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 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

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 Ashley Clark, director of film programming at BAM, and a longtime film critic. The lineup spans from the limits of leisure to the extremities of war and political action. There’s The Green Ray, Eric Rohmer’s achingly poignant summer film; Winter Soldier, a heart-stopping Vietnam documentary that’s sometimes forgotten; a rewarding pairing of two films from the 2010s, Nocturama and Happy as Lazzaro, and others. Please note that this was recorded before the ongoing protests for justice, and as such, is something of a time capsule. Original music by Nate Kinsella Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Critic Nick Pinkerton and programmer Nellie Killian join Nicolas Rapold to discuss isolation viewing and their recent favorites. You may have encountered Nick’s criticism in a variety of publications as well as DVD essays and commentary. And Nellie’s superb series Tell Me: Women Filmmakers, Women’s Stories is featured on Criterion Channel this month. They three talk about the last things they've been watching, including: the pre-code films of William Wellman; the extraordinary documentary series Eyes on the Prize about the Civil Rights Movement; two movies by Robert Altman, Dr. T and the Women and Beyond Therapy; and more. Original music by Nate Kinsella Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Critics Amy Taubin and Michael Koresky join Nicolas Rapold to discuss their recent favorites, including The Fabulous Baker Boys (and Michelle Pfeiffer’s star presence), Damien Chazelle’s new Netflix series The Eddy, and much more. Original music by Nate Kinsella Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Nicolas Rapold talks with Devika Girish and Clinton Krute about Another Gaze magazine’s recent online symposium on the groundbreaking work of filmmaker Sarah Maldoror. We also discuss Warren Beatty’s Reds, Robert Altman’s Quintet, Ingmar Bergman’s The Touch, and a recent short film from Jonathan Glazer. Original music by Nate Kinsella Photo by Steve Snodgrass

Nicolas Rapold talks with Devika Girish and Clinton Krute about the assortment of movies they’ve been watching in lockdown, including Jackie Chan’s Police Story, Indian classic Pakeezah, long awaited Aretha Franklin doc Amazing Grace, Maurice Pialat’s Under the Sun of Satan, and many more (including the ZZ Top doc). Original music by Nate Kinsella Photo by Steve Snodgrass