A month later than I planned for this inaugural post, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.In lieu of another edition of the Criterion Collection Blogathon contest, I'm instituting a series of monthly posts highlighting the outstanding work of the folks at Criterion, as well as all of your outstanding work writing about their films.
New Release News
In this particular spot going forward, you'll find some thoughts on the most recent monthly lineup announced by Criterion, but because I haven't done this post yet, I'm going to touch on their entire "Coming Soon" list.
April appears a little light on both quantity and quality. Of course, Harold and Maude was supposed to come out this month, but got bumped to June, which no doubt contributes to the relative emptiness of the next few weeks. Of everything still scheduled to come out, The Organizer intrigues me the most, not least because it stars Marcello Mastroianni. The rest of it will likely be buried deep on my to-see list, if only because said list is out of control at the moment.
May features two must-buys for me. Certified Copy was without question one of my favorite films of 2011, and though I abhor the cover design, I can't wait to dig in to this one. Being John Malkovich, meanwhile, is a sentimental favorite. Not only is it a lot of fun, but I also credit it as one of those films that really got me into the art of cinema.
June is another loaded month. The Gold Rush is probably my favorite Chaplain (at least from the few I've seen). The imminent Shallow Grave release has me eager to dig through the director's canon for my next filmography. And The 39 Steps Blu-Ray upgrade means I might finally be pushed toward rectifying one of my biggest Hitchcock-ian blind spots.
New Criterion Reviews
The only Criterion film I caught up with this past month was The War Room. A new release, just in time for the 2012 presidential campaign to kick into full gear, chronicles the behind-the-scenes action of Clinton's 1992 race for the White House. It's a very skillfully composed film, and the directors' hands-off approach mitigates any argument that the film is taking sides.
Also worth pointing out on my site are reviews of Kubrick's Criterion releases, The Killing, Paths of Glory, and Spartacus. I'm just about halfway through my Kubrick marathon, and "Paths", especially, stands out as one of his best.
Now, for some of your recent Criterion reviews...
Andy Buckle is burning through some of his biggest cinematic blind spots. One is a personal favorite of mine: Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter.
Milos Forman is a director whom everyone knows from his beloved pair of Best Picture winners—One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus. Bonjour Tristesse reviews an early Czech film of his (one that I had been completely unfamiliar with), The Firemen's Ball.
Surrender to the Void very thoughtfully tackles a Bergman classic, Scenes from a Marriage, and Robert Bresson's Mouchette.
Will at Silver Emulsion has very bravely shared his first academic film essays, written way back in 2000. One of these essays focuses on Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Finally, The Warning Sign reviews a personal favorite of mine, Brian DePalma's Blow Out.
If you'd like your recent Criterion reviews included in this monthly series, please leave a comment with your link or send links and comments to johnlikesmovies@gmail.com.
I'll leave you with one final link, this one to a great and very insightful interview, conducted by Slate's Dave Weigel, with The War Room directors Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker about making the film. Enjoy!
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