The Last Thing I Saw

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time are critics Eric Hynes (curator of film, Museum of the Moving Image), Jordan Cronk (founder, Acropolis Cinema), and Beatrice Loayza, talking about their highlights from the Toronto International Film Festival. The movies include: Nomadland, The 180-Degree Rule, Pieces of a Woman, The Inheritance, Quo Vadis, Aida?, Fauna, Downstream to Kinshasa, 76 Days, and a previous favorite, Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time are critics Amy Taubin and Michael Koresky. This time of year, our heads are usually full of brand-new movies from film festivals, which are a good way to preview fall releases as well as titles that might otherwise be hard to see. We talked about a number of films including: American Utopia, Spike Lee’s movie of David Byrne’s Broadway show; Sam Pollard’s documentary MLK/FBI, about the FBI’s relentless surveillance of Martin Luther King; Regina King’s One Night in Miami, which dramatizes the meeting of four great historical figures in 1965; and a French comedy that plays out in a prison, The Big Hit, directed by Emmanuel Courcol. Finally, because we just couldn’t help ourselves, we talked about Lovers Rock, actually the opening night selection of The New York Film Festival. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is veteran critic Jonathan Romney who writes for leading film publications such as Sight & Sound and Screen Daily. Here Jonathan gives us a terrific account of his favorites from the Venice International Film Festival. It’s a jam-packed preview of bold new movies to look out for down the road. That includes the newest films from Pedro Almodovar, Frederick Wiseman, Gianfranco Rosi, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, plus highlights such as the provocative New Order; Soviet-era historical drama Dear Comrades; the period romance The World to Come; Regina King’s philosophical conversation piece One Night in Miami; Indian music drama The Disciple; and the giant fly comedy Mandibles. Please note that because of the long distance connection the audio volume may vary. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is culture critic Sheila O’Malley. Sheila writes about movies for the Roger Ebert site and the Criterion Collection, and keeps a terrific blog called The Sheila Variations. Her delightful column Present Tense includes entries ranging from the Miracle on Ice to "back-ting" to Nick Nolte to Frank O'Hara's movie love. We began our conversation by catching up with the movie version of Hamilton, which brought us to 8 Mile, the director Curtis Hanson, and the joys of the Jackass movies and the show Nathan for You. Then we went on a former Soviet bloc tour with two documentaries, Red Penguins and Out of the Present, and the Romanian puzzler Infinite Football. Also mentioned: Motel Life, Red Army, and American Movie.

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is Soraya Nadia McDonald, culture critic for The Undefeated. Nicolas had read Soraya’s terrific writing as a fan before having the pleasure of publishing her work. Soraya (a finalist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize for Criticism) expertly weaves together different arts and issues with an illuminating clarity that feels effortless. We began by talking about The Women, the 1939 George Cukor classic, and its 2008 remake. That led us to a discussion of stardom and race, Jennifer Lopez, and eventually the 2005 film Mr. & Mrs Smith, a memorable film in the careers of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Also: baseball and acting, and the TV series Lovecraft Country. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is Brazil-based critic and programmer Ela Bittencourt. We’ve worked with Ela on a number of articles, and her most recent project was the Venice Days program at the upcoming Venice film festival. Documentary was the focus of our conversation, ranging from a new Iranian film about a prison for women and girls, Sunless Shadows, to an early feature by Errol Morris called Vernon, Florida. We also discussed Agnès Varda’s groundbreaking debut La Pointe Courte; a fascinating film about visual culture and personal perceptions, The Viewing Booth; Kim Longinotto’s Divorce Iranian Style; and Again Once Again by Argentine author Romina Paula. Also mentioned are the instant barroom classic Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets, and the landmark work of Portuguese director Paolo Rocha. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is Justin Chang, a staff critic at the Los Angeles Times and, before that, chief film critic at Variety. Ordinarily, we would be comparing notes at a film festival, so it was a pleasure to catch up with Justin virtually and hear his thoughts on a changing film world. Among the movies we discussed were Buñuel’s unsettling 1961 film Viridiana and the question of shock and scandal in movies; a new release, The Painted Bird, about a boy facing the horrors of World War II, with nods to Elem Klimov’s Come and See and Bela Tarr’s Satantango; and finally, for a change pace, the beloved comedy Clueless and a new horror release, Relic. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is Amy Taubin, a mainstay of film criticism and a longtime inspiration. It’s always a rich and varied journey when Amy shares her viewing notes, and this time was no different. Among the movies discussed were John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix, Charles Burnett’s police drama The Glass Shield, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love and Basketball, the pioneering work of Monika Treut and Elfi Mikesch, Spike Lee’s Da Five Bloods, Werner Herzog’s Family Romance, plus a couple of short films and a Kanye West music video. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is Eric Hynes, curator of film at the Museum of the Moving Image as well as a veteran of journalism and criticism. We discussed some new possible opportunities for his film institution during these times. And then we got into the movies: Nicholas Ray’s They Live By Night; an unsettling 1971 Vietnam vet film called Welcome Home, Soldier Boys; Saint Jack directed by Peter Bogdanovich and starring Ben Gazzara; The Last Dance, the Michael Jordan series; and Eyes on the Prize, Henry Hampton’s landmark work about the Civil Rights Movement. Along the way, we learn about a competitive sport involving bean bags. Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to friends to talk about what we’ve been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold is Richard Brody of The New Yorker. They discuss The Irishman as a home viewing experience; The 11th Green, an unusual new drama involving alien life and the postwar United States; Melvin Van Peebles's debut feature, The Story of a Three-Day Pass; Top of the Heap, a police drama directed by and starring Christopher St. John; and the prospect of returning to movie theaters. Photo by Steve Snodgrass