Josh and Benny Safdie’s Closet Picks

[@billyrock8385]

My thought always, "I am such a film buff" When I watch one of these videos, "I've heard of none of these."

[@fabietg2464]

SAME

[@matthewloftus7389]

I am right there with you man. It's an education, I used to beat myself up about it until I realised most of these guys are shown these films in film school. God bless.

[@conansmith5164]

me too

[@jimmckee771]

You've never heard of Bicycle Thieves or Charlie Chaplin's The Kid?

[@gabrielidusogie9189]

@@jimmckee771 neither have I. Keep in mind, cinema has been around since the beginning of the 20th century. There are tons of "classic" films we haven't seen or heard of. And that's ok. One shouldn't beat themselves up for it.

[@Jbar300]

i love this kind of film buff. not snobby and elitist about their craft, just pure excitement and joy from their field.

[@Celine12347]

Hey Pixel, I‘m starting an online Indie Film Club where enthusiasts can analyze and discuss a movie beyond the surface. I want to create a platform where we can discuss the storyline, characters and the directors’ and writers’ creative visions. I’d love for you to check it out. You can find me on Instagram @indie.film.club and on my blog where we will be having the discussions indiefilmclub.medium.com ☺️

[@thechroniclesofthesuperhob167]

@@Celine12347 hey how’d it go?

[@lawjef]

Yeah that is a nice change. But if they could not over each other for just one moment, I might not think they are the most annoying hosts on this channel. Totally inconsiderate and self centered, Grow up guys

[@Dmnthygtshlds2]

What's it take to become a buff?

[@lampad4549]

Most directors are snobs let's be real.

[@malum-inse]

The Safdies are like characters in their own films.

[@locksh]

Perhaps the most interesting observation I have heard lately, I read this a few days a go and it kind of lingered in the back of my head, and now that I'm reading it again, you are 100% right.

[@chrissie9865]

They talk over each other like their characters do.

[@Sp0nge5]

@@chrissie9865 That I can easily say is a Jewish trait without sounding antisemitic. My theory is Jews pick it up when studying Torah in the way it's intended (a method called havruta - "fellowship"). They read passages in pairs and argue over meaning and further application.

[@chrissie9865]

Sp0nge5 That’s actually really interesting hah

[@Rizimar]

Benny played Nick Nikas in Good Time

[@CinemaRockPizza]

Grand Theft Criterions

[@FrankJMarr]

That's fuckin' hilarious!

[@cinephilia7]

I haven't seen a heist this poorly planned since Good Time

[@charlesyun7803]

You got it wrong. It’s Grand Theft Classics

[@danwroy]

"Grand Theft Kino", obviously

[@MrBoteee]

I wish I had a brother that I could geek out to movies with..

[@gannonk.8165]

John T Same, mine likes orchids and the violin.

[@oscartovar9990]

same :(

[@channelname1562]

This is literally me and my big brother whenever we got to the criterion sale at barnes and noble. I think he’s more of a film buff than me

[@redsxncubs23]

I have a twin and she doesn't geek out with me :(

[@kiranorazinnecker]

John T same here

[@lyricsfromsweden]

Okay, so I've gone through this footage a few times, because I have no life, and compiled a list of all movies either mentioned or seen in their hands: Dressed to Kill America Lost and Found: The BBS Story The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog Godzilla Canoa: A Shameful Memory David Lynch: The Art of Life 12 Angry Men Eclipse Series 35: Maidstone and Other Films by Norman Mailer Meantime The Executioner A Man Escaped Scanners My Beautiful Laundrette Fox and His Friends Bicycle Thieves Cameraperson Valley of the Dolls Eclipse Series 33: Up All Night with Robert Downey Sr. Badlands Blind Chance Stalker Walkabout Short Cuts The Moment of Truth Do the Right Thing Fishing With John Sid & Nancy Dr. Strangelove The Fisher King Blood Simple The Kid The Player Macbeth Dheepan Shoah Mulholland Drive All That Jazz The Squid and the Whale The Friends of Eddie Coyle Il Posto My Life as a Dog Tess Being There Insomnia L'argent Wise Blood Love Streams Eclipse Series 29: Aki Kaurismäki's Leningrad Cowboys Eraserhead Something Wild There are others I can't identify though.

