If you’re anything like me, by now you’ve streamed so many movies that you’re scraping the bottom of the barrel of your Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu accounts. Who needs ‘em, anyway? Just beyond the major services is a veritable treasure trove of niche and specialized streaming options you might never have known were there. There is Shudder, a haven for horror fans; Acorn TV, specializing British films and series; and Shout Factory TV, which features B-movies and cult TV shows like “Mystery Science Theater 3000.”
For the serious cinephile, however, there is only one choice: Criterion Channel. Since 1984, Criterion has released serious arthouse films with stunning video and audio transfers and excellent special features. In the ensuing years, the name Criterion has become synonymous with quality; the release of a film under the Criterion banner instantly infers upon it the status of a classic.
Last April, the Criterion Channel was launched, and it’s a godsend for anyone who loves cinema. Featuring a curated selection of films from Hollywood’s Golden Age to more modern indie classics, from the French New Wave to the recent Asian naturalists, it offers a complete film education for only $99 a year. Best of all, they have a feature that makes it easy to see which titles are leaving at the end of the month, which is the best way to organize one’s viewing habits that any streamer has come up with. Here are a few titles to whet your appetite, but don’t delay. Sign up now, and spend the rest of your quarantine in movie heaven.
Golden Age Classics
“The Red Shoes” (dirs. Powell and Pressburger)
“Brief Encounter” (dir. Lean)
“The Lady from Shanghai” (dir. Welles)
“Gilda” (dir. Vidor)
“Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (dir. Capra)
Modern Classics
“Adaptation.” (dir. Spike Jonze)
“45 Years” (dir. Andrew Haigh)
“Frances Ha” (dir. Noah Baumbach)
“Breaking the Waves” (dir. Von Trier)
“The Player” (dir. Robert Altman)
Foreign Language Films (Modern)
“Phoenix” (dir. Petzold)
“Clouds of Sils Maria” (dir. Assayas)
“Certified Copy” (dir. Kiarostami)
“Yu tu mama tambien” (dir. Cuaron)
“In the Mood for Love” (dir. Wong Kar-Wai)
Foreign Language Films (Classic)
“Seven Samurai” (dir. Kurosawa)
“The 400 Blows” (dir. Truffaut)
“Black Orpheus” (dir. Camus)
“Bicycle Thieves” (dir. De Sica)
“Beauty and the Beast” (dir. Cocteau)
New Hollywood Classics
“Faces” (dir. Cassavetes)
“Raging Bull” (dir. Scorsese)
“Shampoo” (dir. Ashby)
“Mikey and Nicky” (dir. May)
“Klute” (dir. Pakula)
Comedy Classics
“Monsieur Verdoux” (dir. Chaplin)
“To Be or Not to Be” (dir. Lubitsch)
“His Girl Friday” (dir. Hawks)
“Cactus Flower” (dir. Saks)
“What’s Up Doc” (dir. Bogdanovich)
Documentaries
“Grey Gardens” (dir. Maysles)
“Cameraperson” (dir. Johnston)
“Monterey Pop” (dir. Pennebaker)
“Harlan County USA” (dir. Kopple)
“A Married Couple” (dir. King)
