Cosmic Bus

We think quite alike! I would've quickly recommend these same titles if you hadn't already. I'd personally substitute Au Hasard or Diary of a Country Priest for Mouchette, though.

Additionally:

Schizopolis (I think this may be one of the best purchases ever)
The Cranes Are Flying
I Fidanzati
The Passion of Joan of Arc
For All Mankind
Tokyo Olympiad
The Killers (double feature)
The Last Wave
Rebecca
Cassavetes: Five Films (worth the price for Woman Under the Influence alone!)

Giles

cool!

in my order:
Au Hasard Balthazar
Pickpocket
Mouchette
Diary of a Country Priest

I'm really lovin' this thread, great recommendations and alot getting added to my Amazon wish list.

Ron G

The Rules of the Game is well worth the money. Excellent transfer, great extras. One of the best DVDs I own.

I've borrowed the new Seven Samurai from a student. That's a damned impressive release.

NoirFan

My personal top ten, in no particular order:

Jules and Jim
Slacker
Peeping Tom
Carnival of Souls
Pandora's Box
Haxan
M
Night and the City
Le Samourai
Unfaithfully Yours

Great supplements on Battle of Algiers and Short Cuts as well.

mikelowry

Le Samurai - Cool film noir classic.

Trevor

OP, looks like we're in the same boat. I'm also looking to "expand my horizons", and my Criterion collection almost exactly mirrors yours.

One that I would recommend skipping is "Withnail and I". Maybe I'll try it again, but wow, that was impossible to get into for me.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

inri222

Eisenstein : The Sound Years
Alphaville
Taste of Cherry
Young Torless
That Obscure Object of Desire
Throne of Blood
Youth of the Beast
The Sword of Doom
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul
Fists in the Pocket
The Nights of Cabiria
The Tin Drum
Wild Strawberries
Through A Glass Darkly
Cries & Whispers
Sisters
Coup de Torchon
Harakiri
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum

Ralph Jenkins

I haven't seen as many of these films as some people, but here are some Criterions I own and wouldn't hesitate to recommend:

Beauty and the Beast
Eyes Without a Face
The Double Life of Veronique
Ran (especially since you seem to like Kurosawa)
Pandora's Box
The Spirit of the Beehive (especially if you liked Pan's Labyrinth)
Videodrome (rather ahead of its time, plus the packaging is great)
Picnic At Hanging Rock (though you can get an import that's anamorphic)
In the Mood for Love (gorgeous to look at)
Notorious (a terrific film, but sadly OOP)
Charade (a "fun" movie, might be a nice break from all these deadly serious films)

beavis69

My personal favorite criterions are
Do the Right Thing
Hopscotch
Straw Dogs
This is Spinal Tap
Dazed and Confused
Hoop Dreams
Ikiru
Monteray Pop Festival
Night and Fog
Night to Remember

Dr. Calamari

Of the Criterions I own, these are the ones I've watched more than once or twice:

Rififi
Bob Le Flambeur
Wages Of Fear
Eyes Without A Face
Coup De Torchon
Gimme Shelter
Elevator To The Gallows
M
Testament Of Dr. Mabuse
The Bank Dick
The Third Man
Black Narcissus
Ran
Seven Samurai
Jigoku
Unfaithfully Yours
Sullivan's Travels

wendersfan

Rules of the Game
Eric Rohmer's Six Moral Tales
The Antoine Doinel Boxset
L'Eclisse
Late Spring
The Double Life of Veronique
Au Hasard Balthazar
Masculin-Feminin
Le Samourai
Contempt

NatrlBornThrllr

I'll take a different approach, and recommend these based on what I can gather from your DVDAF link:

1. 8 ½ - You gave Adaptation four stars out of four. It seems that you fell as deeply in love with that movie as I did. As such, you should definitely give this one a shot. Fellini does with directing what Kaufman did with screenwriting.

2. Rashomon - You have four Kurosawa titles already. This one, my favorite of his films, should tickle your fancy. Note that in plot and structure, it's somewhat similar to Run Lola Run, a film you rewarded with three and a half stars.

3. Ikiru - Another wonderful film, and a definite change of pace from the Kurosawa films you've been exposed to thus far. Ikiru (based on a Tolstoy novella) is a beautiful, deliberately paced exploration of love, life, and death. After four samurai films, if you want to begin to see the astounding versitility in Kurosawa's filmography, this one would be a great place to start.

4. Insomnia - You own the Chris Nolan version, and gave it three and a half stars. While Insomnia is my least favorite of Nolan's films, I can and will enthusiastically recommend the Skjoldbjærg version. A compelling thriller in a time when most are merely predictable and formulaic, the original is far more worthy than the remake.

5. The Last Temptation of Christ - You have a handful of Scorsese films in your collection, and not one of them has less than three stars. Only seems reasonable that you give this one, one of his more underrated (yet still utterly impressive) efforts a shot.

6. Rushmore - Three and a half stars for Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" virtually guarantees that this will end up being a good recommendation. I'll also cheat and recommend The Life Aquatic to round out Anderson's Criterion trio.

7. Spartacus - You own five Kubrick films. Four of them have perfect four of four ratings, and the fifth is only a half a star away from making it a clean sweep. Check out this title to see Kubrick at the controls of an epic period piece.

8. Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal - You need to give Ingmar Bergman a shot, and these two masterpieces are as good a place to start as any.

9. Hoop Dreams, Night and Fog - A bit more cheating brings this list to thirteen titles in all, but these two documentaries are both amazing in their own right, and finish 1-2 in my 'favorite documentaries' list.

10. The Rules of the Game - Widely regarded as one of, if not the single greatest film ever made. Whether you agree or not, one thing is for sure: this is essential cinema.

caiman

Thanks for the very well thought out and researched reply! I have seen Rashomon, Rushmore, and The Seventh Seal and loved all of them. I have the rest of your suggestions on my Netflix queue. Thanks.

ivelostr2

if you like kurosawa, try ikiru, it is my favorite of his by far...

The Bus

My recommended titles, although they may overlap with ones you have. High recommendations bolded:

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul & All That Heaven Allows (the first is a remake of the second)
Diabolique
Do the Right Thing
Fat Girl
General Idi Amin Dada: A Self Portrait
The Harder They Come
Heaven Can Wait
In the Mood for Love
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Long Good Friday
M
Man Bites Dog
Royal Tenenbaums
Rushmore
Seven Samurai
Silence of the Lambs
The Vanishing
Wages of Fear

smurr05

In no special order:

Dazed and Confused
Pandora's Box
M
Short Cuts
Spartacus
Videodrome
Do the Right Thing
Lord of the Flies
A Night to Remember
Straw Dogs
Last Temptation of Christ

cfloyd3

If I only were able to own one DVD related thing in the world outside of the player and TV it would be John Cassavetes: Five Films. So get that.

Next 5..
George Washington
L'eclisse
Eric Rohmer: Six Moral Tales
Viridiana
The Spirit of the Beehive

Aegis Ben

I am shocked that nobody has mentioned ONIBABA.

That movie is amazing.