Criterion Close-Up

Mark, Aaron, Cole, and Dustin go further than most people want to go. This is our exploration of the gross film, and whether the subgenre has any artistic merit. Our main episode is a deeper look at Lars von Trier’s Antichrist (2009), followed by a history of gore and violence in film, and then a discussion about Ken Russell’s The Devils (1971) and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Salò.

About the film:

Lars von Trier shook up the film world when he premiered Antichrist at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. In this graphic psychodrama, a grief-stricken man and woman—a searing Willem Dafoe and Cannes best actress winner Charlotte Gainsbourg—retreat to their cabin deep in the woods after the accidental death of their infant son, only to find terror and violence at the hands of nature and, ultimately, each other. But this most confrontational work yet from one of contemporary cinema’s most controversial artists is no mere provocation. It is a visually sublime, emotionally ravaging journey to the darkest corners of the possessed human mind; a disturbing battle of the sexes that pits rational psychology against age-old superstition; and a profoundly effective horror film.

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Special Guests: Cole Roulain and Dustin Schultz. Cole is from the Magic Lantern Podcast. You can find them on Twitter and Facebook. You can find Dustin on Twitter.

0:00 – Intro and Welcome.

4:40 – Spoilers & Cleanliness

7:10 – Dustin’s Criterion Connection

11:40 – David and Criterion Reflections

14:20 – Podcasting Episode Recap

17:25 – Antichrist

1:07:25 –Gross-Out Part 1

Antichrist

The Gross-Out Episode (Part One)

Next time on the podcast: The Gross-Out Episode (Part Two)

Mark and Aaron are joined by JD and Brendan from InSession Film Podcast to discuss the world of film podcasting. We talk about what led us to this new medium, how the community embraces and enhances it, and how much of an impact it has on our lives. We compare it to the terrestrial radio days, and marvel at how much more captivating “friends talking to each other” can be.

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Special Guest: JD Duran and Brendan Cassidy from InSession Film Podcast. You can find them on Twitter and Facebook.

0:00 – Intro & Welcome

2:10 – JD and Brendan’s Criterion Connection

11:15 – JD and Brendan on the recent Criterion releases

14:30 – Fat Girl recap

17:00 – Trust the West

19:00 – Podcasting Discussion

Next time on the podcast: The Gross-Out Episode!

Mark, Aaron and Kristen Sales give Catherine Breillat’s Fat Girl a look. We look at Breillat’s methods, and the points about women in society she is trying to make. We delve into feminism, fat shaming, and the dichotomy between the lives of men and and women. We also take a close look at the shocking ending, and try to reconcile what she is trying to say about the world.

About the film:

Twelve-year-old Anaïs is fat. Her sister, fifteen-year-old Elena, is a beauty. While the girls are on vacation with their parents, Anaïs tags along as Elena explores the dreary seaside town. Elena meets Fernando, an Italian law student; he seduces her with promises of love, and the ever watchful Anaïs bears witness to the corruption of her sister’s innocence. Fat Girl is not only a portrayal of female adolescent sexuality and the complicated bond between siblings but also a shocking assertion by the always controversial Catherine Breillat that violent oppression exists at the core of male-female relations.

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Special Guest: Kristen Sales from Sales on Film. You can find her on Twitter and Tumblr.

0:00 – Intro & Welcome Kristen

6:10 – Kristen’s Criterion Connections

17:50 – Busy Podcasting

22:00 – Short Takes (Chimes at Midnight, Sada, The Karate Kid)

34:00 – Fat Girl

Next time on the podcast: Podcasting

Mark and Aaron are joined by Cole & Ericca from the Magic Lantern Podcast. They are Austin, TX residents and shed a lot of insight into this landmark independent film, Richard Linklater and his involvement in the Austin Film Society. They also talk about how the film reflects the city of Austin, and how much the place has changed in the years since.

About the film:

Slacker, directed by Richard Linklater, presents a day in the life of a loose-knit Austin, Texas, subculture populated by eccentric and overeducated young people. Shooting on 16 mm for a mere $3,000, writer-producer-director Linklater and his crew of friends threw out any idea of a traditional plot, choosing instead to create a tapestry of over a hundred characters, each as compelling as the last. Slacker is a prescient look at an emerging generation of aggressive nonparticipants, and one of the key films of the American independent film movement of the 1990s.

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Special Guest: Cole and Ericca from Magic Lantern Podcast. You can find them on Twitter and Facebook.

0:00 – Intro & Welcome Cole & Ericca

2:55 – Cole & Ericca’s Criterion Connections

6:10 – Fat Girl Delay

8:00 – Schedule Update

10:55 – Short Takes (Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key, Wim Wenders Retrospective, Me and Orson Welles, Anomalisa)

24:25 – Slacker

Next time on the podcast: Fat Girl

Mark and Aaron take a trip north to the wonderful world of Canada. This is a special, unscheduled episode to celebrate the O’ Canada Blogathon. We talk about all things Canadian, including our Canadian Connections, film and media culture from Canada, and two particular films from The Criterion Collection — Videodrome and My Winnipeg.

