ONTD, do you like movies? Of course you do! Do you take advantage of the Criterion biannual sale to replenish your DVD collection and was sad that certain titles weren’t available? I think we all have, which begs the question; if you could have any movie available for purchase in the Criterion Closet, what would you choose?
Beyond the cut are some of my all time favorite movies that bring me joy, and would love to have in the Criterion Collection (if they aren’t there already). Some of these will be familiar, while others have a cult following.
Inland Empire
I watched this movie for the first time on Lynch’s birthday shortly after he died and in my opinion it’s one of his best films. Laura Dern plays an actress down on her luck who is given a plum role in a movie, and the more she immerses in the role the more she disassociates, and she (and the audience) question what is real, as we discover that everything that is happening has already happened before, only with different people over the years. This is NOT a film that you can scroll on your phone and watch, as early details that don’t make sense play important parts in the film later.
It’s a surrealist nightmare that you can’t wake up from, told in the way Lynch likes best. Bonus points for Dern’s footwear game because it is immaculate; like, take me shopping, sis. A hidden gem.
Survive Style 5+
Director Gen Sekiguchi is Japan’s leading (and award-winning) director of commercials, and it shows in his first film. The visuals for this are outlandish like an alternative Wes Anderson- if Wes was rolling around in primary colors, glitter, and more than a hint of crack. Survive Style 5+ is a collection of 5 different storylines consisting of:
– A murderous advertising creative with crazy ideas
– A famous hypnosist who may or may not have actual abilities
– A group of burglars where one of the men has a raging crush on one of his mates and trying really hard not to show it
– A salaryman who literally thinks he’s a bird (much to the chagrin of his family)
Vinny Jones (the “+” in the title) is a hitman who only wants to know what everyone’s function in life is, and connects all five stories. A special shoutout goes out to Asano Tadanobu for playing a character known only as “A Man” who repeatedly murders his wife, buries her in the woods, and goes home, only to be greeted by his pissed off wife each time (and whom thinks up increasing inventive ways to beat his ass).
This movie is absolutely insane and I love every minute of it, plus the soundtrack is banging. It’s currently not in The closet, but it sure as hell should be. An underrated gem.
The Holy Mountain
Sometimes you watch movies that change you on a certain level, and after watching “The Holy Mountain” for the first time that was me. This 1973 surrealist film by director Alejandro Jodorowsky is full of symbolism that you don’t watch as much as you experience it, and has been an inspiration source for many a creative, including Santigold’s “L.E.S. Artists” video and too many movies to mention.
There are two stories going on here; a man who resembles Jesus searching for God in a world full of hypocrisy meets a character known only as The Alchemist, and accompanies him, his assistant, and 7 other people (each which is introduced as a personification of one of the planets; in particular the negative characteristics that are associated with the respective planet) on a quest to gain the secret of immortality from nine immortal masters who live on a holy mountain. This movie is also notable for breaking the fourth wall for the first time in cinema history in the last minutes of the movie, where he reveals the film apparatus (cameras, microphones, lights, and crew) just outside the frame, and instructs everyone (including the audience of the film) to leave the holy mountain: “Goodbye to the Holy Mountain. Real life awaits us.” This used to be in the Criterion Collection, but now it is gone. Hopefully, it will be rereleased.
OP Viewing Note: This movie was made in the 70s, and some aspects of that shows. There are scenes of animal cruelty (a shit-ton of skinned animals, a dog fight, plus one harrowing scene where frogs dressed up as Aztecs and Spaniards literally blow each other up) as well as scenes that are just disturbing in nature. In addition, this movie has a lot of …pointed things to say about religion and proselytizing in general, so skip if you can’t handle that.
Deep Cover (1992)
The 90s was a renaissance for Noir films. Dark City, Romeo is Bleeding, and The Last Seduction are all excellent, and you should definitely watch them. However, a hidden gem of that time is Bill Duke’s masterpiece film where Laurence Fishburne is Russell Stevens; a Cincinnati cop who is recruited by the DEA to go deep undercover in Los Angeles to infiltrate the network of the West Coast’s largest drug importer. Jeff Goldblum is a lawyer with a heart of coke and metal who has his own motivations behind working his way up in the drug world (and plays him with a combination of sleazy charm and malevolence I didn’t think was possible) and Clarence Thomas III is a cop who just wants to do the right thing. Personal lines are crossed and questions are raised; is Stevens a cop pretending to be a drug dealer, or is he a drug dealer pretending to be a cop? I don’t think even Stevens knows.
This movie is currently available in the Criterion Collection on both DVD an Blu-Ray, so you know what to do if you want to add it to your collection.
Dreams
The first time I watched Akira Kurasawa’s Dreams was in college, when a professor brought in his laserdisc player (this was a long time ago, okay?) to watch, and it blew my mind; it was like doors of perception opened in may brain that wasn’t there before. Dreams is a magical anthology film of eight vignettes that was inspired by actual recurring dreams that Kurosawa had, featuring:
– A naughty boy defies his mother and watches a secret kitsune wedding, and the fallout from that
– Living dolls appear to a small boy and reveal themselves to be the spirits of the peach trees his family chopped down and berate him. Realizing that the boy loved the trees and did not want them to be chopped down, they agree to give him one last look at the orchard as it once was
– Four men lost in a winter storm are lured into what would be death by a malvolent Yuki spirit. And the outcome of that
– A discharged Japanese company commander meets his dead comrades in a abandoned pedestrian tunnel
– An art student finds himself inside the world of Vincent van Gogh’s artwork, where he meets the artist in a field and converses with him
– A large nuclear power plant near Mount Fuji has begun to melt down. Seeing the aftermath and getting the wrath of the survivors, the man responsible leaps to his death
– More nuclear holocaust, this time with demons who were former millionaires and government officials, who are now suffering through a hell befitting for their sins
– A hidden village that forsakes modern technology teaches a young man about death, and celebrating the peaceful end of a long life.
This movie is like celebrating beauty, and is also one of my all time favorites. Like all of the other Kurasawa films, it’s currently available in the Criterion collection in DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4k.
Honorable (or Dishonorable) Mention:
– Lost Highway
– A Clockwork Orange (I know, I know, don’t judge)
– Natural Born Killers
– In the Realm of the Senses (Stop looking at me like that!)
– Anything involving Sun Ra
– The Fifth Element
Have at it, ONTD. What movies are worthy enough to have in YOUR Criterion Collection? It can be any movie from any genre, the only criteria is that you loved it enough that not only do you want to own it, you would buy the Special Edition with the leaflet and extras. Post trailers, and let’s all have fun!
