The Criterion Quest

Holy Moly! It’s been a minute!
We’re back after a long hiatus to have a long, winding chat about a bunch of our favourite films from 2023.
Chris & Lee discuss huge blockbusters (Barbenheimer included), smaller festival films, and some hidden gems that they really dug. They also give a bit of an update on the state of the podcast (we’re not gone, we’re just busy!).
The discussion is rather spoiler filled, so we’ve included timecodes below, so please if you want to avoid any spoilers please skip ahead.

Spoiler timecodes if you need to skip ahead:
Barbie - 00:10:54
Oppenheimer - 00:22:47
Beau Is Afraid - 00:48:36
Bottoms - 00:55:56
The Zone of Interest - 01:09:35
Anatomy of a Fall - 01:16:01
Past Lives - 01:25:45
Priscilla - 01:39:39
Saltburn - 01:49:27
The Killer - 01:52:39
Killers of the Flower Moon - 02:00:48

You can find Chris’s Favourite Films of 2023 video on YouTube

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

After a brief and annoying hiatus, Chris returns from the globe trotting adventure of truth seeking to settle down and spend some time with a distraught Italian family who are going through some troubling times with their relationships.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Leaving the harrowing and religious experiences of Sweden behind, Chris is joined by his buddy Adam as the pair set off on a globetrotting adventure to unravel the truth behind the mysterious and ominous Mr. Arkadin.

Featuring Special Guest Adam Hetherington.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Having left the peaceful scenery of rural America, Chris now finds himself in the fields of Sweden where he bears witness to a horrible act of violence that shakes a family to their core, calling into question their faith as well as their humanity.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Leaving the corrupt world of business behind and instead diving into the world of lawyers and politicians… Chris finds himself sitting in on the trial of two young men accused of murder, as their defense attorney, a young many by the name of Abraham Lincoln, works to prove their innocence.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

After the heartbreaking farewell at the station, Chris reunites with Lee as the pair make their way into the jungle of the post-war business world of Japan. Along the way they encounter intrigue, double-crosses and very devious methods of conducting corporate affairs.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

After leaving Lee at the beer hall with the lamenting poet, Chris embarks on a trek through the war torn French countryside where he encounters two small children who are processing their surrounds and death in some unique ways.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

After escaping the imploding Japanese empire, Chris reunites with Lee in a odd artists bar to have a few drinks and listen to a melancholy poet reflect on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the ailing daughter of a celebrated composer.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

After taking a brief sojourn from the Quest to chat about the year that was 2022, Chris is again joined by Eric as the pair cross paths with an elderly warlord who has subjugated his throne to his three sons, although the transition of power doesn’t go as smoothly as he would’ve hoped…

Featuring Special Guest Eric Coleman.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

It’s 2023! What better way to kick off the new year than with a massive and meandering chats about some of our favourite films from the previous year. Joined by special guest Toby (and his seemingly endless fountain of slight negativity and ambivalence), Lee & Chris sit down and discuss everything from The Northman to Nope, RRR to Rescue Rangers… and everything in between. (Warning: there are some slight spoilers for The Fabelmans, but we do our best to keep things “spoiler free”).

You can find Chris’s Favourite Films of 2022 video on YouTube

The song used to open and close the episode is called Lullaby by Grace Ives from her 2022 album Janky Star.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
We’re on Instagram at instagram.com/thecriterionquest/
Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd