May on the Criterion Channel Showcases David Chase, Magellan, '80s Remakes, and More

      You might have overlooked (or entirely missed) that David Chase has only written and directed one feature film, and its black-and-white remake is available exclusively on the Criterion Channel. To complement his notable Not Fade Away, the creator of The Sopranos has curated and participated in an interview for a new Adventures in Moviegoing that premieres this May, featuring Jean Vigo’s L’Atalante, Louis Malle’s Elevator to the Gallows and Lacombe, Lucien, Luis Buñuel’s Viridiana, and Dino Risi’s Il sorpasso. Rather than just looking forward to the interview, I hold (some) hope that this sends (enough) energy into the universe for another film from one of America’s cinematic greats.

      The main program for May appears to focus on ’80s Remakes (and Their Originals!), which does exactly what it claims: Breathless and Breathless, The Thing and The Thing, The Man Who Loved Women and the nearest Burt Reynolds came to Truffaut. Additionally, Office Romances provides a selection of films including Dorothy Arzner’s Working Girls, His Girl Friday, The Apartment, and John Ford’s vastly underrated The Whole Town’s Talking. Jonathan Ali has curated You Don’t Get Freedom, You Take Freedom: Caribbean Activist Cinema, showcasing titles like Bitter Cane and Med Hondo’s West Indies. On the premiere front, Debra Granik’s Conbody vs Everybody is making its debut on the Channel, alongside Lav Diaz’s Magellan, Thierry Fremaux’s Lumière, le cinéma!, and a restored version of Ken Loach’s The Spirit of ’45.

      Criterion Editions of Buñuel’s Él, Woman of the Year, Cat People, and His Girl Friday will start streaming. The Ross Brothers, Kimi Takesue, and Bill Douglas have each contributed a series of films, including the COVID-era favorite Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets. Special mentions go to Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break and Sean Baker’s Four Letter Words, being added to Stunts and Directed by Sean Baker, respectively (as if it could be swapped around).

      Check out the complete list of May additions and explore more at the Criterion Channel:

      95 and 6 to Go, Kimi Takesue, 2016

      Against All Odds, Taylor Hackford, 1984

      An Unfinished Film, Lou Ye, 2024

      The Apartment, Billy Wilder, 1960

      The Big Clock, John Farrow, 1948*

      Bitter Cane, Ben Dupuy and Kim Ives, 1983

      Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, Turner Ross and Bill Ross IV, 2020

      Bound, Kimi Takesue, 1995

      Breathless, Jim McBride, 1983

      Cat People, Jacques Tourneur, 1942

      Cat People, Paul Schrader, 1982

      A Chinese Ghost Story, Ching Siu-tung, 1987

      A Chinese Ghost Story II, Ching Siu-tung, 1990

      A Chinese Ghost Story III, Ching Siu-tung, 1991

      Clockwatchers, Jill Sprecher, 1997

      Conbody vs Everybody, Debra Granik 2024

      D.O.A., Rudolph Maté, 1949

      D.O.A., Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, 1988

      Daughter’s Daughter, Huang Xi, 2024

      Desk Set, Walter Lang, 1957

      E=NYC2, Kimi Takesue, 2005

      Él, Luis Buñuel, 1953

      Four Letter Words, Sean Baker, 2000

      Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us, Carmen Ashhurst, Samori Marksman, and John Douglas, 1983

      Haiti: The Way to Freedom, Arnold Antonin, 1973

      Heaven’s Crossroad, Kimi Takesue, 2002

      His Girl Friday, Howard Hawks, 1940

      House of Cardin, P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes, 2019

      K-On! The Movie, Naoko Yamada, 2011*

      Looking for Adventure, Kimi Takesue, 2013

      Lumière, le cinéma!, Thierry Frémaux, 2025

      Man Wanted, William Dieterle, 1932

      The Man Who Loved Women, François Truffaut, 1977

      The Man Who Loved Women, Blake Edwards, 1983

      Maya, Give Me a Title, Michel Gondry, 2024

      More Than a Secretary, Alfred E. Green, 1936

      My Ain Folk, Bill Douglas, 1973

      My Childhood, Bill Douglas, 1972

      My Way Home, Bill Douglas, 1978

      No Way Out, Roger Donaldson, 1987

      The Office Wife, Lloyd Bacon,