[@PumpkinCherub]

Thanks for doing this & saving everyone else the time :)

[@URBONED]

You're a true hero

[@k-m___]

BLESS YOU

[@HALN62]

NICE JOB. THANKS

[@bugo1381]

Not every hero wears a cape

[@TheLnw29]

I honestly hope GOOD TIME gets a release on Criterion. Phenomenal film.

[@TheFifaBaouss]

I can't wait for it to come out in the UK! A24 are killing it recently, A Ghost Story is honestly one of my favourite films ever

[@nerdommeetsboy]

When's the UK release date/distributor?

[@bennoclassico]

Curzon Artificial Eye are releasing Good Time in the UK. As far as I'm aware, A24 currently just collaborate with UK distributors (e.g. Curzon, Picturehouse, Altitude) but don't distribute directly over here.

[@bennoclassico]

PS: according to Variety, November 3rd is the current UK release date. We'll have to wait and see if Curzon stick with that - sometimes they can be a bit slack, especially with last-minute acquisitions.

[@nerdommeetsboy]

thank you for the info

[@simonwilliamdavidson5660]

They are like reenacting the heist scene from their movie

[@alexfurnas1263]

on their way out of criterion the red dye pack in their dvd bag explodes

[@hisyam9271]

they look and talk straight from Noah Baumbach films

[@Hemaglox]

lmaooooooooo

[@nashcameronn]

Benny was so good in Good Time. Glad I got to catch it in theaters.

[@crippleized]

nashcameronn oh man! Big regret there on my end. Phenomenal movie

[@bignerd5529]

You lucky bastard

[@B-RaDD]

LUCKY

[@morningowl43]

It makes so much sense knowing that Josh’s favorite film of all time is Bicycle Thieves, it is in the dna of all their films especially in Good Time from the overlapping conversations, the anxiety of knowing the consequences if something doesn’t go right, the brash choices and hard to explain actions of the protagonist, the astonishingly beautiful way that it captures neorealism, to having the actors being regular people instead of trained actors, and both films discuss and take a deep look into what it means to be lower class in a society and culture that is not designed for those in poverty to succeed

[@kevinlakeman5043]

What is 'hard to explain' about a father trying desperately to provide for his family after he is robbed of a key item necessary to do the one job he's able to get?

[@morningowl43]

@@kevinlakeman5043SPOILERS FOR BOTH BICYCLE THIEVES & GOOD TIME: the journey in itself isn’t hard to explain it’s the *choices* and *actions* that the protagonist makes within the journey that are bold brash and hard to explain, one scene that comes to mind is right after the thief evades them at the church and the son asks his father why he let him get away only for him to strike him out of nowhere. This is an example of something that’s bold brash and hard to explain, why strike the son? Why be mad at the person you’re trying to save by getting the bicycle? Even though the kid is annoying there’s no need to strike him, any decent father knows to never lay a hand on their child. Especially one that he’s providing for with the bicycle. The son, rightfully so, distances himself from his father in tears and hysterics and yet the father pleads for him to come back while simultaneously calling him a trouble maker. The scene itself questions if he is inherently finding the bicyclist for himself or is it for his family? Is he actually a good father or has his mistakes and actions cause him to become “criminal” in a way. And because he fails in the end, do his actions still justify in the end?…it’s just like Connie in Good Time. While yes the protagonist in Good Time is vastly different and much MUCH more drastic that the father in Bicycle Thieves, you can argue that what Connie was doing was moral because he’s helping out family…yet at what cost? He did so many immoral things that are also bold brash and hard to explain and range from small like feeding an old lady but also indulging in her food that she can’t feed herself with, to huge like breaking Ray out of the hospital and using his circumstance to his selfish advantage only when he figures out he’s useful to getting more money, coercing a 16 year old to distract her from seeing he’s a criminal only to turn her into an offender indirectly, using his girlfriends moms stolen cc to post bail and tricking her into thinking she’s a good person, etc, etc, etc but he’s doing it for his brother right? He stole the money to help support his family, right? It’s all beautifully and terribly subjective. I could go on and on about how much these films parallel each other, the Safdies are truly remarkable filmmakers and equally incredible cinephiles too.

[@Thx-sp6es]

1. dressed to kill 2. mailer filcks 3. meantime 4. the executioner 5. a man escaped 6. my beautiful laundrette 7. fox and his friends 8. bicycle thieves 9. walkabout 10. the moment of truth 11. do the right thing 12. blood simple 13. the kid 14. the player 15. il posto 16. tess 17. l'argent 18. love streams 19. eraserhead 20. canoa 21. wise blood 22. something wild 23. quite a few other miscellaneous films

[@benbelzer8303]

Eraserhead 😊

[@basbah8249]

Why is this video not 40min?

[@SerenityTV2002]

Bas Bah I could watch hours of this

[@japo8757]

@@SerenityTV2002 me too

[@AlEx-nx6yf]

Cuz they just took all the movies like they poor

[@PeterTeal77]

@@AlEx-nx6yf not poor, just belonging to a certain tribe

[@nocharivera]

@@PeterTeal77 lmao

[@kmanet4118]

Now these guys are cinephiles!

[@danielyoung6778]

@trentmorrison yep I'd take everything not nailed down out of that closet if I could it's fucking beautiful

[@michaelohare8711]

Accused cinephiles**

[@BCS1105]

kenneth merced calo I hope the Safdie’s sit down with Tarantino for a filmed conversation one day.

[@BloodyArmourKnight]

@@BCS1105 We need a Safdie's conversation about films with Tarantino and PTA.

[@saimanideepmudhiraj2925]

@@BloodyArmourKnight they did a podcast with PTA

[@bigneon_glitter]

Uncut Gems is a brilliant, riveting work. They can take as many DVDs as they like.

[@defoperator7993]

Good time is even crazier

[@tlaxixincaTV]

@@defoperator7993 i agree

[@bruhmomento6691]

Uncut Gems is now getting into the Criterion Collection for October of this year! 😃😃

[@stevenecarrier]

Finally a Criterion Closet episode where they act exactly as I would. I always wondered if people could take like the whole thing and well now I have my answer!

[@facehole3]

Its cool how these guys are basically superstars right now in the indie cinema world, but are almost completely unknown to anyone that isn't engaged in alternative films.

[@trampstamp4548]

that sounds pretentious

[@VichoRPG]

@Vincent H. Than.

[@danielyoung6778]

@@trampstamp4548 does it? Like it's not wrong it's more just a statement of fact most people who are watching more independent stuff have at least heard of them but the average moviegoer who only see's like marvel or something probably haven't.

[@amazingabby25]

Not anymore

[@CharlieTooHuman]

2 years later from this comment and Uncut Gems pretty much put them on the big time map.

[@KingMinosxxvi]

It that our favourite Fassbender?" So cute that they have a consensus.

[@anotherjewishsharpnicholas9425]

That is funny.

[@TheVinylCorner1]

Rewatching this after loving uncut gems, these guys are special.

[@joshkingjosh]

The fact the camera is so erratic compared to other closet picks, paired with the non-stop talk that borderlines confrontation between the Safdie brothers...art does imitate life. They are one of their own movies.

[@pulkitwadhwa2207]

Probably one the best videos on the internet for a film buff or a person who thinks he's a film buff.

[@sadworldwide]

Or maybe these unknown films aren't that good, wow.

[@pulkitwadhwa2207]

@@sadworldwide sure

[@krisjohnston5569]

@@sadworldwide Yeah what would the Safdie brothers know about good films aye?

[@buried4430]

@@sadworldwide I agree with you man. Godzilla, Fear and loathing in las Vegas, Fantastic planet, paths of glory, and salo are trash films.

