Episode #81 - Emily Carman (The Misfits)

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"It's important to be reflexive about the archives and materials you have to work with when writing film history."

If you know a bit about Classical Hollywood, you probably know that as much as the stars of the 1930s showed glitz and glamour on screen, they were often slaves to the whims of the studios that owned them. Or did they? Emily Carman of Chapman University joins Peter to discuss her book, Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System, which explores the legal contracts behind stars like Carole Lombard and Irene Dunne, who were able to find control over the films and public image they made in an unprecedented matter decades before the independent takeover. Emily also discusses the importance of thinking about archives in film research, the tactile nature of film studies, and rethinking how to approach a feminist film history. Finally, Emily brings her knowledge of the city of Reno to a discussion of John Huston's The Misfits, a film with stars morbidly moving through a dying space that Peter declares it "the death of classical cinema."

0:00-3:53 Opening
4:42-10:54 Establishing Shots — Tsai Ming-Liang's Goodbye Dragon Inn

11:40-1:14:57 Deep Focus — Emily Carman

1:15:46-1:20:30 Sponsorship Section

1:21:45-1:43:15 Double Exposure — The Misfits (John Huston)

1:43:20-1:45:15 Close // Outtake

2015 Favorites With Keith Uhlich (Part 1)

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Another year of movies, another countdown. In this 2015 iteration of The Cinephiliacs countdown, Keith Uhlich once again joins Peter on a cinematic odyssey from big screens and small ones, as well as streaming services even beyond the States. A diverse group of films define this year's crop: things that push the boundaries of digital cinema to the absolute mainstream of Hollywood, new spins on old hat genres, and and new tales from around the world finally given voices. But as it turns out, whatever the story, it's the technique that centers these films: shot-reverse shot, breathtaking long takes, smartly composed compositions, and a deep commitment to humanity. Part II will be up Friday, January 8th.

0:00-7:20 Opening
7:20-33:15 Choices for #10
33:15-47:40 Choices for #9
47:40-1:05:25 Choices for #8

1:067:14-1:09:36 Mubi Sponsorship and Garrel Giveaway
1:10:14-1:29:54 Choices for #7
1:29:54-1:43:40 Choices for #6
1:52:52-2:08:32 Favorite Discoveries of the Year

2:08:35-2:09:56 Close

Read Keith Uhlich at The Hollywood Reporter and Mubi. 

Episode #37 - Carrie Rickey (Clueless)

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"I love engaging the audience, and the Internet gives you the ability to do that."

From Los Angeles to New York, Carrie Rickey spent many of her years during the heyday of the Golden Age of Film Criticism, writing about some of the truly great movies as they were released, before moving cities for the Philadelphia Inquirer. No longer working the daily beat, Carrie found time in her busy schedule to sit down with Peter for a chat about her training under Manny Farber, that infamous Heaven's Gate screening, and her various pieces and pursuits in examining women and women's cinema. Finally, the two get like totally on board with Amy Heckerling's Clueless, which like is for sure Frank Tashlin except given this sweet makeover.

0:00-1:12 Opening 

1:47-10:19 Establishing Shots - East Asia Films At Tribeca / Donations

11:02-56:25 Deep Focus - Carrie Rickey

57:58-1:13:03 Double Exposure - Clueless (Amy Heckerling)

1:14:06-1:15:56 Close / Outtake

Read Carrie Rickey at her website.
Follow Carrie on Twitter.

Special Episode - The 51st New York Film Festival #2 (Monica Castillo)

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Much of the fun of a festival like the New York Film Festival is experiencing the works of major auteurs from the front lines, but it's also about finding something small, unique, and truly exciting. For this second podcast report from the preeminent Manhattan film festival, Boston film critic Monica Castillo tracks her way down to coast to join Peter for another week through the festival, including the US premiere of the latest film from the Coen brothers, Inside Llewyn Davis. But beyond mellow 60s folk rock, there's surrealism in Taipei with the latest of Tsai Ming-Liang, melancholic love with Philipe Garrel, and another comedic head-scratcher from Romania. All this and more as NYFF continues its 51st run.

0:00-1:54 Opening 

3:00-12:39 The Coens' Inside Llewyn Davis
13:38-23:30 Joanna Hogg's Exhibition
24:24-32:13 Corneliu Porumboiu's When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism
33:31-41:33 Phillipe Garrel's Le Jealosie
43:05-1:01:05 Tsai Ming-Liang's Stray Dogs

1:01:06-1:02:48 Close

Read Monica Castillo's work on Dig Boston, Bitch Magazine, The Phoenix. Hear her on Film Geek Radio.

Follow Monica on Twitter.