Criterion Month Day 23: Dogfight

Dogfight (1991)

It’s not a super abundant genre, but I do love a movie where two young romantics spend a night together and slowly start to develop an irresistible bond. From Before Sunrise to My Night at Maud’s to Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, it’s just a really charming genre and one that taps into the idea that anything is possible when you’re young and naive and the night offers no expectations but a good time. Granted, I don’t recall any films in this genre that begin with one of the two romantic leads doing something really shitty to the other person and then spending the rest of the movie learning to be less of a jerk. Continue reading →

Criterion Month Day 22: Hairspray

Hairspray (1988)

When it comes to civil rights cinema, most of the attention has historically gone down south, where the fight for equality was its most dangerous. John Waters’ Hairspray is a sobering reminder that while things maybe not have been as violent in the north, there has always been just as much struggle to end segregation and work towards a more just future.

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Criterion Month Day 21: Sid and Nancy

Sid and Nancy (1986)

A few months ago, I noticed the 2022 FX show Pistol floating around Amazon Prime. I love punk and Danny Boyle (he directed every episode), so naturally I enjoyed it. Adapted primarily from guitarist Steve Jones’ autobiography, the show was criticized for falling into typical biopic pitfalls, overexplaining and simplifying events. Regardless, I loved the performances, the tone, and the frenetic sound and visual style of the show. It’s everything I could want in a Sex Pistols biopic.

Sid and Nancy is everything I don’t want in a Sex Pistols biopic.

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Criterion Month Day 20: Working Girls

Working Girls (1986)

It’s always striking to see a film that holds up so well in terms of content and yet is so tied to its time period in terms of aesthetics. I’m hesitant to use the word “dated”, because I think a film like Working Girls is aiming to portray an authentic version of its own reality, even if that reality feels unmistakably born of the 1980s. But the guiding philosophy of Working Girls seems to be that “sex work is work”, a phrase I only remember popping up in the public consciousness in the last decade or so. So to see a film that portrays sex work in terms of labor and workplace politics feels pretty remarkable, even if the hair, make-up, and name brands used in the film feel like relics of the Reagan years.

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Criterion Month Day 19: The Killing of a Chinese Bookie

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)

“There’s nothing I despise more than being entertained.” This is a quote John Cassavetes told scholar and author Ray Carney, later published in Carney’s 2001 book Cassavetes on Cassavetes. John Cassavetes didn’t make films to transport us. He made films to turn the mirror on ourselves, showing us the grit and drama of relationships, success, failure, and violence.

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Criterion Month Day 18: Lenny

Lenny (1974)

Aw man, I was so excited to finally check out Bob Fosse’s next biggest movie (as a director) nearly a decade after doing All That Jazz until today, when I finally had to sit down and watch it. That’s because I realized I didn’t account for two things: 1) writing about biopics is incredibly boring and 2) The Odyssey came out this weekend and it rules and kinda all I wanna do now is read about The Sea Peoples. But worry not friend, Lenny was more than interesting enough to have really woken me up and grabbed my attention against those perilous odds. I mean, what did I expect? It’s Bob Fosse.

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Criterion Month Day 17: Murmur of the Heart

Murmur of the Heart (1971)

Last year, I dedicated an entire Criterion Month to “Horny Movies.” I reviewed films like Luis Buñuel’s Belle de Jour, Nagisa Ōshima’s In the Realm of the Senses, and Louis Malle’s The Lovers. I had a blast exploring not just sexuality in cinema, but how different countries and different eras portrayed it. So when I heard Malle had another “horny” movie in the Criterion Collection, I immediately added it to my list. I just wish I’d known the sexuality in Murmur of the Heart was centered around a teenage boy… and his mom.

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