So if you haven't seen this list yet, it's the movies leaving Criterion Channel on August 31 and it is dense. Highlights (highlight black blocks for summaries):

Watch this, oh my god watch this, I cannot enough emphasize, I literally made this post expressly to try to convince you to watch this movie

• "Thief" (1981, dir. Michael Mann) This is the first film by, and still my favorite film by, the highly underrated Michael Mann. There's tons going on here and entire other movies by other directors that only make sense if you've seen this movie first, but also just Mood oozing everywhere and a best-ever rendition of one of my favorite film tropes: A man who lives by a no-exceptions code that allows him to survive in a dangerous environment, and then he breaks that code just once. Alternately, see my single-image review of the Thief opening credits.

I haven't seen this but want to

• "Dog Day Afternoon" (1975, dir. Sidney Lumet) This is based on a true story. In the true story, a man robbed a bank to pay for his girlfriend's SRS and when it went wrong and turned into a hostage situation, turned it into a circus where somehow he came off as the good guy to the TV audience and assembled crowd. I don't know how much the movie hews to reality but it's got Al Pacino and there's one scene that's a Meme so it's gotta be worth it.

Have seen and would recommend

• "All About Eve" (1950, dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz) This is an incredibly sophisticated movie for 1950, scrubbing back and forth in time to show a master manipulator cutting through a social circle like a can opener. Has awkward bits but oh my gosh when it works it works.
• "On the Waterfront" (1954, dir. Elia Kazan) Humphrey Bogart in an unusually complex role, effective drama AND it's all about a struggle over control of a labor union! This one also has a Meme Scene which is outright quoted in any number of other movies.

Haven't seen but everyone always seems to make a big deal about these movies

• "12 Angry Men" (1957, dir. Sidney Lumet)
• "The Graduate" (1967, dir. Mike Nichols)
• "Desperately Seeking Susan" (1985, dir. Susan Seidelman)
• "The Fisher King" (1991, Terry Gilliam)
• Seemingly the Criterion Channel's entire catalog of Buster Keaton? Like a dozen Buster Keaton pieces.

I've never heard of this but I'm curious solely because of the director

• "To Die For" (1995, dir. Gus Van Sant)
• "Mean Streets" (1973, dir. Martin Scorsese)

LOL, this movie sucks

• "AI" (2001, Steven Spielberg)