My Criterion Top 10: Eric/The Warning Sign

A few weeks back, I started running contributions from some of my favorite film critics, writers, and theorists from around the internet. The series ended… but has officially been resurrected, as I’ve obtained new contributions. Each writer is listing their top 10 from the Criterion Collection. I first discovered and came to enjoy today’s writer, Eric from The Warning Sign, because his site focuses on so many things that I love. Specifically, Eric has been known to write about movies (obviously), beer, and occasionally baseball. There are also video games in the mix. More importantly, the wide array of films that Eric covers is truly impressive and he constantly tries to expand his cinematic experience. It’s very admirable. You can find all of the fun over at The Warning Sign, or follow him on Twitter @twscritic. Here is his Criterion Top 10 in alphabetical order. 

Iron Director: Louis, Luis (Malle v. Buñuel)

–

It’s time for the third entry in the Iron Director series. In the first edition, the theme was “Directors I became obsessed with in 2010”- Francois Truffaut and Rainer Werner Fassbinder, with Truffaut emerging victorious. In the second edition, I pitted two people that I consider to be the two greatest living American directors, Martin Scorsese and the Coen Brothers. Scorsese just barely earned the win. For this entry, we’ll be taking a look at two guys with the same name, albeit different spellings- Louis Malle and Luis Buñuel. To set the mood, I highly recommend watching this clip of The Kingsmen singing Louie, Louie. These two have always been linked in my head for a handful of reasons. I have an ongoing internal conversation about which of the two is my 2nd favorite director of all-time. I’ve mentioned both of them as my 2nd favorite on multiple occasions. Depending on the week, you’re liable to get a different answer. I’m a great admirer of both of their filmographies. Both have worked, and excelled, in several countries. There aren’t a lot of similarities on the surface, but going a little deeper shows that they’re not wildly different. Let’s dig in:

The Women of the Criterion Collection: A (Fake) Calender

The other day, I found myself wishing that movies turned people on the way they turn me on, metaphorically speaking. This led to some pondering about what exactly does turn movie geeks on? How about seedy calendars?!?! And with that, I present to you my proposal to the Criterion Collection- a calendar featuring the sexiest ladies that the Criterion Collection has to offer. And yes, Deneuve is the August pic. Because my birthday is in August. Happy birthday to me!

–

Twelve Movie Characters I’d Want to Drink With

There are a lot of admirable movie characters out there. But there are different kinds of admiration. I think it’d be hilarious to hang out with, say, Fielding Mellish from Bananas. But over drinks? Not so much. You see, some people are simply more fun to be around when in a social environment, with alcohol involved. Here are twelve movie characters I’d like to drink with:

Tom Powers, The Public Enemy

–
As someone who’ll give a beatdown to bar owners who won’t sell his hooch, he’d obviously know all of the best taverns. Moreover, how great would it be to listen to all of those references to “dames” and “molls” and such?

A List Par Excellence: The Top 50 French Films of All-Time

EDITOR’S NOTE: I made this list in 2010. I updated the list in 2011. The updated list is more complete and puts far less emphasis on personal preference. The new and improved version can be found here.

On the cusp of Bastille Day, and with such a rich history of French cinema, I felt that it was only fitting to create a list of the 50 best French films. Initially, I’d planned on simply listing them in no particular order. However, mon ami, I eventually determined that it wouldn’t be fair to not put forth the extra effort. They’re now listed at least in order of personal preference, with some weight given to overall quality. In other words, there are likely more influential films or higher quality films further down the list. But their higher quality doesn’t overcome my overall enjoyment of the other films higher up on the list.

Five Must-See Scenes and Films from Luis Buñuel

Luis Buñuel was a genius, the master of the absurd. If John Cassavetes is the Godfather of Independent Cinema, then Buñuel is the Godfather of Surrealist Cinema, starting with his landmark collaboration with Salvador Dali in 1929, Un Chien Andalou. His career was spent laying social conventions to waste. Sometimes he nailed sexual conventions. Sometimes it was class structure. Sometimes it was religion. If there’s a social institution or convention out there, he found a way to poke fun at it. Here are five must-see scenes/films from Buñuel.