The latest in Criterion’s online magazine: From Elvis’s heyday to hip-hop’s early years

By rahmat hidayat

Sunday, September 3, 2023

Plus: AI on-screen, a new interview with Susan Seidelman, and Roger Corman's takes on Edgar Allan Poe

Current HIGHLIGHTS SEPTEMBER 3, 2023 A roundup of recent articles from Criterion's online magazine. Happy reading!

When Hip-Hop Arrived on the Big Screen Four Films That Captured the Culture in Its Infancy. As the influence of the New York–born movement began to spread across the country, cinema gave audiences a deeper sense of the sounds and styles that had emerged from it. By Craig D. Lindsey WATCH In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, the Criterion Channel presents a mixtape of the cultural phenomenon's finest movie moments.

Elvis Presley, Movie Star Reappraising the Rock-and-Roll Titan's Hollywood Legacy. In his thirty-one feature films, Presley developed a charismatic persona all his own—and created moments of surprising dramatic depth. By Sheila O'Malley WATCH Six highlights from Presley's filmography are now playing on the Criterion Channel.

Computer Dreams and AI Nightmares How the Movies Have Imagined Artificial Intelligence. Over the past half-century of sci-fi cinema, the theme of AI has allowed filmmakers to explore our anxieties about sex, reproduction, and labor in the modern world. By Gregory Zinman WATCH The Criterion Channel's AI series features films by Steven Spielberg, John Carpenter, Wong Kar Wai, and Andrew Bujalski. An Iconic New York City Filmmaker Looks Back Susan Seidelman in Conversation. With a series of her films now playing on the Criterion Channel, the director discusses the feminist spirit that runs throughout her work and the collaborations that bring her stories and characters to life. By Hillary Weston READ MORE Critic Rebecca Bengal explains how Seidelman's debut feature, Smithereens, evokes the grit and romance of 1980s downtown New York. A Match Made in Horror Heaven Roger Corman Takes Edgar Allan Poe to the Grindhouse. In the great American writer's spine-tingling tales, Corman found themes that inspired him to riff, invent, and create immersive cinematic environments. By Geoffrey O'Brien WATCH Corman's adaptations of Poe's stories are now playing on the Criterion Channel.

OLDIE BUT GOODIE "The film's prevailing mood feels like one of helplessness—of humans at the mercy of a mercurial world and the consequences of their own carelessness." —Bilge Ebiri on Akira Kurosawa's Dreams, which we reissued last month in a new 4K UHD + Blu-ray edition

THE DAILY Tributes to William Friedkin Remembering the Oscar-Winning Director's Career. Friedkin, who passed away last month, made some of the most indelible films of his time, including The French Connection and The Exorcist. READ MORE David Hudson surveys the award winners at this year's Locarno Film Festival.

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