The Criterion Collection

I saw this before Criterion was anything I associated with. Life of Brian was always a really enjoyable film, though I personally preferred Meaning of Life. Several classic scenes exist here, and a more recent re-watch yielded better attention to some of the finer details. As a film, Life of Brian definitely stands out from the other two installments in the loose Python trilogy, delivering a satisfying narrative first and riotous comedy second.

Saw this one at school, oddly enough. One of the most disturbing, captivating releases I had ever seen, and I was exposed in the public education system! Definitely a keeper and one I hope gets a Blu Ray refurbishing so I can enjoy it again with more cinematic context.

I can't quite remember what influenced my desire to see The Royal Tenenbaums, but once I acquired it, I grew an unhealthy obsession with it, breaking out an old DVD copy at family gathering after family gathering and delighting myself with it in private on my computer.

I watched this because it was Doug Walker of Nostalgia Critic fame's favorite film. It's definitely a masterpiece, despite what his talents might indicate of his taste, and I've really begun diving into the Collection at a time when there's big hype for this one. Also of minor, minor note is I used it in an introduction for an extemporaneous speech at a Forensics tournament and got varsity first place, which was incredibly exciting.

A film I quite honestly did not get on first viewing, and I never gave it another shot, as it was a Netflix rental. I am ashamed to say that I will have to reacquire this somehow before divulging opinions.

I really, really loved this film upon first viewing. There's not much more to say.

Truly batshit insane, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was everything it was hyped up to be by those with whom I discussed it prior. The book was excellent, but Gilliam's vision is a masterpiece.

I always felt that the film was a pretty bland piece of cinema. The conversation itself is of course seminal, textured, endlessly captivating, but the medium of film might not have been the best given the lack of visual stimuli. This opinion is somewhat dampened by the ending, however, when in a move possible only at the movies, Malle reveals his bias in who truly won the implicit debate throughout the meal.

Definitely a hilarious movie, This Is Spinal Tap was quite the fun romp with the family one evening as I made myself familiar with a lot of canon works. It works on a lot of levels, but I can't say I miss it when I don't see it on my film shelf. An experience to be had at least once, for sure, though.

Saw this in less-than-ideal conditions, but what I was able to catch indicated that this is a lovely film definitely to be consumed again and analyzed more completely.

Having seen this film only once, I felt a bit lukewarm about it. The Cat Stevens soundtrack is surely unbeatable for what it is, and my attraction to Wes Anderson films leads me to believe that perhaps I was just in the wrong mood, but Harold and Maude didn't strike any chords within me super deeply. Not off-putting either, just a bit blah.

The 400 Blows presents a stunning portrait of a young French boy that I found to be one of the most agreeable films I had ever seen at the time. All that can be said about the film has been said before, and I definitely need another couple of views to really reinforce some convictions I have about it, but one conviction stands out above the others: the final shot is the most startling thing I have ever seen. As for my personal interpretation, I am of the camp that the final shot immediately turns the cinema into a looking glass, allowing the audience to see in itself the horrors present in one young orphan's life.

An engaging, 400 Blows-esque piece that I definitely need to revisit.

The backlash that exists against this film is wholly unwarranted. Tiny Furniture was one of the most impressive pieces to come out of the mumblecore movement for me, and its unique style and experimental balancing act of sentiment and irony was a sight to behold as Dunham not only as character but as director found her way in a haphazard, wonderfully post-modern manner.

Easily my favorite film bar none, House is a roller-coaster ride in every way possible.

What a rush! Entirely entertaining and characteristically confusing plot-wise. Like a hazy ultraviolent dream, complete with Suzuki's intense irony and constant satire. A truly masterful film, but I have to say that I prefer Branded to Kill.

Nothing more to say than that the "Alone Again Or" sequence made me tear up. A hugely underrated film from a master of my heart strings, but understandably placed near the bottom of his totem pole.

A quick favorite, Branded to Kill was the first Criterion I saw as a Criterion disc. It created my entire appetite for exploring the caverns of international cinema that the Collection has so helpfully dug out for us laypeople.

A deeply emotive, transcendent experience. The final moments slayed me. Emotionally harrowing and atmospheric in all the best ways.