The Criterion Collection

Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

Paul Schrader

JustinR: “An underrated masterpiece from an underrated writer - with a memorable score from Philip Glass to boot.”

Quadrophenia

Franc Roddam

JustinR: “A great cult classic of '70s Britain, complete with The Who's masterful album - and Sting, too!”

Hiroshima mon amour

Alain Resnais

Gray’s Anatomy

Steven Soderbergh

JustinR: “Who ever thought someone's eye surgery could actually make for an intriguing film? Only Spalding Gray and Steven Soderbergh made that possible.”

And Everything Is Going Fine

Steven Soderbergh

JustinR: “Spalding Gray finds his voice again with help from Steven Soderbergh in this powerful biopic, as told through his own words - it's a hypnotic work.”

The Fire Within

Louis Malle

JustinR: “Who knew a movie about a man wanting to end his life could actually be life-affirming? It shows in Louis Malle's haunting humanistic drama.”

The Last Temptation of Christ

Martin Scorsese

JustinR: “Possibly Martin Scorsese's most controversial film - and his most personal - about the last days of Jesus...it's a powerful epic human drama.”

The Night of the Hunter

Charles Laughton

JustinR: “It's pure Gothic horror, with Robert Mitchum at his most evil - and Charles Laughton directs a powerful film. Why was this ignored so much in 1955?”

Spartacus

Stanley Kubrick

JustinR: “It's as epic as Hollywood epics get - Kirk Douglas leads a great cast, with Kubrick showing his ability to pull off a great Roman drama. ”

Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa

JustinR: “Using a great adjective for this film isn't necessary - it's Kurosawa, it's an action epic, it's Mifune - just savor it and enjoy every moment. ”

The Rules of the Game

Jean Renoir

JustinR: “Jean Renoir nearly lost his film to a hateful French public, but he pulled no punches on the bourgeois in what may be his greatest directorial work.”

Ran

Akira Kurosawa

JustinR: “This is Kurosawa's late-period masterpiece - transplanting King Lear to feudal Japan with chilling and extraordinary effect. This is a stunning film.”

Made in U.S.A

Jean-Luc Godard

JustinR: “Such a quirky, off-beat Godard picture - he at his most stylized, & Anna Karina at her most beautiful. And they both pull no punches - a sharp film.”

Ikiru

Akira Kurosawa

JustinR: “Sorry samurai fans, but this is Kurosawa's best film - quiet, raw, emotional and life-affirming. He made the greatest film about living...ever.”

Hoop Dreams

Steve James

JustinR: “It may be the best documentary I've ever seen, yet it feels like a fiction film - with characters worth rooting for. This is a treasured DVD for me.”

The Double Life of Véronique

Krzysztof Kieślowski

JustinR: “Before Three Colors, Kieslowski exploded with this film - and gave Irene Jacob not one great role...but two. It's an emotionally satisfying work. ”

Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee

JustinR: “Spike Lee's breakthrough masterpiece - and a film that somehow remains relevant, more than 20 years later - it's that important.”

Breathless

Jean-Luc Godard

JustinR: “Jean-Luc Godard's first film is his best, with career roles for Belmondo & Jean Seberg - a French New Wave stunner.”

Brazil

Terry Gilliam

JustinR: “This is my favorite Criterion collection...a great film buoyed by an ever greater and controversial behind-the-scenes drama. A must-own!”