The Criterion Channel is turning up the volume in August with “Rock Biopics That Don’t Suck,” a cheekily titled collection devoted to filmmakers who found unusual ways into the lives and mythology of musical icons.
Coprogrammed by Bandsplain host Yasi Salek, the series includes Ken Russell’s glam-rock fever dream “Lisztomania,” Miloš Forman’s “Amadeus,” Todd Haynes’ “Velvet Goldmine” and “I’m Not There,” Anton Corbijn’s “Control,” Sam Taylor-Johnson’s “Nowhere Boy,” Floria Sigismondi’s “The Runaways,” and Bill Pohlad’s “Love & Mercy.” Oliver Stone’s “The Doors” will join the collection on September 1.
The Channel’s August lineup, streaming August 1, also heads south for an extensive Southern Gothic series. The collection moves from Charles Laughton’s “The Night of the Hunter,” Elia Kazan’s “Baby Doll,” and Douglas Sirk’s “Written on the Wind” through David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart,” Martin Scorsese’s “Cape Fear,” Kasi Lemmons’ “Eve’s Bayou,” Lee Daniels’ “The Paperboy,” and Ethan Hawke’s “Wildcat.” Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled” arrives September 1.
“Desert Trips” brings together Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Zabriskie Point,” Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas,” David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart,” and Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” four very different journeys across the parched, frequently surreal landscapes of the American Southwest.
Elsewhere, Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen sit down with Criterion president Peter Becker for a new edition of “Adventures in Moviegoing,” filmed at Portland’s PAM CUT Cinema. Their selections and conversation cover favorite movies about bands, what they watch while touring, and their affection for stars ranging from Greta Garbo to Divine.
“James Baldwin On-Screen” collects documentaries and shorts featuring the celebrated writer and cultural critic, including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket,” “Baldwin’s Nigger,” “Meeting the Man: James Baldwin in Paris,” and “James Baldwin: From Another Place.”
The director’s spotlights are equally strong. Two Oscar-winning labor documentaries by Barbara Kopple, “Harlan County USA” and “American Dream,” will stream alongside seven films from Hong Kong action master Ringo Lam, including “City on Fire,” “Prison on Fire,” “School on Fire,” “Full Alert,” and “Victim.” French filmmaker Julien Duvivier receives an even larger retrospective spanning “David Golder,” “Pépé le moko,” “Panique,” “Anna Karenina,” and more.
The month also brings streaming premieres of Sophy Romvari’s “Blue Heron,” Joel Alfonso Vargas’ “Mad Bills to Pay (or Destiny, dile que no soy malo),” and Rohan Kanawade’s “Cactus Pears,” plus three short films by “Happyend” filmmaker Neo Sora. Criterion Channel’s August lineup begins streaming August 1.
Born in Chile, raised in Canada, now living in Brooklyn, NY, Rodrigo Perez is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Playlist, which he launched in 2007. He has worked in entertainment journalism since 2000, including at MTV, and has written for SPIN, IndieWire, Pitchfork, Complex, Magnet, MuchMusic, and various music, film, and entertainment publications over the past two decades.
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
- Rodrigo Perez
