All That Money Can Buy (aka The Devil and Daniel Webster) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review
By Davy |
The ancient tale of man selling his soul to the Devil in exchange for wealth and prosperity has been adapted ...
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The Lady Eve Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Preston Sturges Presents a Two-Sided Love Triangle
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on Monckton Hoffe's “Two Bad Hats,” The Lady Eve is Preston Sturges's third outing as writer/director, and with it, ...
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The Heroic Trio/Executioners Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: Insane Hong Kong Lady Action
By Kent Conrad |
In the pre-Internet era, information about different cultures’ cinema was obscure. It was rumor. It was some still in a ...
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Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Enjoyable Six-Pack of Chan’s Early Films
By Gordon S. Miller |
Jackie Chan movies entered into the Criterion Collection in 2019 with the one-two punch of Police Story/Police Story 2. The ...
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Days of Heaven Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: Blue Harvest
By Jack Cormack |
The Criterion Collection has released Days of Heaven (1978; dir. Terrence Malick) in 4K as part of a 4K UHD/Blu-ray ...
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Scorsese Shorts Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Must-own for Fans of the Director
By Gordon S. Miller |
Scorsese Shorts presents a quintet of director Martin Scorsese's early short films, two documentaries from the '70s and three short ...
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No Bears Blu-ray Review: A Powerful Work About the Passion for Filmmaking
By Davy |
I'm not familiar with Jafar Panahi's cinema, but from what I've heard from other film lovers and critics is that ...
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La Bamba Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Soars Far Above Other Hollywood Biopics
By Joe Garcia III |
La Bamba (1987) is the story of Richard Valenzuela, known better as Ritchie Valens, a name associated with a song ...
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Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Feels Like We’re Witnessing Real Life
By Davy |
Ever since legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasjuiro Ozu died in 1963, there has been an array of cinematic stories he left ...
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Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: A Master Reflects
By Kent Conrad |
With a master artist, their later works are impossible to judge outside of the context of their careers. One could ...
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One False Move Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Southern Discomfort
By David Wangberg |
Carl Franklin’s work is a blind spot for me, sad to say. While the acclaimed filmmaker has only a few ...
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The Rules of the Game Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: The Shooting Party
By Jack Cormack |
On the brink of WWII, Jean Renoir—inspired by baroque music and an opera, Les Caprices de Marianne—took his collaborators to ...
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The Servant Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Scathing, Subversive Film of Class, Sexuality, and Manipulation
By Davy |
Only a few films in cinematic history have ever portrayed the rather complex dynamics between masters and their manservants, but ...
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Time Bandits Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: A Child’s Nightmare Fantasy
By Kent Conrad |
Is Time Bandits a children's movie? It stars a child, and there's nothing on the face that a child shouldn't ...
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Thelma & Louise Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Two for the Road
By Gordon S. Miller |
Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise tells a familiar story about two friends on a road trip who unintentionally become outlaws, ...
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Branded to Kill Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: Yakuza Movie as Experimental Art
By Kent Conrad |
Goro Hanada's life is spinning out of control. His wife spends all his money, so he's always on the financial ...
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Wings of Desire Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: Stay
By Jack Cormack |
Not much happens in Wings of Desire (1987; dir. Wim Wenders), but it’s among the most beautiful of films. In ...
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The Seventh Seal Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: Chess with Death
By Jack Cormack |
The Criterion Collection has just released Ingmar Bergman’s film, The Seventh Seal (1957), in 4K UHD. When I first saw ...
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Chilly Scenes of Winter Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Star of the Movie Is Director Joan Micklin Silver
By Greg Hammond |
Joan Micklin Silver’s Chilly Scenes of Winter is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Ann Beattie. ...
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Hollywood Shuffle Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Be the Change You Want to See
By Gordon S. Miller |
When struggling actor Robert Townsend was frustrated by the stereotypical and racist roles he was being offered as a black ...
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Dazed and Confused Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: School’s Out
By Jack Cormack |
Dazed and Confused (1993; dir. Richard Linklater) circuits darkness: On the last day of school before the summer of 1976, ...
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Three Colors Trilogy Criterion Collection 4K UHD Review: Enigmatic Masterpieces About People Connecting
By Kent Conrad |
The Three Colors of this film trilogy, Blue, White, and Red, are so-chosen for the French tri-color flag (sorry, U.S.A.) ...
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The Adventures of Baron Munchausen Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Wondrous Story about a Wondrous Storyteller by a Wondrous Filmmaker
By Gordon S. Miller |
Co-writer/director Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen has the distinction of being the sixth Gilliam-directed title (#1166) released by ...
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Cooley High Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Coming-of-Age Gem Authentically Told from a Black Perspective
By Davy |
Usually, when you think of Black-oriented films from the 1970s, you mind automatically gears toward the Blaxploitation genre, which usually ...
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Make Way for Tomorrow Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Children Just Don’t Understand
By Gordon S. Miller |
Existentialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Hell is other people.” That’s hard to disagree with, especially after seeing the way the ...
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Lost Highway Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Neo-noir with a Twist
By Gordon S. Miller |
The opening credits of Lost Highway are a POV from a car racing down a darkened highway, its headlights the ...
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Le Corbeau Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Poison Pen French Noir
By Kent Conrad |
France has always been one of the centers of cinema in the world. After all, the Lumiere brothers rivaled Edison ...
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If…. Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: If Only It Had a Plot
By Steve Geise |
This 1969 UK film has exactly one notable claim to fame: Malcolm McDowell’s first star turn in a film just ...
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Hotel du Nord Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Somber French Realist Classic
By Davy |
I was not always familiar with legendary filmmaker Marcel Carne's work, such as 1938's Port of Shadows, or his 1945 ...
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Devil in a Blue Dress Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Denzel Washington Makes Solving Mysteries Look Easy
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on Walter Mosley's 1990 novel of the same name, Carl Franklin's Devil in a Blue Dress is an engaging ...
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The Worst Person in the World Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Breathtakingly Honest
By Davy |
Seeing The Worst Person in the World, filmmaker Joachim Trier's breathtakingly honest and so in-the-moment take on relationships and finding ...
Read More The Red Shoes Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: 15 Minutes in Heaven
By Steve Geise |
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s classic 1948 film treads a well-worn path of backstage drama at a stage production, but ...
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Mississippi Masala Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Mira Nair’s Beguiling Sophomore Film
By Davy |
Films about star-crossed lovers has been old as time itself, but we arguably don't get those about interracial or intercontinental ...
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‘Round Midnight Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Perhaps the Greatest and Most Compelling Jazz Film Ever Made
By Davy |
The late, great Bertrand Tavernier wasn't just a highly influential film critic, he was also an incredible filmmaker with vast ...
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Bringing Up Baby Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Bone up on a Comedy Classic
By Gordon S. Miller |
Directed by Howard Hawks and based on Hagar Wilde's short story, which Criterion includes in the booklet, Bringing Up Baby ...
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The Piano Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Jane Campion’s Sublime Masterpiece
By Davy |
Despite all the accolades and acclaim, director Jane Campion still seems to be continuously undervalued and taken for granted. That's ...
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High Sierra Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Raoul Walsh Tells a Story Twice
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on W. R. Burnett's second novel, director Roaul Walsh's High Sierra (1941) is a captivating crime drama notable for ...
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The Learning Tree Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Semi-Autobiographical Story from Gordon Parks
By Davy |
There have been so many films about growing up where characters (mostly youth) deal with first love, family issues, peer ...
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Throw Down Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Brawl Room Blitz
By David Wangberg |
Johnnie To’s Throw Down is a titular double entendre. Not only is it a film about martial arts (kind of); ...
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The Incredible Shrinking Man Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Giant-Sized Fun
By Mat Brewster |
I wonder what it is about stories of humans being shrunk down to tiny size or living in a land ...
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Ratcatcher Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Definite Punch to the Gut
By Davy |
Despite only having four feature-length films and a handful of shorts, filmmaker Lynne Ramsay has crafted a compelling body of ...
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Love & Basketball Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Love Story That Feels Fresh
By Davy |
There are so many cinematic tales of young love that spans time that are riddled with clichés. They usually have ...
