Current

An online magazine covering film culture past and present

Hud: No Place for Heroes
Hud: No Place for Heroes

A career-altering artistic breakthrough for director Martin Ritt, this dark tale of a family’s downfall daringly exposes the mythology of the western hero as empty and morally bankrupt.

By Gabriel Miller

Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: At Home in the World
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore: At Home in the World

Made in close collaboration with its star, Ellen Burstyn, Martin Scorsese’s first film for a major studio is a warm, openhearted portrait of a woman who endeavors a drastic reshaping of her life.

By Stephanie Zacharek

The Crying Game’s Legacy as Transgender Representation
The Crying Game’s Legacy as Transgender Representation

Though it became the subject of cultural hysteria upon its release in 1992, Neil Jordan’s film can be appreciated today as a rare and remarkably nuanced depiction of a cisgender man and a trans woman falling in love.

By Willow Catelyn Maclay

The Crying Game: Identity Crises
The Crying Game: Identity Crises

Neil Jordan achieved major international success with this complex exploration of identity and desire set against the turbulence of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

By Tasha Robinson

Věra Chytilová’s Boldly Antiauthoritarian Take on Teen Horror

Deep Dives

Věra Chytilová’s Boldly Antiauthoritarian Take on Teen Horror

A characteristically rebellious work from the Czechoslovak New Wave pioneer, Wolf’s Hole explores the perilous absurdities of groupthink through the story of eleven youths held captive at a skiing retreat.

By Grace Byron

Courtney Love Looks Back on Her Life as a Movie Star
Courtney Love Looks Back on Her Life as a Movie Star

The beloved rock musician reflects on her formative experiences as an actor and her close collaborations with directors Miloš Forman and Alex Cox.

By Yasi Salek

It Was Just an Accident: The Humanity of Doubt
It Was Just an Accident: The Humanity of Doubt

Shot clandestinely in Iran in just twenty-five days, Jafar Panahi’s acclaimed eleventh feature is a philosophical examination of political ethics that transforms into a comedy of manners and a psychological thriller.

By Sheida Dayani

Desperate Living: Mortville in Revolt
Desperate Living: Mortville in Revolt

One of the most outrageous films of John Waters’ early career, this brilliant portrait of queer rebellion envisions a world where the outcasts set aside their differences and band together against their fascist enemies.

By Grace Byron

Hairspray: A Clean Teen in a Filthy World
Hairspray: A Clean Teen in a Filthy World

Trash icon John Waters snuck into the commercial mainstream with this delightful coming-of-age comedy, which draws on the director’s love of classic Hollywood and features charismatic performances by Ricki Lake and Divine.

By Jessica Kiang

The Tawdry, Opulent World of James Bidgood’s Underground Classic Pink Narcissus

Deep Dives

The Tawdry, Opulent World of James Bidgood’s Underground Classic Pink Narcissus

A labor of love made for cheap in its director’s Manhattan apartment, this audacious queer fantasia endures not only because of its frank sexuality but also its gentle, honest heart.

By Mayukh Sen

Art with a Life of Its Own: A Conversation with Gary Hustwit
Art with a Life of Its Own: A Conversation with Gary Hustwit

The director behind such documentaries as Helvetica, Objectified, and Urbanized talks about his interest in how designers shape our world and explains the technological innovation at the heart of his new film about legendary musician Brian Eno.

By Eric Skillman

The Criterion Channel’s July 2026 Lineup

Channel Calendars

The Criterion Channel’s July 2026 Lineup

Celebrate the hundredth birthday of the great Harry Dean Stanton, delight in the twists and thrills of our Murderous Melodramas collection, and binge the surreal cult-favorite TV series The Prisoner.

Video

Room Tone 2025
On Film  – 25 Dec 2025