The Criterion Channel to Remove 52 Movies This Week – Here’s 3 to Watch Before They Leave

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow me on X.

The Criterion Channel, the streaming service for the discerning film fan, plans to remove 52 movies from its lineup after Friday, May 31. Here’s the three you want to watch before they leave, in my humble opinion. (The Criterion Channel costs $10.99 a month, but has a 7-day free trial.)

Heat (1995)
Michael Mann’s classic heist film pits master thief Robert De Niro against world-weary detective Al Pacino in a battle for the ages. This is the first film the two acting legends appeared in the same scene together, and while they share the screen for less than 10 minutes, it’s like watching Michael Jordan play Kobe Bryant in their primes. The intensity pours off the screen as they attempt (even if not consciously) to outdo the other. Almost lost in the novelty of having De Niro and Pacino in the same film is Mann’s incredible vision and direction of Heat which holds your attention for nearly three hours as if it were three minutes. It’s a whirlwind of a movie and increasingly getting recognition as one of the best ever.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (1966)
Mike Nichols’ directorial debut is a sensation thanks to two powerhouse performances from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton as a warring married couple who live to booze and taunt (each other and their dinner guests played by George Segal and Sandy Dennis.) The Ernest Lehman screenplay, based on the Edward Albee play, is a chilling commentary on the illusions of marriage as well as a winking nod to the battling Bickersons of real life, Liz and Dick. WAVW will make you think about, laugh at and cry for the on-screen (and off-screen) personas who can’t resist inflicting pain where it hurts the most, particularly when it’s so perversely entertaining.

Reservoir Dogs (1992)
And speaking of sensational directorial debuts, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs announced to the world that a new cinematic genius had been born. Reservoir Dogs is ostensibly a bank robbery picture, but Tarantino’s collection of misfits (Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Michael Madsen) represent a unique stew of wry cultural observations, misguided loyalty, and strict adherence to the criminal code. And that makes Reservoir Dogs unlike any bank robbery picture you’ve ever seen.

Movies Leaving Criterion Channel After Friday, May 31:

Heat
Ishtar
Heaven’s Gate
American Movie
Showgirls

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Summer of Sam
The Insider
Clockwatchers
Reservoir Dogs

The Virgin Suicides
Flesh for Frankenstein
3:10 to Yuma
The Revolt of Mamie Stover
Blood for Dracula

Swept Away
Chameleon Street
Under the Cherry Moon
Best Offer
Your Name.

The Tall Man
The Burial of Kojo
Blackmail
Massacre at Central High
Karen Dalton: In My Own Time

Rich and Strange
Solar Walk
Macao
Repeat Performance
Murder!

The Beast
The Mountains Are a Dream That Call to Me
Sacrilege
You Can’t Do Everything at Once, But You Can Leave Everything at Once
Prom Night

Bad at Dancing
The Chicken
Clotheslines
Fry Day
Italian for Beginners

Wren Boys
Fatherland
Broken English
Still Walking
Good Intentions

On the Border
Gigli
8th Continent
Weekends
Audience

Tremors
All These Creatures

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