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Mona Lisa Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Neo-noir with a Mystic Smile
By Mat Brewster |
The first time I remember seeing Bob Hoskins was as Eddie Valiant the hard-boiled, yet ultimately soft-hearted detective working for ...
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The Damned Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Demonstrative Descent into Family Destruction
By Davy |
In almost every family, there is, arguably, a hidden sense of evil. When the soul gets twisted and corrupted, so ...
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Beasts of No Nation Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Not Soon Forgotten
By Davy |
I may have used the phrase "War is Hell" in one my previous reviews, but you can't describe war as ...
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Ashes and Diamonds Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Polish Masterpiece
By Mat Brewster |
A little over a decade ago my wife and I lived in Shanghai, China. At the time, and probably still ...
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Deep Cover Criterion Collection Blu-Ray Review: Neo-Noir with a Message
By Mat Brewster |
Russell Stevens (Laurence Fishburne) is a good cop. He's also a black man. And a good, black cop is exactly ...
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Pickup on South Street Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Sam Fuller Blends Film Noir with a Cold War Spy Thriller
By Gordon S. Miller |
Samuel Fuller directed and wrote the screenplay for Pickup on South Street, a movie that blends film noir with a ...
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Visions of Eight Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Octathlon of Olympic Shorts
By Davy |
I'm not what you'd call an enthusiast of sports. Honestly, I don't like, watch, or play sports. I've never been ...
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World of Wong Kar Wai Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: What a Wonderful World
By Steve Geise |
Wong Kar Wai burst into the international film scene in the 1980s and has remained an icon ever since. While ...
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Trances Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Beautiful Audiovisual Journey
By Darcy Staniforth |
During a four-month period, filmmaker Ahmed El-Maanouni followed the politically and peace-minded avant-pop band Nass El Ghiwane on their tour ...
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Flowers of Shanghai Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Mise-ry en Scene
By Steve Geise |
This Taiwanese movie was based on a novel about “flower houses” of 19th century Shanghai, high class establishments where courtesans ...
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Fast Times at Ridgemont High Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Standout Comedy
By Gordon S. Miller |
Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High was written by Cameron Crowe, who went undercover at a San Diego high ...
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Masculin Feminin Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Tres Chic
By Steve Geise |
Jean-Luc Godard’s study of young love in Paris pulses with style but doesn’t have much of a story. The film ...
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Irma Vep Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Great Milestone in Olivier Assayas’s Body of Work
By Davy |
There have been so many films about the often chaotic circumstances and behind-the-scenes drama about the making of a film. ...
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The Furies (1950) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Fascinating Film of Familial Conflict
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on Niven Busch's 1948 novel of the same name, which Criterion has included in paperback, Anthony Mann's The Furies ...
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Memories of Murder Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The South Korean Zodiac
By Mat Brewster |
A woman has been brutally raped and murdered. Her body was shoved into a drain ditch. Detective Park Doo-man (Song ...
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History Is Made at Night (1937) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Love Crosses the Atlantic
By Kent Conrad |
Director Frank Borzage, who grew up with Hollywood, making (and acting in) silents from 1916 and remaining active up to ...
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Secrets & Lies Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Cinema at Its Best
By Davy |
Legendary British director Mike Leigh is one of cinema's greatest and most profound humanists. He crafts beautifully painful portraits of ...
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Céline and Julie Go Boating Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Long, Strange, Riveting Film
By Mat Brewster |
Julie (Dominique Labourier), a young woman with big, curly red hair, sits on a park bench distractedly reading a book ...
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Touki bouki Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Deserves to be Seen and Discovered
By Davy |
I must admit that African cinema usually goes way over my head. I mostly gloss over it in favor of ...
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The Parallax View Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Second Entry in Pakula’s Political Paranoia Trilogy
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on Loren Singer's 1970 novel of the same name, Alan J. Pakula's The Parallax View is the second entry ...
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Smooth Talk Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Teen’s Roller Coaster Ride from Innocence to Harsh Reality
By Elizabeth Periale |
1985's Smooth Talk, directed by Joyce Chopra (Murder in a Small Town, The Lemon Sisters, Blonde), follows restless teenager Connie ...
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Chop Shop Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Miracle of Independent Cinema
By Davy |
With his wonderful 2005 Man Push Cart, filmmaker Ramin Bahrani beautifully captured the grim circumstances of being an immigrant in ...
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Man Push Cart Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Essential Cinema
By Davy |
Foreigners in a foreign land express the often grim, depressing, but sometimes hopeful studies of immigrants desperate to survive a ...
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Mandabi Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Unexpected Money Leads to Lots of Problems
By David Wangberg |
One of the things that Ousmane Sembène’s second feature film does that so few films do is, take lesser-known actors ...
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Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review
By Gordon S. Miller |
Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour was in support of his album Desire, released January 5, 1976 between the two ...
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The Ascent Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Larisa Shepitko’s Masterpiece
By Davy |
The Ukranian-born Larisa Shepitko (one of the greatest female filmmakers of all-time) had only made a few features and short ...
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Three Films by Luis Buñuel Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Don’s Swan Songs
By Steve Geise |
As Luis Buñuel neared the end of his life, he swore each time he made a film that it would ...
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Crash (1996) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Anti-Erotic Film
By Kent Conrad |
"Prophecy is dirty and ragged", says Vaughan, while complaining about the cleanliness of the tattoo he gets on his chest. ...
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Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Two Takes Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review
By Davy |
As a passionately dedicated lover of film, I really enjoy that not every film has to be a cliche, meaning ...
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Mouchette Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: So Beautiful, So Sad
By Mat Brewster |
The opening scene to Mouchette, Robert Bresson's 1967 drama, finds a young man tying little loops of wire to branches ...
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The Irishman (2019) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Welcome Addition to Martin Scorsese’s Filmography
By Gordon S. Miller |
Martin Scorsese's epic The Irishman makes a fitting bookend to his gangster films as one mobster tells his story while ...
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The Hit Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Gem of Film by Stephen Frears
By Davy |
The action film always comes with cliches, meaning that they usually contain car chases, explosions, and non-stop action. Sometimes these ...
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Parasite (2019) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Rich Fam, Poor Fam
By David Wangberg |
One of the hardest things for a filmmaker to do is blend multiple genres together and do it so seamlessly. ...
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The Gunfighter Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Price of Fame
By Gordon S. Miller |
Set in the Southwest Territory of the 1880s, a Texan named Jimmy Ringo (Gregory Peck) was known the fastest gun. ...
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Claudine Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Ahead of Its Time
By Davy |
In the 1970s, the blaxploitation genre of film exploded, and it was usually centered on stories of masculine black men, ...
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Pierrot le Fou Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Still Feels Modern and Fresh
By Davy |
The legendary and unclassifiable filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard is reaching his 90th birthday this year (in just two months from now), and ...
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Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 3 Criterion Collection Box Set Review
By Steve Geise |
Legendary writer/director and noted film buff Martin Scorsese established The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project in 2007 to restore and ...
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Christ Stopped at Eboli Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Emotionally Captivating
By David Wangberg |
Listed as one of the 1,001 movies you need to see before you die, Christ Stopped at Eboli is a film of ...
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Beau Travail Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Mysterious, Haunting, and Transformative
By Davy |
The great and visionary director Claire Denis is one the greatest cinematic poets of our time. She's a provocative and ...
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Toni Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Influential French Drama
By Mat Brewster |
In 1934, acclaimed French director Jean Renoir left the studio in Paris and headed for the countryside in the south ...
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Town Bloody Hall Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Verbal Battle of the Sexes
By Davy |
Documentaries, more than any other category of film, successfully (or sometimes unsuccessfully) captures reality at its most uncomfortable means. Whatever ...
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The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Angela Winkler Is Sensational
By Davy |
In today's uncivilized world where humanity comes second (or dead last) to politics and where the police take the law ...
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Taste of Cherry Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Not to Everyone’s Taste
By Steve Geise |
Abbas Kiarostami's understated film won the prestigious Palme d'Or Award at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, leading to its initial ...
