Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 16, 2015

Jul 16 Posted by aaronwest I’m always reluctant to post lists for recent years. Even though I consider myself a general film fan, I am mostly a classic film fan. Good films age better with time. Flawed films do not. My top 20 list for 2005, for example, is a...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 16, 2015

Jul 16 Posted by aaronwest I’m always reluctant to post lists for recent years. Even though I consider myself a general film fan, I am mostly a classic film fan. Good films age better with time. Flawed films do not. My top 20 list for 2005, for example, is a...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 13, 2015

Jul 13 Posted by aaronwest This post is part of the 1947 Blogathon hosted by Shadows & Satin and Speakeasy. I was at dinner with friends a few months ago, one of whom happens to be a huge Powell & Pressburger fan. We were sharing thoughts on their 1940s output,...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 13, 2015

Jul 13 Posted by aaronwest This post is part of the 1947 Blogathon hosted by Shadows & Satin and Speakeasy. I was at dinner with friends a few months ago, one of whom happens to be a huge Powell & Pressburger fan. We were sharing thoughts on their 1940s output,...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 13, 2015

Jul 13 Posted by aaronwest This post is part of the 1947 Blogathon hosted by Shadows & Satin and Speakeasy. I was at dinner with friends a few months ago, one of whom happens to be a huge Powell & Pressburger fan. We were sharing thoughts on their 1940s output,...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 11, 2015

Jul 11 Posted by aaronwest Secret Sunshine begins as an ordinary character piece, with a widowed mother planting roots in her husband’s hometown as a way to begin fresh. We can tell early on that the bonds between the mother and her son are tight. In the opening scene, when...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 11, 2015

Jul 11 Posted by aaronwest Secret Sunshine begins as an ordinary character piece, with a widowed mother planting roots in her husband’s hometown as a way to begin fresh. We can tell early on that the bonds between the mother and her son are tight. In the opening scene, when...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 11, 2015

Jul 11 Posted by aaronwest Secret Sunshine begins as an ordinary character piece, with a widowed mother planting roots in her husband’s hometown as a way to begin fresh. We can tell early on that the bonds between the mother and her son are tight. In the opening scene, when...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 8, 2015

Jul 8 Posted by aaronwest If you can say one thing about Fassbinder’s films, you can say that he was adept at portraying and processing human feelings. These were usually negative human feelings. For example in The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, he explored vanity and loneliness, whereas in...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 8, 2015

Jul 8 Posted by aaronwest If you can say one thing about Fassbinder’s films, you can say that he was adept at portraying and processing human feelings. These were usually negative human feelings. For example in The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, he explored vanity and loneliness, whereas in...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 8, 2015

Jul 8 Posted by aaronwest If you can say one thing about Fassbinder’s films, you can say that he was adept at portraying and processing human feelings. These were usually negative human feelings. For example in The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant, he explored vanity and loneliness, whereas in...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 5, 2015

Jul 5 Posted by aaronwest Believe it or not, this was my third time giving The Great Beauty a chance. The first two times I hated it. In fairness, both of my previous two attempts were not during the ideal circumstances. The first time was on Video on Demand before...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 5, 2015

Jul 5 Posted by aaronwest Believe it or not, this was my third time giving The Great Beauty a chance. The first two times I hated it. In fairness, both of my previous two attempts were not during the ideal circumstances. The first time was on Video on Demand before...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 5, 2015

Jul 5 Posted by aaronwest Believe it or not, this was my third time giving The Great Beauty a chance. The first two times I hated it. In fairness, both of my previous two attempts were not during the ideal circumstances. The first time was on Video on Demand before...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 3, 2015

Jul 3 Posted by aaronwest By 1972, Bergman was already established as one of the titans of international art cinema. He had won several awards at Cannes and been nominated for two Academy Awards (he would eventually be nominated for 9, including three for this film). Cries and Whispers is...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 3, 2015

Jul 3 Posted by aaronwest By 1972, Bergman was already established as one of the titans of international art cinema. He had won several awards at Cannes and been nominated for two Academy Awards (he would eventually be nominated for 9, including three for this film). Cries and Whispers is...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on July 3, 2015

Jul 3 Posted by aaronwest By 1972, Bergman was already established as one of the titans of international art cinema. He had won several awards at Cannes and been nominated for two Academy Awards (he would eventually be nominated for 9, including three for this film). Cries and Whispers is...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on June 29, 2015

Jun 29 Posted by aaronwest Even though I love my Criterions, I have looked longingly quite often across the pond. The one limitation with US releases is that Criterion is basically the go-to label for prestigious classic films. Sure, others have their moment in the sun, but it isn’t much...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on June 29, 2015

Jun 29 Posted by aaronwest Even though I love my Criterions, I have looked longingly quite often across the pond. The one limitation with US releases is that Criterion is basically the go-to label for prestigious classic films. Sure, others have their moment in the sun, but it isn’t much...   read more

Criterion Blues Posted by Aaron West on June 29, 2015

Jun 29 Posted by aaronwest Even though I love my Criterions, I have looked longingly quite often across the pond. The one limitation with US releases is that Criterion is basically the go-to label for prestigious classic films. Sure, others have their moment in the sun, but it isn’t much...   read more