Check Your Body At The Door is a documentary film about some remarkable underground house dancers in NYC during the golden decade of the 1990s. It follows master free-stylists into the clubs, their jobs, and their everyday lives. Filmed in the studio as well, the dancers’ virtuosic moves are brilliantly revealed in silhouette or light pools. In their words they describe the importance of clubbing, why they dance, how they dance, and what it means.
Willi NinjaSelf
Brian GreenSelfBarbara TuckerSelfArchie BurnettSelfConrad "SP" RochesterSelfAdrian AliceaSelfIriena HerreraSelf
On 1 January 2021, the UK's transition period with the EU ended and new rules and regulations were agreed at the last minute. This is a time for reflection on the social phenomenon that is Brexit - which has now become a British trademark world-over, alongside the Royal Family, fish and chips and Sherlock Holmes. Brexit Through The Non-Political Glass puts politicians and public sentiments to one side, and seeks the opinions of non-partisan world-class experts - the scholars and professional advisors who specialize in this very topic; no politicians and propagandists, and no social media and populism; among the experts is Vernon Bogdanor, the Oxford tutor of former British prime minister David Cameron, who was consulted before the referendum was offered to the nation; you will hear what his advice was.
Scott Mills travels to Uganda where the death penalty could soon be introduced for being gay. The gay Radio 1 DJ finds out what it's like to live in a society which persecutes people like him and meets those who are leading the hate campaign.
In 1983, in Berlin, an American member of the secret service puts himself at the service of the GDR. This fascinating documentary tells the story of his life as a "passer-murailles". In 1983, American soldier Jeffrey M. Carney betrayed his country and defected to the East. At the time, he was working in Berlin for the NSA (National Security Agency), which intercepts Soviet airspace communications. But his patriotism and fervor for Reagan had waned: he felt underestimated by his colleagues and had discovered his homosexuality, for which he could be expelled from the army. One night of drinking, the young man crosses the demarcation line at Checkpoint Charlie with the aim of never returning...
A young Jewish man is torn between tradition and individuality when his old-fashioned family objects to his career as a jazz singer. This is the first full length feature film to use synchronized sound, and is the original film musical.
In the 1970s, Strange Fruit were it. They lived the rock lifestyle to the max, groupies, drugs, internal tension and an ex front man dead from an overdose. Even their demise was glamorous; when lightning struck the stage during an outdoor festival. Twenty years on, these former rock gods they have now sunk deep into obscurity when the idea of a reunion tour is lodged in the head of Tony, former keyboard player of the Fruits. Tony sets out to find his former bandmates with the help of former manager Karen to see if they can recapture the magic and give themselves a second chance.
In this 2018 Criterion Collection program, screenwriter Jay Cocks and film critic Farran Smith Nehme discuss the adaptation for the film version of 'The Heiress' (1949) of the 1947 play by Ruth and Augustus Goetz, which was itself inspired by the 1880 Henry James novel 'Washington Square'.
Tom Cruise - actor, producer, daredevil. The face of Hollywood in the 1980s, after a mid-career meltdown, his future looked in doubt. But through a single-minded commitment to entertaining audiences worldwide, he has risked life and limb and fought his way back to the very top. In an entertainment world dominated by superheroes and fantasy franchises, he stands alone… the last movie star.
Adlon recounts the making of the sculpture, "Kugelkaryatide" the sphere that stood in the center of Tobin Plaza between the two towers of the World Trade Center. The film follows the sculpture from its creation as the largest bronze sculpture of recent times to the aftermath, where it now stands, heavily scarred, in Battery Park.
Using restored, colorized archives and testimonies from all the players in this conflict, this documentary covers the hundred days of apocalyptic fighting that wrote History. June 1944, the Allies landed in Normandy. This odyssey was meticulously prepared for months. The construction of two artificial ports, the transport of Anglo-American troops, their training cost colossal efforts, and caused many cold sweats: the secret of D-Day almost came to light several times. The documentary reveals the inner workings of Operation Overlord, it also deciphers the military operations, and evokes the choices of the high command. Placed at human level, it retraces the fate of Norman civilians subjected to deadly bombings, the attitude of the Allied soldiers and their German adversaries, as well as the aspirations of the French population, torn between fear and hope.
The domestic cat has conquered almost the entire globe with around 400 million animals and is now also the star of social networks. It is not clear when and how they secured the favor of humans. Archaeologists, geneticists and behavioral biologists around the world have been researching these questions for years. Their latest findings make it possible to trace the path of the house cat.
Actors Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément, Monia Chokri, Gaspard Ulliel, Vincent Cassel, Niels Schneider and Melvil Poupaud discuss working with the young Canadian director Xavier Dolan, who has conquered the hearts of both cinema lovers and prestigious festival juries with his films. To French actress Nathalie Baye, he seems very experienced despite his young age, while Cannes Director Thierry Frémaux says he may be insolent, but everyone agrees he is passionate, creative, a perfectionist and... in a hurry.
The Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River and connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, the two centers of the port city of New York. Its architect Johann Roebling was one of the great inventors and master builders of his time. The wire rope: his product. The suspension bridge: his dream. The film tells the amazing story of the Roebling family and the spectacular history of the Brooklyn Bridge.
For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.
Film about the creation of New York's famous Peppermint Lounge, where the Twist became a dance craze.
County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.
"II: AN UNSPOKEN NARRATIVE" tells the story about one guy going through life alone while learning the concept of balance in an unconventional way expressed by the form of movement and storytelling. We hope to take you on a journey within a story of life experiences revolving around balance where two different concepts make you realize your worst moment to make your great moments greater. Every part of this film is up for interpretation upon your lives.
50 years ago, assemblyman George Michaels cast a single vote on New York's abortion bill that changed the course of American history but destroyed his political career in the process.
Profiles the culture, lifestyles, and rituals within the New York City subways.
In this interview, shot by the Criterion Collection in 2018, Ron Briley, author of 'The Ambivalent Legacy of Elia Kazan: The Politics of the Post-HUAC Films', discusses the origins of the Lonesome Rhodes character in the biographies of populist celebrities such as Will Rogers and Arthur Godfrey. He also addresses the political implications of 'A Face in the Crowd' (1957) within the context of Kazan's career.