The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion

[dwk]

I have seen that happen with Party Girl (at least I think it was Party Girl.) I assume that sometimes stuff is erroneously added to the Leaving Soon section or it is expiring but they decide to reup and license another month or two because it is getting a lot of streams.

[Lowry_Sam]

I've noticed Criterion Channel is featuring more pop/rock music than the usual Prnnebaker or Demme docs/concerts. Both Cunningham's All Is Full Of Love and Mills' new video for Psycho Killer are now on the channel, along with docs on Pulp & Kim Deal. I wouldn't mind seeing Criterion Channel branch out into more than just film, more live music, artistic shorts & performance would be nice way to draw in a wider audience, but of course that would involve organizing and highlighting such content more aggressively.

[pianocrash]

I've noticed Criterion Channel is featuring more pop/rock music than the usual Prnnebaker or Demme docs/concerts. Both Cunningham's All Is Full Of Love and Mills' new video for Psycho Killer are now on the channel, along with docs on Pulp & Kim Deal. I wouldn't mind seeing Criterion Channel branch out into more than just film, more live music, artistic shorts & performance would be nice way to draw in a wider audience, but of course that would involve organizing and highlighting such content more aggressively.

It probably helps that a majority of the new arrivals in this case feature talent with ties to the label (Cocker, Ayoade, Byrne), as well as all three of these having current projects that could use a promo 4 promo (Pulp & Kim Deal new LPs & currently touring the USA). The newly commissioned Mike Mills Psycho Killer video was recently added as it had it's premiere online the same day, so I don't think that was too far a branch to climb out on. I did appreciate the Jem Cohen feature a few months ago, and I'd hope for more along those lines (for instance, Mark Borthwick's Speaking For Trees, the Burn To Shine series, maybe even the Danielson family doc), or whatever else feels like it's in CC's wheelhouse. It might help if they shifted this focus to a physical media buy/tie-in, but aside from Cohen (which would be a wonderful box set of material), I can't imagine a title emerging that would kick them in the shins enough to warrant that focus. But it's the channel we're talking about, so the more, the merrier?

[Lowry_Sam]

The newly commissioned Mike Mills Psycho Killer video was recently added as it had it's premiere online the same day, so I don't think that was too far a branch to climb out on.

But I wondered why Criterion did this when it's readily available on Youtube, a free service, when it hadn't done that for any music video previously and got me thinking about the service itself. It seems to me that not all the more niche streaming services will be able to survive on their own, particularly as people tire of paying for multiple streaming services. As their rates increase in recessionary times people cut back and it would seem that inclusion of more content (animation. theater, live concerts, opera) would help grow the service, particularly since people who would subscribe to Criterion Channel are more likely to subscribe to things on niche services than people who only subscribe to Apple or Netflix. I also noticed that Kanopy now had some Deaf Crocodile titles.

It reminded me of the early days of cable television & the one program that really launched my interest in off-thebeaten-track video/film, Night Flight on USA Network (and was much more interesting than its replacement by USA Up All Night with Gilbert Godfrey). Night Flight would blend music videos that MTV wouldn't play with cult movies (The Hills Have Eyes, A Boy And His Dog, Forbidden Zone), Japanese television (the original Power Rangers) humorously overdubbed by voice actors (before MST3K started), concert films, experimental video, and Eastern European animation into a 4-hour late Saturday night program that I eagerly awaited every week in my formative early teen years. Night Flight is how I first encountered Jodorowsky, Svankmajer, Pierre Etaix, Knife In The Water, as well as videos that MTV wouldn't play: FGTH's Relax, Lords Of The New Church's Like A Virgin, Cerrone's Supernature and the occasional live concert. Thematic curation added value. I can remember one Mother's Day weekend all the music videos featured men in drag (Divine's I'm So Beautiful, David Bowie's Boys Keep Swinging, Gino Vanelli's Black Cars) and then I believe the featured movie was Mommie Dearest.

