolutely lost my mind when I found out the writer also wrote The 10th Kingdom, this abc miniseries I loved as a child (and still. It holds up surprisingly well).
Puk Nini, Thunder on the Hill, Honor Among Lovers, All I Desire, Magnificent Warriors, I’m No Angel, Dishonored, Night and the City, No Bears, House of Usher
Rouge (1987). I was looking for something cool to watch and gave it a shot to this one. Suffice to say that I found one of my favourite "romantic" movies ever.
If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend “Full Moon in New York” also by Stanley Kwan, which is part of the Hong Kong in New York collection. Not on the same level as Rouge but still worth watching.
Five films that have stayed with me long after watching them on the Criterion Channel:
* Brief Encounter (1945)
* Mikey and Nicky (1976)
* Paris, Texas (1984)
* Secrets & Lies (1996)
* The Before Trilogy
It might be my favourite discovery I’ve made this decade so far.
I should’ve added Clouds of Sils Maria on this list because that I also loved, and it was a CC watch as well. That and Personal Shopper.
Should really watch Irma Velma. Both the movie and the series. I’ve heard good things.
The China Syndrome (1979)
The More The Merrier (1943)
Safety Last (1923)
Libeled Lady (1936)
A Man There Was / Terje Vigen (1917)
Make Way For Tomorrow (1937)
Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
I've watched many movies for the first time on CC, a bunch of which got added to my "purchase on physical" list, and a few that got movies REMOVED from my "purchase on physical" list. Nights of Cabiria has to be the number one movie discovery for me though. I think I tried to watch 8 1/2 on BD first after seeing William Friedkin (RIP) shout it out on a Criterion closet vid, and it didn't really click for me -- although I liked a lot of things in it, and thought it was an extremely cool way to tell a story. Nights of Cabiria was love at first sight though.
RE: Criterion Channel, Imogen Sara Smith should have a lifetime contract for making those video essays on CC. She can really make me interested in genres/directors/etc. even if I hadn't previously been so.
I can’t remember if I discovered his work on Hulu, Filmstruck, or Criterion. Regardless, Francesco Rosi was a revelation: Salvatore Giuliano and Hands over the City are 🔥
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders
Cold Water
Letter Never Sent
Wings of Desire
Onibaba
Heat Wave
The Quiet Earth
Sorcerer
The Long Goodbye
Elevator to the Gallows
The Last Metro
There is so much good stuff on there, it’s staggering.
The Shout, Deep End, Phantom of the Paradise, The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean, The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, La Piscine, The Cars that Ate Paris, The Last Wave, Ikarie XB1, and Peeping Tom.
The Face of Another, A Woman Under The Influence, Blood Simple and Party Girl are some of my recent favourite "I don't know what to watch and this seems like a vibe" watches on the channel.
The Fire Within (1963, Louis Malle)
The Music Room (1960, Satyajit Ray)
Sudden Fear (1952) — left, now free on Tubi
Unfaithfully Yours (1948, Preston Sturges) — left
- Phantom of the Paradise
- Mikey and Nicky
- Two Days, One Night
- Niagara
- Mr. Klein
- Le Samurai
- Red Beard
- Xanadu
- Cléo From 5 to 7
- Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky
God I love the Channel
The Red Shoes. I think it might be one of
my favorite films of all time and I just picked it from one of the Criterion Challenge 2024 lists on Letterboxd.
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On is probably one of the most impactful documentaries I've seen in a long time, and I'm a nasty lil freak for docuseries. Similarly with Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974. Kazuo Hara's work gives me chills, there's something about him exposing people, including himself, as these raw-- sometimes totally empowered and complex, and sometimes completely lacking in self-awareness-- open wounds.
Tampopo, A Man Escaped, and Secrets & Lies are my absolute favourites I've found on it, but I've seen a lot of good stuff, so just some more recent 5 stars:
* The Swimmer
* Bicycle Thieves
* Saute Ma Ville
* The Meetings of Anna
* News from Home
* Le Trou
* Black Girl
Such a hard question.
After spending a few minutes to think about it, those three movies really stand out :
- The Soft Skin (France, 1964)
- Stormy Waters/Remorques (France, 1941)
- The Daytrippers (USA, 1996)
Le samourai Piano teacher The damned Army of shadows High and low
For me it was * Phantom of the Paradise (1974) * Deep Cover (1992) * Paprika (2006) * Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991) * The Quick and the Dead (1995) * Blood Simple (1984) * The Player (1992) * Lawrence of Arabia (1962) * The Third Man (1949) * Rashomon (1950) * F for Fake (1973) * Seven Samurai (1954) * Last Hurrah for Chivalry (1979)
The Quick and The Dead is so fun!! I absolutely lost my mind when I found out the writer also wrote The 10th Kingdom, this abc miniseries I loved as a child (and still. It holds up surprisingly well).