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Marriage Story Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Emotionally Brutal and Full of Life
By Davy |
I'm not an expert on marriage, but seeing many films about it, I guess I can at least say that ...
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Portrait of a Lady on Fire Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Burning Bright
By Steve Geise |
Writer/director Celine Sciamma's latest film is both exhilarating and depressing: spellbinding because of its absolute excellence and disheartening because it ...
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The Cameraman Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Star Begins to Fade
By Gordon S. Miller |
Although a talented filmmaker, Buster Keaton wasn't a great business man and his box-office struggles caused him to sign on ...
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An Unmarried Woman Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Bold and Groundbreaking
By Davy |
As I mentioned in my Pick of the Week recently, the 1970s were a very pivotal time for women. There was the ...
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When We Were Kings Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Marvelous Time Capsule of Muhammad Ali in 1974
By Gordon S. Miller |
Leon Gast's When We Were Kings documents the "Rumble in the Jungle," the legendary boxing match between undefeated heavyweight champion George Foreman ...
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Matewan Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Labor Pains
By Gordon S. Miller |
John Sayles' Matewan is a dramatization of the Matewan massacre (1920), a battle that took place in the town of Matewan, West ...
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Roberto Rossellini’s War Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Intro to Italian Neorealism 101
By Gordon S. Miller |
In reaction to what many were experiencing in Italy under Mussolini and after World War II, the Italian neorealism movement ...
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Three Fantastic Journeys by Karel Zeman Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Trips Worth Taking
By Gordon S. Miller |
I've been a big fan of movies for most of my 50-odd years on this planet and have enjoyed a ...
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Antonio Gaudí Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Tone Poem of Gaudí, Barcelona, and Art
By Elizabeth Periale |
Antonio Gaudí, a film by Japanese director Hiroshi Teshigahara (1927-2001), is a tone poem of Gaudí, Barcelona, and art - ...
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Teorema Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Pasolini’s Most Accessible Work
By Davy |
The late director Pier Paolo Pasolini was a very controversial filmmaker to begin with. His often taboo-breaking subject matter didn't ...
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Tunes of Glory Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Acting Tour de Force
By Mat Brewster |
I have been on a bit of an Alec Guinness kick of late. He's an actor I knew and loved ...
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Old Joy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Quite Reflective and Moving
By Davy |
Director Kelly Reichardt has become one of my favorite directors. She is one of the very few maverick filmmakers of ...
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All About Eve Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: All the World’s a Stage
By Steve Geise |
Best Picture Oscar winners don't always age well, but as All About Eve approaches its 70th anniversary, it's every bit as entertaining ...
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Now, Voyager Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Superior Tearjerker
By Davy |
With her saucer eyes, unparalled intensity, and unbridled non-vanity, Bette Davis has been and still is regarded as one of ...
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The Circus Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Tramp Plays the Big Top
By Gordon S. Miller |
Made between his classic films The Gold Rush and City Lights, Charlie Chaplin's The Circus presents an entertaining outing for the Tramp who once again ...
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Polyester Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: John Waters’ First Big-Budget Film
By Jade Blackmore |
Polyester, John Waters' first big budget, mainstream film, was released by in 1981 by New Line Cinema. Its $300,000 budget ...
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Shampoo Criterion Collection Review: Long Hair Don’t Care
By Jack Cormack |
Few films capture the mood of late '60s Los Angeles quite like Shampoo does; and few films of the '70s—that hallowed, so-called ...
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The Flavor of Green Tea over Rice Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Gentle Ozu Comedy
By Kent Conrad |
The first thing to get used to in an Ozu film is the camera perspective. He never (or at least ...
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The Koker Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Rise of Abbas Kiarostami
By Steve Geise |
This series of Iranian films is a trilogy in only the loosest sense, as they don't share overlapping casts or ...
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The BRD Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Fassbinder at His Best
By Mat Brewster |
When World War II ended, Germany was due a reckoning. As a nation, they had to come to terms not ...
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Hedwig and the Angry Inch Criterion Collection Review: Visually Stunning and Aesthetically Engaging
By Darcy Staniforth |
In 2001, writer, director, and star John Cameron-Mitchell and composer and lyricist Stephen Trask took their cutting-edge musical Hedwig and the ...
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Swing Time Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Fine Film
By Gordon S. Miller |
Swing Time is the sixth of ten films that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in together. It has great songs ...
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Let the Sunshine In Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Love Is…Brutally Human
By Davy |
For most people, love is a constant slope towards madness and eventual pain. We crave it, but sometimes, when it's ...
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Diamonds of the Night Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Story of Youth Under Fire with a Brilliantly Fractured Eye
By Davy |
There are many similarities between Luis Bunuel and underrated auteur/director Jan Nemec. They both use surrealism to dictate the often ...
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The Kid Brother Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Comedic Gem
By David Wangberg |
I'm not too familiar with the work of Harold Lloyd, and The Kid Brother is actually the first film of his that ...
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The Magnificent Ambersons Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Flawed Masterpiece, but Still a Worthwhile Film
By Kent Conrad |
Before getting into the history of the film: the mangling by the studio, the likely deliberately destroyed edited footage, and ...
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Shame (1968) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Harrowing, Nightmarish Bergman Masterpiece
By Davy |
War is Hell. They're have been many films that tackled the often difficult subject of war, and its effects on ...
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The Princess Bride Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: As Good As You Wish
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on the novel by William Goldman, who also wrote the screenplay, Rob Reiner's The Princess Bride is a fantasy ...
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Mikey and Nicky Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Elaine May Should Be Unanimously Acclaimed
By Davy |
When it comes to underappreciated figures of film, none are more legendary and important than Elaine May. After a successful ...
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A Dry White Season Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Truly Gripping Cinema
By Davy |
Racism is one those things that just doesn't seem to go away. Every day you turn on the news to ...
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A Story from Chikamatsu Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Tale Worth Watching
By Steve Geise |
When an adulterous nobleman learns that his wife is rumored to be carrying on an affair with a member of ...
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Shampoo Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Head and Shoulders Above the Rest
By Steve Geise |
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this film is Warren Beatty's glorious hair. Playing a Beverly Hills hairdresser/lothario named George, ...
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A Raisin in the Sun Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Wonderfully Acted Film
By Davy |
While some movies about the African-American experience are embarrassing and downright stereotypical, there are others that realistically transcend the bad ...
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My Man Godfrey Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: My Man Powell Strikes Gold
By Steve Geise |
At a glance, My Man Godfrey appears to be a typical formulaic production from Hollywood's golden age. Headlined by two ...
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Smithereens Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Indie Filmmaking at Its Most Raw and Unpolished
By Davy |
Films about women by women are pretty rare these days. These are stories about women taking control of their lives ...
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Dragon Inn Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Villains Check In but They Don’t Check Out
By Gordon S. Miller |
King Hu's second entry into the Criterion Collection is Dragon Inn (1967), his first film after leaving the Shaw Brothers ...
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Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Portrait of the Artist As a Fascinating Man
By Steve Geise |
Yukio Mishima carved out a career as an esteemed playwright and author before ending his life by taking over a ...
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Women in Love Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Naked Men, Wrestling
By Mat Brewster |
It's difficult not to compare the time in which Ken Russell adapted Women in Love (1969) to the time in ...
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Baal Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Unbearable, Unflinching, and Savage
By Davy |
When the legendary Rainer Werner Fassbinder died in 1982 at the age of 37, he really did leave behind an ...
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An Actor’s Revenge Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Kabuki Costumes in Modernist Cinema
By Kent Conrad |
Yukinojo, the kabuki female impersonator who gets the titular vengeance in Kon Ichikawa's An Actor's Revenge (1963), is a tough ...
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The Hero Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Long Train Ride into the Soul of an Artist
By Mat Brewster |
Arindam Mukherjee (Uttam Kumar), an enormously famous movie star, boards an overnight train from Calcutta to Delhi to receive a ...
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Elevator to the Gallows Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Ruthless People
By Steve Geise |
Louis Malle's directorial debut is notable for numerous reasons. He was only 24 years old at the time, fresh off ...
