17 November
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On
In My Criterion Collection

CRITERION COLLECTION SALE AT BARNES & NOBLE It’s that time of year again for the fall Criterion Collection sale at Barnes & Noble. It happens twice a year when their entire catalog is 50% off. Plus, you can save another 10% with your member card. Sorry to say that no other coupons can be added on. Apparently Criterion has caught on to the sneaky tricks we’ve all been pulling over the last few years. The sale has been going strong all month and will conclude on November 28th. I’ve only picked up two titles so far, Robert Altman’s McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Richard Linklater’sRead More →

28 January
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On
In Interviews, My Criterion Collection

DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993) Writer/Director: Richard Linklater Starring: Jason London, Shawn Andrews, Rory Cochrane, Joey Lauren Adams, Parker Posey, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Ben Affleck, Milla Jovovich, Sasha Jenson, Matthew McConaughey, Wiley Wiggins, Marissa Ribisi Truth be told I watched Dazed and Confused for the first time just a few weeks ago. The film has received a cult classic status, yet somehow I let it slip through the cracks. One of the first questions I had was that if I watch a movie in 2015 that was made in 1993 that was set in 1976, does it at all feel dated? Absolutely not! There isRead More →

29 September
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

BREATHLESS(1960) Director: Jean-Luc Godard Starring: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville Confession time. Watching Breathless was my first foray into the French New Wave movement. For a critic, it is embarrassing to say that it has taken me this long to watch one of the films of Jean-Luc Godard. Nor have I seen anything of Francois Truffaut. Both Godard and Truffaut are considered pioneers in this groundbreaking approach to filmmaking. From the very beginning of Breathless, you are immediately in tune with the character of Michel Poiccard (Belmondo). He is living in the moment, cigarette in his mouth, and calculating his next planRead More →

10 July
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

A HARD DAY’S NIGHT (1964) Director: Richard Lester Starring: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington The Fab Four are seen hopping on a train after running away from hoards of screaming fans. While John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are playing themselves in the film, you immediately get the feeling that this is an exaggerated look into the life of the Beatles as they are getting ready for a performance. They allow themselves to show the goofier sides of their personalities. Where else would you see John taking a bubble bath playing with bath toys? FromRead More →

26 June
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

THE KILLING (1956) Director: Stanley Kubrick Starring: Sterling Hayden, Elisha Cook Jr., Marie Windsor, Timothy Carey, Jay C. Flippen, Vince Edwards With its opening narration in that voice you would hear on a radio show mystery and the score by Gerald Fried played against the credits, you already know something big is going to happen. This is not going to be a light, fun day at the races. It’s Saturday afternoon in September and the place is hopping with people placing bets on their favorite horse, grabbing drinks, and watching the race. A gang of individuals including Mike the bartender, police officer Randy, Nikki theRead More →

18 April
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

BADLANDS (1973) Director: Terrence Malick Starring: Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates My first experience with Terrence Malick was in high school when I saw The Thin Red Line in theaters. I remember really disliking it at the time, but I don’t think I knew exactly what I was getting myself into with that film. I wouldn’t mind revisiting it now as I would probably have a different opinion about it. Malick is a very particular kind of writer and director. He has made six films since his first film, Badlands, was released in 1973. I have seen all but one of them and haveRead More →

11 March
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

BOTTLE ROCKET (1996) Director: Wes Anderson Starring: Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Robert Musgrave, Andrew Wilson, Lumi Cavazos, James Caan, Kumar Pallana Film audiences probably know Wes Anderson best from his other films like Moonrise Kingdom, Rushmore, and his most commercially accessible film, The Royal Tenenbaums. His latest, The Grand Budapest Hotel, arrives in theaters this week, and I thought it would be the perfect time to go back to where the Wes Anderson cult following started. His first venture was a little film called Bottle Rocket that launched his career and that of Owen and Luke Wilson. Anthony (Luke Wilson) is ready to leave theRead More →

14 February
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971) Director: Hal Ashby Starring: Bud Cort, Ruth Gordon, Vivian Pickles Harold: Oh, I don’t drink. Maude: That’s okay. It’s organic. Age is but a number when it comes to this quirky and special relationship. We know that when we see Harold (Cort) hanging himself at the beginning of the movie, he will survive or else we wouldn’t have the rest of the movie. His hanging is part of a series where he likes to stage his bloody suicide scenes. It is slightly disturbing, yet funny at the same time. His mother (Pickles) describes him as a “delicate child”. She is overbearingRead More →

23 January
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

ON THE WATERFRONT (1954) Director: Elia Kazan Starring: Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Karl Malden, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Ben Wagner I am sure we all have those classic films that we are too embarrassed to admit that we have not seen. You pretend like you have seen them as you have seen clips or you know some infamous quote. One of those films for me was On the Waterfront by Elia Kazan starring the one and only Marlon Brando. Tension between sides is mounting as the crime on the waterfront is escalating. Murders are occurring at the hands of mob boss Johnny FriendlyRead More →

26 July
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On
In Movie Reviews, My Criterion Collection

MODERN TIMESWriter/Director: Charlie ChaplinStarring: Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Tiny Sandford One of my goals for the blog for 2013 was to go back to the classics and expand my film history knowledge. It is very easy for me to get caught up in the latest new releases opening at my local multiplex or whatever is new on Netflix. This causes me to ignore and neglect all of the films that have beaten the odds and have stayed relevant for so many years after their initial release. It is imperative for any movie lover to go back to the films that have permanently leftRead More →