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Director Guillermo del Toro has praised Canoa: A Shameful Memory, describing its legacy as, “part of the generation of films that changed Mexican cinema.” The credit is well-deserved, del Toro highlighting the movie’s focus on the “anxiety” and “brutality” felt during the repressive time period and how it turned a “figure that was sacred in Mexican film” into a monster. Canoa, by director Felipe Cazals, might just be one of the scariest movies with actual legitimacy to the claim of being based on a true story. Made only eight years after the true incident, Cazals relies on naturalistic techniques to make sure no one forgets the massacre and the larger implications of it.

Described as “one of Mexico’s most highly regarded works of political cinema,” Criterion resurrects the highly charged 1976 documentary, Canoa: A Shameful Memory, from director Felipe Cazals.

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Aaron, Arik Devens, Scott Nye and Travis Trudell dig into the June Criterion announcements, Ingmar Bergman on FilmStruck, Canoa: A Shameful Memory, Werner Herzog versus Klaus Kinski, Iranian Cinema, and plenty of other topics including the latest news from Criterion and FilmStruck.

Episode Notes

1:50 – June Announcements

34:00 – Ingmar Bergman

43:00 – Canoa: A Shameful Memory

49:00 – Criterion Coming Soon & Misc News Items

53:00 – Short Takes (Burden of Dreams, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, The House is Black, For Heaven’s Sake)

1:04:00 – FilmStruck

Episode Links Criterion – Ugetsu Criterion – They Live by Night Criterion – The Marseilles Trilogy Criterion – The Lodger Criterion – Straw Dogs Scott Reviews Ingmar Bergman’s The Devil’s Eye CriterionCast 173 – Ingmar Bergman’s Summer Interlude CriterionCast 174 – Ingmar Bergman’s Summer with Monika CriterionCast 175 – Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles of a Summer Night A History of Jazz Podcast Arik Reviews Canoa: A Shameful Memory Albert Brooks Tweet about Lost in America...

It's always a nice surprise to come upon a completely unfamiliar film that is, in fact, a seminal entry in its national cinema history. It's all the more surprising, upon first viewing, to find oneself a bit stunned by that designation. Such is the case with my recent exposure to filmmaker Felipe Cazal's 1976 Canoa: A Shameful Memory. Being admittedly unfamiliar with most Mexican cinema outside of crossover faves Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (the former two participate on this disc's bonus features), a large amount of ignorance must be pleaded. But that said, the film's predominant static, faux vérité quality did prove testing. Based upon actual accounts of a 1968 lynch mob assault on a small group of visiting University...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

One of my great joys, as a fan of world cinema, is when I start watching a film that I have no expectations for, and am completely blown away. I immediately want to recommend it to anyone I know that might also enjoy it. It feels like I found a secret, even if it’s only new to me. This film fits completely into this category. I know very little about the history of Mexican cinema, and Latin American films are hardly well represented in the collection. To learn a little bit more was such a treat, and just whets my appetite for more of the great films from this era.

The film is based on a true story, and all the details of that story are revealed in the first minute of the film, so there are no spoilers here. In 1968, two weeks before the Tlatelolco massacre of student protesters in Mexico City,...

This Week in Home VideoGet Ready to Fall in Love With the Funny, Sexy, and Beautifully Independent ‘The Love Witch’Plus 13 more new releases to watch at home this week on Blu-ray/DVD.

Welcome to this week in home video! Click the title to buy a Blu-ray/DVD from Amazon and help support Fsr in the process!

Pick of the WeekThe Love Witch

What is it? A witch visits a small coastal community in search of love with a side of unintended consequences.

Why buy it? Writer/director/producer/composer/editor/production designer/art director/set decorator/costume designer Anna Biller delivers a singular experience with this incredibly stylish, sexy, and scathing tale of a witch in search of love. The film is a colorful, stylized nod to the days of Technicolor romance that manages to be both a take down of a patriarchal society and a loose, fun romp.

[Blu-ray/DVD extras: Commentary, featurette, interview, deleted scenes, dance audition]

The...

What are you doing in March? if you're not traveling or attending a film festival, chances are you'll be relaxing at home, wondering what's new to watch on Blu-ray or DVD. And in that case, the Criterion Collection's slate for the month sounds very inviting. It's led by John Waters' Multiple Maniacs, the director's second -- and little seen -- feature that is getting a second life. Joining Waters' outrageous efforts, at least in terms of 'not well known,' is Canoa: A Shameful Memory, directed by Felipe Cazals and described as political cinema; hailing from 1976, it's never been released before in the U.S. Better known, but somewhat forgotten, is Hal Ashby's Being There, which stars Peter Sellers as an innocent who somehow becomes a...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

March’s slate of beloved films that are joining The Criterion Collection has something for everyone. Leading the lineup is Andrew Haigh’s drama “45 Years” starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. The Oscar-nominated film is a tale about an English couple who, on the eve of their anniversary, receive devastating news that changes the course of their lives.

The Blu-ray and DVD will feature audio commentary featuring Haigh and producer Tristan Goligher, new interviews with the cast and filmmakers, as well as a new interview with David Constantine, author of the short story on which the film is based.

Read More: Richard Linklater’s ‘Before’ Trilogy Finally Comes to Criterion This February, Plus Pedro Almodóvar and Kirsten Johnson Titles

Criterion will also be celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Michelangelo Antonioni’s “Blow-Up” with a restored 4K digital transfer, which includes uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray. The film chronicles a...

Last month, The Criterion Collection finally announced their forthcoming release of Richard Linklater‘s The Before Trilogy and now with the announcement of their March titles, a few more highly-requested titles will be coming to the collection. Perhaps the most sought-after, Michelangelo Antonioni‘s English-language debut and counterculture landmark Blow-Up, will be arriving on the line-up.

Also coming is the previously teased 45 Years from Andrew Haigh, one of the finest films of last year (featuring an incredible, outside-the-box cover), as well as Hal Ashby‘s Being There, John Waters‘ Multiple Maniacs, which recently got a restored theatrical run, and Felipe Cazals‘ Canoa: A Shameful Memory.

Notable special features include a new documentaries on Blow-Up, Being There, and 45 Years, audio commentaries from Haigh and Waters, as well as a Guillermo del Toro introduction for Canoa, and a talk between the director and Alfonso Cuarón. Check out the full details for each release after the artwork.

The Berlin Film Festival on Monday announced the first three features that will screen in its 2017 Berlinale Classics lineup, a sidebar dedicated to classics and newly discovered films.

A digitally restored version of Mexican director Felipe Cazals' Canoa, which won a Silver Bear at the 1976 Berlin festival, will get a special screening at the Berlinale Classics, alongside the drama Avanti Popolo (1986), the debut feature from Israeli director Rafi Bukai, and Black Gravel (1961), a German B-movie from helmer Helmut Kautner.

The Criterion Collection, with the participation of the Mexican Film Institute, restored Canoa in honor of its...