The Playlist

5 Things We Learned from Criterion’s Stunning Blu-Ray of René Clément's 'Purple Noon' Starring Alain Delon

By Peter Labuza
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December 23, 2012 10:45 AM
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7 Comments

Features

Purple Noon" is the smarter, exsistential counterpoint to Anthony Minghella’s adaptation with Matt Damon, forgoing the melodramatic angle for something more profound, while combining elements later seen in films by the Coens, Polanski, Scorsese, and Coppola. In honor of Criterion’s new Blu-Ray, here are five things we learned about the making of this classic:

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Criterion Adds Terrence Malick’s ‘Badlands,’ Robert Bresson’s ‘A Man Escaped,’ Fritz Lang & More For March 2013 Release

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 17, 2012 5:16 PM
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0 Comments

News

Going on spring break this year? Well, you might want to shorten the trip or dip into the budget, because Criterion is coming for you in March full throttle with an auteur heavy line up, led by the one and only Terrence Malick.

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John Williams Turned Down Scoring 'Heaven's Gate' & More Learned From The Criterion Edition Of Michael Cimino's Cult Film

By Simon Abrams
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November 29, 2012 10:59 AM
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1 Comment

Features

A critical re-assessment of "Heaven's Gate" is now underway thanks in no small part to the Criterion Collection, who just released on DVD and Blu Ray the new 2K restoration of the controversial 1980 Michael Cimino-directed western. The film's notoriously troubled production history, scathing first-run reviews and poor initial box office is the stuff of “movie disaster” legend, and understandably downplayed in this new, director-approved release.

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Revolution & Car Crashes: 5 Things Learned About Jean-Luc Godard's 'Weekend' From The Criterion Collection's New Release

By Simon Abrams
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November 20, 2012 11:04 AM
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2 Comments

Features

“Weekend” can be retroactively seen as a turning point in Jean-Luc Godard’s still-growing body of work. This is partly because the film’s nightmarish, picaresque plot makes some of Godard’s more recent movies look high-concept.

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Criterion Goes 'On The Waterfront' With 'The Kid With The Bike,' 'Sansho The Bailiff' & More

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 15, 2012 4:00 PM
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3 Comments

News

If you have a girlfriend/boyfriend/partner who's a cinephile, and you already have your Christmas presents figured out, here are some ideas for Valentine's Day, as Criterion has dropped their February slate and as always, there's lots to discover.

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There Was No Love Lost Between Roman Polanski & John Cassavetes: 7 Things Learned About 'Rosemary's Baby' Now On Blu-Ray

By Rodrigo Perez
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October 31, 2012 3:43 PM
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8 Comments

Features

Roman Polanski’s “Rosemary’s Baby” was a box-office hit upon its release in the summer of 1968. It grossed $33 million dollars off a $3 million dollar budget (adjusted for inflation that’s $221million from a $19 million budget) and it paved the way for horror blockbusters like “The Exorcist” and “The Omen” in the years to come. Made by Polanski at the age of 34, it was the Polish director’s American film debut, and the picture became nominated for two Academy Awards, including a win for Ruth Gordon's deliciously quirky Supporting Role performance as the neighbor from hell. It also earned Polanski his first Oscar nomination for his adaptation of Ira Levin’s novel, which is not bad for a guy that didn’t speak English as a first language.

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Criterion's January Line-Up Includes Hitchcock's 'The Man Who Knew Too Much,' Wim Wenders' 'Pina' & A Lot Of Blu

By Kevin Jagernauth
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October 15, 2012 3:28 PM
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0 Comments

News

Once you've spent Grandma's Christmas money and overdosed on holiday turkey, January might be a rough month in more ways than one. So Criterion is going a bit easier on you to kick off the New Year, though there are still enough titles that will prove to be enticing for any money left on gift cards you might have kicking around.

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It Looks Like Terrence Malick's 'Badlands' Is Headed To The Criterion Collection

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 28, 2012 10:18 AM
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8 Comments

News

"Warner Bros. or Criterion is putting out a new version of 'Badlands' fairly soon," Terrence Malick's longtime editor Billy Weber said last fall, and now almost a full year later, it looks like the company with the wacky C will be giving the auteur's debut film the full treatment.

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5 Things You Might Not Know About David Fincher’s Criterion Approved 'The Game'

By Benjamin Wright
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September 20, 2012 2:02 PM
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11 Comments

Features

It seems unfair that David Fincher’s 1997 directorial outing “The Game” is often in the back of cinephile’s minds when they think of the director’s magnificent oeuvre. It is understandable in some ways, seeming as it’s sandwiched between two monumental directorial efforts into the pantheon of cult movies with Fincher’s own “Se7en” coming in 1995 and “Fight Club” hitting in 1999, but many fans of the notoriously finicky filmmakers would probably rank it close to or at the very top of their lists of the director’s best work. While it certainly isn’t as abrasive a film as “Se7en” or “Fight Club,” it’s just as memorable for showcasing the benefits of David Fincher’s acute attention to detail that would greatly benefit the many twists and turns of the film’s script.

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Christopher Nolan's 'Following' Gets Criterion Treatment, 'Qatsi' Trilogy, 'Purple Noon' & More Coming In December

By Kevin Jagernauth
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September 17, 2012 6:54 PM
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6 Comments

News

Yes, Christopher Nolan has now been minted with the wacky C. Everyone's favorite boutique label have unveiled their December, and as usual, they play it quiet at the end of the year, but there are more than enough highlights to make the cinephile on your Christmas list happy.

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