The Criterion Collection

Two-Lane Blacktop

Monte Hellman

Metropolitan

Whit Stillman

Sweetie

Jane Campion

Following

Christopher Nolan

Brazil

Terry Gilliam

The Qatsi Trilogy

Godfrey Reggio

Au hasard Balthazar

Robert Bresson

The Darjeeling Limited

Wes Anderson

JonathanW: “Such a colorful and oddball of a film. Painstakingly designed and dressed in only a way Wes Anderson can create. I enjoyed it.”

El Norte

Gregory Nava

Rosemary’s Baby

Roman Polanski

Topsy-Turvy

Mike Leigh

Rashomon

Akira Kurosawa

Kagemusha

Akira Kurosawa

Make Way for Tomorrow

Leo McCarey

Umberto D.

Vittorio De Sica

Weekend

Jean-Luc Godard

M

Fritz Lang

The Music Room

Satyajit Ray

Chungking Express

Wong Kar-wai

Before the Rain

Milcho Manchevski

Yi Yi

Edward Yang

The Magician

Ingmar Bergman

The Wages of Fear

Henri-Georges Clouzot

The 400 Blows

François Truffaut

The Double Life of Véronique

Krzysztof Kieślowski

Bicycle Thieves

Vittorio De Sica

Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa

Au revoir les enfants

Louis Malle

The Game

David Fincher

JonathanW: “One of Fincher's more overlooked films, "The Game" is a superb mystery thriller of dystopian proportions. Douglas is mesmerizing & the story thrills.”

Le Havre

Aki Kaurismäki

The Royal Tenenbaums

Wes Anderson

Quadrophenia

Franc Roddam

JonathanW: “The mod vs. rocker generation of the 1960's is the backdrop for this Who-driven music spectacle. The songs from The Who are mesmerizing.”

Island of Lost Souls

Erle C. Kenton

JonathanW: “Eerily timely for today's age, touching on genetic and DNA modification. This is still the best of all the "Moreau" films and is the original.”

Three Colors

Krzysztof Kieślowski

JonathanW: “A remarkable trilogy directed by a man at the peak of his talents. Blue (freedom), White (equality) & Red (fraternity) is truly ambitious filmmaking.”

Letter Never Sent

Mikhail Kalatozov

JonathanW: “A survival story involving Russian scientists searching for diamonds in Siberia. There is some really unique technical camerawork in this film.”

Down by Law

Jim Jarmusch

JonathanW: “Jim Jarmusch is simply wonderful. He never watches his films after making them but he loves answering questions. Waits, Lurie & Benigni are fantastic!”

La Jetée/Sans Soleil

Chris Marker

JonathanW: “Two poetic & avant-garde films that are extremely distracting & overwhelming at least to me. I was a bit irritated in an unusual way. Highly original.”

The 39 Steps

Alfred Hitchcock

JonathanW: “A thrilling Hitchcock film that influenced generations of filmmakers and film watchers for eons to come. The ending of the film is outstanding.”

Still Walking

Hirokazu Kore-eda

JonathanW: “A beautiful story about a Japanese family and what they do in a period of 24 hours. There is no graphic violence, language or sex of any kind. Unique.”

Harold and Maude

Hal Ashby

JonathanW: “A 70's cult classic directed by Hal Ashby. In a death-obsessed age we live in, this dark comedy is still very popular among a lot of youth especially.”

The Last Temptation of Christ

Martin Scorsese

JonathanW: “In a word: astounding! Scorcese has made plenty of mesmerizing films, but this one really hits a nerve in terms of controversy and daring filmmaking.”

¡Alambrista!

Robert M. Young

JonathanW: “One of the greatest films ever made on illegal immigrants from Mexico. The realism & humanity by director Robert M. Young is amazing & very poignant.”

Close-up

Abbas Kiarostami

JonathanW: “This labyrinthine & non-linear film is highly re-watchable. The more this film is seen, the more fascinating it becomes. Absolutely Kiarostami's best.”

Certified Copy

Abbas Kiarostami

JonathanW: “I love the human story here. It's simple, subtle & yet so enigmatic & complex. So much is happening in these characters. I'm a fan of Kiarostami.”

The Gold Rush

Charles Chaplin

JonathanW: “One of the great Charles Chaplin films that captures both humor as well as sentimentality in a most extraordinary way. A totally original piece.”

White Material

Claire Denis

JonathanW: “Fascinating, vivid cinematography & (beyond) realistic characters strengthen this story of a female plantation owner in Africa. A very personal film.”

In the Realm of the Senses

Nagisa Oshima

JonathanW: “Looking beyond the graphic sex, this film is based on a true story of a couple who went too far, letting their obsessions fatally consume one other.”

Che

Steven Soderbergh

JonathanW: “Probably the greatest films ever made on Ernesto "Che" Guevara without a doubt. Soderbergh uses a lot of stylish cinematography with the RED camera.”

Being John Malkovich

Spike Jonze

JonathanW: “Completely original screenplay by Kaufman that's both innovative & hillarious. Spike Jonze directs his first film with genuine ease. A brilliant film.”

Eclipse Series 29: Aki Kaurismäki’s Leningrad Cowboys

Aki Kaurismäki

JonathanW: “Wacky, quirky, offbeat trilogy of the Leningrad Cowboys, a real-life rock band from Finland. The first film "Go America" is still the best they made.”

The War Room

Chris Hegedus and D. A. Pennebaker

JonathanW: “Brilliantly captures the mood of the 1992 Clinton Campaign. It's a seminal documentary on presidential campaigning that is thoroughly engaging.”

Shallow Grave

Danny Boyle

JonathanW: “Lurid, raw, realistic film & director Danny Boyle's 1st. The production design is among the highlights here. It's also a study of paranoia and irony.”

World on a Wire

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

JonathanW: “Obscure sci-fi film noir, by Rainer Fassbinder, with more attention on mood & atmosphere than story. It's essentially a 1970's version of The Matrix.”

A Night to Remember

Roy Ward Baker

JonathanW: “Based on Walter Lord's 1955 novel, it's truly the most sensitive & accurate portrayal of the Titanic disaster without an unnecessary love story.”

Louie Bluie

Terry Zwigoff

The Lady Vanishes

Alfred Hitchcock

JonathanW: “A fantastic early Hitchcock film and effective suspense thriller from its time.”

Traffic

Steven Soderbergh

JonathanW: “"Traffic" explores the terror & heartbreak of drug trafficking not only hitting the Mexican-US border but in suburbia. One of Soderbergh's best films.”

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

Byron Haskin

JonathanW: “Interesting but dated science fiction film. A worthwhile effort into the realities of space. It reminded me of the humanism seen in classic Star Trek.”

For All Mankind

Al Reinert

JonathanW: “Great documentary revealing rare footage of the NASA moon missions. Fantastic video quality & unique, effective use of music & off-screen interviews.”

The Last Emperor

Bernardo Bertolucci

JonathanW: “An epic, fearless & controversial story about Pu Yi, who put his ego ahead of his people. Only flaw for me is the English spoken throughout the film.”