Pierrot le Fou (1965)

Medium: Film
Director: Jean-Luc Godard
Country: France
Released: 1965
First Consumed: June 28, 2012
Format: Blu-ray
Rating: 6.5/10

Criterion Collection #421

The Criterion Collection description of this film describes it as Godard's final "frolic." That's works as well as any word to describe Pierrot le Fou. Despite its consumerist and political satire, it's never more than a beautifully shot playful romp through Southern France with two pretty people.

Pépé le Moko (1937)

Pépé le Moko

Medium: Film
Director: Julien Duvivier
Country: France
Released: 1937
First Consumed: May 16, 2012
Format: Hulu Streaming
Rating: 8.5/10

Criterion Collection spine #172

Criterion curates a weekly slate of similarly-themed movies on Hulu. This week they've rounded up six of Jean Gabin's classic roles in celebration of his 108th birthday tomorrow. Pepe, in which he plays a gangster hiding in the Algerian Casbah, was apparently the film that made him a star, and it's easy to see why. He's charming, handsome, witty, and he dominates almost every single frame of the film. Even without Duvivier's elegant direction, and the great supporting turns from Lucas Gridoux, as the slimy detective trying to smoke him out, and Gabriel Gabrio, as Pepe's prideful, yet dumb partner, the film could easily coast on Gabin. Remove him, and you have those aforementioned aspects as well as a flimsy romance that fails to justify the film's final act.

Double Suicide (1969)

Double Suicide

Medium: Film
Director: Masahiro Shinoda
Country: Japan
Released: 1969
First Consumed: May 15, 2012
Format: Hulu streaming
Rating: 8.0/10

Criterion Collection spine #104

Shinoda turns an 18th century bunraku puppet play into a tragic film romance, and keeps more of the bunraku than one would likely assume. He keeps "puppeteers" in every scene to silently move around the sets and "pull the strings". It's a fascinating decision, though it keeps the audience distant from the characters and their incredibly emotional romance. It seems like Shinoda was going for that effect, so I guess that's not really a criticism.