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The Complete Monterey Pop Festival (Remastered) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review
By Gordon S. Miller |
Previously released from Criterion in 2009, The Complete Monterey Pop Festival collects three D.A. Pennebaker film's: Monterey Pop, Jimi Plays ...
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Jabberwocky Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Frabjous Film! Callooh! Callay!
By Gordon S. Miller |
After co-directing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Gilliam returned to the Dark Ages for his first solo outing, ...
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Jabberwocky Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Frabjous Film! Callooh! Callay!
By Gordon S. Miller |
After co-directing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Gilliam returned to the Dark Ages for his first solo outing, ...
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Kameradschaft Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Cry for Cooperation
By Kent Conrad |
It's difficult to separate Kameradschaft from its historical context. Released in 1931, this story of cooperation between French and Germans ...
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Westfront 1918 Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Unglamorously Shows War the Way That It Is
By Davy |
When depicting war, no other medium can do it as mercilessly as film. War movies can be as dire and ...
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The Breakfast Club Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Don’t You Forget About These Bonus Features
By Steve Geise |
While The Breakfast Club is justifiably revered as a classic teen film, primarily due to the involvement of masterful writer/director ...
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General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review
By Darcy Staniforth |
General Idi Amin Dada: A Self-Portrait is the 1974 documentary film by Barbet Schroeder. Known for such films as Bar ...
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Desert Hearts Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Unsung Queer Classic
By Matthew St.Clair |
I never wanted Desert Hearts to end. I didn't want to leave behind the breathtaking scenery of the desert and ...
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Festival (1967) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Better Than Woodstock
By Mat Brewster |
In the early part of the 20th Century, various folklorists, including John Lomax, wandered about the country documenting the songs ...
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Vampyr Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Come for the Film, Stay for the Book
By Steve Geise |
Although Vampyr was released way back in 1932, it isn't the first vampire film, as it was released after the ...
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Certain Women Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Truly Amazing Film
By Davy |
When it comes to filmmaking, from the past to the present, it is always men at the forefront. However, and ...
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David Lynch: The Art Life Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: With Chemicals, He Points
By David Wangberg |
I remember my first encounter with a David Lynch film was in 2004 during my Introduction to Film class at ...
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Sid & Nancy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: They Did It Their Way
By Gordon S. Miller |
Director/co-writer Alex Cox's Sid & Nancy tells the story of the short, tragic love affair between Sex Pistols' bassist Sid ...
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The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Assassination, She Wrote
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on Richard Condon's novel of the same name, John Frankenheimer's The Manchurian Candidate is a captivating Cold War political ...
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Hopscotch Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Matthau Supremacy
By Steve Geise |
Hopscotch is a conundrum. It's a comedic but still realistic spy movie filmed in the waning days of the terrifying ...
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The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Stealth Double Feature
By Gordon S. Miller |
The Criterion Collection's release of Alfred Hitchcock's third feature, The Lodger (1927), is actually a stealth double feature of Hitchcock ...
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Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Masterpiece of Control
By Dusty Somers |
Who's in the mood for meatloaf with a side of existential dread? OK, I'm only so glib because writing about ...
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Roma Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Rome, I Love You
By David Wangberg |
In the opening text prior to the start of Roma, we get a detailed explanation of how the original version ...
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Good Morning (1959) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Japanese Master’s Flatulent Comedy
By Kent Conrad |
Comedy doesn't tend to get the respect of drama in movie writing. Like horror, its effectiveness depends on whether or ...
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Buena Vista Social Club Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Cuban Musicians Get the Recognition They Deserve
By Davy |
When it comes to music, there are many styles and cultures: Mexican, Spanish, Portugese, etc. However, Cuban music seems to ...
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Tampopo Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Endearing, Sensual, and Tasty Experience
By Davy |
Some of the best films about food not only include food itself, but the reasons why it is essential, especially ...
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Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Vote for Pedro
By Luigi Bastardo |
There are few films which can combine failed romances, hysteria, spiked gazpacho, the fine art of voiceover acting, and get ...
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45 Years Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Art of Quiet Devastation
By Dusty Somers |
The camera never strays far from Charlotte Rampling in Andrew Haigh's 45 Years, and for good reason. In this elegant, ...
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Canoa: A Shameful Memory Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Harrowing but Important
By Davy |
In this day and age, politics have become a horror show, meaning that corruption and savagery usually comes first, and ...
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Cameraperson Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Beautiful, Sad, Wonderful
By Mat Brewster |
Sometimes when I can't sleep, I'll lie in bed at night and think about all the different houses and apartments ...
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Cameraperson Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: No Better Film Experience Last Year
By Davy |
When it comes to human honesty, there is no better genre of film stronger than the documentary. In a time ...
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Heart of a Dog Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Moving Meditation from a Singular Artist
By Dusty Somers |
Can a film permeated with thoughts on death be playful? Can it be uplifting? Can it be equally cerebral and ...
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Lone Wolf and Cub Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Manga Comes to Life
By Steve Geise |
As the shogun executioner, Ogami Itto has a comfortable gig until he falls from grace and endures the death of ...
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The Executioner Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Introduction to a Spanish Filmmaking Giant
By Dusty Somers |
Even among dedicated English-speaking cinephiles, the name Luis García Berlanga might not immediately spark a glimmer of recognition. The great ...
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Valley of the Dolls Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Laughter, Tears, and a Mountain of Dolls!
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Kristen Lopez America was a bit of a mess in the 1960s, not just on the national stage ...
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Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Dekalog Review: Completely Worth Your Time
By Shawn Bourdo |
Watching the episodes of Krzysztof Kieslowski's Dekalog reminds me of how few auteurs there are anymore. Part of it is ...
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The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Early Masterwork
By Mat Brewster |
Kiku (Shotaro Hanyagi) is the adopted son of Kabuki royalty in Tokyo. As the presumed heir to this theatrical throne, ...
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A Taste of Honey Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Taste of Adolescence
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Kristen Lopez A renaissance in British cinema erupted in the 1960s; known as the Free Cinema and instigated ...
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Woman in the Dunes Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Digging out a Life in Sand
By Kent Conrad |
Every night, the woman shovels sand from the bottom of a hole, which gets carted up by a rope pulley, ...
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Speedy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The End of an Era
By Gordon S. Miller |
Not only is "Speedy" the title character played by Harold Lloyd in his last silent film and last appearance as ...
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The Immortal Story Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Marvel of Deep Emotion and Haunting Spareness
By Davy |
We all knew that Orson Welles was mad, but we also knew that he had the ability to make cinematic ...
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The In-Laws (1979) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: So Funny It Never Wears out Its Welcome
By Gordon S. Miller |
While there's a lot of hand-wringing and pearl-clutching that goes on whenever a sequel or remake is announced in Hollywood, ...
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La Chienne Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Early Renoir is a Delight
By Mat Brewster |
Life has not gone well for Maurice Legrand (Michel Simon). He works as a cashier for a hosiery company and ...
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Le Amiche Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Antonioni Drains the Passion from Melodrama
By Dusty Somers |
It's tempting to label Michelangelo Antonioni's fourth feature film Le Amiche a transitional work, as it shuns Neorealism and embraces ...
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The Naked Island Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
By Steve Geise |
Kaneto Shindo's film about the daily struggles of a poor farming family has one major hook: a total absence of ...
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Barcelona Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Innocent Imperialists Abroad
By Kent Conrad |
The first thing to get about Barcelona is the movie is sympathetic to its protagonists. Fred and Ted are cousins ...
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Brief Encounter Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Small but Poignant
By Mat Brewster |
Christ, David Lean knew how to compose a shot. I swear you could take all of his movies, put them ...
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The American Friend Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Tense Blend of Suspense and Character Study
By Davy |
There have been a few cinematic adaptations of famed author Patricia Highsmith's stories, such as 1951's Strangers on a Train, ...
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The Emigrants / The New Land Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Profound Cinematic Experience Like No Other
By Davy |
There have been many films about the dangerous journey of immigrants to America, the land of prosperity and new beginnings, ...
