Cops on Film!
A new episode looks at the wild and woolly world of law enforcement in movies. Also: some recent work
A while back I recorded a podcast about the portrayal of the police in movies. The idea was that the protests of 2020 opened the possibility of a paradigm shift, and with it, an opportunity to give a fresh look to movies with cops in them. So this podcast explores anew how they function in these films from a cultural, societal, and genre standpoint, reflecting and shaping how we think about life and fiction, justice and storytelling. It’s with a critic I’ve podcasted with before, Nicholas Russell, who’s brilliant here. We look at a number of movies, from Training Day to Minority Report to I don’t know what.
Recently, I also did another interview for the Times. It’s about a new documentary on the 1971 Attica prison uprising and massacre. Come to think of it, this article is also on the theme of social justice.
There’s more to come, as always, so remember to support The Last Thing I Saw by subscribing below so I can put more coins in the podcast jukebox.
Thanks for listening and reading.
Nic
NEW PODCAST NOTES
Some Cop Movies, with Nicholas Russell (Episode 84)
Nicholas Russell is a writer from Las Vegas. He writes a column at Gawker and his work has also been featured in The Believer, Defector, Reverse Shot, and Vulture.
Also of interest:
James Vaughan’s Friends and Strangers is apparently available overseas on MUBI? Any excuse to re-post my chat with him about silent cinema over the summer.
Robert Greene’s incredible film about survivors of abuse, Procession, opens in New York on November 12. I talked with Eric Hynes about it on this episode, available to paid subscribers.
The Beta Test, a lunatic satire of Hollywood agencies, is in theaters. I interviewed directors Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe during Tribeca. Also features a delightful film chat with Bruce Bennett about a Japanese film called Zero Focus, and more.
For more information on the podcast’s opening music by The Minarets (gratefully used with permission):
Follow the band on Instagram
@theminaretsmusic
www.facebook.com/TheMinaretsMusic
MY RECENT WRITING
For The New York Times, I interviewed the director and co-director of a new documentary about the Attica prison uprising, on its 50th anniversary.
I also reviewed an intricately assembled personal documentary by a trans filmmaker reflecting on his sister’s struggles, his Mormon family, and his own journey. It’s called North by Current and is available on PBS.
THIS CRITIC’S PICKS
Delectable selections for home viewing.
Splendor in the Grass (HBO MAX)
The Witches of the Orient (MUBI) - cool sports doc about Japanese volleyball team
THE END
Here I may end with a song.
ABOUT ME
Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw!
Besides this podcast, I’m a writer and an editor. My features, interviews, festival dispatches, and reviews have been published in The New York Times, Sight & Sound, Artforum, Filmmaker, and W Magazine (as well as 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, podcasting, etc.
nicolas.rapold@gmail.com