just watched. Aside from adding the film to a specific playlist, you can also see the playlists of other MUBI Unlike Netflix, MUBI’s aim is not to get as many peo- members, and see if others’ tastes match your own. ple to sign up for their service, but to create a strong What does this promote? Trust and exploration, a community of cinephiles who are willing to dedicate more careful attitude to the habit of film watching, their full attention to every film broadcasted on the and establishment of your subjective taste. platform. Hence their role is to provide for a specific audience a content of high quality, not a source of Just like MUBI, Criterion also has a number of playaddiction (at least not an easy “fast food” kind). Pro- lists called “Collections”, though these are not created fessional film critics and journalists that are employed by viewers themselves. A few examples of those are by MUBI create comprehensive sections of film, with “New York Shorts”, featuring 22 court-metrage made each section focusing on a specific topic. Here’s a brief in New York, and my personal recommendation – “Cannes ’68: Cinema in Revolt”, which depicts films look at a few of them: which were pulled out by directors due to civil unrest in Europe in 1968. Even though films on Criterion are 1. Festival Focus: Locarno Film Festival usually older, they are essential for understanding any • Night and Fog (Alan Resnais, 1956, France) • Three Colors: Blue (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1993, independent work of the modern cinematic scene.
Personal approach
• • • • • 2. • • • • •
France) The Double Life of Veronique (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1991, France) Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami, 1997, Iran) The Piano Teacher (Michael Haneke, 2001, Austria) Battleship Potemkin (Sergey Eisenshtein, 1925, Soviet Union) +20 more And the Oscar goes to…: The Great Dictator (Charlie Chaplin, 1940, United States) My Night at Maud’s (Eric Rohmer, 1969, France) All About my Mother (Piedro Almodovar, 1999, Spain) Man on Wire (James Marsh, 2008, United Kingdom) +20 more
3. Women with Movie Cameras: • Recorded Exam (Kim Bora, 2011, South Korea) • Shiva Baby (Emma Seligman, 2020, United States) • Songs My Brothers Taught Me (Chloe Zhao, 2015, United States) • Farewell Amor (Ekwa Msangi, 2020, United States) • Women Reply: Our Bodies, Our Sex (Agnés Varda, 1975) • +50 more
It’s trustworthy
It’s unique Most of the movies on MUBI you will not even find on Criterion Channel – it is truly a unique platform. The number of young filmmakers that are only featured on MUBI is a little bit scary, especially considering how good they are. Its collection of well-acknowledged films is just as stunning. Hundreds of special features, commentaries and shows such as “Moviegoing with… [insert a famous director name]” are just a few reasons why there is no platform like Criterion. Regarding the films they have, there is an absurd number — 2741 — of well-acclaimed works from old Hollywood (including any silent film you can think of) and the international cinema scene.
It’s always fresh and cool Every month, MUBI completely changes its repertoire, discarding previous pictures and uploading new ones. Besides reducing costs, the 30-day model gives the platform momentum and its members - a fear of missing out. Moreover, it stresses essential aspects of the film industry: films must stay up to date and must strive to be contemporary (by that I mean Steve Reich’s understanding of contemporary: “All great is contemporary. If it’s alive and still kicking, then it’s contemporary.”).
Never was I unable to find myself something to watch on MUBI for the evening. The service automatically Simply put - just give it a try and you will find the side suggests a film or two that link to the one you have of cinephile you never thought you had!
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