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Bitter Rice Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Beauty of the Downtrodden
By Steve Geise |
Long before Dino De Laurentiis was a noted Hollywood producer, he produced Italian films such as this 1949 drama. Interestingly, ...
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Night and the City Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Jules Dassin’s Marvelous London Noir
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based on the novel of the same name by Gerald Kersh, although director Jules Dassin claims never to have read ...
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Jellyfish Eyes Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Surprisingly Unsurprising
By Steve Geise |
The most surprising thing about unconventional artist Takashi Murakami's first feature-length directorial effort is that it is entirely conventional. Based ...
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Bob Dylan: Dont Look Back Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Glimpses into the Heart of the Artist
By Mat Brewster |
By the time Bob Dylan toured England in the Spring of 1965, he’d released five albums (two of which went ...
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A Special Day Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Special Performances from Italian Screen Legends
By Steve Geise |
The setup for this Italian film is deceptively simple, but belies the impact of the performances by its two stars, ...
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The Honeymoon Killers Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Striking Portrait of Isolation
By Dusty Somers |
The only film ever directed by opera composer Leonard Kastle, The Honeymoon Killers wears its influences on its sleeve, but ...
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Two Days, One Night Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Devastatingly Beautiful
By Mat Brewster |
In the industrial town of Seraing, Belgium, Sandra (Marion Cotillard) has been on sick leave from her manufacturing job after ...
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The French Lieutenant’s Woman Criterion Collection Review: Parallel Tales Rooted in Forbidden Passions
By Lorna Miller |
Based on the John Fowles novel, The French Lieutenant's Woman tells parallel tales rooted in forbidden passions and the complexity ...
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My Beautiful Laundrette Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Film Stands the Test of Time
By Davy |
When discussing some of the most influential LGBT films, Stephen Frears' 1985 modern classic My Beautiful Laundrette usually is one ...
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Limelight Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Chaplin’s Coda
By Shawn Bourdo |
My Chaplin journey hasn't been linear. I didn't start with the silent shorts and work my way through The Kid ...
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Here Is Your Life Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Engrossing and Enervating Debut
By Dusty Somers |
A film that's both engrossing and enervating at turns, Here is Your Life kicked off the feature-film career of Swedish ...
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The Killers (1946) / (1964) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Intriguing Double Feature
By Gordon S. Miller |
Like taking a comparative literature class, The Killers from the Criterion Collection offers a great opportunity to see how artists ...
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Five Easy Pieces Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: One Easy Role to Nicholson’s Stardom
By Steve Geise |
A year removed from his breakout supporting turn in Easy Rider, Jack Nicholson moved to headliner status in this 1970 ...
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The Friends of Eddie Coyle Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Crime, Lowkey, and Unsentimental
By Kent Conrad |
Released about a year after Coppola's crime epic, The Godfather, The Friends of Eddie Coyle was seen by some critics ...
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Odd Man Out Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Deft and Thrilling Storytelling
By Davy |
There have been many films about personal and conflicted crisis of conscience, such as American Beauty (1999), The Apostle (1997), ...
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A Brief History of Time Criterion Collection Review: A Quirky, Idiosyncratic Tribute
By Davy |
Everyone knows the story of Stephen Hawking, the iconic physicist, cosmologist, author, and director of research. They also know that ...
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The Thin Blue Line Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Paradigm Shift
By Shawn Bourdo |
Rarely do you watch a film and actually pinpoint where a genre actually changes. You watch Clerks or Pulp Fiction ...
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Gates of Heaven / Vernon, Florida Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Loving the Absurd
By Greg Barbrick |
“I love the absurd,” says Errol Morris in one of the extras on the new Criterion Collection Blu-ray edition of ...
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An Autumn Afternoon Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Master’s Final Masterpiece
By Dusty Somers |
Before he died of cancer on his 60th birthday in 1963, Yasujiro Ozu left us with one final masterpiece in ...
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Young Mr. Lincoln Criterion Collection DVD Review: Ford’s Greatest Overlooked Film
By Greg Barbrick |
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) may be the greatest overlooked film John Ford (1894 - 1973) ever made. To call a ...
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The Vanishing (1988) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Thriller as Character Study
By Kent Conrad |
The missing person is the greatest motif of the mystery story. Even if the murder story is more common (and ...
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The Night Porter Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Nazi Love Story
By Mat Brewster |
Normally I'd say that the space between True Art and exploitation is wide and wandering, but if The Night Porter ...
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It Happened One Night Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Original Runaway Bride
By Steve Geise |
It's hard to imagine now, but there was a time in cinematic history when romantic comedies were extremely rare. That ...
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AFI Fest 2014 Review: Two Days, One Night
By Gordon S. Miller |
After a brief absence from her solar-panel plant job, Sandra (Marion Cotillard) gets word on a Friday afternoon that she ...
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PlayTime Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Hulot vs. Modernization
By Davy |
As we film buffs know the works of Chaplin, Godard, Dreyer, and Antonioni, we are able to see their versions ...
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All That Jazz Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Lord of the Dance
By Steve Geise |
Joe Gideon is tired. Tired of women, tired of choreography, tired of drugs, and yet inexplicably driven to continue pursuing ...
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Insomnia (1997) Criterion Collection Review: An Influential Thriller
By Shawn Bourdo |
I sat down to write this upon the day of hearing of the passing of Robin Williams. He took a ...
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Persona Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Absolute Must Have
By Mat Brewster |
Everyone agrees that Ingmar Bergman is one of the greatest director's of world cinema. Almost no one disagrees that his ...
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Persona (1966) Criterion Collection Review: Chilling, Strange, and Metaphysical
By Davy |
In my own opinion, no other film in history has garnered so much critical analysis as Ingmar Bergman's 1966 masterpiece, ...
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Hearts and Minds (1974) Criterion Collection Review: A Riveting Documentary of the Vietnam War
By Greg Barbrick |
The Academy Award-winning Hearts and Minds is the most riveting war documentary I have ever seen. The raw footage and ...
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Like Someone in Love Criterion Collection Review: An Authentic Illusion
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by S. Edward Sousa Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kariostami has spent a lifetime constructing films meant to blur the line ...
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Riot in Cell Block 11 Criterion Collection DVD Review: Stuck in Folsom Prison
By Critical curmudgeon |
Directed by Don Siegel, the 1954 movie Riot in Cell Block 11 offers a gritty, authentic look at the prison ...
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Il Sorpasso Criterion Collection Review: An Endearing, Incisive Road Movie
By Dusty Somers |
The comedy of Dino Risi's road movie Il Sorpasso hums along beautifully, just like the gorgeous Lancia Aurelia convertible one ...
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Master of the House Criterion Collection DVD Review: As Boring as it is Important
By Mat Brewster |
As a self-confessed film buff, I have to admit that my knowledge is severely lacking when it comes to silent ...
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The Hidden Fortress Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Gold Standard
By Steve Geise |
A long time ago in a country far, far away, esteemed director Akira Kurosawa filmed a grand adventure that took ...
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Kagemusha Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: And a Thief Shall Lead Them
By Gordon S. Miller |
From his debut as a director with Sanshiro Sugata (1943) through to Red Beard (1965), director Akira Kurosawa averaged releasing ...
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Ran Criterion Collection DVD Review: Akira Kurosawa’s Final Masterpiece
By Gordon S. Miller |
Ran is Kurosawa's last masterpiece from a man who made many. He made three more films afterwards, but none came ...
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Tess Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Polanski’s Vision of Victorian England
By Greg Barbrick |
Tess is an unforgettable film, and one of the finest of Roman Polanski's career. The fact that it lost to ...
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King of the Hill (1993) Criterion Collection Review: Soderbergh Goes Mainstream (Or Does He?)
By Dusty Somers |
For those who insist on dividing Steven Soderbergh's filmography into the reductive “one for me” and “one for them” categories, ...
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Fantastic Mr. Fox Criterion Collection Review: It is Quote-Unquote Fantastic
By Mat Brewster |
Like most great directors, Wes Anderson has created a very distinctive style for his films. They live in a world ...
