Current

An online magazine covering film culture past and present

Dogfight: In Love and War
Dogfight: In Love and War

The gentle rapport between actors Lili Taylor and River Phoenix fuels this humane examination of American masculinity, a film that showcases the nuanced and compassionate approach of director Nancy Savoca.

By Christina Newland

John Carpenter’s Top 10
John Carpenter’s Top 10

The director of Halloween, They Live, and other horror masterpieces embraces the darkness and doom of such noir classics as Double Indemnity, The Killers, and Kiss Me Deadly.

Night and the Cities
Night and the Cities

From After Hours to Mikey and Nicky to Collateral, movies centered on the twists and turns of a single night give filmmakers the chance to boldly experiment with cinematic time and space.

By Jessica Kiang

Thoughts Transcending Time and Distance: Makoto Shinkai’s Voices of a Distant Star
Thoughts Transcending Time and Distance: Makoto Shinkai’s Voices of a Distant Star

In this early-career gem from one of the most beloved Japanese animation directors of all time, an extravagant sci-fi narrative is anchored by the transcendent power of young love and poignant observations of modern life.

By Jonathan R. Lack

I Am Cuba: The Filmmakers Who Came In from the Cold
I Am Cuba: The Filmmakers Who Came In from the Cold

With its delirious images and audaciously poetic style, Soviet filmmaker Mikhail Kalatozov’s hymn to revolution moves beyond ordinary logic to capture the mysterious beauty of collective utopia.

By Juan Antonio García Borrero

The Urgency of the Moment: A Conversation with Lizzie Borden
The Urgency of the Moment: A Conversation with Lizzie Borden

Fiercely committed to the possibilities of political art, the trailblazing director talks about how her intersectional understanding of feminism imbues her films, three of which are now playing on the Criterion Channel.

By So Mayer

The Criterion Channel’s May 2024 Lineup

Channel Calendars

The Criterion Channel’s May 2024 Lineup

Three of this month’s programs blast back to the turbulent midcentury moment when old Hollywood gave way to something new.

Werckmeister Harmonies: Dark Side of the Earth
Werckmeister Harmonies: Dark Side of the Earth

Unfolding in elaborately choreographed long takes, this sublime adaptation of László Krasznahorkai’s novel The Melancholy of Resistance captures the weight of time and the mood of fascism with a haunting palpability.

By Dennis Lim

Saint Omer: Shades of Motherhood
Saint Omer: Shades of Motherhood

In her first fiction film, director Alice Diop brings the skills of observation she has learned from her documentary work to a thought-provoking exploration of race, power, and motherhood.

By Jennifer Padjemi

To Die For: You’re Not Anybody in America Unless You’re on TV
To Die For: You’re Not Anybody in America Unless You’re on TV

In Gus Van Sant’s wickedly funny tale of suburban depravity, Nicole Kidman plays a vacuous weather reporter whose hunger for fame anticipates our own era of digital celebrity.

By Jessica Kiang

Trash and Treasure at the Razzies
Trash and Treasure at the Razzies

What makes a “bad” movie anyway? By surveying the bombs, disasters, and secret masterpieces (dis)honored at the Golden Raspberry Awards, we can learn much about American cinema’s prevailing standards of taste.

By Mark Asch

Molly Manning Walker’s Top 10
Molly Manning Walker’s Top 10

The award-winning writer and director of How to Have Sex shares her love for Carol Reed, discusses her favorite Adam Sandler performance, and names her ultimate feel-good movie.

Video

Room Tone 2023
On Film  – 25 Dec 2023