The Last Thing I Saw

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, with your host Nicolas Rapold. On this episode I’m tackling a wonderful collection of new films by director Steve McQueen called Small Axe. The five Small Axe movies are on Amazon, completed today with the release of the fifth and final film, Education. Small Axe is a fascinating and ambitious chronicle of West Indian experience in London—personal, political, and cultural—and it’s definitely an event. First, veteran critic Jonathan Romney (Screen Daily, Sight & Sound) joins me to talk about Mangrove and Lovers Rock, which are about an infamous trial and a joyous night of partying, respectively. Then on the second half of the podcast, I’m joined by critic Nicholas Russell (Reverse Shot). We discuss McQueen’s approach in the three remaining films in the Small Axe series: Red, White, and Blue; Education; and Alex Wheatle. We also hear about the other last things Jonathan saw, from IDFA and elsewhere: The Wasteland, Inside the Red Brick Wall, Gorbachev. Heaven, and Fellini’s The Voice of the Moon. For complete show notes with links, sign up for my newsletter at rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, with your host Nicolas Rapold. This week, I start with a featured look at Time, directed by Garrett Bradley. I talk with the wonderful Amy Taubin about the movie, which is one of the year’s best. On the second half of the episode, I look at a terrific collection of 1970s horror available at the Criterion Channel. Critics Beatrice Loayza and Christina Newland join me to discuss the pleasures and politics of the movies, including: Death Dream, Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, George Romero’s The Crazies, Death Line, and special bonus title, The Velvet Vampire, directed by Stephanie Rothman. Look for more of what I’m blithely calling audio magazine features in future episodes, with in-depth looks at films and filmmakers, interviews, and other stories. For complete show notes with links, sign up for my newsletter at rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, with your host Nicolas Rapold. This week, we’re trying something different. After our usual discussion of recently watched movies, I dig into a special topic with another guest. First I trade New York Film Festival highlights with critics Beatrice Loayza and Susannah Gruder. Then on the second half, I talk about the possible futures facing moviegoing and film exhibition because of the pandemic, with Eric Hynes of the Museum of the Moving Image. We’ll have more of what I’m blithely calling audio magazine features in future episodes, with in-depth looks at films and filmmakers, interviews, and other stories. Movies discussed include: Dick Johnson Is Dead, On the Rocks, Smooth Talk starring Laura Dern, and Beginning. For complete show notes with links, subscribe to my newsletter at rapold.substack.com Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw, a podcast where we reach out to folks to talk about what they've been watching. It’s as simple as that. Joining Nicolas Rapold this time is R. Emmet Sweeney, producer of DVDs and Blu-rays for Kino Lorber. Rob has had two projects lately: looking for good movies to watch with his daughter, and watching fantastical Indian genre movies. Titles discussed include: Wee Willie Winkie and Heidi, both starring Shirley Temple; Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children; The Wizard of Oz; S.S. Rajamouli’s Eega (“The Fly”); Bill & Ted Face the Music; High Risk, starring Jet Li; and the latest Charlie Kaufman creation, I’m Thinking of Ending Things. For complete show notes, subscribe to The Last Thing I Saw newsletter at rapold.substack.com 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 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