[@toma4652]

@@buried4430 wow Im stupid

[@amphitheatre]

its always fun to see someone come in and tear up the place like you and i would.

[@lord_roque]

BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag

[@JB-gv3lo]

Mr. Mackey Tell that to the people that go in next M’kay

[@gioelecampagna]

Love that quote from Robert Altman

[@RosVideos2327]

WHO IS HERE AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT UNCUT GEMS IS PART OF CRITERION IN OCTOBER !!!!!!!!!

[@winthiscar]

THIS IS THE BEST CRITERION CLOSET VIDEO EVER!! I lost count of how many times I've seen this. BENNY and JOSH SAFDIE represent me, they were the only ones that actually grab all the titles they've wanted.

[@aperson4640]

Uncut Gems deserves to be on a 'best of decade' list.

[@itsmesnacks]

uncut gems will join the criterion collection in october :)

[@CemeteryWeathersX]

They are so chaotic no wonder their films are like that

[@EoghanMcCarthy900]

Best closet video yet...

[@fredrm6023]

They're acting exactly like i would if I were invited. I'd take the whole libary

[@bennoclassico]

Brilliant. This is exactly what I'd be doing. Dropping copies of Something Wild and Being There all over the floor 'cause you've stacked up too many titles = my bag.

[@WATCHPINSTRIPETV]

Uncut Gems is now part of the Criterion Collection 💎 Josh and Benny Safdie are awesome, definitely a pair of geniuses with their own style of filmmaking

[@YouHaveBeenWatchingFilms]

I love that these guys get so excited for being able to pick up all those films. I don't blame them, I know I'd be just the same. Great picks too!

[@wfvisuals]

lmfaooo this is like one of their movies. they constantly talk over eachother.

[@unmixedunmastered2810]

Holy shit they rob the entire closet

[@Theomite]

They lived the dream, they did.

[@philipbrei5225]

These two are adorable. I wasn't that interested in seeing good time but now I probably will.

[@aslan9334]

For me it was the other way

[@chesscom6199]

@@aslan9334 wut?

[@connorblake1390]

Good Time fucking rocked my shit. I cannot wait for that film to get it's due props. Pattison fucking slayed. You would never guess in a million years he wasn't from Queens, let alone New York, let alone America. The unrelenting close ups had me anxious and claustrophobic the whole time. For me, It starts to get a little outlandish by the third act, but by then I was so enthralled with the characters, visuals, soundtrack, etc, that I was willing to follow the Safdies anywhere. This is one of those movies you watch and you think "I want to do that. What they do. Be creative. Make shit" I'm 26. It might be too late for me to start, but shit like this never gets less inspiring. Criminal this flick wasn't not recognized by the mainstream awards-givers.

[@chrissyp9003]

Hey did you ever start? It is NOT too late.

[@channelname1562]

This is every film buff when the 50% criterion sale is going on. Me and my brother bring huge shopping bags so we can carry everything. Love these guys and really hope good time gets a criterion release. Great movie

[@SoloMan312]

these guys completely live and breathe cinema, absolutely beautiful

[@samwoodson9603]

These guys are the future I don’t know if I’ve ever been more excited to experience the career of any new filmmaker more than these two. Daddy Long Legs is my personal favorite of theirs.

[@BaileeWalsh]

This is one of the best Closet videos! They say a lot even though I'm sure a lot is also cut out. And they RAIDED the closet! Love it!

[@ree6588]

me impulsively switching back from letterboxd and this video so i can save all the films mentioned in my watchlist

[@Emir-Husidic]

Why is this the most captivating short film I have watched recently. It just feels so energetic and gripping for absolutely no reason

[@chrismezza1940]

It’s that passion. It’s so alive.

[@pitfighter871]

release Possession (1981) already.

[@stimpy2695]

MondoVison already put out a Blu-ray of Possession in 2014 and it's wayyy better than anything Criterion would have ever done. It's still available too.....www.toufaan.com/collections/frontpage/products/possession-limited-edition-2000-numbered-copies

[@TorchicGaming]

They put Barry Jenkins to shame

[@chrismavericktv427]

How?

