Criterion Close-up

Illustrator extraordinaire Caitlin Kuhwald joins us to talk about her artwork and the Criterion Collection. She is a professional artist and has worked extensively with many clients, including The Criterion Collection. She has created original artwork for Amarcord, To Be or Not to Be, The Organizer, and many others. She talks about her film tastes including...

This is our first bonus episode and we look at the behemoth of the moment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This is a fun little detour from our usual serious, arthouse type of podcast. We tried to approach the movie as both fans and discerning cinephiles and I think we gave it an honest look....

This is the first Criterion Close-Up double feature. Mark and Aaron take a close look at two films from Bruce Beresford, released theatrically a decade apart and just recently as part of The Criterion Collection. We look at Breaker Morant and how it reconciled British Colonialism on both its subjects and enemies, and how it...

Mark and Aaron start the New Year as members of CriterionCast, and jump into the world of Merchant Ivory. With such a lavish, large production with quite an ensemble of characters, there is a lot to say. We discuss the social constraints placed upon the characters, and how some groups have opposing world views that...

This is a special Christmas episode as we discuss some end of the year Criterion news along with Arnaud Desplechin’s 2008 A Christmas Tale, released on The Criterion Collection in 2009. Rather than a pleasant family Christmas film that fills all with glee, we have a deep, ensemble family tale with rivalries, bitterness, illness and...

Aaron, Mark and Martin Kessler discuss the March 2016 Criterion Collection releases, and then go further by talking about our favorite Blu-Ray releases of the year. These include Criterions, but we also discuss many other boutique labels including Twilight Time, Kino Lorber, Flicker Alley, Masters of Cinema, Shout Factory, and many others. Show notes: Special...

Mark and Aaron talk to Director, Screenwriter, Actor, Author (and many other titles) Alex Cox. We focus on his films in the Criterion Collection, including Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Walker and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, but we delve into a lot of other interesting subjects. Most of this is just film aficionados...

Aaron West and David Blakeslee talk about Richard Brooks’ 1967 adaptation of the popular Truman Capote “Non-fiction Novel,” In Cold Blood. We talk about the actual crime itself and how the perpetrators are portrayed, whether accurately or not, the wide reaching influence it had, and the film language that was used in order to tell...

Mark and Aaron have to abbreviate the episode, but we expand the news and get into what is happening not just with Criterion, but also with other films out there during awards season and that are in the wheelhouse of Criterion fans. We also finally (yes, finally) announce our special guest, who has 3.5 films...

Aaron West discusses This Is Your Life, Jan Troell’s debut film on The Criterion Collection, which he co-write, directed, photographed, and edited. The intent was not to compare him to Bergman, but that was easier said than done. Any 1960s Swedish art film has to invoke Bergman, but this work stands alone as a historical...

Aaron and Mark talk about Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Brian De Palma’s 1980 sensual thriller, Dressed to Kill. We go into De Palma and how he’s just a film buff that is able to make movies, plus we investigate the expression of sexuality through therapy, and how De Palma was able to use film language...

Aaron West discusses the second in the Delmer Daves, Glenn Ford trilogy, which could be considered a “Western Noir” because of the clever shot selection, the use of light and shadow, and the multifaceted characters. Facebook Photo Album Where to Find Us: Mark Hurne: Twitter | Blog | Letterboxd Aaron West: Twitter | Blog |...

Aaron, Mark, Kristina Dijan (Speakeasy) and Ruth Kerr (Silver Screenings) discuss the February 2016 Criterion Collection line-up and then we delve into the Criterion Blogathon, which was an epic experience for all of us. We talk about some of the behind the scenes info, give out prizes, talk about the social media thrills with the...

Aaron, Mark and Doug McCambridge from the Good Times, Great Movies podcast discuss this early work of Michael Haneke’s recently released on The Criterion Collection. We discuss the famous tracking shot, the way he explores culture, and of course the incomparable Juliette Binoche. We also discuss Haneke’s body of work, exploring how he works as...

Aaron and Dave Eves kick off Noirvember with a discussion about Jules Dassin’s last Hollywood film before being blacklisted and out of work. We talk about the fascinating characters of Harry, Gregorius, and many of the other supporting actors. We also discuss the actual blacklisting experience and how that materialized on the screen. Show notes: Special...

Aaron and Mark first talk about the aftermath of a monumentally popular Mulholland Drive episode, which may or may not have had a guest. We also have an extended intro and news section before delving into Krzysztof Kieślowski’s 1981 (or 1987) Blind Chance. It is a product of a volatile political time, very much a...

Aaron and Mark talk about David Lynch’s recent Criterion Collection release of Mulholland Drive. We talk about the nature of the production, from pilot to feature, the randomness, the allure of Naomi Watts, and why the film is so popular. We then turn the blue key and try to make sense of some of the...

Aaron, Mark and Brian Saur talk about David Croneberg’s recent Criterion Collection release of The Brood. We talk about the intense acting, the pseudo-science that goes into the film, and we delve into spoiler territory. Don’t worry — we give plenty of warning. We also talk about the early body horror of Cronenberg and how...

Aaron West does another solo cast looking at one of the later Godard works, as well as one of the most inflammatory, and one of the strangest. That’s saying something for Godard. He talks about the tracking shot, the political message, the references to film, and whether Godard was serious or just toying with the...

Aaron, Mark and Kristina Dijan talk about the recently announced January 2016 Criterion Collection releases. We also delve into the film blogosphere. There is a huge blogging community that spans across multiple platforms, social or technological, and Kristina is at the heart of that community. Show notes: Special Guest: Kristina Dijan from Speakeasy. You can find...