One Week Only - Podcast

Episode 62 of One Week Only! Conor is still abroad, speaking this time from a London hostel! Our key film this week is the documentary "Last Men in Aleppo" about the men of The White Helmets, the volunteer force in Syria who help the victims of the horrendous bombings of the ongoing Civil War. Capturing incredible footage of horrible scenes of carnage, the film transports you to a terrifying environment, which only highlights the stunning bravery of the White Helmets, and the sacrifices they make every day for their families and their city. (41:40)

We also review the Danish period drama "The Commune" directed by Thomas Vinterberg (check out Carlos's interview with Vinterberg for MovieMaker Magazine) (3:25); the 2003 teen comedy "Burning Annie" that's getting a HD re-release, directed by Van Flesher (11:05); the Polish period biopic "Afterimage" about the famous avant-garde painter Wladyslaw Strzeminski, directed by Andrzej Wajda (21:55); and the Venice-winning drama "The Woman Who Left" from the Philippines, directed by Lav Dias (31:00).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

Episode 62 of One Week Only! This week's key film is "Violet," a stunningly beautiful and powerfully intimate drama about a teenage boy who witnesses his best friend's murder, and how that affects his family, his friends and himself. Directed by Bas Devos, the film premiered at Berlinale in 2014, and we are thrilled that this gorgeous, unique film is finally coming to US cinemas. Learn more about the film in Carlos's interview with Devos for Filmmaker Magazine. (36:20)

We also review the documentary "Elián" about Elián González and Cuba's turbulent relationship with the United States, directed by Tim Golden & Ross McDonnell (5:40); the Australian thriller "Hounds of Love" about kidnappers and their latest victim, directed by Ben Young (17:30); and the Italian dramedy "Like Crazy" about two women escaping from a mental institution on a road trip, directed by Paulo Virzì (26:15).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

Episode 61 of One Week Only! Our key film of the week is the French period drama "A Woman's Life," which just won the Critic Award at this year's COLCOA French Film Festival in Los Angeles! With gorgeous handheld cinematography, this period drama tells a naturalistic, non-linear story of a woman in 19th century France struggling with strict social codes & coping with tragic misfortunes. Directed by Stéphane Brizé (The Measure of a Man) and starring a terrific Judith Chemla, it's a thoughtful, heartbreaking drama about the fleeting nature of life. Now Playing in New York, and opening in Los Angeles May 12th. (43:30)

The Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival just ended, and we have an interview with the director of the Midwest road movie "Supermoto," which premiered at the festival. We talk with director Joe Maggio about filming in the wide-open plains of North Dakota, and balancing a low budget with a rich visual style. (59:55)

We also review the documentary "Burden" about controversial performance artist Chris Burden, directed by Richard Dewey & Timothy Marrinan (10:30); the bizarre and thought-provoking psychological drama "Buster's Mal Heart" starring Rami Malek, directed by Sarah Adina Smith (21:15); and the complex character drama "The Dinner" starring Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney & Rebecca Hall, directed by Oren Moverman (32:25).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar and Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

Episode 60 of One Week Only! This week, we are joined by special guest Charlie Nash, freelance film journalist and member of the Boston Online Film Critics Association! Our key film this week is the absurdist French farce "Slack Bay" about a ridiculously weird wealthy family in 1910's France on holiday at their seaside estate, and the mysterious "disappearances" going on in the neighborhood. Featuring a wonderful cast (including Juliette Binoche) playing a variety of strange characters, it's an absurd comedy about class and society told with expertly dark humor and visual splendor by director Bruno Dumont. It opened last week in New York, opened the COLCOA French Film Festival this week, and is now playing in Los Angeles.(44:00)

We also review the horror film "A Dark Song" about an occult ceremony, directed by Liam Gavin (4:00); the period biopic "Nise: The Heart of Madness" about a courageous Brazilian doctor, directed by Roberto Berliner (10:35); the journalism documentary "Obit" about The New York Times obituary department, directed by Vanessa Gould (17:05); the Israeli dramedy "One Week and a Day" about a couple dealing with grief, directed by Asaph Polonsky (29:50); and the Canadian Jewish drama "Natasha" about Russian immigrants, directed by David Bezmozgis (36:50).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

Episode 59 of One Week Only! Another big week of films, which was challenging since we just got back from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival, and now Carlos is at Ebertfest in Illinois! Our key film this week is "Metamorphoses," a modern-day retelling of classic Greek & Roman Mythology, based on the writings of Ovid. Gorgeously shot, this low-key fantasy blends multiple myths into a beautifully-constructed story about storytelling, and brings these 2000-year-old tales to vibrant life. Not many people have seen or talked about this film, but we feel it's one of the best movies of the year so far. Directed by Christophe Honoré, this magical film is a must-see. It already played in Los Angeles & New York, but it opens this weekend in Chicago, with hopefully more cities to follow. (1:04:35)

