Special Episode - The 50th New York Film Festival #1 (Simon Abrams)

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            In this special edition of The Cinephiliacs, Peter averts from the regular format for the next three weeks to report back from his annual visit to the New York Film Festival, a favorite cinephile event of his. To help him break down the first week of films, freelancer extraordinaire Simon Abrams joins him to discuss a cornucopia of films that explore cinema, religion, history, and the imaginative process. They dive into the bold use of digital imagery in De Palma's Passion, clash on the complex morality in Mungiu's Beyond the Hills, and elate over the joy of Renais's You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet. Also included in this episode are thoughts on Christian Petzold's Barbara, Noah Baumbach's Frances Ha, Valeria Sarmiento's Lines of Wellington, and Peter Strikland's Berberian Sound Studio. 

0:00-2:11 Introduction
2:54-11:31 Passion (Brian De Palma)
11:31-21:26 Barbara (Christian Petzold)
21:26-23:49 Frances Ha (Noah Baumbach)
24:30-35:36 Beyond the Hills (Christian Mungiu)
35:36-43:53 You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet! (Alain Renias)
43:53-46:49 Lines of Wellington (Valeria Sarmiento)
47:16-53:27 Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strikland)

53:29-54:45 Close

Read Simon Abrams at Esquire, L Magazine, Slant Magazine, the Village Voice, Vulture, and his own blog, Extended Cut.

Follow Simon on Twitter.

Episode #5 - Bilge Ebiri (Barry Lyndon)

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“I’d like to think while I’m watching a film, I try and approach it on its own terms. I think to myself ‘What is the review this movie wants? And what is the review this movie is going to get?’ But really it’s about asking what is the ideal version of this movie? What is it trying to be and to what extent does it get there?”

            New York Magazine film critic Bilge Ebiri loves films that he can constantly revisit and pry deeper and deeper, so Peter has no problem prying into Bilge’s own head for his conversation on The Cinephiliacs. Bilge talks about his early exposure to the Hollywood New Wave in Turkey as a young boy, and then traces his cinephilia through his desires to trying to become a filmmaker (including working on a film by Nikita Mikhalkov) before finding his voice as a critic. The two then discuss his love of films that indulge their wildest pleasures, some of his favorite auteurs (a list that includes Terrence Malick and Christopher Nolan side by side), and his own feature film, New Guy. Finally, the two dive into the truly daunting task of investigating Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece Barry Lyndon and try and make sense of a film that asks us to identify with “The Past,” yet always undercuts and manifests itself as something even more audacious.

0:00-4:48 Opening / Establishing Shots – Film Vs. Digital

5:04-1:14:17 Deep Focus – Bilge Ebiri

1:15:13-1:45:31 Double Exposure – Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick)

1:45:32-1:47:58 Close / Outtake

Read Bilge Ebiri at They Live By Night, Vulture, New York Magazine, Nashville Scene, Moving Image Source, and IFC.Com.

Order a DVD of New Guy on Amazon, or stream the movie with a subscription to Fandor.

Follow Bilge on Twitter.