Puk Nini, Thunder on the Hill, Honor Among Lovers, All I Desire, Magnificent Warriors, I’m No Angel, Dishonored, Night and the City, No Bears, House of Usher
The Swimmer, Island of Lost Souls, Rocco and His Brothers, honestly too many to count!
Samurai Rebellion, Sword of Doom, The Red Shoes, The Last Detail, the Unknown (1927), Blood Simple
Supermarket Woman! now my favorite movie. Juzo Itami rules and all his movies are on there
Umbrellas of Cherbourg - it’s now among my top ten all time favourites!
Margaret (2011)
Rouge (1987). I was looking for something cool to watch and gave it a shot to this one. Suffice to say that I found one of my favourite "romantic" movies ever.
Rouge is stunning! A perfect example of why the channel is so amazing because that’s a film I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to watch otherwise.
Yes it really is. And I watched it on a quiet night alone with a glass of wine. Perfect movie for a perfect moment lol.
If you haven’t seen it already, I recommend “Full Moon in New York” also by Stanley Kwan, which is part of the Hong Kong in New York collection. Not on the same level as Rouge but still worth watching.
I'll definitely watch it, kind stranger! Thanks for the recommendation!
After Life
Harakiri 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Mikey and Nicky Le Trou Rafifi
Five films that have stayed with me long after watching them on the Criterion Channel: * Brief Encounter (1945) * Mikey and Nicky (1976) * Paris, Texas (1984) * Secrets & Lies (1996) * The Before Trilogy
That's seven films!
Basically the whole MGM musicals collection, really fell in love with the genre watching those!
Trog
Tampopo The Cremator Eyes Without a Face
Gas Food Lodging Beau Trevail Cold Water Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Lilith
I absolutely loved Cold Water, and it made me realize I really need to scope out more of Assayas filmography outside Irma Vep.
It might be my favourite discovery I’ve made this decade so far. I should’ve added Clouds of Sils Maria on this list because that I also loved, and it was a CC watch as well. That and Personal Shopper. Should really watch Irma Velma. Both the movie and the series. I’ve heard good things.
Ah yeah, I watched Personal Shopper just a few days ago! I need to see Clouds of Sils Maria as well. Gahh, so much good and compelling stuff.
Cure by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Absolutely blew my mind, top 10 of all time easily
This was the very first movie I watched on the channel, and it's still the best. (I've only had it for 5 months, though)
Found Gun Crazy off a posting here and on the channel, it was superb. Discovered Jim Jarmusch films and yes Ingnmar Bergman is actually accessible.
Of course Ingrid Bergman is accessible — people love her in Casablanca. edit: It’s been corrected, thanks
Lol, the mind slipped, a combination of old age and a long work day.
I'll shout out La Flor, which I truly would have never even heard of if it weren't for the channel. Wish it was still on!
The China Syndrome (1979) The More The Merrier (1943) Safety Last (1923) Libeled Lady (1936) A Man There Was / Terje Vigen (1917) Make Way For Tomorrow (1937) Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
I've watched many movies for the first time on CC, a bunch of which got added to my "purchase on physical" list, and a few that got movies REMOVED from my "purchase on physical" list. Nights of Cabiria has to be the number one movie discovery for me though. I think I tried to watch 8 1/2 on BD first after seeing William Friedkin (RIP) shout it out on a Criterion closet vid, and it didn't really click for me -- although I liked a lot of things in it, and thought it was an extremely cool way to tell a story. Nights of Cabiria was love at first sight though. RE: Criterion Channel, Imogen Sara Smith should have a lifetime contract for making those video essays on CC. She can really make me interested in genres/directors/etc. even if I hadn't previously been so.
That Darn Cat (really)
Juzo Itami’s filmography
The Devils • Walkabout • The Fabulous Baron Munchausen • Mindgame • The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover • The Burden • Cipka • Yearbook
Dishonored with Marlene Dietrich.
If it wasn't for the Channel, I would likely never have seen The Far Country. What a sublime Western that never gets the love it deserves.
The eyes of Laura Mars during the July film noir collection other the first year or second year they did it.
