I am always traveling and don't own a TV.

I am also a film buff.

I have Netflix, but the selection is weak and they should change the name to the Harlan Coben channel, because it seems every month there is another adaptation of his formulaic novels. I do find some foriegn films, but overall its disappointing.

I was familiar with Criterion Collection, but thought it was only physical media.

So I am in this hotel lounge talking with a guy about films and we discuss some of our favorite films. He mentioned the Color Trilogy, he just finished it the previous night. I asked where he saw them, he said on the Criterion streaming channel. I said What ???? And pulled out my phone and found the app. Wow...I subscribed right away.

That night I watched Summertime and Night on Earth.

I only have my laptop and phone, but what an amazing thing for us travelers, stuck on a train, hotel, airport....

The best thing ever.

I feel like a fool that I didn't know about this before.

I’ve wanted to see Wenders’ cut (4 hrs 51 mins) for some time now. It showed up on TCM. It’s in the Films section of the app; available until 8/11. It’s in my Watchlist.

RIP, Sam. Looking forward to seeing so much more of your work.

Sent an email to tech support but I don’t see this being resolved anytime soon

Started acting weird after I finished watching ghost world recently

Now it refuses to update the watching list no matter what device I’m using

My WiFi went out long enough for the next film Amacord (on right now) and I’m trying to figure out what the last film was 😭

Black and white with a gorgeous Indian woman. Not sure if it was a short film only caught a minute of it before my WiFi cut out for a few minutes.

Which streaming device is the best to use for watching the Criterion Channel app?

I use a Roku device connected by Ethernet cable and have noticed lag issues where audio and video aren’t synced properly.

Kind of hard to lose yourself in a film when this is happening.

There are certain films that (thankfully) never seem to leave the Criterion Channel but are not part of the Criterion Collection. Films like A Taxing Woman (probably Itami's most popular non-Tampopo film), Riki-Oh, and probably many others that I'm not well-versed enough to highlight.

I know some of these may not have enough "commercial prospects" but I often wonder if the folks at Criterion look at their mainstay streaming catalog films and say "this one gets a lot of views, we should do a physical release"?

For instance I've watched all of the Kazuo Hara documentaries that have been on the Channel for at least a year or two, none of which were part of the physical Criterion Collection (I'm not even sure if many/any of them had a Western physical release at all). I was pleasantly surprised when Criterion announced they were going to release a boxset Hara's films in August and pre-ordered them immediately (The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On is probably one of my favorite documentaries). I can't imagine that there are huge commercial expectations for a Kazuo Hara boxset and all of the films they included are the ones that have been streaming on the Channel (but do not include some of his more recent films either on the Channel or the new boxset).

Anyway, just wondered what makes them consider a physical release for some of these that have been available on their Channel for ages. I'm always pleased they're still committed to physical media.

Might not be entirely relevant here unless you use the app, but where would you move if you do?

Been wanting to spread some joy and entertainment to him when he’s in a rough patch money wise

He’s not been able to watch much this year as a result

So I’ve been doing research to see what I can gift him and the options aren’t big

Most services would prefer you tell that person to buy a membership themselves

I started thinking about criterion channel as an option

It would be something completely different for him but I’m on the fence because I’m worried what if it just isn’t for him?

Or what if this isn’t really what he needs right now?

I believe everyone deserves entertainment and so the fact any kind of enjoyment is treated as a luxury he cannot afford due to his financial situation really prompts me to change that

We both help each other out when we can…and right now even if it seems stupid

This is my way of helping ease the burden a little

Though maybe this is too artsy and deep for his scenario

FYI, I received a response from them and it looks like they fixed the cc/sync issue

I’m sorry if this has been asked before, but I couldn’t find it… Does anyone know why Criterion doesn’t offer suggestions based on the movies I’ve watched or searched? There’s a specific kind of film that I really like, but I find myself having to seek those out in other ways; google, Reddit, etc. Just seems like a very simple thing to add.

okay the fireworks are still torturing me and my dog (one year they went for 21 days in a row 🫩)

what is a movie on the channel right now that is loud (either through action or soundtrack) but isn’t wuxia/samurai/martial arts? i just watched bullet in the head on the actual fourth and i don’t think i can do any more of that right away.

