All of the films below are available to checkout: see our catalog for more details.
Eat Drink Man Woman (China)
This film, directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Sense and Sensibility) focuses on Chu, a master chef who tries to win over his three selfish and self-absorbed daughters through his cooking. When that goes up in flames, he tries a more dramatic approach- with results.
Blackboards (Iran), Osama (Afghanistan), Zaman (Iraq)
Osama and Zaman are both the first films released to a wider world audience after the dramatic conflicts the countries faced (and continue to stuggle with). All three are about journeys:
In Zaman, a village man travels upriver to Baghdad to find a cure for his wife.
In Osama, a young girl disguises herself as a boy to safely travel through Afghanistan after women are confined to their homes.
In Blackboards, dedicated teachers travel the length and breadth of Iranian Khurdistan, carrying their blackboards on their backs which serve as tool, professional symbol, and sometimes, shelter from gunfire.
The Host (Korea), Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong)
Or maybe you'd like something a little more shlocky? The Host is one of, well, a host of Asian horror movies, critically acclaimed for its underwater environmental sensibilities as well as its many thrills.
Infernal Affairs stars Tony Leung (Hero) in a tense police procedural, and may be best-known as the movie that directly inspired Scorese's The Departed.
Cinema from your Computer: The Criterion Collection's film festivals
Last, but certainly not least, if you think NetFlix's online "Watch it Now!" feature is the greatest thing since turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches, the new Criterion website is for you! Every month, the label plans to "host" a new online film festival with high-quality streaming video available online. This is only one of a plethora of features they are rolling out, so if you're a classic cinemaphile, make sure to check them out.
