TheCriterion Collectionis one of the most beloved film distribution companies around. For decades, they’ve acted as a champion of film preservation for movie buffs around the world, with quality home video releases that are unmatched in the industry. Their films come in high-quality cases, and often with various forms of physical literature to complement the film. They also include every different version of their respective films, and are packed with a ton of insightful special features about the making of the production. Every Criterion release of a movie is undeniably the best version of that film available.
The Criterion Collectionhas a rich legacyof preserving important films, taking older films that are sometimes hard to access in an acceptable viewing state, and completely remastering them for modern screens. They also release more contemporary films that might not have gotten the credit that they deserve, shining a light on forgotten gems from all eras of Cinema.
Criterion adds new films to their collection every month, from timeless classics with a fresh coat of paint to overlooked gems. There never seems to be any shortage of important films in need of acknowledgment, and some of them are so hard to access that they feel like contraband. With that in mind, here are 10 movies that deserve the Criterion treatment.
10The Spook Who Sat By the Door
Before Radio Raheem’s death started a riot that woke American audiences to the reality of police brutality inDo the Right Thing, before Spike Lee showed us what white America really thinks of Black culture inBamboozled, this forgotten film from the 70s showed it all, and did it in a way that feltmotivational and empowering.The Spook Who Sat by the Doortells the story of the first Black CIA agent in history. After working for them for five years, our hero leaves the CIA and returns to his hometown, where he uses his CIA training to start a well organized and effective revolution against the police and systemic racism as a whole.
It’s a radically groundbreaking film, whose themes are more relevant today than they’ve ever been. It’s an absolutely essential piece of Black Cinema. Yet despite this, it’s nearly impossible to find. There are rare and expensive DVD copies floating around online, but no blu-ray, and it’s not available to rent or stream on any major platform. This makes it the perfect candidate for a Criterion release. Films like this are the reason the Criterion Collection exists. It’s important that it gets preserved before it’s forgotten by time entirely.
9Angel’s Egg
Directed by Mamoru Oshii, the mastermind behind the anime classicGhost in the Shell,Angel’s Eggis an equally beautiful and thought-provoking anime film, albeit much more experimental. Its plot is free of conventional drama, movie tropes, or anything we generally expect from modern stories. It paints a surreal post-apocalyptic world full of heavy religious themes, symbolic imagery, and eerie mystery.
There’s really no other film quite like it, animated or otherwise. Having never been commercially released in the West, it’s also incredibly difficult to legally access. The film has also never been up-scaled or remastered from its original source, making any version of it you may find online look visually rough. Criterion is known for their excellent remastering process. Giving this masterpiece a fresh coat of paint and releasing it in the West for new fans to experience would be a big win for film and anime enthusiasts.
Anime has had a huge impact on cinema, and modern culture as a whole. It’s continued to grow in popularity over the years, and has influenced the likes of The Wachowskis, Darren Aronofsky, and even Christopher Nolan. Yet despite its importance in the history of film, Criterion has yet to add any anime films to the collection. It’s a spot that’s sorely lacking in its otherwise diverse range of movies. When they do eventually decide to cross that threshold, there’s a good argument to be made forAngels Eggto be the first anime film in the collection.
8Delicatessen
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet ofAmeliefame,Delicatessenis a surreal black comedy horror film that is dripping with atmosphere. It takes place in a dystopian version of France, where the local butcher/landlord hunts humans for deli meat to feed his tennants, one of whom becomes his next target after falling in love with his daughter. What follows is a bizarrecat and mouse chase, with great humor, big thrills, and compelling romance.
It has some incredible cinematography, a unique visual style that would make Tim Burton jealous, and memorable performances from a large cast of charming weirdos. The whole thing is so well crafted in nearly every filmmaking aspect that it’s surprising it’s not more popular than it is. A Criterion release could be just the thing to change that.
7Pink Floyd - The Wall
Based on the concept album of the same name,The Wallfollows a rockstar’s descent into madness as he reflects on the events of his life while battling addiction. It feels like a very personal film that takes us into the mind of Pink Floyd’s lead singer Roger Waters. Pink Floyd is a name that needs no introduction, and unlike most of the films on this list,The Wallis already an iconic film that has been referenced and talked about throughout film culture.
This makes it all the more baffling that the only form of distribution the film has gotten in the past two decades was a DVD release back in the 2000s. It’s currently unavailable to stream or rent on any platform, and while DVD copies are still floating online for a reasonable price, a film as celebrated as this deserves a proper HD restoration. The film is absolutely deserving of the Criterion label, as it adapts the concept album’s themes into a disturbing art house feature full of striking visual metaphors, beautiful and ugly imagery, and of course the same great music from the masterpiece album of the same name. To this day, it might be the best film based on a music artist’s work.
6Tekkonkinkreet
Tekkonkinkreetis another anime film that would make a great addition to the Criterion Collection. While it still originates from Japan, it may be the only Japanese animated feature to be directed by an American, and it has a very unique visual style that makes it stand out from its contemporaries.
Tekkonkinkreetfollows two orphan brothers, one a violent street punk, and the other a more innocent possibly neurodivergent kid with a wild imagination. The film follows their journey from adolescence to adulthood as the world they grow up in changes around them. The film is excellent at using visual storytelling to depict what’s going on in the minds of its protagonist. The world starts out as a wild theme park-esque wonderland and slowly devolves into a darker, more chaotic underworld as the kids gradually lose their childhood innocence. There was a time whenTekkoninkreetwas available at DVD bargain bins all across the country, but that time has long past as the film eventually faded into obscurity.
