Check out Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Criterio Closet video

February 6, 2023

The two colleagues predictably chose an eclectic selection of films from the fabulous wardrobe.

Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka Daniels) have been indie film favorites for years thanks to their work on ‘Swiss Army Man’ and ‘The Death of Dick Long’. But the massive success of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” launched them into the stratosphere. The A24 film enjoyed a long theatrical run and became the highest-grossing independent film of 2022, before picking up 11 Oscar nominations last month. In addition to joining the rarity of awards season contenders, the film’s success led the Daniels to an invitation to another elite film industry institution: the Criterion Closet.

In a new video released by Criterion, the two filmmakers stop in front of the legendary cabinet to pick from their favorite Criterion Blu-rays. Their tastes spanned a wide variety of genres, but the video offers a special insight into the types of films that inspired their unique styles.

Scheinert kicked things off by picking up Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy box set, which includes “Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset,” and “Before Midnight.”

“Those movies changed my life,” Scheinert said. “I also did a film festival last year where I got up and watched ‘Before Sunrise’ before the sun came up, then I watched ‘Before Sunset’ before dinner, then we waited until midnight and watched ‘Before Midnight.’

Kwan singled out Jackie Chan’s “Police Story” films as two favorites that hold particular sentimental value.

“My father and his whole family speak the language of old Hong Kong kung fu movies,” Kwan said. “‘Police Story’ 1 and 2 were too brutal for me as a kid, but I loved it… We made ‘Everything Everywhere’ because kung fu movies are in our blood.”

After taking a walk down memory lane, recalling his childhood fascination with Godzilla, Scheinert teased that a kaiju movie could be in the Daniels’ future.

“When I was a kid, I became obsessed with the ‘Godzilla’ movies. Just knowing that a man in a suit was smashing toys blew my mind,” Scheinert said. “Sometimes I still say that’s the genre I’m into – a monster movie, but only when it comes to costumes and miniatures.”

Watch Daniels’ Criterion Closet video below.

✨ Daniels’ Closet Picks ✨ Before collecting eleven Oscar nominations for EVERYTHING AT ONCE, writer-director duo @dunkwun and Daniel Scheinert (aka @Daniels) went on a trip to our film cabinet, where their eclectic taste was also shown! pic.twitter.com/URrMhMrpVn

— Criterion Collection (@Criterion) February 3, 2023