Albert Brooks’s brilliantly caustic comedies . . . Plus: Janicza Bravo a nd Robert Greene

Meet the unsparingly funny writer-director-actor who specializes in dissecting the anxieties of modern life. NEWSLETTER - SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 What’s Playing A guide to the Criterion Channel. If you haven’t already subscribed,[click here]( for a 14-day free trial and explore the more than 2,000 titles and thousands of supplemental features available to stream. [Directed by Albert Brooks]( It’s apt that director, writer, and actor Albert Brooks should have been born Albert Einstein, since his cutting, cerebral, and brutally honest comedies are works of self-deprecating genius. Unafraid of playing unlikable, self-absorbed characters and of putting his own neuroses and obsessions under the microscope, Brooks has directed only a handful of films since the late 1970s, but each is a brilliant, unsparingly funny dissection of the frustrations of the contemporary everyman. Looking for a place to start? Watch Brooks examine the agonizing complexities of dating in Modern Romance, or see him predict the rise of reality television in the uproarious Real Life. Then follow him to the courtrooms of the afterlife in the philosophical romantic comedy Defending Your Life. We’re Here to Help If you have questions, comments, or feedback about the Criterion Channel, please reach out to channelhelp@criterion.com! We’d love to hear from you. [Four by Janicza Bravo]( Check out four brilliantly outré, bitingly funny shorts from the director of the hotly anticipated Zola, along with a conversation between the filmmaker and Sam Fragoso. [Through Her Eyes]( Raven Jackson introduces her short that poetically evokes a series of “stinging moments” in the lives of young women, paired here with Eliza Hittman’s bracing debut feature. [Three by Robert Greene]( Robert Greene’s adventurous nonfiction psychodramas scramble the line between performance and reality, making use of provocative artifice as a means to reach authentic human insight. [Christo and Jeanne-Claude]( These documentaries capture the monumental vision and superhuman determination that drove an extraordinary artistic partnership. [Tears of a Clown]( Bob Fosse and Dustin Hoffman deliver a jagged portrait of controversial stand-up Lenny Bruce, then legendary comedian Richard Pryor draws on his own demons in his lone feature as a writer-director. For further information on Criterion and our products, please visit our website at [criterion.com.]( To start streaming the Criterion Channel, please visit [criterionchannel.com.]( If you are not already on our mailing list and would like to be added, please [click here]( to register at [criterion.com.]( To unsubscribe, [click here.]( © 2020 The Criterion Collection :: 215 Park Ave S. New York, NY 10003