Celebrating a Century of The Last Thing I Saw
The podcast turns 100! Secrets of cinema from Berlin! Maggie Gyllenhaal speaks!
Dear Last Thing I Saw fans,
It’s been one thing after another the past few weeks, what with covering the Berlin film festival as well as the remainder of Sundance. I’ve been so busy that I haven’t had time to observe a lovely little milestone of The Last Thing I Saw: the 100th episode! Yes, it’s true, I’ve been gabbing about movies for 100 years now, and I’ve commemorated it with the customary sky-writing in six participating cities (though it may have faded by the time you receive this owing to gusty winds and wintry mixes).
It’s been a pleasure and a privilege chatting with the wonderful critics and filmmakers who have shared their wisdom on The Last Thing I Saw. My thanks to everyone for listening and to all of the supporters of The Last Thing I Saw. I hope you’ve enjoyed what happily turned out to be the 100th episode, an interview with Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose slipstreaming directorial debut, The Lost Daughter, stars Olivia Colman as a professor reflecting upon her life whilst on a rather drama-filled vacation in Greece. She’s received an Oscar nomination for adapting its screenplay from Elena Ferrante’s book—a process she talks about on the episode.
I’ve also shared the latest from the Berlin International Film Festival, including new films by the great Claire Denis and Ulrich Seidl, along with strange and wondrous finds. Eagle-eyed listeners (eagle-eared?) may have noticed that there was one more Sundance episode in store, and I’ve shared that below too, a packed selection with programmer Jessica Green.
What else, what else. There’s picks and the writing, always the writing—some selections shared below, featuring the beloved Automat restaurant chain and a Russian assassination attempt on a political leader.
As ever, The Last Thing I Saw runs on your support, so share or grab the special offer below for immortal glory.
Yours sincerely,
Nic
NEW PODCAST NOTES
Ep. 100: Maggie Gyllenhaal on The Lost Daughter
Maggie Gyllenhaal is the director of The Lost Daughter and has starred in many films from Secretary to The Dark Knight, and the HBO series The Deuce.
Ep. 101: Sundance 2022 #7 with Jessica Green (Mija, Alice, God’s Country, Framing Agnes)
Jessica Green is artistic director of the Houston Cinema Arts Society and also programs independent projects.
Ep. 102: Berlin #1 with Jonathan Romney (Fire, Rimini, Incredible But True, Passengers of the Night, See You Friday, Robinson)
Jonathan Romney is a critic and curator who writes for Screen Daily, Sight & Sound, The Observer, and other publications, and teaches at the National Film and Television School.
Ep. 103: Berlin #2 with Guy Lodge (Flux Gourmet, Robe of Gems, Small Slow But Steady, Brother in Every Inch)
Guy Lodge is chief UK film critic for Variety and an Observer film columnist.
Ep. 104: Berlin #3 with Jordan Cronk (The Novelist’s Film, Afterwater, Coma, James Benning, Denis Côté)
Jordan Cronk is a critic and programmer based in Los Angeles. He runs Acropolis Cinema and is co-director of the Locarno in Los Angeles film festival.
For more information on the podcast’s new opening music by The Minarets (gratefully used with permission), follow the band on Instagram
@theminaretsmusic
RECENT WRITING
A highlight of the year so far was talking about automats for The New York Times. I spoke with Lisa Hurwitz about her new documentary on the beloved restaurant chain, now showing at Film Forum.
For Sight & Sound, I reviewed an often incredible documentary about Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. In surely one of the great suspenseful phone calls—a game of cat-and-mouse—he investigates the Russian attempt to poison him.
THIS CRITIC’S PICKS
Delectable selections for home viewing.
Mr. Bachmann and His Class (MUBI)
The Monopoly of Violence (MUBI)
Written on the Wind (Criterion)
THE END
Here I may end with a song.
ABOUT ME
Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw! Nicolas Rapold speaking.
Besides hosting this podcast, I’m a writer and an editor. My features, interviews, festival dispatches, and reviews are published in The New York Times, Sight & Sound, Artforum, Filmmaker, and W Magazine (and appeared in dearly departed publications such as The Village Voice, Stop Smiling, The New York Sun, and The L Magazine).
I worked as editor-in-chief of Film Comment, where I was for 15 years. I assigned and edited both the web and print editorial, hosted its podcast and talks and screenings, learned from brilliant writers, curated Film Comment Selects, and wrote a lot, including interviews with Spike Lee, Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, and Frederick Wiseman. Film Comment was subsequently awarded the Film Heritage Award by the National Society of Film Critics (an honor historically awarded to the Museum of Modern Art and other institutions).
Feel free to get in touch re: writing, editing, moderating, programming, podcasting, etc.
nicolas.rapold@gmail.com