The Last Thing I Saw

Ep. 209: Clyde Folley on 90s Horror on Criterion Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. Season’s greetings! On this episode I talk about 90s horror with Clyde Folley, programmer on the delightful 90s Horror series on the Criterion Channel (and, previously, their incredible 80s Horror series!). We talk about a few titles in the ripsnorting selection, including Body Parts, Def by Temptation, The Exorcist III, When a Stranger Calls Back, The Addiction, and the religious apocalyptic shocker The Rapture. Happy Halloween! Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 208: Amy Taubin on the New York Film Festival 2023 Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This year, the 61st New York Film Festival curated a notably strong selection of films drawn from other festivals as well as a few premieres of its own. To discuss her critical highlights, I was delighted to welcome back the one and only Amy Taubin (whose report on this edition appears in Artforum). Among the films discussed are Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, May December (Todd Haynes), Close Your Eyes (Victor Erice), Jean-Luc Godard’s final film, Poor Things (Yorgos Lanthimos), Janet Planet (Annie Baker), Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project (Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson), Menus-Plaisirs: Les Troisgros (Frederick Wiseman), and The Sweet East (Sean Price Williams). Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 207: Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert on Reverse Shot at 20 Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The wonderful film publication Reverse Shot celebrates its 20th anniversary of existence this year. Since I first wrote for Reverse Shot early in my career, it’s always held a special place in my heart, and it’s still going strong -- a gladdening beacon in the landscape of film criticism (and of critics, with an enviable roster of sharp voices and alums). I sat down with the co-founders of Reverse Shot, Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert, at MOMI to discuss how it all began, go through highlights from the eventful past 20 years, and (in an unpredictable lightning round) a few personal favorites of theirs. Koresky and Reichert's biographies besides RS extend to filmmaking (such as American Factory, co-produced by Reichert, and Feast of the Epiphany, co-directed by Koresky, Reichert, and Farihah Zaman), books (including Koresky’s Films of Endearment), and more. MOMI’s anniversary program of Reverse Shot events continues this weekend with screenings of Terence Davies's The Deep Blue Sea, and other rarely screened films in the coming weeks. Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 206: Eric Hynes on Toronto 2023: The Pigeon Tunnel, The Holdovers, The Peasants, American Fiction, Gonzo Girl Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. As the fall season kicks off, I have a few more titles—some slated for release in the coming months, others yet to be distributed—plucked from the ranks of the Toronto International Film Festival. I talked with Eric Hynes, curator of film at Museum of the Moving Image, about Errol Morris’s The Pigeon Tunnel, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, Patricia Arquette’s Gonzo Girl, and The Peasants, from Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman. Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 205: Toronto 2023 with Beatrice Loayza: The Teachers’ Lounge, Arthur & Diana, Wavelengths shorts, Memory Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. As the fall season kicks off, I’m catching up with some intriguing titles seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023 that you might not have heard much about yet. I chatted with critic Beatrice Loayza about a few titles: Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge, Michel Franco’s Memory starring Jessica Chastain and Peter Sarsgaard, Sara Summa’s Arthur & Diana, and shorts from TIFF's Wavelengths section. Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 204: Toronto 2023 with Mark Asch: The Boy and the Heron, His Three Daughters, Lee, Silver Dollar Road Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This month I went to the Toronto International Film Festival 2023 and recorded a few dispatches for your edification. I sat down with Mark Asch, who was filing for the film journal Little White Lies, and discussed an eclectic selection of movies from the sprawling TIFF lineup. Titles include: Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron, Azazel Jacobs’s His Three Daughters, Ellen Kuras’s Lee (about photographer Lee Miller), and Raoul Peck’s Silver Dollar Road. Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 203: Venice 2023 with Glenn Kenny: The Killer, Caine Mutiny, Orson Welles TV, Making Of, Restorations Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. For the last day of the 80th Venice Film Festival. I’m back again with Glenn Kenny of The New York Times and RogerEbert.com to chat about a cavalcade of films. Titles include: David Fincher’s The Killer; William Friedkin’s final film, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial; Orson Welles’s Portrait of Gina, a 1958 documentary about Gina Lollobrigida for an unrealized TV series; Cedric Kahn’s Making Of; the documentary Frank Capra: Mr. America; and restorations of Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev and Arturo Ripstein’s Deep Crimson. He also shares his thoughts on other films like Poor Things, and on the Biennale College film funding program. Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 202: Venice 2023 with Jessica Kiang: Priscilla, Green Border, Hit Man, Coup de Chance Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the 80th Venice Film Festival. This time I’m talking with Jessica Kiang, who is writing about the festival for Variety, Sight & Sound, and The New York Times. We discuss premieres from the festival’s second week: Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, and Woody Allen’s Coup de Chance. Please note: the audio may sound different about halfway through because of recording conditions—but don’t miss out on Kiang’s essential commentary! Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 201: Venice 2023 with Jordan Cronk: Aggro Dr1ft, The Beast, Evil Does Not Exist, Gasoline Rainbow Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the 80th Venice Film Festival in, you guessed it, Venice. For the latest episode, regular guest Jordan Cronk talks about his inaugural trip to the festival. We talk about a number of films including Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft, Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast starring Lea Seydoux, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist, and Gasoline Rainbow from Bill and Turner Ross. Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Ep. 200: Venice 2023 with Jonathan Romney: Maestro, Henry Sugar, The Palace, El Conde, Promised Land Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the 80th Venice Film Festival in, you guessed it, Venice. This time I'm joined by Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily and the Observer. We talk about a number of films including Maestro, directed by Bradley Cooper; Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptation The Wonderful Tale of Henry Sugar; Roman Polanski’s The Palace; Pablo Larrain’s El Conde; and Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land. Please support the production of this podcast by signing up at: rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass