As anyone who reads this site probably knows, there’s something infectious about seeing one’s love of film. It’s a little hard to explain, but simply watching one talking affectionately about how various strips of celluloid affected them over the years is a fantastic way to get the blood flowing and your fingers itching to type in Netflix in the next browser tab. So if you haven’t already, I highly recommend you check out the Criterion Collection‘s closet visit series.
Whether it’s Robert Downey Sr. reminiscing about past conversations with Jack Nicholson, Rudy Wurlitzer and Robert Downey Jr. while looking at copies of Two-Lane Blacktop and Easy Rider, Guillermo Del Toro gushing over their various Blu-Rays, Nicolas Winding Refn getting his day made with a copy of William Cameron Menzies‘ Things to Come or Bill Hader deep admiration of Nobuhiko Obayashi‘s House, each of these videos are fun little odysseys into not only what these filmmakers and artists love, but also what inspired them and made them who they are today. Michael Cera‘s latest contribution to the series is no different.
For instance, did you know he has a deep love and affection for Japanese culture and cinema? This is expressed through his evaluation of Yasujiro Ozu‘s Good Morning, which apparently also helped rekindle one of his friendships. He also got the opportunity to talk wonders about the magic behind Abbas Kiarostami‘s Close-Up, Allan King‘s A Married Couple and also Sydney Pollack‘s Tootsie.
Though a little too staged for me to completely love, it’s still just as fun and exciting as the other handful of videos mentioned above. They give a nice chance for the comedic actor to express his love for some of the movies which filled him with excitement and wonder over the years, and it’s always nice to see a venue from that.
With that, it’s just another fitting tribute to the greatness that is the Criterion Collection. May they continue as always to give these golden cinematic opportunities to film fans like us everywhere.
Check out Michael Cera’s video below:
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