Why Movies?

Film adaptation of French economist Thomas Piketty's ground-breaking global bestseller of the same name: an eye-opening journey through wealth and power.

An inside look at one of the most anticipated movie sequels ever with James Cameron and cast.

In an intimate and joyful story of love in the face of loss, celebrated poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley find strength—and unexpected hilarity—in what might be their final year together.

Just two years away from turning 30, participants in Michael Apted's documentary series are facing serious questions of identity and purpose, wondering whether they've found their place in the world.

A compilation of over 30 years of private home movie footage shot by Lithuanian-American avant-garde director Jonas Mekas, assembled by Mekas "purely by chance", without concern for chronological order.

Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.

A documentary about the life and films of director John Ford.

Daniel Craig candidly reflects on his 15 year adventure as James Bond. Including never-before-seen archival footage from Casino Royale to the upcoming 25th film No Time To Die, Craig shares his personal memories in conversation with 007 producers, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

After another 7 year wait, director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born children from Seven Up! and 7 Plus Seven. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.

This revealing documentary honors the legendary Sidney Poitier—iconic actor, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. Featuring interviews with Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Halle Berry, and more.

Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.

A documentary about ten very different lives connected by having appeared onscreen wearing masks or helmets in Star Wars.

A subjective documentary that explores various theories about hidden meanings in Stanley Kubrick's classic film The Shining. Five very different points of view are illuminated through voice over, film clips, animation and dramatic reenactments.

A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.

A celebration of the universe, displaying the whole of time, from its start to its final collapse. This film examines all that occurred to prepare the world that stands before us now: science and spirit, birth and death, the grand cosmos and the minute life systems of our planet.

A look at the origins, history and conspiracies behind the "Majestic 12", a clandestine group of military and corporate figureheads charged with reverse-engineering extraterrestrial technology.

A string of threatening emails escalates into a revenge plot involving a newly married US marshal and his ex-girlfriend.

Director Michael Apted revisits the same group of British-born adults after a 7 year wait. The subjects are interviewed as to the changes that have occurred in their lives during the last seven years.

Bruce Conner’s most celebrated film for a reason: it takes historical moments that were replayed over and over on television—chilling repetition of Kennedy assassination coverage—and repurposes them into a meditation on how the media tries to exert authority and apply a sense of order to the anarchic. And though it may sound perverse to say so, the film is also—not incidentally—a thrill to watch. -- The A.V. Club

In this brand new featurette, executive producer T Bone Burnett and the Coen brothers discuss the history of some of the songs that heard in Inside Llywin Davies and possible origin of the stories they tells, the folk movement during the 1960s and the social and cultural ideas that it represented, the authenticity and the identity of folk music and the balance between the two, the future of folk music, etc. Included with the featurette are illustrations by Drew Christie. The featurette was created exclusively for Criterion in 2015.

a documentary and a fiction about reflecting on "pre-cinema".

Charlie Chaplin, The Tramp. In this documentary, we will take a look at the life of actor and director Charlie Chaplin, and talk about his films and hidden symbolisms.

This documentary short-film follows the story of The White Bus Cinema based in Southend-on-Sea. They keep the process of projecting real celluloid film alive by showing films from their archive of over 3,000 films, ranging from Super 8, 16mm, and 35mm prints. The film argues why it's important to continue the shooting and projection process of film in our current age of digital shooting and projection in modern Hollywood, amidst the chaos of studios removing films from their streaming services.

Documentary about the preservation of Brazilian films on celluloid.

During the height of the military dictatorship, Jorge Bodanzky documented the construction of the Humboldt University [research station] in Mato Grosso. While flying over the surrounding area—amidst the dense, unbroken forest—he captured an intriguing image: a large maloca (communal indigenous dwelling) where the inhabitants were attempting to strike the plane with arrows. Half a century later, the filmmaker uses this moment as a starting point to revisit—without a script—his long-standing connection to the Amazon and the story behind that image, through an approach that is both spontaneous and intimate.

What if the only way to face life was to escape into cinema? Thirty years after Caro Diario, filmmaker Pablo Maqueda leaves Madrid on a Vespa, chasing the sun of Moretti’s Italy. With eight friends by his side, he embarks on a journey where laughter, memory, and film intertwine. As reels roll and roads unfold, reality gently fades – and what begins as a tribute becomes a meditation on how cinema doesn’t just reftect life, but transforms it.

Takashi Miike is a cinema monster. Let's return to his filmography, his main themes, the framework of his monumental universe.

The love of Kim Jong Il, the former dictator of North Korea, for cinema and his adventures, including the kidnapping of a director.

Gathering for a Christmas lunch, the film critics and writers of Discovering Film discuss the merits of 20 films from Bill Murray's star turn in Scrooged, the James Stewart classic It's a Wonderful Life, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny & Alexander, to Bruce Willis' memorable Die Hard.

Seventh art is unique addresses people's relationship with a movie theater or film. What feelings do they feel? What changes in you when you go to the movies? It also addresses Jair Bolsonaro's harsh criticism of culture and cinema in Brazil.

An epic 3+ hour chronology of scenes from over 200 films and television shows shot in Massachusetts from the silent era to today. Highlighting recognizable locales from Martha’s Vineyard to Harvard Square to Great Barrington, along with bygone landmarks and Boston streets, and featuring James Cagney, Tony Curtis, Elizabeth Taylor, Luciano Pavarotti, Harrison Ford, and all the Afflecks and Wahlbergs you can handle.

From her theater work to the worldwide fame brought by cinema, Sandra Hüller talks about her art and her career, from "Toni Erdmann" to "The Zone of Interest", via "Anatomy of a Fall". A vibrant encounter with an actress in love with the absolute.