The Criterion Project

I was just scrolling through the Criterion titles on their website to see which titles we were missing, and it struck me going through the list how few of the films I have seen, or how long it's been since I've seen some of my favourites. I have decided to undertake a sort of self-taught whirlwind history of the cinema, beginning with spine #1, I plan to go through them in the order of their spine numbers, as that will be a little less tedious than doing them chronologically, and allow me to watch, say, John Woo's The Killer immediately after A Night To Remember. Who knows how long it will all last, but I feel like I've been getting lazy watching films lately and I hope this brings me back on track. No schedule or deadline per film; when I watch it, that's when I watch it. No rules, really, other than the spine number order. I'll try to post reviews after I've watched each film, and they'll probably be fairly short as most of these films have extensive criticism already available (indeed, many include novella-length booklets of essays and interviews pertaining to the film). So, first up will be Criterion title #1, Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion...

(Also, certain titles have gone out of print, although we have a copy in some form or other, perhaps not Criterion; this is perfectly acceptable, as it is merely the films I wish to see, and am not handcuffed to the label, merely using it as a guide and not a rulebook. Oh, and yes - I am going to watch The Rock and Armageddon...again).