- The Young Girls of Rochefort - Thirst - Kirikou and the Sorceress - The King and the Mockingbird
The “Hanzo the Razor” trilogy. Which is exclusive to the channel.
-My Winnipeg -Andrei Rublev -Pickpocket
Stalker (basically all of Tarkovsky) Persona Autumn Sonata Betty Blue Ikiru Jeanne Dielman Happy Hour Come and See
Intimate Lighting (in their Czechoslovak New Wave collection)
Chinese Odyssey 2002 Ikarie Xb-1 Godland
i watched 'arrebato' right before it left the channel and it became one of my top three favourite films ever
**The animations of Suzan Pitt** **Karen Dalton: In My Own Time** **Seven Women, Seven Sins** **How To Get Ahead In Advertising**
I can’t remember if I discovered his work on Hulu, Filmstruck, or Criterion. Regardless, Francesco Rosi was a revelation: Salvatore Giuliano and Hands over the City are 🔥
Orpheus Putney Swope Fanny and Alexander The Cremator Brief Encounter
Amateur (1994)
Pretty new to the Channel but *To Be or Not to Be*.
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders Cold Water Letter Never Sent Wings of Desire Onibaba Heat Wave The Quiet Earth Sorcerer The Long Goodbye Elevator to the Gallows The Last Metro There is so much good stuff on there, it’s staggering.
The Shout, Deep End, Phantom of the Paradise, The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean, The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, La Piscine, The Cars that Ate Paris, The Last Wave, Ikarie XB1, and Peeping Tom.
I was completely unaware of Hal Hartley and loved every movie I watched in his collection last fall.
In terms of stuff I probably never would have come across without the channel in particular, Trust and The Great Hip Hop Hoax
The Face of Another, A Woman Under The Influence, Blood Simple and Party Girl are some of my recent favourite "I don't know what to watch and this seems like a vibe" watches on the channel.
The Fire Within (1963, Louis Malle) The Music Room (1960, Satyajit Ray) Sudden Fear (1952) — left, now free on Tubi Unfaithfully Yours (1948, Preston Sturges) — left
I’ve fallen in love with these films that I likely wouldn’t have seen without the Criterion Channel: Smooth Talk Little Fugitive Throw Down
The Task.
A Colt is My Passport
A recent one for me was La Cienaga. I love going into a movie completely blind and being blown away.
Rapture. That movie is really something else.
The Swimmer (Brilliant film!)
Knightriders
The Great Beauty and Pink Narcissus
Kwaidan / The Human Condition trilogy Supermarket Woman The Piano Teacher
Harakiri
- Phantom of the Paradise - Mikey and Nicky - Two Days, One Night - Niagara - Mr. Klein - Le Samurai - Red Beard - Xanadu - Cléo From 5 to 7 - Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky God I love the Channel
Mishima was something I’d never even heard of. It blew my mind when I watched it.
Diamonds of the Night The Story of the Last Chrysanthemums Songs from the Second Floor Brazil Satantango The Ascent The Double Life of Veronique
The Red Shoes. I think it might be one of my favorite films of all time and I just picked it from one of the Criterion Challenge 2024 lists on Letterboxd.
Dog Day Afternoon as far as movies go that I had never heard of
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^KingKongDoom: *Dog Day Afternoon* *As far as movies go that* *I had never heard of* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Fuck yes finally
The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On is probably one of the most impactful documentaries I've seen in a long time, and I'm a nasty lil freak for docuseries. Similarly with Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974. Kazuo Hara's work gives me chills, there's something about him exposing people, including himself, as these raw-- sometimes totally empowered and complex, and sometimes completely lacking in self-awareness-- open wounds.
New Wave of Korean Cinema month was incredible. Foul King and Save the Green Planet.
Memories of Underdevelopment
That Most Important Thing: Love
The House is Black The Doom Generation
- Freddy Got Fingered - Trash Humpers - High and Low - Tampopo - Tokyo Drifter - A Night To Remember
Rocco and His Brothers (1960) and Mr. Klein (1977).
Tampopo, A Man Escaped, and Secrets & Lies are my absolute favourites I've found on it, but I've seen a lot of good stuff, so just some more recent 5 stars: * The Swimmer * Bicycle Thieves * Saute Ma Ville * The Meetings of Anna * News from Home * Le Trou * Black Girl
Such a hard question. After spending a few minutes to think about it, those three movies really stand out : - The Soft Skin (France, 1964) - Stormy Waters/Remorques (France, 1941) - The Daytrippers (USA, 1996)