The Criterion Collection

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - My Three Reasons for loving the Criterion Collection: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 1) The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - In all world cinema, there is no country's cinema that I've connected with more consistently than that of Japan. It started with Seven Samurai and Kurosawa, and then it expanded to the films of Kobayashi, Teshigahara, Mizoguchi, and even Ozu. I'm still yet to see anything from Naruse, Kinugasa, and so on. I look forward to seeing their films though. The sensibilities of these Japanese film directors, especially in and around the 1960s, are about the most in line with my own interests of any country's. From the sense of adventure in films like the Hidden Fortress, to the total craziness of films like Branded to Kill, to the humanity in films like The Human Condition - from the ghost stories and the supernatural to the samurai films to the family dramas - I pretty much love it all. And I discover most of these films through the Criterion Collection and they're about the only home video company that caters to this interest of mine. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2) Ridiculous Cult Shit - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The films of David Cronenberg for example. House. Being John Malkovich and Branded to Kill, to name a couple more examples from my collection. These are the kinds of movies I like to show to friends. They're just ridiculous and hilarious movies, but so wonderfully strange and unique that they become far more memorable than any conventional comedy. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3) The Greats of World Cinema - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Criterion Collection houses so many important and respected works and directors and though I don't connect with all of them, it's great to see them for myself and discover ones that I do really connect with. For example, I love the Wim Wenders films in the collection and though I'm not a huge fan of all Ingmar Bergman's films, I love Fanny and Alexander. So it's great and invaluable that Criterion provides these important films in such wonderful editions. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -