Cinephiles and lovers of expensive media are probably familiar with the Criterion Collection. They are the premier distribution company that strives to release and preserve “important classic and contemporary films from around the world.” The technical wizards at Criterion are noted for preserving great films that deserve recognition. They include dozens of director-approved bonus features and preserve the aspect ratios.
With thousands of important films in the collection, it is even more amazing to recount what films are not released by them. With companies like Netflix embracing them and letting Criterion release films like Roma and The Irishman, the company is important in the preservation of film. These are ten films that should be in The Criterion Collection.
The Fastest Guitar Alive (1967)
While this film is more famous for the song “There Won’t Be Many Coming Home” (which was most famously used in Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight), this musical-western is a charming product of its time. Starring singer/songwriter Roy Orbinson, the film was the first in a planned series of films starring the famous rock star.
Unfortunately, MGM decided to scrap the remaining four films in his contract after disappointing reception and box office returns. Despite that, the film is a gem that has yet to have a proper Blu-Ray release. Also, the soundtrack is among the best in film history.
Force Majeure (2014)
With Downhill out and not doing as well as the crew probably hoped, it’s important to take a look at the film it’s based on. Force Majeure is a black-comedy that details how a natural disaster affects a seemingly fine relationship.
It’s not an easy watch but it’s a rewarding one. It forces viewers to confront some tough decisions when it comes to relationships. Using an avalanche as the catalyst, Force Majeure smartly and effectively ramps up tension when it needs to create a compelling vision of a dysfunctional marriage.
The Pink Panther/A Shot in the Dark (1963 & 1964)
Blake Edwards directed two comedy classics back to back, both starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. The now-famous Pink Panther films are staples of British filmmaking in the 1960s, showcasing Edwards’s knack for visual gags and Sellers’s phenomenal physical comedy.
While it would be more lucrative to put out a boxed set of all the Pink Panther films (which Criterion has done with the likes of Godzilla, director Ingmar Bergman, and others), these two films represent the very best of what this series had to offer. They are fun romps of the mystery genre and an enduring mark on film history.
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)
With Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story getting a Criterion release in late 2020, it seems fair that his first Netflix collaboration gets the same treatment. Starring Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, and Elizabeth Marvel as step-siblings who have to come to terms with their dysfunctional lives, it’s a warm and touching portrait of family, art, and patience.
The stand out in the film is Sandler, who delivers an understated performance as a father struggling with sending his daughter to school while dealing with his own identity issues. It’s arguably his best performance and offers a meditation on fatherhood and art.
Batman (1966)
There are currently no superhero films released under the Criterion banner, which makes sense. These films do not fit the sensibilities of the Criterion Collection. They are mass-produced films that have no trouble finding success. That said, not all of them are built equal and this one proves it.
Batman is based on the 1966 TV series of the same name which offered a more campy take on the caped crusader. It stars the iconic Adam West and Burt Ward as the dynamic duo, Batman and Robin, and features some of the best gags in film history. It’s a great change of pace from the gritty Batman films as of late and would fit in perfectly with the other comedies of the era.
Burn After Reading (2008)
One of the more underrated and underappreciated films by the Coen Brothers, Burn After Reading feels very similar to an earlier film by the duo, The Big Lebowski. Both films feature characters caught in massive conspiracies beyond them while also leading to an ending that doesn’t really resolve anything with no lesson to learn.
It’s the Coens at their funniest, with pitch-perfect performances from George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Brad Pitt, and Tilda Swinton. Pitt specifically turns in a great performance as Chad Feldheimer, a dim-witted personal trainer who is in way over his head.
Life Itself (2014)
Roger Ebert was one of the most influential film critics to have ever lived. A titan in film criticism, Ebert left a mark in the world of writing before his death in 2013. There was no one like Ebert and this documentary by Hoop Dreams director Steve James was the perfect tribute to him.
It’s an emotional watch and reminds us all of how important cinema is. It also features interviews from the likes of Martin Scorsese, Ava DuVernay, Errol Morris, and so many more. While Roger has passed on, the memories we have of him are not and that’s the best gift this documentary gives.
Bad Education (2004)
A bold and daring work by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, Bad Education (or La mala educación as it is known in Spanish) is arguably the director’s magnum opus. Detailing the lives of two childhood friends and how their upbringing in a Catholic boarding school brought them to where they are.
Of course, with Almodovar, nothing is ever that clean cut. The story is intertwined with grim subject matter detailing how childhood trauma can affect someone. It, like Life Itself, reminds us why films are so important. Almodovar is a master of the craft but his love of cinema is what really shines here.
The King of Comedy (1982)
Martin Scorsese’s 1982 black-comedy is a triumph of both humor and really unnerving energy. Robert De Niro’s turn as an obsessive fan is probably the best of his career, matched by Jerry Lewis’s turn as the object of his desire.
It’s a film that Scorsese has yet to emulate in his later years, a perfect blend of crime and comedy. It stands as one of the most unique and strangest in his catalog of pictures, even inspiring the likes of Todd Philips with Joker in 2019. It taught us all that it was “better to be a king for a day than a schmuck for life.”
Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999)
Jim Jarmusch is the absolute definition of cool and five of his films are already featured in The Criterion Collection but Ghost Dog is a special film. Juxtaposing modern mafia films with samurai sensibilities (similar to Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samourai), Jarmusch crafts this hip-hop fueled and artistic action film that has yet to be matched by any filmmaker.
The biggest reason why this film needs to be released by Criterion is that the film is hard to come by and there is no official US, Blu-Ray release. It’s a gem in the filmography of a trailblazer in cinema and it deserves to be more widely available.