Episode #12 - Kevin B. Lee (Slacker)

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"For me, it's been parachuting into a film, looking at everything that's been said about it, and trying to synthesize understanding of it from that...But I really want to establish a personal voice and a personal stake in the films that I'm talking about."

When Peter sat down to do a video essay on his own a few years back, he primarly studied and examined the work of Kevin B. Lee. Luckily, Peter has gotten to know Kevin, and was thankful to sit him down for a podcast while in Chicago last month. Kevin explains his long winded path into filmmaking and finally film criticism. The two discuss the art and process of making video essays, the importance and frustrations with film canons, and his work in highlighting the work of independent Chinese filmmakers. Finally, they open up a can of worms with Richard Linklater's Slacker, a film Kevin describes as similar to today's Facebook and Twitter feeds.

0:00-1:20 Opening

1:20-4:22 Establishing Shots - Side Effects

5:20-1:14:10 Deep Focus - Kevin B. Lee

1:15:33-1:45:12 Double Exposure - Slacker (Richard Linklater)

1:45:13-1:48:57 Trivia Round, Close, and Outtake

Read and watch Kevin B. Lee's work on Press Play, Fandor, Shooting Down Pictures, Sight & Sound, and Moving Image Source.

Follow Kevin on Twitter.

Episode #11 - Keith Phipps (Petulia)

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"I've always had the Ebert attitude: movies are movies, and they're for everyone."

One of the New Year's Resolutions for The Cinephiliacs this year is to explore the world of cinephiles outside of New York, so Peter decided to make a trip to Chicago to interview the windy city's best and brightest. First up: Keith Phipps, the former head of the pop culture monster The A.V. Club. Keith describes his movement from graduate school to VHS junkie at a local video store in Madison. The two then discuss the world of the AV Club, as well as Keith's own interest in road trip movies and James Bond. Finally, they close out the show with a discussion of a Richard Lester film that doesn't star The Beatles—Petulia, which might actually be the truer landmark of the 1960s.

0:00-1:23 Opening

1:23-6:07 Establishing Shots - Jackie Brown

6:24-44:10 Deep Focus - Keith Phipps

45:21-1:09:20 Double Exposure - Petulia (Richard Lester)

1:09:20-1:13:01 Trivia Round, Close, and Outtake

Read Keith Phipps's work on The AV Club, Slate Magazine, Time Out Chicago, and his Tumblr.

Follow Keith on Twitter.