Current

An online magazine covering film culture past and present

Tony Bui on the Vietnam War’s Cinematic Legacy
Tony Bui on the Vietnam War’s Cinematic Legacy

To commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the director of Three Seasons discusses a selection of landmark films that have shaped how we remember this devastating and divisive conflict.

By Will Noah

Prince of Broadway: Out on the Streets
Prince of Broadway: Out on the Streets

A gritty look at New York City’s underground economy through the eyes of an immigrant street hustler, Sean Baker’s third feature film demonstrates his gift for combining hardscrabble social realism and mischievous humor.

By Robert Daniels

Anora: Let’s Make a Deal
Anora: Let’s Make a Deal

Drawing from a rich tradition of films that depict the lives of sex workers, Sean Baker’s Oscar-winning triumph takes a complex approach to exploring the fundamentally transactional nature of human relationships.

By Kier-La Janisse

Anora: Love’s Labors
Anora: Love’s Labors

In this exuberant and moving portrait of a Brooklyn sex worker, Sean Baker draws on themes he has explored throughout his career, depicting the workaday grind of twenty-first-century American existence with biting humor and clear-eyed humanity.

By Dennis Lim

Basquiat: Rebirth Art
Basquiat: Rebirth Art

A black-and-white version of Julian Schnabel’s portrait of his fellow artist and friend Jean-Michel Basquiat accentuates the film’s melancholy mood while highlighting the deep commitment of Jeffrey Wright’s performance.

By Roger Durling

Perfume Genius’s Top 10
Perfume Genius’s Top 10

The musician shares a selection of favorite movies that capture intense emotions and profound relationships, including actor-driven dramas like Breaking the Waves, Secret & Lies, and Thelma & Louise.

Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring: Eternal Springs
Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring: Eternal Springs

The majestic landscape of Provence takes center stage in Claude Berri’s two-film adaptation of an epic tale by Marcel Pagnol, a cinematic treasure that remains an abiding source of comfort for French viewers.

By Sue Harris

Fun City: NYC Gets Its Close-Up
Fun City: NYC Gets Its Close-Up

When Mayor John Lindsay made it easier for filmmakers to shoot on location in New York City, he paved the way for a string of movies that captured the troubled metropolis in the late sixties and early seventies.

By J. Hoberman

Next Stop: The Criterion Mobile Closet in Los Angeles
Next Stop: The Criterion Mobile Closet in Los Angeles

After a wildly successful stop at SXSW, where we welcomed over a thousand film fans, the Mobile Closet is making its way to Vidiots and American Cinematheque in LA.

The Criterion Channel’s May 2025 Lineup
The Criterion Channel’s May 2025 Lineup

This month’s programming brings seaside thrills and white-knuckle tension, noir classics from a politically repressive era in American history, early gems from Kathryn Bigelow, and guest-curated picks from Spike Lee.

On the Road with the Criterion Mobile Closet
On the Road with the Criterion Mobile Closet

Take a look at some of the memorable moments we have shared with movie lovers since the Mobile Closet launched last fall.

Night Moves: Losing Ground
Night Moves: Losing Ground

Set in a grimy, unglamorous version of Los Angeles, Arthur Penn’s Watergate-era neonoir tells the story of an honorable private eye acutely conscious of living in an era that is the mere shadow of a nobler past.

By Mark Harris

Video

Room Tone 2023
On Film  – 25 Dec 2023