According to their website, "The Criterion Collection is a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films on home video." This includes old Hollywood classics, contemporary international features, low-budget B-movies, and anything under the sun that the organization considers important.

Related: Essential French New Wave Classics on the Criterion ChannelFound pretty much anywhere you can buy Blu-rays and full of special features any and every film buff will freak out over; a Criterion release is a perfect way to discover a movie that you may have never heard of before.

'Rouge' (1987)

Rouge

As seen in a variety of films, especially the work of Wong Kar-wai, the filmmakers of Hong Kong know how to capture passion on screen. Stanley Kwan's Rouge is a film that puts a twist on that concept by adding a supernatural element to the beautiful love story. In the 1930s, a nightclub performer named Fleur (Anita Mui) falls in love and agrees to a suicide pact.

Fifty years later, her ghost appears in a newspaper office wanting to post an ad for the man she loved because he never showed up in the afterlife. Full of gorgeous visuals, passion you can feel and performances so genuine, you'll believe in ghosts, Rouge is a film unlike any other in the Criterion Collection.

'All About My Mother' (1999)

All About My Mother

Pedro Almodóvar is one of the greatest living filmmakers, and while he may be one of the most famous directors in Spain, in the United States, he has not quite gotten the mainstream success he deserves. There are several Almodóvar movies that could be considered his best film, including the manic comedy Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown and the autobiographical drama Pain and Glory, but many would agree his masterpiece is the vivid melodrama, All About My Mother.

Related: The Collaborations of Penélope Cruz and Pedro Almodóvar, Ranked

The film stars Cecilia Roth as Manuela, a woman who travels to Barcelona after the death of her son in order to inform his other parent, a transgender woman, that the son she never knew existed has now died. While in Barcelona, Manuela gets involved with old friends, a young nun, and an acclaimed theatrical actress, who all need her help with their growing list of dramatic life events. All About My Mother is a stunning film, both in terms of the script and the beautiful colors that exist in the world of Almodóvar.

'Shock Corridor' (1963)

Shock Corridor

We tend to think of old-school Hollywood films as being rather tame compared to today, but that means you probably haven't seen Shock Corridor. This film was completely different from anything else you could see in 1963. It was as shocking as Psycho but didn't have the big Hollywood production value Hitchcock's masterpiece received. What it lacked in budget, it made up for in sheer creativity.

The film follows a journalist who, in an effort to win a Pulitzer Prize, commits himself to an asylum in order to solve a murder. Now, if that isn't a compelling plot, I don't know what is. What follows is full of twists and turns you'll never see coming. It's a wild watch more than deserving of its place in the Criterion Collection.

'Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls' (1970)

Beyond-The-Valley-Of-The-Dolls

Written by iconic film critic Roger Ebert, Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls is an X-rated take on the classic story of the corrupting power of fame seen in the classic novel and film Valley Of The Dolls. It's bold, wild, and unlike anything else you'll see in the Criterion Collection.

The film stars Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, and Marcia McBroom as three young women who come to Hollywood with the dream of achieving fame and success, only to find a sleazy world of sex and drugs. It is a campy melodrama that has inspired generations of film fans that great movies don't have to be boring.

'The Age Of Innocence' (1993)

The-Age-Of-Innocence

Martin Scorsese is one of the most popular and well-known directors of all time. When discussing his iconic filmography, a few titles, like Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, are guaranteed to be mentioned as among his best. One Scorsese picture that doesn't get talked about enough is his 1993 historical romance, The Age Of Innocence.

Related: Top 10 Martin Scorsese Movies That Aren't Gangster Films

Based on the Edith Wharton novel of the same name, the film takes place among the upper-class society of 19th century New York City and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, and Michelle Pfeiffer as the three components of a love triangle for the ages. Newland Archer (Day-Lewis) is a lawyer, newly married to May Welland (Ryder), but when he starts representing Countess Olenska (Pfeiffer), romantic feelings begin to take hold, and it all becomes so much more complicated. Even a director like Scorsese has some movies that don't get enough attention, and The Age Of Innocence is at the top of the list.

'Wildlife' (2018)

Wildlife

Paul Dano is not only one of the most compelling and underrated dramatic actors in Hollywood, as seen in movies like There Will Be Blood, Prisoners, and The Batman, but with Wildlife, he also proved himself to be a spectacular director. In his debut feature, he was able to imbue a deeply subtle and complex emotionality into a movie that could easily fall into the trappings of an over-the-top melodrama.

Based on the Richard Ford novel of the same name, Wildlife stars Ed Oxenbould as Joe, a teenage boy who is caught in between his parents, played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, who each are going through a midlife crisis of sorts trying to find some excitement in their quiet suburban lives. The movie is exceptional in the way it finds both the good and bad in the parents' actions, creating a realistic depiction of the balance between living for someone else and living for yourself.

'Deep Cover' (1992)

Deep-Cover

Directed by Bill Duke, Deep Cover is one of the most underrated crime dramas of the 1990s. The film stars Lawrence Fishburne as Russell Stevens, a police officer who goes undercover in the drug trade in Los Angeles. He meets drug dealer David Jason, played by the great Jeff Goldblum, and soon the success of his life as a drug dealer and the ever-graying morality of the police force make him question exactly which life is the cover.

Deep Cover is genuinely thrilling and features one of Fishburne's best performances to date as a man conflicted about his own sense of right and wrong. Who knows why a movie as good as Deep Cover slips under the radar for as long as it has, but thanks to its beautifully restored Criterion release, it can finally get the love it deserves.

'Klute' (1971)

Klute

The film legend Jane Fonda won the Best Actress Oscar for the 1971 Alan J. Pakula film Klute. The film stars Fonda as Bree Daniels, a New York City prostitute and aspiring actress who is contacted by small town detective John Klute (Donald Sutherland) regarding a missing man who happened to be a client of Bree's.

Related: 10 Underrated Movies About New York City

The film is incredibly bold for its time when it comes to female sexuality. Bree isn't ashamed of her chosen profession. It's not what she wants to do with the rest of her life, but she refuses to feel ashamed. Her relationship to Klute, and her conflicts with his small-town sensibilities, are at the core of the movie. In addition, the central mystery they team up to solve will keep you at the edge of your seat for the entire runtime. If you want a movie with love, mystery, suspense, and some of the best outfits in cinema, then Klute is for you.

'Magnificent Obsession' (1954)

Magnificent-Obsession

Who doesn't love a classic Hollywood-style melodrama? The stakes are low, the emotions are high, and the drama is delicious. If you were to pick two masters of the American melodrama, chances are you'll pick Douglas Sirk and John M. Stahl. If those directors excite you, then you need to purchase the Criterion Collection release of Sirk's 1954 film, Magnificent Obsession because it comes with Stahl's 1935 Magnificent Obsession free of charge!

Both films are based on the same Lloyd C. Douglas novel and tell the story of a rich playboy who inadvertently causes the death of a town's beloved doctor and then falls in love with his widow. The Sirk film definitely has more of that over-the-top emotion we all want from a melodrama, but Stahl's adaptation is also quite entertaining, offering an interesting look at how a story can be told differently 20 years apart.

'Crash' (1996)

Crash

From The Fly to Videodrome, director David Cronenberg is best known for making thoughtful movies that provoke the audience with bold concepts. Perhaps his most provocative movie to date is Crash, a movie about an underground community of people who are sexually aroused by getting into car crashes.

The movie is erotic, disturbing, and impossible to look away from. A lot of that is due to the performance of its lead actor, James Spader. Spader is often type-cast as charismatic weirdos, and Crash is no exception. With a concept as bizarre as Crash, only a performer like Spader can make it work. Crash is essential viewing for anyone who loves movies that allow you to view the world from an odd, unique perspective.

Next: 7 Best New Movies on The Criterion Channel in July 2022