Criterion Now

First off, this episode was recording BEFORE the FilmStruck news. We discuss WarnerMedia, but had no idea what was coming. Mark, Steven and Aaron get into the January 2018 announcements, preview the Bergman Box Set based on DVD Beaver’s reviews, and we talk Barbet Schroeder, Harold Lloyd, Telluride, and much more.

Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.

This is an emergency episode to talk about the unfortunate news that FilmStruck will be shutting down next month. Matt and Aaron express some emotions, speculate on what was behind this decision, talk about the streaming landscape and where things are headed, the state of physical media, and where Criterion may end up. Mostly, we want to thank the people from Criterion and FilmStruck for putting together such a remarkable, enjoyable service. Hopefully the next niche service will learn from their curation.

Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.

Matt Kubinski from CinemaJaw joins Aaron and Mark for a discussion of Criterion horror films, George Romero, Mandy, and many other topics. The segment with Matt begins at the 42:30 minute mark. The first half of the show is Aaron and Mark discussing the latest in Criterion news. They talk about the latest newsletter clue, the potential of a post-Barnes and Noble world, recent Janus Films additions, the best special features of all time, the upcoming Fassbinder Center in Frankfurt, and the next Wes Anderson movie. 

Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.

Daisuke Beppu and Keith Enright join as what Aaron calls the “Dream Team.” We talk about some big topics, including the December 2018 Announcements and how they round out the year from Criterion, and we look through the titles that came out on Criterion LaserDisc that have not been released yet. We also explore the extended version of Tree of Life, with Daisuke having done a deep dive and comparing the original version with the extended cut. We debate whether it is an entire new movie or extended version, and which version we prefer.

Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.

Aaron is joined by Emma Elizabeth Tillman who is a writer, filmmaker, photographer, and film art connoisseur, with an MFA from UCLA and some film, video and a lot of photography work under her belt. She is also the spouse of a successful musician, Father John Misty (real name of Josh Tillman), and while our discussion is about her, his art and how they complement each other comes up. She talks about her work, some of the foreign arthouse films that inspired her early on, how she consumes media now in the digital age. 

Music for the show is from Fatboy Roberts’ Geek Remixed project.