Mark and Aaron are joined by Scott Nye to hash out the intricate themes, history, and nuance of Edward Yang’s A Brighter Summer Day. Given the length and depth of the film, we explored it in detail, distilling the cultural and societal clashes that took place in a pivotal period of Chinese and Taiwanese history. We also compare it to what is considered Yang’s other masterpiece, Yi Yi, and we touch on the New Taiwanese Cinema movement.

About the film:

Among the most praised and sought-after titles in all contemporary film, this singular masterpiece of Taiwanese cinema, directed by Edward Yang, finally comes to home video in the United States. Set in the early sixties in Taiwan, A Brighter Summer Day is based on the true story of a crime that rocked the nation. A film of both sprawling scope and tender intimacy, this novelistic, patiently observed epic centers on the gradual, inexorable fall of a young teenager (Chen Chang, in his first role) from innocence to juvenile delinquency, and is set against a simmering backdrop of restless youth, rock and roll, and political turmoil.

Buy The Films On Amazon:

Special Guest: Scott Nye from CriterionCast and Battleship Pretension. You can follow him on Twitter.

0:00 – Hello and Welcome Scott

2:25 – Scott’s Criterion Connection

5:10 – Film School in a Cast

8:00 – A Brighter Summer Day

25:00 – Spoiler Warning

1:14:45 – Ratings. No spoilers.

Next time on the podcast: In a Lonely Place, Bogie Films

Mark and Aaron welcome old friend, Doug McCambridge to talk about Robert Altman’s “Don’t call it a” comeback film. We touch on the opening tracking shot, what Altman is saying about Hollywood, and yes, we even go into the ending — or both of them. On top of that, we give some tidbits on how to be economical with the Barnes & Noble Criterion Sale.

About the film:

A Hollywood studio executive with a shaky moral compass (Tim Robbins) finds himself caught up in a criminal situation that would be right at home in one of his movie projects, in this biting industry satire from Robert Altman. Mixing elements of film noir with sly insider comedy, The Player, based on a novel by Michael Tolkin, functions as both a nifty stylish murder story and a commentary on its own making, and it is stocked with a heroic supporting cast (Peter Gallagher, Whoopi Goldberg, Greta Scacchi, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward) and a lineup of star cameos that make for an astonishing Hollywood who’s who. This complexly woven grand entertainment (which kicks off with one of American cinema’s most audacious and acclaimed opening shots) was the film that marked Altman’s triumphant commercial comeback in the early 1990s.

Buy The Films On Amazon:

Special Guest: Doug McCambridge from Good Times, Great Movies. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter.

0:00 – Intro and Welcome Doug

4:00 – Doug’s Announcement

7:30 – Thank Ben Model

9:20 – Criterion Completion

12:35 – Barnes and Noble Sale

22:00 – The Player

Next time on the podcast: A Brighter Summer Day

Mark and Aaron welcome Ben Model, silent film historian, accompanist, distributor, and enthusiast. He gave a presentation about “undercranking” on Criterion’s release of Chaplin’s The Kid. We discuss the idea of undercranking, scoring silent music, and the state of silent media today theatrically and in the home video market.

Special Guest: Ben Model from Silent Film Music and Undercrank Productions. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

0:00 – Intro and Welcome Ben

1:15 – Ben’s Criterion Connection

4:00 – Discussion and explanation of undercranking

18:20 – Ben’s background

24:00 –Silent films on Criterion and other labels

27:20 – Silent Film Kickstarters

38:00 – Silent Film discussion

Next time on the podcast: The Player

Mark and Aaron take a look at Whit Stillman’s Barcelona (1994), and how it compares with his other work. We focus most on his other two films from the 1990s, Metropolitan (1990) and Last Days of Disco (1998), but we also discuss his most recent effort, Love and Friendship.

About the film:

Whit Stillman followed his delightful indie breakthrough Metropolitan with another clever and garrulous comedy of manners, this one with a darker edge. A pair of preppy yet constitutionally mismatched American cousins—a salesman and a navy officer—argue about romance and politics while working in the beautiful Spanish city of the film’s title. Set during the eighties, Barcelona explores topics both heady (American exceptionalism, Cold War foreign policy) and hilarious (the ins and outs of international dating, the proper shaving method) while remaining a constantly witty delight, featuring a sharp young cast that includes Taylor Nichols, Chris Eigeman, and Mira Sorvino.

Buy The Films On Amazon:

0:00 – Intro and Welcome

4:25 – Podcastings

10:00 – Upcoming Series Announcement

13:20 – Short Takes (The Lobster, Love & Friendship)

33:00 – Barcelona and Whit Stillman

Next time on the podcast: Music and Film

Mark and Aaron explore the popular genre that is science fiction. At the core of our discussion is a science fiction project that Aaron has been working on, but we also explore the genre on Criterion, and delve into Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s World on a Wire.

0:00 – Welcome and Intro

3:00 – The War Room, Thanks Keith

8:30 – Short Takes (Frau im Mond, The Fits, Captain America: Civil War, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Mysterious Island, Stalker)

29:00 – The Sci-Fi List Project

50:30 – Sci-Fi Criterion Titles

57:00 – World on a Wire

Next time on the podcast: Barcelona

Aaron is joined by Keith Enright for a discussion of politics, new and old, through the lens of The War Room (1993), the behind-the scenes 1992 Clinton campaign documentary. We go into depth about the backroom politics and how those are what defines the campaign, but are usually far from the public eye. We contrast the politics of today and yesterday by looking the current affairs and Robert Drew’s Primary.

