Summertime!
Pretty solid lineup coming in July; last month set a very high bar but we’re definitely continuing with those sun-drenched themes. Plus, uh, Haneke.
We open with yet another city-themed collection that isn’t Boston. To add insult to injury, it’s crime-themed. When do we get the Boston Crime collection, huh? My parochial biases do not prevent Miami Neonoir from being an excellent idea, featuring stuff like Out of Sight and Body Heat. Top-notch, and they didn’t even throw in Wild Things. I guess that’s not Miami. I admire the curator’s ability to avoid scope creep. [Late update: Wild Things is included in the collection as it appears on the Channel. I’m not convinced it’s a Miami movie but it’s a neo-noir for sure. No objections.]
The second summery collection is Summer Romances, which is not as much my thing. Good curation again, though; from A Place in the Sun to Gidget, this is nothing if not a wide range. I am a bit surprised Bergman’s Summer with Monika didn’t get in here; it’d fit really well.
Then there’s a cool (and big, 19 movies) collection of D. A. Pennebaker movies. Mostly directed by him, and a few in which he’s the cinematographer. Lots of music, unsurprisingly. I’m in for Monterey Pop at the very least.
The second filmmaker-specific collection in July is from Jacques Rozier. I don’t know much about him and I probably won’t be making a beeline for any of these. The Castaways of Turtle Island looks kind of fun?
Portraits of Artists is an excellent theme. Apparently my theme for the month is “Oh, you should have included X,” because I think Faces Places belongs in here; nevertheless it’s a cool collection. This may be the push I need to see F is for Fake finally. Oh, wait, Faces Places isn’t on the Channel currently — they’re off the hook there.
Brian Cox talking about The Craft of Acting is promising. It feels like a long weekend kind of a thing. Cause you want to hear him talking about Spencer Tracy in Bad Day at Black Rock, then watch the movie, right? Cox can be kind of precious about his craft but I do love his work.
And, hey! Frantz Fanon at 100. What a cool idea for a collection, and what good timing! We all know The Battle of Algiers is obligatory, right? I’m quite interested in the mix of documentaries about the man and movies that were influenced by him; that’s a clever concept.
Before we get to the Criterion Collection editions and the rediscoveries, there are a few more spotlights. Hou Hsiao-hsien gets a director spotlight; I just saw my first movie from him, Millennium Mambo, so this is pretty cool timing. Moustapha Alassane is a new name for me but his work looks pretty interesting. Michael Haneke — I’m pretty sure these are all on the Channel already, just not as a collection. I wonder if there’s something going on related to the Curzon and Umbrella Haneke Blu-ray collections? Maybe Criterion’s getting in on that action?
Lino Brocka can have his own paragraph cause I’m excited about this. If nothing else, it’s a chance to watch a great Filipino director without committing six hours to a Lav Diaz movie. I kid! I have La Flor pencilled in for later this year, I’m no shrinking violet. Anyhow, Manila in the Claws of Light looks amazing and I can’t wait.
Let’s see, down towards the bottom of the list… a nice little section for music films, featuring a real hodge podge of Rolling Stones on Film. Which includes Gimmie Shelter, one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen. I will spend some time there. The other movies here look good too, particularly Let’s Get Lost.
I’m not sure why Heat is back but I never mind having another chance to see it.
And looping back to the Collection editions — Killer of Sheep has been on my list for a while, cool. I don’t have that much interest in Basquiat but I have a lot of interest in young Jeffrey Wright, so Basquiat goes on the list. And the rediscoveries also have some gems: early Tilda Swinton with Female Perversions? Peter Fonda and Harry Dean Stanton in a Key West movie? Lovely stuff, the kind of thing I subscribe to the Channel for.
Be First to Comment