Criterion Close-Up

Mark and Aaron are joined by Marcus Pinn to explore the filmography of Jim Jarmusch, beginning with Mystery Train (1989). We explore the triple storyline, the coalescence of the director’s indie experience and arthouse sensibilities, and the film’s sense of place. We then dive into his library and style, and choose our five favorite Jarmusch films.

About the film:

Aloof teenage Japanese tourists, a frazzled Italian widow, and a disgruntled British immigrant all converge in the city of dreams—which, in Mystery Train, from Jim Jarmusch, is Memphis. Made with its director’s customary precision and wit, this triptych of stories pays playful tribute to the home of Stax Records, Sun Studio, Graceland, Carl Perkins, and, of course, the King, who presides over the film like a spirit. Mystery Train is one of Jarmusch’s very best movies, a boozy and beautiful pilgrimage to an iconic American ghost town and a paean to the music it gave the world.

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Special Guest: Marcus Pinn from Pinnland Empire. You can follow him on Twitter.

2:15 – TIFF talk with Marcus

17:40 – Criterion Connection “Shelved”

19:00 – Mystery Train

1:01:00 – Jim Jarmusch

Next time on the podcast: Carnival of Souls

Mark, Aaron and Scott Nye kick off the first of a seven episode series about French cinema in the 1930s. We give an overview of the decade and some historical context, and discuss the French silent tradition and how that it transitioned to sound. We also get into detail about two important filmmakers, Jacques Feyder and Jean Vigo. Feyder was an important filmmaker in his time, but his works are not as prominent today, whereas Vigo was nearly forgotten in the 1930s and discovered after the war.

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

3:15 – Dedication and Thanks

9:35 – Intro to French Film Series

28:15 – From Silent to Sound

46:30 – Jacques Feyder

1:13:30 – Jean Vigo

Next time on the podcast: Mystery Train and Jim Jarmusch

We change things up by focusing on a boutique label, Twilight Time, that has found success through a unique business model. Mark and Aaron happen to be big fans, and feel that we have directly contributed towards some of their profits. We talk about the company, their business model, why they have succeeded, and we address some common critiques. We also review a few discs each, and finally count down our favorite Twilight Time titles.

About Nick Redman:

London-born Nick Redman, one of Hollywood’s leading producers of movie music, is also an award-winning documentary filmmaker. An Academy Award nominee as producer of the 1996 Warner Brothers documentary, The Wild Bunch: An Album in Montage, he went on to write, produce, and direct A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and The Searchers (1998), which became a prize-winner at multiple film festivals.

As a consultant to the Fox Music Group (ongoing since 1993), he has developed and overseen Hollywood’s most comprehensive film music restoration program, personally producing more than 500 albums featuring the music of Alfred Newman, Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Alex North, Hans Zimmer, James Horner, Michael Kamen and many more. His productions of the “Star Wars Trilogy” were certified Gold by the RIAA.

In 2007, he produced and directed Becoming John Ford, a feature-length documentary for Twentieth Century Fox, which premiered as a special selection at the Venice International Film Festival. The film details the creative and fractious relationship between the brittle, contentious director and his mentor / boss, studio chief Darryl F. Zanuck.

In his capacity as a film historian, he has presided over commentaries for dozens of DVDs. As producer and director, he has provided special materials—documentaries and commentaries—for numerous titles including Sam Peckinpah’s Legendary Westerns Collection, honored by Entertainment Weekly as the Number One DVD boxed set of 2006.

In 2011, he co-founded the independent label Twilight Time which releases classic films licensed from 20th Century Fox, Columbia/Sony, and MGM/UA on DVD and Blu-ray.

Nick has been a member of BAFTA Los Angeles for many years and has conducted numerous interviews for screening Q&A’s and the Heritage Archive, including Michael Apted, Malcolm McDowell, Sir Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Tilda Swinton, Kevin Brownlow and Millicent Martin.

About Brian Jamieson:

Jamieson first entered the film industry with the New Zealand branch of Warner Bros. in 1977. He was later transferred to the United Kingdom. After his success publicizing Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Peter Yates’ The Deep, he was named the International Publicist of the Year.

He moved to the United States in 1984. During the 1980s, he was in charge of all the company’s theatrical marketing in Latin America, the Far East, South Africa, Europe, Australia and New Zealand; he was later promoted to head of International Marketing and Publicity, which made him responsible for home video marketing internationally. He also collaborated with Stanley Kubrick to promote Full Metal Jacket; they continued to work together until Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick’s last film before his death in 1999.

The Times Colonist called Jamieson a “respected film preservationist”. In his work at Warner Home Video, Jamieson shepherded the restorations of numerous classical films. In 2002, Jamieson helped produce Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin, with Richard Schickel, which was shown at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Two years later, he collaborated with Schickel to reconstruct The Big Red One, by Sam Fuller. The two readded 47 minutes of previously cut material.The reconstruction won several awards, including the Seattle Film Critics Awards and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. He later released a reconstruction of Sam Peckinpah’s 1969 film The Wild Bunch.

By March 2006 he had opened his own production agency, Redwind Productions, and in 2007 released the company’s first production, Cannes All Access, a look at the social impact of the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2010 he made his directorial debut with To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen’s Journey, which tells how Nancy Kwan ensured that Asians could play Asian characters with her success in 1960’s The World of Suzie Wong. The film received several awards, including the Women’s International Film and Television Showcase (WIFTS) Diversity Award, as well as the Best Feature Documentary from both the American International Film Festival (AIFF) and the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival. Jamieson himself received the Best Director award from the AIFF.