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Naked Lunch Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Enter the Interzone
By Gordon S. Miller |
By incorporating elements of William S. Burroughs' life into the screenplay, David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch is not a straight adaptation ...
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Jules and Jim Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Seminal French New Wave Love Triangle
By Greg Barbrick |
The greatest literature is often inspired by true events, and the story behind Francois Truffaut's Jules and Jim (1962) is ...
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The Long Day Closes Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Terence Davies’ Personal Vision of Liverpool
By Critical curmudgeon |
Terence Davies plumbs his Liverpool upbringing in 1992's brilliantly dense The Long Day Closes, a film that is as much ...
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La vie de bohème Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Aki Kaurismäki Does Tragedy and Comedy Equally Well
By Dusty Somers |
The Film Finnish great Aki Kaurismäki's take on Paris bohemian life, La vie de bohème, doesn't end well for its ...
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Grey Gardens (1976) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An S-T-A-U-N-C-H Classic
By Dusty Somers |
The Film A landmark in documentary filmmaking and possibly the most well known work from the school of direct cinema, ...
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City Lights Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Well Received and Slightly Defiant
By Shawn Bourdo |
The Criterion Collection has returned to the well again this month. They are releasing the fifth film in their Charlie ...
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The Uninvited (1944) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Who ‘Ya Gonna Call?
By Luigi Bastardo |
In today's era of mishmash horror moviemaking - wherein there's a new Paranormal Activity flick released every other year - ...
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John Cassavetes: Five Films Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Independent Spirit
By Steve Geise |
Whether or not you enjoy the directorial efforts of John Cassavetes, it's impossible to overlook his contribution to the rise ...
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I Married a Witch Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Veronica Lake Bewitches, Bothers, and Bewilders
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Kristen Lopez Halloween may be over, but any time is a good time for a new Halloween classic ...
Read More La Notte Criterion Collection DVD Review: They Don’t Make ‘Em Like This Anymore
By Mark Buckingham |
La Notte is definitely a film from a different era where plots were not entirely clear until the third act, ...
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Blue Is the Warmest Color Movie Review: A Compelling Story About Love and Life
By Gordon S. Miller |
Abdellatif Kechiche's Blue Is the Warmest Color is a beautiful, coming-of-age story set over the course of about 10 years ...
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I Married a Witch Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Low on Magic, High on Fumes
By Critical curmudgeon |
Directed by René Clair, I Married a Witch is low on magic and high on fumes. Its major selling feature ...
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Eyes Without a Face Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Mesmerizing, Poetic Film
By Mat Brewster |
In the 1950s French critics and cultural purveyors thought that horror films were beneath them. Monsters and gore were not ...
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I Married a Witch Criterion Collection DVD Review: Truly Bewitching
By Greg Barbrick |
Forget Elizabeth Montgomery in Bewitched; the most beautiful witch of all time is Veronica Lake in I Married a Witch ...
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La Cage aux Folles Criterion Collection DVD Review: Classic French Farce Bliss
By Luigi Bastardo |
Eighteen years before the enjoyable-but-ultimately-uncalled-for remake, The Birdcage hit theater screens across the world, La Cage aux Folles first introduced ...
Read More 3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: On the Verge of a New Cinematic World
By Dusty Somers |
The FilmsThough their collaborations were largely overshadowed by the scandal of their romance, Roberto Rossellini and Ingrid Bergman proved to ...
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3 Films by Roberto Rossellini Starring Ingrid Bergman Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Definitive Journey
By Greg Barbrick |
When Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (1945) won the Grand Prize at Cannes in 1946, he was recognized as the ...
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La Cage aux Folles Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: “Utter Hell” to Make, Pure Heaven to Watch
By Critical curmudgeon |
Director Édouard Molinaro considered the making of his La Cage aux Folles as "utter hell," but it's hard not to ...
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The Earrings of Madame de … Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Direction of Max Ophuls Dazzles Like a Diamond
By Gordon S. Miller |
Director Max Ophuls' penultimate film The Earrings of Madame de ... is a classic French '50s melodrama that rivals its ...
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The Devil’s Backbone Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: One of Guillermo del Toro’s Most Personal Films
By Lorna Miller |
Guillermo del Toro is one of the most interesting directors currently making films because of his unique vision and style. ...
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Slacker Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Formally Fascinating, Warmly Hilarious Film
By Dusty Somers |
The FilmRichard Linklater's Slacker is a film that sounds like a doodle on paper, a fun little experiment from the ...
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Autumn Sonata Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Utterly Sad and Nearly Perfect
By Mat Brewster |
Our monthly Foreign Film Night is typically very sparsely attended. This is not unexpected as one cannot plan for a ...
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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Masterfully Acted and Presented
By generaljabbo |
The 1960s Cold War era proved a fertile time for the spy movie genre. James Bond offered a glamorous, high-tech ...
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The Devil’s Backbone Criterion Collection DVD Review: Hell Is for Children
By Luigi Bastardo |
During the mid '90s, my fascination with all things foreign and artsy-like led me into the welcoming arms of two ...
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The Big City Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Girl Power
By Steve Geise |
Prior to The Big City, director Satyajit Ray had never tackled a contemporary project, choosing to focus on explorations of ...
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Charulata Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Indian Film, European Sensibility
By Steve Geise |
This is not a Bollywood film, at least not in the accepted modern-day definition of the term. Half a century ...
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Babette’s Feast Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Tale of Love, Life, and Food
By Luigi Bastardo |
Gabriel Axel's multiple award-winning film Babette's Feast takes place almost entirely in a tiny, remote, 19th century village somewhere near ...
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To Be or Not to Be (1942) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: You’ll Get a ‘Terrific Laugh’ Out of This One
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Kristen Lopez In 1942, the U.S. hadn't entered World War II and audiences were unaware of the horrific ...
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Shoah Criterion Collection DVD Review: Superb Release of Haunting, Tragic Film
By Kent Conrad |
Shoah is a film about trains. Inside its nearly 10 hours of running time, the image and movement of the ...
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The Thin Red Line Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Impressive Movie
By Shawn Bourdo |
There's something to be said about be prolific. Take Alfred Hitchcock's work for example - there are runs of three-four ...
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The Ice Storm Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Person’s Body Is His Temple
By Critical curmudgeon |
There is a moment in Ang Lee's The Ice Storm, now available on Criterion Collection Blu-ray, where the 14-year-old Mikey ...
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3:10 To Yuma (1957) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The High Cost of Living
By Gordon S. Miller |
Though the story of a lone man standing up for what is right is a common Western motif, Delmer Daves' ...
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Babette’s Feast Criterion Collection DVD Review: Eye- and Mouth-Watering Delights
By Mat Brewster |
About once a month, we host a Foreign Film Night at our house. We invite a few friends over, we ...
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Jubal Criterion Collection DVD Review: An Underrated Western Gem
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Brandie Ashe Delmer Daves' 1956 film Jubal is sometimes dismissed as simply a cowboy retelling of William Shakespeare's ...
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Lord of the Flies (1963) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Lightning Struck Twice
By Greg Barbrick |
William Golding was 43 years old when his first book was published. The year was 1954, and the title of ...
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Lord of the Flies (1963) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Definitive Version of a Classic Text
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Kristen Lopez I vividly remember the Lord of the Flies unit in my seventh grade class. I'm not ...
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The Life of Oharu Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Mizoguchi’s Breakthrough Masterpiece
By Dusty Somers |
The Film The film that made Kenji Mizoguchi an international sensation and the first in a string of masterpieces that ...
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The Life of Oharu Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Downward Spiral
By Steve Geise |
While watching this film, I was reminded of another tale of a classy lady who gradually becomes marginalized: Anna Karenina. ...
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Life Is Sweet Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Mike Leigh’s International Breakout
By Shawn Bourdo |
Mike Leigh films can be comedies but you'd never put the phrase "light hearted" in front of that description. His ...
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Brazil Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Dreams and Nightmares Courtesy of Terry Gilliam
By Gordon S. Miller |
Terry Gilliam's dystopian classic Brazil, a film about a man fighting against an oppressive system, led to life imitating art ...