[@kmanet4118]

Chris MaverickTV they took more films than him.

[@LiTTleGaBi21]

I would put them to shame, I would take everything but that won't happen

[@djstarsign]

Haha, I was thinking the same thing! Jenkins made out like a bandit, but the Safdies made his stash look so meager by comparison.

[@alexfurnas1263]

two bags are better than one

[@rickprime83]

I remember I went to my local flea market and these two older non-english speaking Hispanic guys were selling a trailer load of DVDs and like half of them were Out of Print criterion's and still sealed for like 3 bucks each. Talked to them but the guys had no idea what "criterion collection" was and why I was buying lots of them. It was a good day :)

[@maximumoccupancy]

5:44 Uncut Gems foreshadowing?

[@joshuaprice3965]

These guys just became my heroes for taking that many, I mean they were already my heroes for directing a movie as phenomenal as Good Time but now they're even more so.

[@thatmovieguy777]

I like how this closet picks video has the anxious energy of one of their films

[@domonik3278]

Been waiting for this one, now I have new movies to checkout.

[@jonathanb1406]

Giving me extreme anxiety seeing Josh, at 3:44, hold that tower of films out and away from him to look at them at whilst the bottom one or two are skewed and not aligned with the rest, just asking for the whole load of them to go flying everywhere. Truly they are the masters of anxiety-inducing, nerve-shredding cinema.

[@pandabck]

I love their enthusiasm for movies. after Uncut Gems and Good Time I'm fully on board with these dudes. can't wait to see what they make next.

[@benjoshua3049]

every now and then i come back to this video

[@sofiawilliams4089]

They’re just as chaotic as their movies and I love it lmaooo

[@monicamoon9785]

this series is a goldmine i am telling NOBODY about this only me and other thousands of strangers on the internet can enjoy this yum

[@aslan9334]

That's what i love about social media i feel real life people i know would not even care

[@denizyenidunya]

2:21 I love the way Josh acknowledges that scene in Good Time was inspired from a scene in another movie. To me, it shows that it's okay to get inspired or be influenced not only when you start out in filmmaking, but when you make it to big productions as well.

[@garrybaldy327]

Filmmaker drops into Criterion Closet, pick up five movies...... ME: Why so few? Filmmaker drops into Criterion Closet, almost fills bag...... ME: Why almost?

[@_thk]

0:05 “put it in the bag“ always gets me

[@blkbird]

2:46 Benny searching and struggling to find out the name of the movie is in itself a Safdie short which could be called Moment of Truth.

[@secaccnt9931]

Looking for the comment that lists out all the films.

[@willjd1170]

Truly nothing compares to being on a dvd/blu ray binge just grabbing more and more

[@RyanEvanCordova]

What a treat this clip is. These guy browsing the criterion collection? Sick. UNCUT GEMS WAS AMAZING

[@cristiandiaz7267]

Best closet vid yet!! These brothers are rock and their passion for cinema is so clearly shown in this video

[@allamaraine8066]

The way Benny goes “35 millimeter!” is just great. What a couple of geeks. I love it.

[@morgpajo3048]

After this I'm now convinced Good Time is a comedy because everything goes wrong

[@ForNoOne1]

I honestly laughed out loud so much at Good Time - mostly at the expense of the hospital guy though

[@81720M]

This has somehow become my comfort video and i am not ashamed

[@matthewnoriega7240]

Love to see L’Argent being picked!

[@robertusalexander5513]

They really had a good time in this closet

[@RobertF]

I love this series of videos. Learning what movies shape a person or even just enjoying it as a film is great.

[@Wired4Life2]

I saw _Good Time_ twice already and now I'm watching the Safdie brothers rob the Criterion closet. ^_^

[@chettercheese3609]

Good Time belongs in the collection, absolute master piece

[@ZachCooper22]

"Benny look at my bag!" I love it

[@THEDONTTELLSHOW]

Glad to see that some of our current crop of heroes worship some of the same films as us. Meantime is a gem.

