The Criterion Channel's lineup for July includes Harry Dean Stanton, Jonathan Demme, The Prisoner, and additional titles.
I might need to surrender my cinephile status if I claim that the Criterion Channel’s most noteworthy addition next month—perhaps even the best all year—is a television series. However, I released an actual sigh of relief upon discovering that they are incorporating all 17 episodes of Patrick McGoohan’s The Prisoner, a show that elegantly mixes '60s surrealism, espionage, structural experimentation, and an exemplary Beatles needle drop. Before someone—perhaps the rumored Christopher Nolan—attempts to adapt The Prisoner into a feature film and fails to capture its essence, experience it in its original form and dive deep into its complexities (and maybe check Reddit for the optimal viewing sequence).
Now, shifting back to film, as I usually do. July will also feature an 18-film retrospective on Harry Dean Stanton, including Monte Hellman’s Jack Nicholson-scripted Ride in the Whirlwind and John Carroll Lynch’s Lucky, with works from David Lynch, Martin Scorsese, Wim Wenders, Alex Cox, and John Carpenter in between—what an impressive filmography he had! Jonathan Demme and Terry Zwigoff will each have retrospectives showcasing four and two of their films, respectively; Joel Potrykus, Khyentse Norbu, Onyeka Igwe, and the Mexican actress Ninón Sevilla will also be recognized. In a broader perspective, the BlackStar Film Festival will be honored with an extensive selection of features and shorts.
New titles on streaming include the Marc Maron documentary Are We Good?; the three-part series The Energy War by D. A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, and Pat Powell; Hong Kong films People’s Hero and Pom Pom and Hot Hot; and Isao Fujisawa’s Bye Bye Love. For something more suitable for family viewing, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Curtis Hanson’s Bad Love will be available, alongside Nightclubbing: The Birth of Punk Rock in NYC and A Band Called Death for some musical breathing room.
Criterion Editions will feature Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs and Something Wild, Zwigoff’s Ghost World, the Stanton-starring The Last Temptation of Christ and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, along with Nicholas Ray’s Bigger Than Life and Lisa Cholodenko’s High Art.
See the complete list of films below and more on the Criterion Channel:
A Moving Image, Shola Amoo, 2016
Are We Good?, Steven Feinartz, 2025
Art School Confidential, Terry Zwigoff, 2006
Aventurera, Alberto Gout, 1950
Bad Influence, Curtis Hanson, 1990
A Band Called Death, Jeff Howlett and Mark Christopher Covino, 2012
Bigger Than Life, Nicholas Ray, 1956
Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Stephen Herek, 1989
The Burial of Kojo, Blitz Bazawule, 2018
Buzzard, Joel Potrykus, 2014
Bye Bye Love, Isao Fujisawa, 1974
Carita de cielo, José Díaz Morales, 1947
The Changing Same, Cauleen Smith, 2001
Christine, John Carpenter, 1983
Cool Hand Luke, Stuart Rosenberg, 1967
Desert Fury, Lewis Allen, 1947
The Energy War, D. A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, and Pat Powell, 1978
Escape from New York, John Carpenter, 1981
Evolution of a Criminal, Darius Clark Monroe, 2014
Farewell, My Lovely, Dick Richards, 1975
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Terry Gilliam, 1998*
Fire Through Dry Grass, Andrés “Jay” Molina and Alexis Neophytides, 2023
Ghost World, Terry Zwigoff, 2001
The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, Richard Fleischer, 1955
Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction, Sophie Huber, 2012
Hema Hema: Sing Me a Song While I Wait, Khyentse Norbu, 2016
High Art, Lisa Cholodenko, 1998
Home from the Hill, Vincente Minnelli, 1960
A Kiss Before Dying, Gerd Oswald, 1956
Landfall, Cecilia Aldarondo, 2020
The Last Temptation of Christ, Martin Scorsese, 1988*
Leave Her to Heaven, John M. Stahl, 1945
The Long, Hot Summer, Martin Ritt, 1958
Lucky, John Carroll Lynch, 2017*
Married to the Mob, Jonathan Demme, 1988
The Miracle on George Green, Onyeka Igwe, 2022
the names have changed, including my own and truths have
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The Criterion Channel's lineup for July includes Harry Dean Stanton, Jonathan Demme, The Prisoner, and additional titles.
I might have to forfeit my cinephile status if I claim that the Criterion Channel's top addition next month—possibly even the best of the year—is a TV series. However, I couldn't help but let out a genuine breath of relief when I saw that they are adding all 17 episodes of Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner, which uniquely combines '60s surrealism, espionage, structural experimentation, and