According to the WIFTS Foundation, Jamieson was one of the first directors to include documentaries with home video releases of classic movies as a way to promote “cinema literacy”. He later established Twilight Time with Nick Redman, which serves to release limited runs of classic movies not yet on DVD. As of August 2011, the label has already released Michael Curtiz’s 1954 film The Egyptian, with plans to release Cy Endfield 1961 film Mysterious Island and Tom Holland’s 1985 film Fright Night by the end of the year. Jamieson notes that it is a “win-win” project, with film lovers getting access to rare classic movies and studios able to release and profit from undervalued productions without financial investment.

0:00 – Intro and Welcome

2:00 – Twilight Time Discussion

38:45 – Short Takes (Hardcore, Sexy Beast, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, Man in the Dark, The Last Detail)

1:04:00 – Mark and Aaron’s Favorites

1:21:30 – Upcoming Titles

Next time on the podcast: French 1930s, Part One

Mark and Aaron are joined by Dave Eves to evaluate the massive Zatoichi serial starring Shintaro Katsu. We explore the character of Zatoichi, and how he’s an unusual type of superhero. We also share tips on the best way to watch the series, whether a little bit at a time or to go on a binge-watch. We evaluate the series as both a piece of art and as pop culture, observing the high and low points.

About the film:

The colossally popular Zatoichi films make up the longest-running action series in Japanese history and created one of the screen’s great heroes: an itinerant blind masseur who also happens to be a lightning-fast swordsman. As this iconic figure, the charismatic and earthy Shintaro Katsu became an instant superstar, lending a larger-than-life presence to the thrilling adventures of a man who lives staunchly by a code of honor and delivers justice in every town and village he enters. The films that feature him are variously pulse-pounding, hilarious, stirring, and completely off-the-wall. This deluxe set features the string of twenty-five Zatoichi films made between 1962 and 1973, collected in one package for the first time.

Buy The Set On Amazon:

Special Guest: Dave Eves from Cinema Versus. You can follow him on Twitter.

0:00 – Intro and Welcome Dave!

2:10 – Dave’s Criterion Connection Redux

5:00 – Short Takes (Love on the Run, The Cook the Thief his Wife and Her Lover, Cléo From 5 to 7)

17:35 – Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Next time on the podcast: Appreciation of a Boutique Label

Mark and Aaron celebrate the Summer Olympics by exploring Downhill Racer, an independent film about the Winter Olympics. We draw parallels to what is portrayed in the Michael Ritchie with the actual sporting events that take place today, including the thrills of victory and the agony of defeat. We discuss the groundbreaking cinematography, the nature of winning in an individual sport and the the enduring legacy of Sundance that began with this film.

About the film:

Astonishing Alpine location photography and a young Robert Redford in one of his earliest starring roles are just two of the visual splendors of Downhill Racer, the visceral debut feature of Michael Ritchie. In a beautifully understated performance, Redford is David Chappellet, a ruthlessly ambitious skier competing for Olympic gold with an underdog American team in Europe, and Gene Hackman provides tough support as the coach who tries to temper the upstart’s narcissistic drive for glory. With a subtle screenplay by acclaimed novelist James Salter, Downhill Racer is a vivid character portrait buoyed by breathtakingly fast and furious imagery that brings the viewer directly into the mind of the competitor.

Buy The Films On Amazon:

0:00 – Intro and Welcome

1:30 – Short Takes (The Secret in Their Eyes, Everybody Wants Some, Ride with the Devil, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives)

17:25 – Downhill Racer

Next time on the podcast: Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman

Mark and Aaron podcast live and in person for the first time ever. During Aaron’s vacation up north, he visited “Casa Hurne” up in beautiful Vermont. While we weren’t drinking beer and eating delicious food, we decided to podcast a little about the experience we’ve had with Criterion Close-Up. Aaron also talks about his journey through Canada and the film connections he made along the way.

0:00 – Intro & Welcome

2:10 – Aaron’s Canada Trip & Martin Kessler

7:30 – Short Takes (Eat that Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words, The Witness, Green Room)

20:00 – Dinner at The 400 Blows

22:25 – Christopher Faulkner

30:15 – Reflecting on Criterion Close-Up

Next time on the podcast: Downhill Racer

Mark and Aaron are joined by Matt Gasteier to explore Nicholas Ray’s In a Lonely Place (1950) and evaluate Humphrey Bogart’s body of work. We go into how Ray’s life informed the cinema, why he wasn’t celebrated during his time and subsequently appreciated later. We also go through Bogart’s entire career, from getting his lucky break to becoming a superstar.

About the film:

When a gifted but washed-up screenwriter with a hair-trigger temper—Humphrey Bogart, in a revelatory, vulnerable performance—becomes the prime suspect in a brutal Tinseltown murder, the only person who can supply an alibi for him is a seductive neighbor (Gloria Grahame) with her own troubled past. The emotionally charged In a Lonely Place, freely adapted from a Dorothy B. Hughes thriller, is a brilliant, turbulent mix of suspenseful noir and devastating melodrama, fueled by powerhouse performances. An uncompromising tale of two people desperate to love yet struggling with their demons and each other, this is one of the greatest films of the 1950s, and a benchmark in the career of the classic Hollywood auteur Nicholas Ray.

Buy The Films On Amazon:

Special Guest: Matt Gasteier from Criterion on the Brain and Criterion by Spine. You can follow him on Twitter.

0:00 – Welcome and New Music!

2:25 – Welcome Matt!

6:20 – Matt’s Criterion Connection

14:40 – In a Lonely Place

1:06 – Humphrey Bogart

Next time on the podcast: North of the Border

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