The Criterion Collection

Yojimbo

Akira Kurosawa

Chet E.: “A terrifically entertaining piece of movie escapism full of adventure and dark humor. The best western Hollywood never made. ”

Modern Times

Charlie Chaplin

A Man Escaped

Robert Bresson

Chet E.: “I derive inspiration from Fontaine. His attentiveness and persistence are a lesson in how to live one's life. ”

Umberto D.

Vittorio De Sica

Chet E.: “I am usually suspicious of sentimentality in movies. However, I let this one hit me like a ton of bricks. Humanism at its finest.”

Three Colors

Krzysztof Kieślowski

Chet E.: “Three beautiful and mysterious films. This box set has so much to offer. It's going to take me a while to savor it all.”

Taste of Cherry

Abbas Kiarostami

Branded to Kill

Seijun Suzuki

Chet E.: “This one has me searching Craigslist for a good deal on a used rice cooker. ”

The Rules of the Game

Jean Renoir

La Jetée/Sans Soleil

Chris Marker

Chet E.: “A mind bending double feature from an artist of boundless imagination. RIP Chris Marker. ”

Walkabout

Nicolas Roeg

Red Desert

Michelangelo Antonioni

Chet E.: “Better living through technology? "Progress" has a steep cost. Adapt or go mad. Not a good first date movie.”

The Battle of Algiers

Gillo Pontecorvo

Chet E.: “Possibly the most important political film ever made and this Criterion edition goes a long way toward demonstrating why.”

Tokyo Story

Yasujiro Ozu

Chet E.: “Within a very demure style of film making, Ozu achieves a shattering emotional impact. A tale that reminds us of the importance of family. ”

2 or 3 Things I Know About Her

Jean-Luc Godard

Chet E.: “Among its many virtues is a scathing critique of consumer capitalism yet, there I was, qued up at B&N to buy my copy of 2 or 3 Things ...”

Bottle Rocket

Wes Anderson

Chet E.: “Some great laughs, a sweet romance and a powerful subtext. Instead of occupying Wall St., these alienated denizens of suburbia go on a crime spree.”

L’eclisse

Michelangelo Antonioni

Chet E.: “A master at the top of his form. No dialogue is necessary; the story is told completely through image and sound.”

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Carl Th. Dreyer

Chet E.: “Maybe the best performance ever in front of a movie camera. Come prepared - watching this can be an emotionally exhausting experience. ”

The Third Man

Carol Reed

Chet E.: “British noir at it's best. I first saw it 20 years ago on TCM on a rainy Saturday afternoon. It has been a favorite ever since. ”

Black Narcissus

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger

Chet E.: “Beautiful to look at. High minded intentions give way as repressed desires explode on the screen. ”

Seven Samurai

Akira Kurosawa

Chet E.: “Perhaps my favorite film. The human condition is on full display. Kambei provides a wise and moral counterweight to a world gone wrong.”

Gimme Shelter

David Maysles, Albert Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin

Chet E.: “The Rolling Stones' juggernaut grinds to a halt at Altamont as neofacist bikers play rough with stoned concert goers. Why? The devil, probably. ”

8½

Federico Fellini

Chet E.: “Recently saw this on the big screen; a film-making tour de force. ”

Au hasard Balthazar

Robert Bresson

Chet E.: “Bresson is surely an aquired taste but worth the effort. Here is a fallen world where cruel deeds inevitably lead to suffering and final deliverance.”

Paris, Texas

Wim Wenders

Chet E.: “In the middle of an indifferent modern world, we see an epic quest for human connection and redemption.”

Wild Strawberries

Ingmar Bergman

Chet E.: “This is mandatory viewing for those entering middle age. You've still got time! ”

L’avventura

Michelangelo Antonioni

Chet E.: “Not an easy film to warm up to but an essential watershed in film history. Gene Youngblood's commentary is terrific. ”

Rushmore

Wes Anderson

Chet E.: “Max Fischer is a cinematic rebuttal to Holden Caulfield. Broken lives are repaired and wild humor is mixed with delicious melancholy.”