We also review the wonderful biopic "A Quiet Passion" about the life of American poet Emily Dickinson with an incredible performance by Cynthia Nixon, directed by Terence Davies (7:30); the documentary "Tomorrow" about everyday people around the world working to help the environment, directed by Cyril Dion & Mélanie Laurent (16:30); the period drama "The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki" about a boxer torn between training for a big match and a blossoming relationship, directed by Juho Kuosmanen (24:15); the powerful documentary "Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992" about the people and events surrounding the LA Riots, directed by John Ridley (31:15); the drama "Somewhere Beautiful" about parallel stories of struggling relationships, directed by Albert Kodagolian (41:45); and the shocking drama "The Student" about the dangers of religious fanaticism, directed by Kirill Serebrennikov (52:10).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

Episode 58 of One Week Only! Our key film this week is the hilarious, imaginative animated adventure film "My Entire High School Sinking Into The Sea" about a group of teenagers who must band together to survive when their school falls into the ocean. Directed by graphic novelist Dash Shaw, and featuring the voices of Jason Schwartzman, Lena Dunham, Reggie Watts, Maya Rudolph & Susan Sarandon, it's an exhilarating film that blends unique hand-drawn animation, quirky teen comedy & exciting disaster-movie thrills. The film opens this weekend at the Metrograph in NYC and at the Nuart Theatre in LA. Carlos interviewed Shaw for Filmmaker Magazine about the creation of the film and his animation influences, from anime TV shows to "A Charlie Brown Christmas." (55:40)

We also review the Bulgarian corruption drama "Glory" about a misplaced watch, directed by Kristina Grozeva & Petar Valchanov (10:20); French medical drama "Heal The Living" about a group of people impacted by a tragedy, directed by Katell Quillévéré (26:45); the documentary "Finding Oscar" about the Dos Erres massacre during the the Guatemalan Civil War, directed by Ryan Suffern (35:45); and the character drama "A Woman, A Part" about an actress going through an existential crisis, directed by Elisabeth Subrin (45:30).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

One Week Only presents a special Bonus Episode about Indian Cinema! The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles is going on right now, so we talked with Rashad, creator of the blog Bollywood Over Hollywood, to talk about the history & cultural variety of Indian Cinema.

Episode 57 of One Week Only! Huge weekend for new releases, so we tried to review as many as we could! Our key film this week is the experimental documentary "All These Sleepless Nights" about a young art student (Michal Huszcza, playing a version of himself) as he drifts through the night life of Warsaw's party scene, and lives life moment to moment. The film is a mixture of documentary and loosely-staged narrative, capturing a unique feeling of realism through careful artistry. Directed by Michal Marczak, it's a enveloping, thoughtful rumination of the fleeting nature of youth and reality (57:20). In this week's interview, Carlos talks with Marczak about the thin line between reality and narrative, and the experience of shooting the film among the summer parties in Warsaw. (1:05:15)

We also review the monster movie comedy "Colossal" starring Anne Hathaway, directed by Nacho Vigalondo (7:10); neorealist horror film "The Transfiguration" directed by Michael O'Shea (15:00); Spanish friendship dramedy "Truman" starring Ricardo Darín & Javier Cámara, directed by Cesc Gay (23:35); Romanian morality drama "Graduation" directed by Cristian Mungiu (30:35); French period drama "Cézanne et Moi" directed by Danièle Thompson (38:45); and philosophical drama "The Ticket" starring Dan Stevens, directed by Ido Fluk (48:05).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

Episode 56 of One Week Only! This week's key film is the period drama "The Death of Louis XIV" about the final days of King Louis the 14th of France in 1715, as he wastes away at his home in Versailles, surrounded by his court and servants. Taking place almost entirely in the King's bedchamber, it is a meticulously crafted, gorgeously made look at the world of a King, with a commanding, nuanced performance from Jean-Pierre Léaud. Directed by Albert Serra, it is now playing in New York at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. (45:00)

We also review the boarding school horror film "The Blackcoat's Daughter" starring a terrific Kieran Shipka, directed by Osgood Perkins (11:30); the character drama "Carrie Pilby" based on the best-selling novel, starring Bel Powley & directed by Susan Johnson (20:45); and the documentary "David Lynch: The Art Life" about the creative beginnings of the famous filmmaker, directed by Jon Nguyen, Olivia Neergaard-Holm & Rick Barnes (31:40).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com

Episode 55 of One Week Only! This week our key film is the Czech period drama "I, Olga Hepnarova," based on a true story of a troubled young woman who took out her anger at the world in a horrifically violent crime. Starring Michalina Olszanska (co-star in "The Lure" earlier this year) in a brilliant lead performance, and directed by Tomás Weinreb & Petr Kazda, this is a striking film that presents a complex, unsettling character in a stark film with no easy morality or answers. Now Playing in New York at the Village East Cinema. (41:45)

The science-fiction drama "Bokeh" opens today in select theaters. It stars Maika Monroe & Matt O'Leary as two American tourists in Iceland who wake up to find that every other human in the world has disappeared. (10:45) We interviewed directors Geoffrey Orthwein & Andrew Sullivan about the genre of minimalist science-fiction and making an indie film in Iceland. (59:00)

We also review the horror comedy "Prevenge" written, directed & starring Alice Lowe (16:30); small-town mystery thriller "Dig Two Graves" directed by Hunter Adams (24:40); and food & culture documentary "In Search of Israeli Cuisine" about Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov, directed by Roger Sherman (37:30).

Hosted by Carlos Aguilar & Conor Holt. Music by Kevin MacLeod at www.incompetech.com