We were saddened to hear about the death of Monte Hellman this week. We look forward to memorializing this singular American filmmaking voice with in-person screenings at some point very soon but, in the meantime, we are pleased to be able to offer these exclusive online screenings of one of Hellman's signature films – TWO-LANE BLACKTOP – which is currently unavailable on any streaming services.

Drag racing east from Los Angeles in a souped-up ’55 Chevy are the wayward Driver and Mechanic (singer-songwriter James Taylor and the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson, in their only acting roles), accompanied by a tagalong Girl (Laurie Bird). Along the way, they meet Warren Oates’s Pontiac GTO–driving wanderer and challenge him to a cross-country race. The prize: their cars’ pink slips. But no summary can do justice to the existential punch of TWO-LANE BLACKTOP. With its gorgeous widescreen compositions and sophisticated look at American male obsession, this stripped-down narrative from maverick director Monte Hellman is one of the artistic high points of 1970s cinema, and possibly the greatest road movie ever made. – The Criterion Collection