So music videos seem to be a good avenue to build an audience (particularly among younger viewers) and many directors got their start directing music videos and advertisements, so their inclusion into the channel should be welcomed. My only quibble would be how they're incorporated into the channel. It seems that curation and presentation would be a key factor in success, but my fear is that with letting staff go @ the rise of AI that the attention this would require to succeed won't happen.

[dwk]

July 2025 Lineup

[beamish14]

July 2025 Lineup

92 in the Shade is one I’ve long hoped that Criterion will eventually tackle. So unusual and rewarding. Multiple endings were shot, and it’s never had a home video release with special features. Thomas McGuane is a fantastic novelist

[pzadvance]

Wong Kar Wai’s BLOSSOMS SHANGHAI series will premiere exclusively on Criterion Channel

[jt938]

I feel like Body Heat is in every monthly lineup. Maybe Criterion will release it soon?

[rrenault]

The new restoration of Antonioni's Il Grido is on the Channel now. Somehow that slipped by me, since I don't remember it being announced in any of the monthly lineups.

[AK]

Been enjoying the Jia Zhangke selection on the Channel recently. Started watching Platform and the quality is wildly inferior to the others I've watched (Still Life, Xiao Wu and The World all look good.) Anyone else watch it on the Channel? Merely a technical glitch or a really old source file they're streaming? Really want to see the film but don't want to spoil the experience and rather wait if the quality is what it is.

[dadaistnun]

The Shrouds coming July 8.

[dwk]

August 2025 lineup

I guess we will finally find out if they have Magnificent Butcher.

[beamish14]

I would kill for a Bigas Luna release.

[Jean-Luc Garbo]

Chess of the Wind is finally added! Of course Tamala 2010 gets added when I just bought it two weeks ago but it's really cool to see Redline as part of the anime line-up.

[knives]

The Boy is really exciting. That’s been MIA for a long while.

[dwk]

I would kill for a Bigas Luna release.

Jamón jamón is already on the channel and opens with the Criterion and Janus logos, so we'll know in August if any of the others are also with them.

[Omensetter]

As someone who thought I'd continue my Somai journey after last year's Cinema Guild and Third Window releases, Moving is the news for me here.

[dadaistnun]

As someone who thought I'd continue my Somai journey after last year's Cinema Guild and Third Window releases, Moving is the news for me here.

Same. It's been on my watchlist for a long time -- it was our own Michael Kerpan's praise of it here on this board that piqued my interest.

[criterionsnob]

There's also a 4K version of Moving available for pre-order on Apple, coming July 29.

[Michael Kerpan]

I keep hoping for the actual physical release of Moving here in the USA. But having it available on the Criterion Channel is great as interim measure. (I just hope I didn't create too-high expectations for everyone).

[yoloswegmaster]

Although I seriously doubt that it will open with the CC logo, it will be interesting to see what type of master is used for Pedicab Driver. I'm hoping that it's an upgrade from the WAC DVD.

Also disappointed that La maison des bois isn't a part of the Pialat retrospective.

[beamish14]

Although I seriously doubt that it will open with the CC logo, it will be interesting to see what type of master is used for Pedicab Driver. I'm hoping that it's an upgrade from the WAC DVD.

Also disappointed that La maison des bois isn't a part of the Pialat retrospective.

I keep hoping that at least some of the Pialats held by Kino will make it to Criterion. There was a big touring retrospective of his work in the States maybe 12 years ago, and We Won’t Grow Old Together received, I think, its North American debut at the time c/o the Film Desk

[dwk]

September 2025 lineup

[pianocrash]

Excellent to hear Borowczyk's La marge popping up outside of that German mediabook that's mostly OOP, but that Altman lineup also reminds me more of the omissions that I need to revisit (Streamers, Health, & A Wedding respectively).

[Mr.DarjeelingLimited]

September 2025 lineup

Millenium Actress, The Devils, Sorcerer, crap ton of Altman, Pamfir, and the return of Fresh Kill?!!??!?? What a month!