About the film:

The 1992 presidential election was a triumph not only for Bill Clinton but also for the new breed of strategists who guided him to the White House—and changed the face of politics in the process. For this thrilling, behind-closed-doors account of that campaign, renowned cinema verité filmmakers Chris Hegedus and D. A. Pennebaker captured the brainstorming and bull sessions of Clinton’s crack team of consultants—especially James Carville and George Stephanopoulos, who became media stars in their own right as they injected a savvy, youthful spirit and spontaneity into the process of campaigning. Fleet-footed and entertaining, The War Room is a vivid document of a political moment whose truths (“It’s the economy, stupid!”) still ring in our ears.

Buy The Films On Amazon:

Special Guest: Keith Enright from the Criterion Completion. You can find him on Twitter

0:00 – Intro and Welcome Keith

3:40 – Keith’s FilmStruck take

12:00 – Collecting discussion

19:00 – The War Room

Next time on the podcast: World on a Wire

Mark, Aaron and Paul Cobb look at John Frankenheimer’s political thriller, The Manchurian Candidate. We explore the originality and how it influenced other paranoia films, how it spoke to the spirit of the 1960s, as a satire towards McCarthyism, and how it has remained relevant throughout the years.

About the film:

The name John Frankenheimer became forever synonymous with heart-in-the-throat filmmaking when this quintessential sixties political thriller was released. Set in the early fifties, this razor-sharp adaptation of the novel by Richard Condon concerns the decorated U.S. Army sergeant Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey), who as a prisoner during the Korean War is brainwashed into becoming a sleeper assassin in a Communist conspiracy, and a fellow POW (Frank Sinatra) who slowly uncovers the sinister plot. In an unforgettable performance, Angela Lansbury plays Raymond’s villainous mother, the controlling wife of a witch-hunting anti-Communist senator with his eyes on the White House. The rare film that takes aim at the frenzy of the McCarthy era while also being suffused with its Cold War paranoia, The Manchurian Candidate remains potent, shocking American moviemaking.

Subscribe to the podcast via RSS or in iTunes

Buy The Films On Amazon:

Special Guest: Paul M. Cobb from the Blogue Cinéastique. You can find him on Twitter.

0:00 – Intro and welcome Paul

2:55 – Paul’s Criterion Connection

11:20 – Don Hertzfeldt Revisit

12:20 – August 2016 Criterion Releases

31:10 – The Manchurian Candidate

Next time on the podcast: The War Room

Mark and Aaron fly back to 1939 to discuss Howard Hawks’ classic Only Angels Have Wings. We evaluate the special effects, how the film built suspense, the context of aviation in the late 1930s, and later films that embody a similar masculinity. We also reveal the winner of our Don Hertzfeldt contest and talk about region free players.

About the film:

Electrified by crackling dialogue and visual craftsmanship of the great Howard Hawks, Only Angels Have Wings stars Jean Arthur as a traveling entertainer who gets more than she bargained for during a stopover in a South American port town. There she meets a handsome and aloof daredevil pilot, played by Cary Grant, who runs an airmail company, staring down death while servicing towns in treacherous mountain terrain. Both attracted to and repelled by his romantic sense of danger, she decides to stay on, despite his protestations. This masterful and mysterious adventure, featuring Oscar-nominated special effects, high-wire aerial photography, and Rita Hayworth in a small but breakout role, explores Hawks’s recurring themes of masculine codes and the strong-willed women who question them.

Buy The Films On Amazon:

0:00 – Intro and Welcome

1:50 – Don Hertzfeldt giveaway winner

7:55 – Podcastaggedon

12:40 – Region Free Player

18:05 – Short Takes (Everybody Wants Some, Amy, Blue Velvet, Chimes at Midnight, Son of Saul, A Vermont Romance)

39:20 – Only Angels Have Wings

Next time on the podcast: The Manchurian Candidate

Mark and Aaron discuss Plain Archive, the South Korean Blu-Ray label, with input from Hyunhu Jang. He is a Producer and the Communications Manager for the label. In addition to talking about the label’s titles and their terrific packaging, we also delve into the global Blu-Ray economy and the challenges with streaming media. We discuss the 2016 Cannes lineup and share our favorite 1988 films.

0:00 – Intro and Welcome Ghost of Plain Archive

2:55 – Thanks & Feedback on New Formats

7:25 – Hertzfeldt Giveaway Update

9:10 – Mark on First Time Watchers

14:00 – Plain Archive Discussion

37:15 – Movie Lists, 1988 Films

46:40 – Cannes 2016

54:20 – Short Takes (Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, Steve Jobs, Ex Machina, Shame, Carol, Star Wars: The Force Awakens)

Next time on the podcast: Only Angels Have Wings

Mark and Aaron change things up by talking about a variety of topics. We delve into Don Hertzfeldt, Lady Snowblood, our recent purchases, films we’ve seen lately, Criterion news, and a strange story about a trolling incident.

0:00 – Intro & Show Preview

2:15 – Show Format Changes

5:55 – The “Troll” Incident

14:00 – Don Hertzfeld

19:25 – Recent Purchases

31:05 – Lady Snowblood

38:35 – A Little Bit of Criterion News

51:15 – 4K TV Discussion

57:00 – Short Takes (A Poem is a Naked Person, The Miracle Worker, The Swimmer, Embrace of the Serpent, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Crimson Peak)

Next time on the podcast: Boutique Labels