The Sin

Feb 1, 1999 — After finishing Diabolique, heralded French director-screenwriter Henri-Georges Clouzot (1907–1977) confessed that all he had intended was to make a picture that would “amuse myself” and please a young girl who hid under the covers and asked her father to frighten...

Mar 28, 2018 — A touchstone of contemporary independent cinema since its release in 2007, Frownland makes its debut on the Criterion Channel this week. Here’s an excerpt from a new conversation with director Ronald Bronstein.

Dec 29, 2008 — If I had not seen The Lady Vanishes at the age of seven, I might never have become a film critic. I was the fifth child of parents well into middle age: clearly an “accident,” as I was ten-years-plus younger...

May 21, 2007 — “The Harry Lime Theme” has never gone out of print since its release, and it’s been recorded by over four hundred artists, from the Beatles to Guy Lombardo.

Aug 16, 2024 — Jessica Pratt is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter based in Los Angeles, California. Her new album, Here in the Pitch, builds on the spectral folk of her previous albums, landing on a cinematic pop sound gesturing toward the Wrecking Crew,...

May 11, 2016 — Aaron Katz was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. After studying filmmaking at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, he returned home to Portland to make his first feature, Dance Party USA (2006). Since then, he has written...

May 13, 2010 — Samuel Beam is an American singer-songwriter (and former film studies professor!) better known by the stage name Iron and Wine. His last album was 2007’s The Shepherd’s Dog, and a follow-up is in the works. When selecting his top ten...

Nov 11, 2009 — Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore, Kim Gordon, and Steve Shelley ganged up for this Criterion top ten—or twelve, as it turned out. The New York–based no wavers have been making music together since 1981. Their albums include Daydream Nation,...

Apr 22, 2025 — 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.

Aug 6, 2024 — Seventeen features are lined up to compete for the top prize in Locarno.