5I’m Thinking of Ending Things
I’m Thinking of Ending Thingsis the most recent film from critically celebrated writer/director Charlie Kaufman. It’s a surreal and nightmarish experience that feels entirely deliberate in its design, and it’s one of the most unique movie experiences in recent memory. Very few films are able to effectively immerse their audience in existential despair for over two hours. As it was funded and produced by Netflix, the film is currently trapped on the streaming service with no other way to legally watch it. If it stays on there till the end of time, then there’s not much of a problem, but the recent trend of services like Max, Disney, and Paramount plusgutting their original contentmakes the thought of forever losing this masterpiece to corporate selfishness a real possibility.
Netflix itself has shown that it isn’t above this practice as the streamer has removed many of its original programs, including the Oscar-nominated filmThe Power of the Dog, which is no longer available on Netflix in most countries. Not all hope is lost, though, asThe Power of the Dogand other Netflix films like Roma have gotten physical releases as part of the Criterion Collection. Here’s hopingI’m Thinking of Ending Thingsgets the same treatment before its legacy is erased for tax purposes.
The 12 Best Movies to Watch on the Criterion Channel
For those looking to get into Criterion but don’t know where to start, here are some of the most important, accessible films the channel has to offer.
4Blue Spring
Adapted from the Mangaof the same name,Blue Springfollows the lives of a gang of young delinquents at a Japanese high school, the leader of whom is chosen through a dangerous game of courage on the school’s rooftop. After one of the less violent members of the gang named Kujo plays the game as a way to kill time, he ends up winning and becomes the leader of all the high school gangs. This causes a rift to form between the other members, as Kujo’s best friend Aoki becomes increasingly disillusioned towards him, leading to a series of dark, and increasingly violent events.
The film is the epitome of teenage angst, and perfectly captures the sadness and fear of your life never amounting to anything. It puts you in the lives of kids with no real futures, as the society they live in has already given up on them. It’s araw, nihilistic filmthat leaves you feeling like nothing really matters, which is exactly how alot of kids feel around this time in their lives. So few films have been able to capture that feeling in such a captivating way, which is what makesBlue Springa masterpiece of modern Japanese cinema.
3The Man Who Stole the Sun
The Man who Stole the Sunis a film that has a lot to digest. It’s director Kazuhiro Hasegawa is a known survivor of the Hiroshima Bombing, and his unique perspective on the subject can be felt throughout the entire production. It’s a political thriller that feels like an odd blend between of the political satire ofDr. Strangeloveand the lone-gunmen terrorist narratives of films likeTaxi DriverandJoker. It follows a Japanese chemistry teacher who manages to build an atomic bomb in his basement. He then takes the whole country hostage, and uses the bomb as leverage to make increasingly outlandish demands to the Japanese Government.
It’s equal parts hilarious and thrilling, as the film’s narrative escalates to pure insanity. The film itself might be the hardest to access on the entire list. There’s no available way to stream it, only an exceedingly inaccessible out of print DVD. Trying to get a hold of this film feels like a form of contraband, and if you manage to somehow track it down, its visual quality is in extremely rough shape. This makes the film another perfect candidate for the Criterion Collection.
Related:Here’s What Makes the Criterion Channel One of the Best Streaming Services For Movie Lovers
2Don Hertzfeldt Collection
Don Hertzfeldt is an Oscar-nominated animator who has made a wide range of hilarious and thought-provoking shorts and animated films. He managed to make something as simple as aSimpson’s couch gaginto an existential art film about losing everything you love. One thing that Criterion likes to do, bedsides individual releases, is to release the complete works of an artist in a well-packaged box set.
Since most of Hertzfeldt’s work are shorter than a feature-length film, it makes sense to package them all together in a single release. This would be a box set containing all of his shorts including the hilarious Oscar-nominatedRejected, as well as his lengthier works such as the though- provokingIt’s Such a Beautiful Day, andWorld of TomorrowTrilogy. It’s all fantastic work that deserves more recognition, as Hertzfeldt continues to be one of the most unique voices in American animation.
1City of God
City of Godis already awell celebrated filmamong film critics and movie buffs, but one could argue that It’s still not given as much credit as it should. It’s possibly the best film to come out during the 2000s, and has a distinct visual identity that only existed in movies that came out from that era. When people eventually talk about quintessential 2000s cinema the way they do the other decades, this is the film that should be at the forefront of that conversation.
Part crime epic, and part coming of age story,City of Godis a portrait of life in the crime-ridden streets of 1970’s Rio De Janeiro. LikeTekkonkinkreet, it feels like a tale of lost innocence as these Brazil kids are shaped by their cruel environment. Despite the terrible things they end up doing throughout the film, you never stop feeling for them. They’ve been pushed into this violent underworld because there’s truly nothing else they know.
The contrast between its two protagonists as they grow into different roles gives the story a profound poetic vibe. Combined with an intense kinetic energy that never lets off the gas and an amazing unique visual style, this makesCity of Goda modern masterpiece, and one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s a film that deserves to be seen by as many people as possible. If that isn’t deserving of a Criterion release, then nothing is.