[@jdgonzo1982]

excellent video - these two have so much passion and interest to share...so engaging...thanks for making this series...it's ALWAYS incredibly enjoyable...so many new movies on my watchlist!! :)

[@chriscameron9321]

I'm late to these videos. But such a gem of a find - no anger, no agendas just the love & appreciation of great movies and film &...those brilliant performances.)

[@omarmokhtar7205]

had to revisit this after watching the Uncut Gems trailer

[@SheridanODonnell]

Y'know they're real indie filmmakers by the size of their bags--these guys aren't going to pass up their chance for some free BluRays. Loved "Good Time". Love these guys. Love this video.

[@Shiryutherain]

You guys should model this a bit after the Amoeba videos

[@ChrisMuth]

legends. if good time doesn't get a criterion release i'll be so sad

[@technodroog]

I'm surprised Criterion had any stock left after this raid. But, seriously - i'm glad they picked "Il Posto." It's such a great film that doesn't get enough praise. Time to give it a Blu Ray treatment.

[@TheJoker718]

I was Josh Safdie's muse when he wrote Uncahh Jammmz

[@poorsonwelles]

For anyone interested, after lyricsfromsweden compiled all the titles, I then transferred them to a public list in Letterboxd so anyone can access them and keep track of them. Hope it’s helpful, and again credit goes to lyricsfromsweden for identifying them all boxd.it/4TAnC

[@tejasgiri6824]

Try me Criterion ppl gonna empty all those shelves n I don't even own a bluray player

[@dtk381]

Tejas Giri might want to get on that. We're 10 years into the medium

[@matthewnoriega7240]

Tejas Giri use a PS4

[@danielballard3946]

working on my films as a means to get five minutes in the criterion closet like this

[@anitaborlak9079]

"Benny this film changed your life" they are so wholesome and know each other so we'll

[@BluRayAddict1]

Can't wait to see what these guy's do next. Good time was a masterpiece and one of the best films of the year so farI would love to go there someday.

[@SS-st5vf]

If anyone deserves to take these movies, it's these guys. The way they gush over these films should make the Criterion proud of what they've assembled.

[@abc92800]

bigger studios really need to finance their films, man. take a shot.

[@BOWS3R]

I absolutely love the Safdie brothers movies and they’re doing exactly what I would do if I was let in this room

[@dabears4everha]

And now they are in the collection with Uncut Gems 💎

[@TheMarkoPoloProgram]

These guys are geniuses. They're bringing real movies back. Heaven Knows What, Daddy Longlegs, Good Time, Uncut Gems. I hope they don't go Hollywood.

[@balls3444]

So well spoken and knowledgeable. I’d love to have a conversation about any movie with these dudes

[@stephanodigiorgio1090]

this is like go on shopping with this videos, how this master just throw knowledge at you, i have like a week or two of cinema to digest! dope vid bruh keep up with this series on the channel one love to The Criterion collection from caracas venezuela!

[@gnalkhere]

"40 Minutes Earlier..." edit: WHAT IS WALDORF DOING IN THE BACKGROUND edit edit: This is how they win

[@friendlier]

Thank god. Authentic film nerds. THAT's who I want to see on this channel.

[@Andul1Razack]

"I was going to be a Physicist" Chris Nolan casting Oppenheimer....

[@titusdiodoros1876]

I want to see “Tess” so bad, but my heart’s not ready to be broken again!

[@malafakka8530]

Maybe read the book instead? 😉 I want that cover of Tess that is shown here.

[@coleperschino5956]

Greatest KZbin video of all time

[@stefanmoon9364]

This was AMAZING! AND 6 MINUTES! Also, Barry Jenkins has been put to shame

[@icecreamalacarte]

Bleh, Michael Cera had it; just speak about your select favorites: the frantic grab, grab, grab is whatever

[@raulvalgar1999]

This video feels like one of their films

[@urrrburrr]

I wonder if josh found any muses in there