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Safety Last! Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Time Is Money
By Critical curmudgeon |
The matter of Harold Lloyd's lack of fame has been of much discussion over the years. He is often cited ...
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Things to Come Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Overly Didactic Technical Marvel
By Dusty Somers |
The Film An impressive technical achievement, even if its didacticism threatens to overwhelm all other elements, H.G. Wells' Things to ...
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Safety Last! (1923) Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Silent Comedic Masterpiece
By Greg Barbrick |
The three comedic geniuses of the silent film era were Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. For various reasons, ...
Read More Marketa Lazarova Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Defiantly Experimental
By Steve Geise |
You know how Game of Thrones gets really confusing with the various warring clans populated by so many characters that ...
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Things To Come (1936) Criterion Collection DVD Review: An Unforgettable Piece of Cinematic History
By Greg Barbrick |
H.G. Wells has had a number of books turned into classic films, including The Island of Lost Souls (1932), and ...
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Medium Cool Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Theatrics of Observation and Social Crisis
By Critical curmudgeon |
Filmmaker Haskell Wexler's Medium Cool walks the tender line between fiction and non-fiction, using the cinema vérité method to beg ...
Read More Life Is Sweet Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Chocolate Thrust of Life Itself
By Critical curmudgeon |
Mike Leigh's wonderful Life Is Sweet is less a film about something and more a film about the thrust of ...
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Wild Strawberries Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Beautiful, Complex, Symbolic Film
By Mat Brewster |
I am 37 years old. With luck, I'll live another 37 before I die. At the middle of my life, ...
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Masaki Kobayashi Against the System DVD Review: Angry and Elegant Political Films
By Dusty Somers |
Known for his exemplary samurai film Harakiri and three-part World War II humanist epic The Human Condition, Masaki Kobayashi wasn't ...
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Jubal Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Shakespeare in the Wild West
By Luigi Bastardo |
While traditional and contemporary adaptations of William Shakespeare's works have been coming and going since someone figured out how to ...
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Medium Cool Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Living Document of America’s Rebellion
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Kristen Lopez The Criterion Collection presents a slice of American history with director/cinematographer Haskell Wexler's, Medium Cool. Filmed ...
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3:10 to Yuma (1957) Criterion Collection DVD Review: You Gotta Trust Delmer Daves on This One
By Greg Barbrick |
The opening shot of 3:10 to Yuma (1957) sets the film up as perfectly as anything I have ever seen. ...
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Pierre Etaix: Criterion Collection DVD Review: Affordable Pricelessness
By Luigi Bastardo |
For many of the "average" citizens living within the confines of the continental United States of America, the concept of ...
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Band of Outsiders Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Odd, Wonderfully Fun Film from the French New Wave
By Mat Brewster |
During the 1950s a number of film critics began to criticize French cinema. It was too traditional, too literal, too ...
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Pierre Etaix Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Bringing Etaix’s World to Life
By Critical curmudgeon |
“The defining characteristic of comic cinema,” says French comic, clown and filmmaker Pierre Etaix, “is that it begins with a ...
Read More Richard III Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Ravishing Technicolor Beauty
By Dusty Somers |
The Film The last of Laurence Olivier's three Shakespeare adaptations, Richard III is unquestionably one of the great Shakespeare films, ...
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Richard III (1955) Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Tremendous Film
By Greg Barbrick |
One of the most striking aspects of the newly restored Richard III (1955) is its magnificent use of color. As ...
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Repo Man Criterion Collection DVD Review: Punk All Over
By Greg Barbrick |
The seamy underbelly of Los Angeles has been explored in numerous films over the years. A few of my favorites ...
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Ministry of Fear Criterion Collection DVD Review: (Don’t) Let Them Eat Cake
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Brandie Ashe Stephen Neale, a handsome young Brit, stares at a clock on the wall, counting down the ...
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Gate of Hell Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Not Quite Heavenly, but Far from Hellish
By Steve Geise |
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, this Oscar-winning Japanese film has fallen off the radar over the past few decades ...
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Umberto D. Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Old Man and His Dog
By Gordon S. Miller |
One of the last great films from the Italian neorealism movement, Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D. focuses on the struggles ...
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Pier Paolo Pasolni’s Trilogy of Life Criterion Collection DVD Review: Make Mine Bunuel
By Luigi Bastardo |
As one of those individuals that became the slightly pretentious artsy-fartsy feller during his teenage years whilst growing up in ...
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The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: It’s a Man’s Life in the Formerly Modern Army
By Gordon S. Miller |
Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp is epic in scope, though not scale, as ...
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Badlands Criterion Collection DVD Review: An Exploration of Isolation, Realism, Self-Image, and Violence
By Critical curmudgeon |
Terrence Malick's debut explores isolation, realism, self-image, and violence with the filmmaker's lyrical elegance, setting the footing for an opus ...
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Ugetsu Criterion Collection DVD Review: What Price Desire?
By Gordon S. Miller |
Kenji Mizoguchi is considered one of the masters of Japanese cinema, striking a balance between the contemplation of Ozu and ...
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Badlands Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Birth of a Legend
By Steve Geise |
Forty years ago, writer/director Terrence Malick's first feature film announced the arrival of an important new voice. Through the ensuing ...
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The Blob (1958) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Oldie but Goodie Returns in High Def
By Mark Buckingham |
Watching The Blob (1958) and then watching The Blob (1988) reveals much about how American culture changed over three decades. ...
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The Kid with a Bike Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Another Major Work from the Dardennes
By Dusty Somers |
The Film It's time for yet another reminder to be grateful for the Dardennes, those Belgian masters of unmatched cinematic ...
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Being John Malkovich Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Malkovich, Malkovich, Malkovich
By Gordon S. Miller |
In Being John Malkovich, the brilliant feature-film debut of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman and director Spike Jonze, an unhappily married couple ...
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Sansho the Bailiff Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Ties That Bind
By Steve Geise |
Based on the movie title, one would expect Sansho to be the main character. One would be wrong. In fact, ...
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Chronicle of a Summer Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Fascinating Glimpse into Paris in 1960
By Mat Brewster |
I have very recently decided to become a full-blown Francophile. My wife is one. and while I've stuck my toes ...
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The Ballad of Narayama Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Kinoshita’s Kabuki Theatre Envisions Ubasute
By Critical curmudgeon |
The concept of ubasute is at the centre of The Battle of Narayama, the 1958 film by Japanese director Keisuke ...
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Pina Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Striking Elegy for an Artistic Giant
By Dusty Somers |
The Film Wim Wenders' gorgeous and touching tribute to modern dance pioneer Pina Bausch is a film birthed out of ...
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Following Criterion Collection DVD Review: Glimpse a Genius Just Finding His Voice
By Shawn Bourdo |
In 1999, a 28-year-old Christopher Nolan couldn't possibly have seen himself directing such big budget films like Inception and The ...
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Two-Lane Blacktop: Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Monte Hellman’s Masterpiece
By Luigi Bastardo |
As anyone who has ever experienced a truly awkward moment of puberty is well aware, growing up is an inevitable ...
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Following Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Christopher Nolan’s Memorable Debut
By Gordon S. Miller |
Before creating his own following with the sensational Memento, Christopher Nolan made his feature-film directorial debut with Following. It is ...
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Ivan’s Childhood Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: War is Hell, but Looks Superb
By Steve Geise |
On the surface, this film might not seem to offer much enticement for viewing considering its decidedly downbeat subject matter ...
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The Tin Drum Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Schlöndorff’s German Fable
By Critical curmudgeon |
A dazzlingly dark and often very funny fable, The Tin Drum is a terrific motion picture. The 1979 film by ...
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The Tin Drum Criterion Collection DVD Review: Familial Insanity Mirrors Nazi Germany
By Greg Barbrick |
For a film that won both the Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, The Tin ...
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The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) Criterion Collection DVD Review: See the Master of Suspense Invent Himself
By Mat Brewster |
In 1934, Alfred Hitchcock was not considered the great director we know him as today. Nor was he the Master ...
