Staff Picks

Staff Picks

Share
Staff Picks
  • Alice in the Cities
    Movie + 6 extras

    Alice in the Cities

    Movie + 6 extras

    “This gorgeous, complex story of a self-possessed nine-year-old adrift on the road with an unlikely writer/journalist companion is one of Wim Wenders’ best. Infused with bits of captivating music—Sibylle Baier, Chuck Berry, Canned Heat—and exquisitely shot in black and white by Robby Müller, ALIC...

  • Asparagus

    Movie

    “The late visionary animator and painter Suzan Pitt’s eighteen-minute masterpiece ASPARAGUS (1979) is an immersive and surreal psychosexual fantasia, with an aesthetic best described by curator and writer Haden Guest as ‘thirties Deco meets fifties Googie meets Memphis-style retro-futurism.’ A he...

  • Ciao! Manhattan

    Movie

    “‘Youthquaker’ Edie Sedgwick stars in this semiautobiographical film depicting her debaucherous years as one of Warhol’s superstars and the drug-addled aftermath. Filled with striking black-and-white footage of the Factory’s heyday and with appearances by Brigid Berlin, Viva, and Paul America, CI...

  • Dersu Uzala
    Movie + 1 extra

    Dersu Uzala

    Movie + 1 extra

    “Akira Kurosawa offers a touching tale of human connection and survival. Rarely does one see a film focused on male bonding and friendship with this much grace and emotional depth. DERSU UZALA is a visual pleasure for the eyes, but be forewarned it's going to grab your heart and not let go.” —Tar...

  • Trances
    Movie + 2 extras

    Trances

    Movie + 2 extras

    “This ’70s doc featuring North African music group Nass El Ghiwane weaves together electrifying live performances, intimate moments, and political theater to create a sublime portrait of one of Morocco’s most influential bands.” —Tara Y, production

    Directed by Ahmed El Maânouni • 1981 • Morocco
    ...

  • Desert Hearts
    Movie + 6 extras

    Desert Hearts

    Movie + 6 extras

    “Two women falling in love in Reno in the 1950s, via 1980s hairstyles, and shot by the incomparable Robert Elswit (BOOGIE NIGHTS) . . . what more could you ask for?” —Elizabeth P, production

    Directed by Donna Deitch • 1985 • United States

    Donna Deitch's swooning and sensual first narrative feat...

  • A Dream Is What You Wake Up From

    Movie

    “The reality captured in this film—the weight of racism, gendered emotional and physical abuse, and economic plight—is not one Black Americans wake up from . . . but others should not look away either.” —Maya, audience development

    Directed by Larry Bullard and Carolyn Johnson • 1978 • United Sta...

  • Tampopo
    Movie + 9 extras

    Tampopo

    Movie + 9 extras

    “For when you’re horny and hungry and don’t wanna pick a lane.” —Valeria, production

    Directed by Juzo Itami • 1985 • Japan

    The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous "ramen western" by Japanese d...

  • The Plumber

    Movie

    “Peter Weir reaches Hitchcockian levels of dark humor in this terrifically performed, diabolically cutting class-conflict thriller. You’ll cackle as you cringe, and best of all it’s under eighty minutes!” —Curtis T, Production

    Directed by Peter Weir • 1979 • Australia

    A mysterious tradesman (Iv...

  • Betty Blue
    Movie + 6 extras

    Betty Blue

    Movie + 6 extras

    “Filled to the brim with visual and emotional bravado, it’s a rare film that manages to be both unabashedly erotic and surprisingly touching. Betty and Zorg’s electric relationship is an ode to fiery, youthful obsession determined to be anchored by no reality other than passion.” —Ben C-M, Janus ...

  • Police Story
    Movie + 9 extras

    Police Story

    Movie + 9 extras

    “Why use words to sell this movie when you can just show a picture of Jackie Chan breaking glass in a shopping mall?” —Keenan N, postproduction

    Directed by Jackie Chan • 1985 • Hong Kong
    Starring Jackie Chan, Brigitte Lin, Maggie Cheung

    The jaw-dropping set pieces fly fast and furious in Jackie...

  • Shake! Otis at Monterey

    Movie + 3 extras

    “‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’ is mind-blowing. Redding soars, and Pennebaker’s camera follows him—into and out of the light. It’s euphoric and otherworldly, and eerily prescient, as Redding died tragically six months later.” —Kim, production

    Directed by D. A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus • 19...

