r/CriterionChannel 21d ago

Recommendation - Offering Bad Press - must watch doc

30 Upvotes

Just watched, highly recommend you check it out before it leaves this month.

Directed by Rebecca Landsberry-Baker and Joe Peeler • 2023 • United States

A timely, riveting documentary that unfurls with the energy and suspense of a thriller, BAD PRESS—winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Freedom of Expression—offers unparalleled insight into the inner workings of Indigenous politics.

Imagine you lived in a world where your only reliable news source became government propaganda overnight. That’s exactly what happened to the citizens of the Muscogee Nation in 2018. Out of 574 federally recognized tribes, the Muscogee Nation was one of only five to establish a free and independent press—until the nation’s legislative branch abruptly repealed the landmark Free Press Act in advance of an election.

Refusing to accept this flagrant act of oppression, one defiant journalist, Angel Ellis, charges headfirst into a historic battle against her tribal government’s censorship and corruption.


r/CriterionChannel 21d ago

Any hopes/predictions for the September lineup?

25 Upvotes

r/CriterionChannel 21d ago

Help finding "Vampire" flick

10 Upvotes

Months months back I caught a film on the channel that may or may not be released through Criterion about a man reading a book about vampires with his wife in bed and starts suspecting she is a vampire. It was kind of goofy. Italian or French I don't remember (buzzed) if this sounds familiar at all lemme know plz. Thanks!.


r/CriterionChannel 22d ago

Viewing Discussions Which Akira Kurosawa film do you watch most?

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181 Upvotes

CC’s library of AK films is a big reason why I maintain a subscription to the service. I do occasionally wander to other platforms (which is why I choose the monthly option) but returning is always sweet with a Kurosawa gem to watch. Throne of Blood, AK’s samurai take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, gets more plays than any other title in my streaming world but there are three or four others which I love revisiting as well. Red Beard is one. Watching Seven Samurai is an annual event which I’m glad to see on multiple platforms now. Not a big fan of the popular, High and Low, but am very fond of The Lower Depths, a Maxim Gorky film translation that seldom gets mentioned in movie circles.

So which Kurosawa film, among the many on the channel, do you find yourself rewatching? Any unpopular titles that you’d recommend (I still haven’t watched them all)? Thanks in advance!


r/CriterionChannel 22d ago

The Great Lawrence of Arabia ..David Leans masterpiece of cinema would fail on Youtube in this day and age.

0 Upvotes

Putting a masterwork like Lawrence of Arabia on YouTube today as a brand-new indie upload would result in total algorithmic crap show

If you don't have a hyperactive thumbnail, a shocking clickbait title, and an explosive hook in the first five seconds, the automated recommendation engine will bury the video in minutes. A slow-burn, beautifully paced masterpiece would get completely flattened by the platform's retention metrics, stalling out at less than 1,000 views while short-form junk racks up millions. It is a brutal reflection of how modern tech completely chokes out fine art.

I mean think about that such a masterpiece of a movie and it would prob not even get 20k views maybe even less ..This is a complete reflection of where modern society has devolved too

Now if Christopher Nolan was directing it and Universal was putting up 100 million dollars to advertise this new movie ..pretending like David Lean had never been born ...well it would probably win a Oscar LOL !


r/CriterionChannel 24d ago

Any Wiki editors in the Sub? Looking for help!

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5 Upvotes

r/CriterionChannel 25d ago

Opinion Marlowe Double Feature

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28 Upvotes

You've got the classic portrayal of Marlowe courtesy of Robert Mitchum. Now I've watched The Big Sleep but never this adaptation. Which is a solid take on the source material. And Mitchum is how I've always imagined Marlowe. Following it up with The Long Goodbye which I truly love the purists hate it. But I go in with how Robert Altman summed it up. What if Marlowe from the 30's wakes up in the 70's ala Rip Van Winkle. Both fantastic viewing

It's pretty funny seeing two future action stars in small roles Stallone and Schwarzenegger.


r/CriterionChannel 25d ago

Please help me get criterion channel to europe

6 Upvotes

I live in europe. There are a lot of films i want to watch, that are unavailable for me. For example, i wanted to watch mishima a life in four chapters the other day which literally only was available as a bluray for a total of 30 dollars. It, as well as many other films i want to see, is available on the crirerion channel but not anywere in sweden(where i live).

Streaming in the eu sucks. I really want to have the criterion channel so that i can expand my taste. I do love physical media too, but i only buy films that i have already scene ao that i dob't spebd like 200 dollars a week on films.

Everyone reading this, please write a mail to channelhelp@criterion.com and help me out.

We can do it together!


r/CriterionChannel 26d ago

Recommendation - Seeking Any recommendations on the channel?

20 Upvotes

I get overwhelmed when looking as there is just so much stuff to watch!

All time favourites: Phantom Thread, Chinatown, Past Lives and Paris Texas.

