For the short month of February, Criterion is releasing a jammed lineup with several genres for everyone to search through. Two are re-releases, but five are new to the closet including a surrealistic rock-n-roll journey and a drug-robbing traveler. A new Godard joins, but it has rarely been seen or referenced, while an underrated rom-com of the ‘80s and a new film from one of France’s most controversial auteurs returns after a lengthy absence. Here’s the packed list for this month.
Performance (1970)
Directors Donald Cammell and Nicholas Roeg worked together on this LSD-infused mystery following a criminal (James Fox) who hides in the home of a rock star (Mick Jagger) from his underworld bosses. There, the two suddenly find their identities entangled mixed with a heavy dose of hallucinogenics, and reality and fantasy get blurred between criminal and musician. It became a cult film after its initial release and as the decades passed critics have come to recognize this film as a hidden masterpiece of the decade.
King Lear (1987)
Jean-Luc Godard made his English-speaking debut with this avant-garde adaptation of Shakespeare’s play, but it isn’t an adaptation. Instead, Godard makes the story an inverted commentary of a world suffering from the destruction of the Chernobyl accident as an ancestor of William Shakespeare (Peter Sellers) tries to restore his descendant’s legendary works. Only three characters from the original play are kept by Godard. At the same time, he injects other literary sources and movie references into this philosophical restructuring of a legendary story. Burgess Meredith, Molly Ringwald, author Norman Mailer, and Julie Delpy star in Godard’s unorthodox version of what Shakespeare is to him at such a different time.
Crossing Delancey (1988)
An underappreciated romantic comedy by director Joan Micklin Silver (Chilly Scenes of Winter, also in the Criterion) pops out for fresh eyes in this story of a single woman (Amy Irving) who finds himself attached to two different men. One is a writer (Jeroen Krabbe) and the other is a veggie dealer (Peter Reigert); both are from opposite backgrounds but one is connected to her via the family matchmaker. It’s an undervalued love story in the heart of Manhattan that also plays on the values gap between generations and what a woman’s heart wants in a partner.
Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
Director Gus Van Sant made his sophomore effort about a real-life drug user who crosses the Pacific Northwest and hunts for all types of fixes with his friends to consistently stay high and away from the reality of being sober. Matt Dillon plays the ringleader who burgles drugstores and goes through the emotions of wanting to be sober and remain in touch with the freedom of nonconformity. Kelly Lynch, Heather Graham, and a surprising performance from author William H. Burroughs complete Van Sant’s offbeat narrative of a real outsider in his hometown of Portland.
Cronos (1993)
Getting a 4K re-release, Guillermo Del Toro’s amazing debut feature is a stellar introduction to his creative genius. When an antique dealer (Federico Luppi) finds a mysterious device that suddenly sucks his blood and makes him young again, his new powers attract a dying businessman who sends his American nephew (Ron Perlman) to get it from him for his accords. This mix of horror and fantasy delivers an emotional punch that elevated Del Toro into Hollywood’s arms and future masterpieces that followed.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
The second 4K re-release is Paul Thomas Anderson’s offbeat comedy-drama, starring Adam Sandler as a salesman who finds a loophole in collecting frequent flier miles but struggles with his temper toward his annoying seven sisters. His life seems to change when a woman (Emily Watson) falls for him, but a phone sex scammer (Philip Seymour Hoffman) threatens to undo all of his life. In just 95 minutes, Anderson creates this stirring romantic dramedy that is relatable and made Sandler available to do more dramatic roles years later on.
Last Summer (2023)
The controversial Catherine Breillat made her return after a decade-long break with a new erotic drama on sexual power between a lawyer (Lea Drucker) who works with victims of sexual violence and her teenage stepson (Samuel Kircher). Going into the taboo as she always does, Breillat stokes the fire between the two as the stepson’s immaturity comes out and threatens to do permanent damage to her entire life. The continuous argument over age gaps in relationships is explored and Breillat brings the passion to a dangerous temperature.
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