  • For All Mankind
    Movie + 8 extras

    For All Mankind

    Movie + 8 extras

    “Simply the best movie ever made about the Apollo missions to the moon, and now looking back, I truly believe the story of going to the moon is more about looking back at the Earth and the beginning of the time when we began to address climate change—when humans saw for the first time what Carl S...

  • The Long Good Friday
    Movie + 2 extras

    The Long Good Friday

    Movie + 2 extras

    “Bob Hoskins’s Harold Shand—a barrel-chested thug for the ages—is the lynchpin of this gripping thriller. But I have a real soft spot for Francis Monkman’s sleazy synth ’n’ sax theme, an insistent and incongruous porno-prog menace that hammers into your brain, and never leaves.” —Ashley C, curato...

  • Pixote
    Movie + 4 extras

    Pixote

    Movie + 4 extras

    “The story of this film is absolutely devastating, both on- and offscreen. Its brilliance shines through its neorealist approach, and its influence still echoes in the works of Spike Lee, Mira Nair, the Safdie brothers and more.” —Justin, customer service

    Directed by Héctor Babenco • 1981 • Braz...

  • Frownland
    Movie + 1 extra

    Frownland

    Movie + 1 extra

    “A film that’s as much a psychoanalytic case as its protagonist is. Not so much a film enjoyed as a film endured.” —Nathan, programming

    Directed by Ronald Bronstein • 2007 • United States
    Starring Dore Mann, Mary Wall, Carmine Marino

    A nightmare transmission from the grungiest depths of the New...

  • Masques

    Movie

    “Hitchcock vibes + ’80s pastel colors.” —Valeria R, Production

    Directed by Claude Chabrol • 1987 • France

    Posing as a journalist, a man interviews a celebrity he thinks is responsible for his sister's disappearance.

  • The Ruling Class
    Movie + 1 extra

    The Ruling Class

    Movie + 1 extra

    “Pour yourself a glass and hang tight for one of O’Toole's most unleashed performances.” —Tara, production

    Directed by Peter Medak • 1972 • United Kingdom
    Starring Peter O'Toole, Alastair Sim, Arthur Lowe

    Peter O’Toole gives a tour-de-force performance as Jack, a man “cured” of believing he’s G...

  • The Cremator
    Movie + 5 extras

    The Cremator

    Movie + 5 extras

    “It is a funeral march that starts as a parade. An amazing introduction to the Czech New Wave where every cut in the editing feels like an incision to the scalp. Plan your palate cleanser after this movie. You will need one.”—Sam, restoration

    Directed by Juraj Herz • 1969 • Czechoslovakia

    Czech...

  • History Is Made at Night

    Movie + 4 extras

    “Does it make a lot of sense? No. Is it great material for a drinking game? Absolutely.” —Valeria R, Production

    Directed by Frank Borzage • 1937 • United States

    Jean Arthur plays a married woman who falls in love with a French headwaiter, much to the chagrin of her possessive and jealous husband.

  • Sea Countrymen

    Movie

    “Scorsese describes De Seta as ‘an anthropologist who speaks with the voice of a poet.’ He’s not wrong. I love all the De Seta shorts, but this one especially stands out.” —Bob, art

    Directed by Vittorio De Seta • 1955 • Italy

    The rhythms of the sea set the tempo for this vivid account of a day ...

  • The Eagle Shooting Heroes

    Movie

    “Deliriously absurd martial-arts madcappery produced by Wong Kar Wai. Avoid if you’re allergic to fun.” —Curtis, production

    Directed by Jeffrey Lau • 1993 • China
    Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Brigitte Lin, Leslie Cheung

    A classic of Hong Kong “mo lei tau” (nonsense comedy) that blends slapstic...

  • Gap-Toothed Women
    Movie + 1 extra

    Gap-Toothed Women

    Movie + 1 extra

    “If you are also shocked that Michael Strahan closed the gap in his teeth, may I suggest this Les Blank film to process. It is a light, joyful romp that emphasizes that the small characteristics in people are worth celebrating.” —Sam L, restoration

    Directed by Les Blank • 1987 • United States

    F...

  • Prefab Story

    Movie

    “Set in a crumbling housing estate on the outskirts of Prague, Věra Chytilová’s panoramic comedy weds the eye of an architect to the comic invention of a brilliant satirist.” —Will N, editorial

    One of the unsung masterpieces of Věra Chytilová’s still largely obscure post-sixties career, this sti...