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0:00 – Introduction to Canadian Close-Up

2:10 – Canadian Connections

9:30 – O’ Canada Blogathon

15:30 – Celebrating Canadian Culture

29:20 – Videodrome

50:10 – My Winnipeg

Next time on the podcast: Fat Girl

Mark and Aaron are joined by Matt Sheardown of … Criterion Close-Up. You heard right. Long story. Matt is also a video games expert, so we borrowed his expertise as we broke down and evaluated the controversial Criterion release of Takashi Murakami’s Jellyfish Eyes. We discuss the visuals, the influences, the intended audience, and how to classify it as a genre. We also ask the big question, which many have asked since the announcement — is it worthy of Criterion?

About the film:

The world-famous artist Takashi Murakami made his directorial debut with Jellyfish Eyes, taking his boundless imagination to the screen in a tale of friendship and loyalty that also addresses humanity’s propensity for destruction. After moving to a country town with his mother following his father’s death, a young boy befriends a charming, flying, jellyfish-like sprite—only to discover that his schoolmates have similar friends, and that neither they nor the town itself are what they seem to be. Pointedly set in a post-Fukushima world, Murakami’s modest-budgeted special effects extravaganza boasts unforgettable creature designs and carries a message of cooperation and hope for all ages.

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Special Guest: Matt Sheardown from his YouTube channel. You can find him on Twitter. He is on Twitch as well.

0:00 – Intro & Welcome Matt

7:20 – Matt’s Criterion Connection

11:55 – Schedule Update

14:40 – Short Takes (Odd Man Out, Mustang, Room, The Revenant, The Room, Head)

38:15 – Jellyfish Eyes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU4I5cR3b8U

Next time on the podcast: Fat Girl

Mark, Aaron and Keith Enright give a look at D.A. Pennabaker’s documentary portrait of Bob Dylan in Dont Look Back (the no apostrophe is intentional). This was a pivotal period in the artist’s career, and both the film and the music were influential. We dig deep as to what type of persona Dylan revealed, the cinéma vérité filmmaking style that captured him in his element, and also his attitude towards the press and others who wanted to label him.

About the film:

Bob Dylan is captured on-screen as he never would be again in this groundbreaking film from D. A. Pennebaker. The legendary documentarian finds Dylan in England during his 1965 tour, which would be his last as an acoustic artist. In this wildly entertaining vision of one of the twentieth century’s greatest artists, Dylan is surrounded by teen fans, gets into heated philosophical jousts with journalists, and kicks back with fellow musicians Joan Baez, Donovan, and Alan Price. Featuring some of Dylan’s most famous songs, including “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue,” Dont Look Back is a radically conceived portrait of an American icon that has influenced decades of vérité behind-the-scenes documentaries.

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0:00 – Intro & Welcome Keith

3:30 – Caitlin Kuhwald Aftermath

9:40 – Schedule Update

11:10 – Aaron’s Blog Announcement

14:35 – Arik’s Criterion Presentation

12:20 – 18:15 – Short Takes (The Apu Trilogy, My Golden Years, Hollis Frampton Odyssey, La Ronde, Labyrinth, Revanche)

33:00 – The Newsstand

34:45 – Dont Look Back

Next time on the podcast: Jellyfish Eyes

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 The Criterion Collection, illustrating covers for Amarcord, To Be or Not to Be, The Organizer, and many others. She talks about her film tastes including unveiling a new Criterion Top Ten, talks about how Criterion champions illustration, and weighs in on recent covers.

Special Guest: Caitlin Kuhwald from Caitlin Kuhwald Illustration. You can find her on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Next time on the podcast: Dont Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker

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 give it an honest look.

Show notes:

Special Guest: David Blakeslee from Criterion Reflections, CriterionCast, and The Eclipse Viewer. You can find him on Twitter.

Next time on the podcast: A Conversation with a Criterion Cover Artist

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 dispensed justice. We then look at Mister Johnson, which deals with colonial issues such as commerce and civilization.

About the films:

At the turn of the twentieth century, three Australian army lieutenants are court-martialed for alleged war crimes committed while fighting in South Africa. With no time to prepare, an Australian major, appointed as defense attorney, must prove that they were just following orders and are being made into political pawns by the British imperial command. Director Bruce Beresford garnered international acclaim for this riveting drama set during a dark period in his country’s colonial history, and featuring passionate performances by Edward Woodward, Bryan Brown, and Jack Thompson; rugged cinematography by Donald McAlpine; and an Oscar-nominated script, based on true events.

A decade after he broke through with Breaker Morant, Australian director Bruce Beresford made another acclaimed film about the effects of colonialism on the individual. In a performance that earned him the Berlin Film Festival’s Silver Bear for best actor, Maynard Eziashi plays the title character, a Nigerian villager eager to work as a civil servant for the British authorities, including a sympathetic district officer (Pierce Brosnan), in the hope that it will benefit him in the future. Instead, his ambition leads to his tragic downfall. Mister Johnson, based on the 1939 novel by Joyce Cary, is a graceful, heartfelt drama about the limits of idealism, affectingly acted and handsomely shot.

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0:00 – Intro

2:55 – Criterion Connection

5:00 – Overview of Show for CriterionCast Listeners

8:50 – Schedule Changes

10:15 – Changes to News

12:20 – What Have We Seen Lately? aka Short Takes

22:00 – Breaker Morant

1:15:15 – Mister Johnson

Next time on the podcast: A Conversation with a Criterion Cover Artist