Current

An online magazine covering film culture past and present

How to Get Ahead in Advertising: Monstrous Carbuncle
How to Get Ahead in Advertising: Monstrous Carbuncle

A film about and against everything, this astonishingly original comedy attacks Big Brother, the bomb, and the incipient collapse of our planetary ecosystem, along with the lies that stop us from recognizing all of the above.

By David Cairns

Withnail and I: What a Piece of Work
Withnail and I: What a Piece of Work

Set in the dying days of the 1960s, Bruce Robinson’s semi-autobiographical tale of two unemployed actors is a triumph of screenwriting and a brilliant showcase for then-unknown stars Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann.

By David Cairns

The Criterion Channel’s June 2025 Lineup

Channel Calendars

The Criterion Channel’s June 2025 Lineup

This month, dive into some of cinema’s most memorable swimming pools, dine across Europe with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, and watch out for that suave sociopath Tom Ripley.

The Wind Will Carry Us: Dust to Dust
The Wind Will Carry Us: Dust to Dust

In this masterpiece of lived-in ethical complexity and high spiritual stakes, Abbas Kiarostami explores the tensions between provinciality and modernity, and between artists and their subjects.

By Kaveh Akbar

Constance Tsang’s Top 10
Constance Tsang’s Top 10

The director of Blue Sun Palace chooses a selection of films that have taught her about the craft of cinema, including works by Chantal Akerman, Robert Bresson, Edward Yang, and Satyajit Ray.

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

Video

Room Tone 2023
On Film  – 25 Dec 2023