The Criterion Channel -- Film and Content Discussion

[dwk]

April 2024 lineup. Looking forward to the Hong Kong in New York collection.

[criterionsnob]

Glad the Jean Eustache films will be on the Channel, but would rather wait for the discs.

[AquaNarc]

Great lineup!

[criterionsnob]

Microcosmos opens with Criterion and Janus logos.

[soundchaser]

A new conversation between Eddie Muller and Imogen Sara Smith? Count me in.

[dwk]

Microcosmos opens with Criterion and Janus logos.

An Autumn’s Tale and Farewell China also open with the Criterion and Janus logos.

[Professor Wagstaff]

Was Rampage previously listed as part of the Friedkin series then removed?

[dwk]

Was Rampage previously listed as part of the Friedkin series then removed?

Yes.

[domino harvey]

First time subscribers can receive 15% off their subscriptions for one year (both annual and monthly subscriptions) if they join during April

[senseabove]

The Channel now has a 24/7 stream.

Except there appears to be no way to see the title of what is playing. So good luck if you want to watch the rest, I guess?

[mfunk9786]

Do we know to what extent they're programming it? Could be really interesting if it isn't randomized and instead sort of a TCM-adjacent thing.

[Matt]

The Channel now has a 24/7 stream.

I’ve been hoping for years they’d do this. As someone who cannot make decisions on what to watch and just prefers to see what’s “on” (TCM linear channel for example), this is a great way for me to actually use my subscription.

[371229]

They should post some sort of guide to show you what is currently playing and what the schedule is for the next 24 hrs... that would be helpful.

[TechnicolorAcid]

They should post some sort of guide to show you what is currently playing and what the schedule is for the next 24 hrs... that would be helpful.

They don’t exactly have a 24 Hour Guide but they do have a guide to what’s on at the moment.
https://whatsonnow.criterionchannel.com/

[ando]

I love the new 24/7 stream, particularly since joining a subreddit group who regularly live screens streams on the channel and has a chat feed specifically for the 24/7 stream. There were some inevitable technical hiccups in the first week of CC’s new service feature (some suspected AI programming) but the more thoughtful playlists as of late suggests that there is probably human programming involved on a day to day basis. Not letting subscribers in on the scheduling seems to have been a clever marketing ploy, despite the complaints.

[dwk]

May 2024

[fiendishthingy]

I just noticed that the "what's on now" page for the 24/7 stream now tells you how soon the next movie is starting (e.g., in 70 minutes), which I don't recall seeing on there before.

[dwk]

Lila Avilés's TÓTEM (2023) is being added to the channel on April 23rd.

[CriterionPhreak]

I just saw "An Autumn's Tale" (1987) as part of "Hong Kong in New York Collection." The film has never looked this good, not even in its original theatrical release which I went to. Some major restoration must have been done, which I didn't expect and am happy to see. Chow Yun-Fat was fresh from "A Better Tomorrow" when he made this, and he effortlessly portrays a completely and decidedly different person and persona: a rough, unrefined, uncultured, illiterate recent immigrant that would've been a complete caricature had it not been played with Chow's skills and charisma.

The director (Mabel Cheung) 's previous film, "The Illegal Immigrant" (1985, trailer) would also be a great addition to the channel, but is sadly not included. Shot on location in NYC and played by non-professional actors who lend great realism to their roles, the film deals with a timely topic in NYC, an undocumented worker hiding from the law while fighting to survive. It has a raw, gritty, improvisational, indie feel that I find much more memorable than the big-budget, big-star, "feel good" effort in "An Autumn's Tale." "The Illegal Immigrant" has only been released on a Region-3 non-anamorphic wide-screen DVD (which I own) from decades ago, so it's hard to find. I wish Criterion would show it someday.

[dwk]

Dylan Cheung mentioned on twitterv that The Illegal Immigrant was a massive omission in the series, but that it is not surprising because it is a Shaw title.

Spectrum Film's French UHD and Blu-ray release of An Autumn's Tale will include The Illegal Immigrant.