Dear Last Thing I Sawfolk,
I’ve been escaping the drumbeat of awful news (No Kings protests being the hopeful exception) by going to the movies. A big help lately has been a terrific Mikio Naruse retrospective. I first encountered Naruse’s work at a Film Forum retro in 2005, and this summer, Japan Society and Metrograph have brought this essential figure of Japanese cinema back to screens. So for the latest episode, I spoke with the Metrograph programmer and past Last Thing I Saw guest Edo Choi about Naruse’s films.
Before that, I was delighted as always to have Michael Koresky on the podcast to talk about his latest book, which, as he explains, has some roots in a column he wrote when we worked together at Film Comment. You can also watch movies he’s programming at Criterion Channel. And read his previous book, Films of Endearment, if you haven’t already!
Plus the usual links to my latest work and to some movies.
Thanks for listening, and keep spreading the word!
Nic
THE PODCAST
[To play each episode, click the episode title, or click in the player below. Or find The Last Thing I Saw elsewhere...]
Ep. 328: Michael Koresky on his new book Sick and Dirty about queer cinema and Hollywood censorship
Ep. 329: Edo Choi on Mikio Naruse at Metrograph: When a Woman Ascends the Stairs and more
Episodes of The Last Thing I Saw are available at many other podcast places.
RECENT WORK
One of my favorite movies at Cannes was The Sound of Falling, and I was lucky enough to interview the director Mascha Schilinski, who went on to win (or co-win) the Jury Prize.
I also interviewed the director of Imago, winner of best documentary at Cannes, Deni Oumar Pitsaev, a pleasure to speak with.
My latest review at The New York Times was a rather odd movie called Sunlight but I had to give them some credit for committing to the bit.
THIS CRITIC’S PICKS
Films by Mikio Naruse (Criterion) For those not in New York for the Naruse retrospective discussed on the podcast, here’s a good selection of his movies!
Sharmila Tagore, Wes Anderson, and film conservationist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur on Satyajit Ray (YouTube)
None Shall Escape (Criterion)
Misericordia (Criterion)
Cinemania (Le Cinema Club)
THE END
Here I may end with a song.
Sly Stone, R.I.P.
ABOUT ME
Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw! I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. You can get in touch re: writing, editing, programming, moderating, podcasting, etc. at
nicolas.rapold[at]gmail.com
Besides hosting the podcast, I’m a writer, editor, and programmer. My features, interviews, festival reports, and reviews are published in The New York Times, Screen Slate, Sight & Sound, Filmmaker, Air Mail, The Financial Times, and W Magazine. (Dearly departed publications include The Village Voice, Stop Smiling, The New York Sun, and The L Magazine.) I’m also proud of the film series and one-offs I’ve programmed, revivals and premieres, so do drop me a line if you’d like to collaborate.
Editorially speaking, I worked as editor-in-chief of Film Comment magazine, where I was for 15 years in all. I assigned and edited both web and print, hosted The Film Comment Podcast and Talks, curated and hosted Film Comment Selects screenings, learned from brilliant writers, and wrote a lot, including interviews with Spike Lee, Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Pedro Costa, and Frederick Wiseman. Film Comment received the Film Heritage Award from the National Society of Film Critics.
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