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Purple Noon Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Treat for the Eyes and a Test for the Nerves
By Jade Blackmore |
Purple Noon (Plein Soleil), Rene Clement's 1960 film based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, is more brooding ...
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Purple Noon Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Talented Mr. Delon
By Steve Geise |
Remember The Talented Mr. Ripley? Director Anthony Minghella's 1999 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's crime novel helped launch Jude Law to ...
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The Qatsi Trilogy: (Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Fans Should Be Very Pleased
By Greg Barbrick |
When Koyaanisqatsi (1983) came out, my girlfriend at the time talked me into seeing it with her. She was very ...
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Trilogy of Life Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Three Films, Countless Tales
By Critical curmudgeon |
Italian filmmaker, poet, philosopher, writer, and sometimes actor Pier Paolo Pasolini has certainly generated his fair share of controversy. He's ...
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La Jetee / Sans Soleil Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Stay for the Stills, Run from the Motion
By Steve Geise |
Director Chris Marker's two most well-known works have been compiled into one Criterion release, but only one of them is ...
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Weekend (1967) Criterion Collection DVD Review: For the True Cinephile
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Kristen Lopez I probably shouldn't have jumped at the first opportunity to review a film like Weekend (or ...
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Rashomon (1950) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Restoration Shows Improvements, Not Perfection
By Steve Geise |
If you're reading this review, chances are you're fully familiar with this classic film and just have two questions: how's ...
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Sunday Bloody Sunday Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
By Michelle Prather |
John Schlesinger's Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), the highly anticipated follow-up to Midnight Cowboy (1969) is an honest, often somber, account of what lovers will ...
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Rashomon Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Best of the Best
By Greg Barbrick |
Director Akira Kurosawa (1919-1998) was known as “The Emperor” of Japanese film for a few reasons. For those he worked ...
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Rosemary’s Baby Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Masterful Film
By Greg Barbrick |
There have been countless movies that were either so shocking, or just captured the zeitgeist of the culture so well ...
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The Game (1997) Criterion Collection DVD Review: Edgy and Uneven, But It Grows on You
By Luigi Bastardo |
There's nothing taking time out of your everyday boring routine to play a fun game with your friends. In the ...
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Les Visiteurs du Soir Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Medieval Tale of Love and Fate
By Luigi Bastardo |
In late 1942, when the surreal French fantasy Les Visiteurs du Soir was first released in good ol' gai Paris, ...
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In the Mood for Love Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: An Astonishing Meditation on Longing
By Critical curmudgeon |
Wong Kar-wai's wonderful, stunning In the Mood for Love sparkles on Blu-ray thanks to Criterion Collection. The 2000 film, nominated ...
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The War Room Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Peek Behind the Campaign Curtain
By Gordon S. Miller |
While the campaigns for United States President seem to grow increasingly relentless with every cycle, especially in so-called battleground states, ...
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The Forgiveness of Blood Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Nik Full of Angst
By Steve Geise |
Remember Maria Full of Grace? Writer/director Joshua Marston's 2004 film about a Colombian drug mule garnered international acclaim and recognition ...
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12 Angry Men Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Guilty of Being a Great Film
By Gordon S. Miller |
Set almost entirely in a single room, 12 Angry Men appears to be a small film yet the story reveals ...
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Eating Raoul Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Equal Parts High Camp and Urbane Comedy of Manners
By Dusty Somers |
The Film A delightful black comedy that's equal parts high camp and urbane comedy of manners, Paul Bartel's Eating Raoul ...
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Children of Paradise Criterion Collection DVD Review: The Film is Paradise
By Critical curmudgeon |
Widely hailed as one of the finest French films of all time, Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise is an astounding ...
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Eating Raoul Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Biting Social Satire
By Shawn Bourdo |
Independent cinema of 1982 did not resemble today's genre in any shape or form. Viewers had to work to find ...
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Weekend (2011) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Moving, Deceptively Complex Film
By Dusty Somers |
The Film When I first saw Andrew Haigh’s Weekend last year during a blitz of awards-season catch-up, I appreciated its ...
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Children of Paradise Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Cinematic Paradise
By Steve Geise |
At first glance, this film might seem like a poor candidate for greatness, or even relevance in our era. It’s ...
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Lonesome (1928) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Sometimes, Happiness is Just a Neighbor Away
By Luigi Bastardo |
There’s nothing like a little alone time to give you some perspective on your situation in life — especially when ...
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Criterion Collection Eclipse Series 35: Maidstone and Other Films by Norman Mailer DVD Review
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Lisa McKay The fine film lovers at the Criterion Collection recently released a two-disk set containing the first ...
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The Game (1997) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Fast-paced Thrill Ride
By Lorna Miller |
David Fincher is one of my all-time favorite directors. He instantly captured my attention with Se7en; I had never seen ...
Read More Quadrophenia Criterion Collection DVD Review: Dressed Right For a Beach Fight
By generaljabbo |
Though much of the music listened to by the so-called mods and rockers in mid-1960s England gets played on the ...
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Weekend (2011) Criterion Collection DVD Review: An Intimate Portrait of New Love
By Michelle Prather |
Weekend is a quiet, but candid, glimpse of how a seemingly fleeting attraction between two people with distinct identities can ...
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Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: 116 Minutes of Vileness
By Gordon S. Miller |
Salò is the most repulsive film I have ever seen. So much so that I completely understand the censorship it ...
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Lonesome Criterion Collection DVD Review: Groundbreaking Cinema That Should Not Be Missed
By Greg Barbrick |
Paul Fejos (1897-1963) directed something of a “lost” classic with Lonesome (1928). The Criterion Collection have just released a digitally ...
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Quadrophenia Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: We Are the 5.1 Mods
By Steve Geise |
Even if you’ve seen this film before, you’ve never seen it like this. Boasting a complete restoration including a new ...
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For All Mankind Criterion Collection DVD Review: A Great Source of Inspiration
By Gordon S. Miller |
Using the 16mm footage recorded during the nine manned Moon flights between December 1968 and November 1972, director Alan Reinert ...
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La Promesse Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Stunning Breakout from the Dardenne Brothers
By Dusty Somers |
The Film The cinematic worlds of Belgian filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne are raw and unadorned, filled with broken people ...
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Shock Corridor and The Naked Kiss Criterion Collection DVDs Review: Two Signature Films from Samuel Fuller
By Gordon S. Miller |
As The Criterion Collection upgrades their titles to Blu-ray, DVD buyers benefit from the new, restored high-definition digital transfers that ...
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Down by Law Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Louisiana Prison Break that Transcends Genre
By Cinema Sentries |
Written by Ben Platko Jim Jarmusch. A name that should resonate with independent filmmakers and aficionados alike. Sadly, I had ...
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Le Havre Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Light-Hearted, Surreal Take on a Serious Subject
By Steve Geise |
The setup for this film is straightforward: a poor aging French shoe-shiner helps a young African illegal immigrant evade capture ...
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The Samurai Trilogy Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Journey Worth Embarking On
By Gordon S. Miller |
Based Eiji Yoshikawa’snovel, director Hiroshi Inagaki tells the story of Takezo Kensei and his transformation into Musashi Miyamoto, legendary Japanese ...
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Metropolitan Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: Two Decades Later, I Still Don’t Get It
By Steve Geise |
Writer/director Whit Stillman’s debut film received massive critical accolades following its 1990 theatrical release, including a Best Screenplay Oscar nomination. ...
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The Last Days of Disco Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: A Witty Look at the End of an Era
By Dusty Somers |
The Film There’s not a hint of irony in Whit Stillman’s 1998 film The Last Days of Disco despite there ...
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The Samurai Trilogy Criterion Collection DVD Review: Mifune in His Physical Prime
By Steve Geise |
Japanese screen legend Toshiro Mifune is most closely associated with the directorial efforts of fellow legend Akira Kurosawa, and yet ...
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Carlos (2010) Criterion Collection Blu-ray Review: The Tale of the Jackal
By Gordon S. Miller |
Carlos is a fascinating docudrama about the Venezuelan terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, known as Carlos the Jackal, whose most notorious ...
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