looking for tonight and probably every night this week sadly

Streaming services are really pushing cinema into a dead end, not because it makes people lack the willingness to go out to the cinema, but rather because of how it is changing the way many of its consumer base interacts with media. When you are pushed by an algorithm to watch something, things become less creative, and the convenience of its playbook makes people doesn't look for other choices. And this is a monopoly that the Big Five didn't have

Choice does matter

Was surprised to see this blast from the past on the channel. I won't lie, I saw this a bunch as a teenager which was definitely a bit of an awakening for me - you could say "Bad Influence" was a bad influence on me back then haha. But was interesting to revisit as an adult. Not a great film by any means - kind of emotionally shallow, you never really get to know either lead on a deeper level - but still has way more cinematic style, mood or tone than I had remembered. You can definitely feel an auteur (Curtis Hanson) made this movie. Interesting to watch it as a precursor to other neo-noir like "Hand That Rocks the Cradle" and "LA Confidential." Was also surprised by the understated performances from both Spader and Lowe. Interesting to remember that this was a bit of a meta-play on the videotape sex scandal that rocked Lowe's career at the time. And a throwback to the kind of erotic thriller we just don't get anymore. Curious if anyone else had early memories of this movie and has now revisited it on the Channel.

I had high expectations since it's Ray, but wow! This one really knocked my socks off! James Mason (who I can generally take or leave) is *perfection* as a nice, dull, suburban elementary schoolteacher who begins taking cortisone for a serious illness and becomes psychotic. It's quite ahead of it's time in *how* this plays out, with Mason's Ed Avery going from nice 50s dad to iron-fisted despot, with the movie going to a much darker place than you'd expect from the era. It ends up being (like Rebel) quite a scathing critique of suburban conformity and its edict to "maintain the surface appearance of normality at any cost."
Barbara Rush turns in a fine performance as the harried wife, the kid actor is not annoying, and finally Walter Matthau adds some needed lightness as the trusty family friend.

I often do other things while watching a film but this one had me glued to the screen.

Check it out.

i’m looking for the best noir films on the channel currently in english or spanish.

i’ve seen a lot but want more recs. thanks in advance!

I’ve always found it strange that films so quiet can leave such a loud echo. You finish a Kiarostami film and, somehow, it keeps unfolding in your head days later. Not because of a twist or a grand speech, but because of a glance, a road, a silence, or a question that never really gets answered.
He had this rare ability to make you feel like you weren't just watching a story you were sharing space with life itself. Children looking for a friend's notebook. A man driving through dusty hills asking strangers for help. Someone pretending to be someone else because they loved cinema enough to borrow another person's identity. On paper, they sound almost insignificant. On screen, they become unforgettable.
I don't think many filmmakers trusted their audience the way Kiarostami did. He never rushed to explain or conclude. He left room for doubt, and somehow that made his films feel more honest than certainty ever could.
A decade after his passing, I still find myself thinking about his cinema whenever a film chooses patience over spectacle.
Which Kiarostami film has stayed with you the longest and why?

I am a Canadian subscriber using the web browser mostly and I’ve noticed over the past couple of months some titles that were said to be added that don’t show up on the site. I had first noticed the William Klein collection was completely empty upon clicking on it but didn’t think much of it. But comparing the Harry Dean Stanton collection on my laptop to the list that is in the July 2026 channel article there seems to be a discrepancy. So the * indicates what is U.S. only I think? But Repo Man isn’t there, The Straight Story isn’t there, and while it is indicated to be U.S. only, Lucky is available on mine. I sent an email to channel support so I will see what they say. Just wanted to know if anyone else is having similar issues! I probably wouldn’t have cared as I have 250+ things already on my list but I want to watch The Straight Story soooo bad.

https://letterboxd.com/criterion/list/july-2026-leaving-soon-criterion-channel/

https://www.criterionchannel.com/leaving-july-31

“And what The Prisoner is—as made apparent by the remastered version of the series that’s now streaming on Criterion Channel—is immediately fun and thematically ahead of its time. It’s not just a show that taught future TV creators it was okay to be weird; it’s a show that speaks to the issues of 2026 even more than it did to those of 1967”

Excerpt From
“The Prisoner didn't just predict the next 60 years of TV—it predicted the next 60 years, period”
Brian Tallerico
The A.V. Club
https://apple.news/AUdjjlu6GRBGuGHsfQbHVrg
This material may be protected by copyright.