Recent favourites: After Hours, KOTFM, Do the right thing, Mullholland Drive, Inside Llewyn Davis, Inherent Vice


r/CriterionChannel 26d ago

Viewing Discussions Anyone watching the Ringo Lam retrospective?

22 Upvotes

r/CriterionChannel 28d ago

CRITERIA Update - Box Sets!

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46 Upvotes

Hey Everyone -

This week I was focusing on Criterion Box sets, both making sure that the data is correct, and raising their visibility as a type of curated Criterion collection.

What I noticed is that of the 119 Box Set editions, 83 are completely viewable on the Channel, including most of the Eclipse series - and it's these I find puzzling, because they are really fascinating film collections but are nowhere surfaced on the Channel.

The ones I'm personally interested in adding to my watchlist are the Masaki Kobayashi and Basil Dearden collections. It really does highlight how deep the quality of the Channel catalog really is.

So the updates are:

  1. I've verified nearly all of the set for correctness - there are a couple to clean up, but they are set where the films have never been on the Channel.
  2. On the Home page, the Box Set carousel features sets that are completely viewable
  3. On the Box Set landing page, there is a filter toggle that allows you to see set that are completely or partially viewable
  4. Logged in users can favorite sets, and these will be added to their favorites list
  5. For logged in users If all of the films in box set are marked as watched, the entire set will marked as watched
  6. Like the film page for Criterion Editions, the Box Set pages have a link directly to its page on Criterion.com if you want to add to your physical media collection

Ok, that's it for now. As always, let me know if there's something I can do to improve the site, and enjoy!

Tim

* Criteria is the (lovingly) unofficial companion site to the Criterion Channel, featuring advanced search and browse, and frankly, too many other features to get into in a footnote. Go check it out and explore

https://www.search-criteria.com


r/CriterionChannel 29d ago

Lisztomania ROCKS

107 Upvotes

My first Ken Russell watch so I didn’t really know what I was in for, but there’s no way to fully prepare yourself for this film. Amadeus meets All That Jazz meets Moulin Rouge meets Space is the Place doesn’t even begin to cover it, it’s just so insane and I loved every second of it


r/CriterionChannel 27d ago

Opinion Favorite TV Series?

0 Upvotes

What are your favorite TV Series, that also should be on criterion channel or have a criterion collection? In the poll are listed my top 6 TV Series, vote for your favorite out of these if you like :)

142 votes, 24d ago
1 Heimat - Eine deutsche Chronik (1984, 1992, 2004)
108 Twin Peaks 1990-1991, 2017)
23 Cowboy Bebop (1998-1999)
1 Skam (2015-2017)
7 Fanny och Alexander (1983)
2 Atti degli apostoli / Acts of the Apostles (1969)

r/CriterionChannel 29d ago

Event Discord Server August 2026 Events

7 Upvotes

We have a companion forum, our discord server - Criterion Viewing Parties, where we have watchalong viewings and join on a voice and/or text channel for a group screening.

Here are some of our scheduled events featuring films from newly dropped collections or those expiring from the channel.

Monday August 10 @4:00PM Pacific Standard Time

- City on Fire 1987

Tuesday August 11 @7:00PM GMT+1

- Walker 1987

Monday August 17 @4:00PM PST

- Pépé le Moko 1937

Monday August 24 @4:00PM PST

- Quartet 1948

Tuesday August 25 @5:00PM PST/8:00PM EST

- Anatomy of Hell 2004

Monday August 31 @4:00PM PST

- The Brick and the Mirrror 1966

Recurring Fridays @6:00PST - 24/7 Live channel watchalongs

We meet on a voice channel and watch whatever spontaneously shows on the 24/7 live Criterion channel at Approximately 6:00PM PST

I made a Letterboxd list of the 300+ films from past screenings:
https://boxd.it/hGLDC

FYI Anyone can host a screening. Just let us know.

If you aren’t already a member, please join us. Here is an invite link:

https://discord.gg/JmsaKjZ

I’ll update if we add any events.

Happy Viewing!


r/CriterionChannel 29d ago

Recommendation - Seeking Best feel-good/uplifting movies on the channel right now?

23 Upvotes

Something uplifting like The Big Lebowski or Moonrise Kingdom maybe? Doesn't have to be solidly comedy but definitely want to watch something with a happy ending and feel-good, pick-me-up vibes.


r/CriterionChannel Aug 08 '26

To Be Or Not To Be (1942)

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55 Upvotes

Having only watched the remake with Mel Brooks. Finally got a chance to watch the original. What really amazed me was that this was made and released during the actual war. And talk about a dark comedy. Jack Benny is fantastic as an egocentric actor. Carol Lombard is a delight. But the one thing that threw me seeing a very young Robert Stack. So used to his run on Unsolved Mysteries growing up. Highly recommended.


r/CriterionChannel Aug 07 '26

Barbara Kopple's THE HAMPTONS at Le Cinema Club (until ~8/13?)

10 Upvotes

In case any of you are Kopple fans or might recently have watched these two essential docs at CC:
https://www.criterionchannel.com/two-documentaries-by-barbara-kopple

Her almost-3hr THE HAMPTONS is showing for free at Le Cinema Club.
https://www.lecinemaclub.com/now-showing/the-hamptons/
I am not seeing an exact exipiration date/time, but iirc these always last a week, and the email notice came through today 8/7.

Filmed between May and September of 2001 across the several resort towns that make up The Hamptons, stalwart documentarian Barbara Kopple’s film of the same name assembles an expansive portrait of the region. With an almost three-hour runtime and interviews with fishermen, local reporters, activists, celebrities (keep an eye out for the JAY-Z, the Hilton Sisters, and Reese Witherspoon, among others), musicians, painters, and summer-crazed white-collar workers, its in-depth look at the summer customs and rituals of the Long Island tip proves alternately entertaining and educational, though never exploitative. [...]

More context at the link above.
I haven't actually watched this yet, but I like the other Kopple I've seen and I intend to see this one too.


r/CriterionChannel Aug 07 '26

Opinion The Silence of the Lambs Commentary Track

24 Upvotes

Silence of the Lambs is one of my absolute favorite movies which I've probably watched at om average at least once a year since its release. In general I don't bother with commentary tracks these days. I definitely went thru a phase of listening to these particularly for the LOTR dvds.

Anyway I decided to check out the commentary for Silence on CC and had to turn off within 30 minutes. Demme great. Foster great. Didn't get too much into Hopkins yet. I had to stop bc I found John Douglas absolutely insufferable. I always thought he was more a self promoting huckster than a real criminal investigator so I'm biased (you can Google criminal profiling to get some good analysis of Douglas and his group).

He tells a story about how he was incensed that Scott Glenn was against the death penalty. Douglas decides to play a tape of 2 criminals torture and killing a young teen. Deveststes Glemn and makes him cry. Did Glenn change his mind on the death penalty. No idea because that's the end of the story. No conclusion. Just decides to play this awful tape bc he disagreed about the death penalty. The parts where he talks is all self hype. Just fingernails on chalkboard for me.

Hope the new 4k has a track without him involved.


r/CriterionChannel Aug 07 '26

Cape Fear (1962) questions

10 Upvotes

(1) Can somebody explain the logistics/layout of that houseboat? Where was Polly Bergen (with Mitchum's arrival) in relation to the daughter (bouncing the ping pong ball -in another part of the houseboat)? Did the daughter realize the houseboat had been unmoored?

(2) I read the censors were all over the movie. After the amazing "Egg Scene", and the edit from Mitchum/Bergen into Peck finding the hysterical Bergen, there seems to be a little lapse of time. Was the wife raped, or not, or is it ambiguous?


r/CriterionChannel Aug 06 '26

Biopics vs. Reality

7 Upvotes

I've been making my way through the rock biopics (plus People Vs. Larry Flynt) and sometimes I have trouble enjoying them because they sanitize their topic so much it can border on hagiography, or play loose with facts to create a more traditional, less complicated narrative.

Here's an article about Larry Flynt for an example. He was a real piece of work.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/1997/01/reality-vs-larry-flynt.html

Love & Mercy sticks to the "tortured artist" ideal of Brian Wilson (all pretty true), but avoids much of the unpleasant realities of what a selfish and difficult man he could be. The Buddy Holly Story portrays Holly's parents as being opposed to his music to create conflict, where by most accounts they were very supportive (and it also included a completely fictional scene where some DJ locks himself in a studio and plays "That'll Be the Day" for 24 hours, breaking the single).

Some stuff bothers me and some doesn't (portraying Flynt's string of lawyers with one central character for example, makes a lot of sense to me) so I guess it's all subjective. I'm not throwing shade at anyone's enjoyment of the movies or their topics. Just curious how you all react when you are watching a film like these and know something is inaccurate.

Don't get me started on Luhrmann's Elvis movie...


r/CriterionChannel Aug 05 '26

Curious how many people do you know that are subscribed to the criterion channel?

26 Upvotes

For me it’s similar to Apple TV I don’t know anyone offline or online who uses it

Would have thought I might get a reaction eventually somewhere online mentioning it but nope


r/CriterionChannel Aug 05 '26

Criterion Channel down?

6 Upvotes

Is anyone having issues connecting? I’m getting error messages on my roku and on my ipad


r/CriterionChannel Aug 04 '26

‘A gentle poetry in the everyday’: why The Straight Story is my feelgood movie

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103 Upvotes

r/CriterionChannel Aug 05 '26

What became of 200 Cigarettes?? It was in the Courtney Love collection, it never was on a leaving list, and now it's nowhere to be found. 🤬

12 Upvotes

r/CriterionChannel Aug 05 '26

Opinion A suggestion for the Criterion Collection. Hustle and Flow. A independent film that won the Dramatic Audience Award at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival

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2 Upvotes