The Batwoman and Her Story! Plus: new episodes of the podcast
The recently restored 1968 adventure from Mexico and its delightful story. Plus new episodes, a new wave of Ukraine documentary, and more
Dear Last Thing I Sawfolk,
I’m lucky to write about a wide variety of movies—new films from Hamaguchi and Fincher, bold documentaries about Ukraine, a sci-fi studio blockbuster, the brilliant filmmaking collective Soda Jerk. An especially fun example this week is... The Batwoman! It’s a recently restored 1968 film from Mexico—read all about it here, including quotes from the irrepressible star.
I’m also sharing two new episodes of the podcast, which feature movies that will open this fall and some that aren’t opening but should. Errol Morris, Patricia Arquette, Alexander Payne, Cord Jefferson, and more. Stay tuned for the next episode, on a different subject dear to my heart.
Thank you as ever to all the supporters of The Last Thing I Saw!
Sincerely,
Nic
THE PODCAST
Eric Hynes on The Pigeon Tunnel, The Holdovers, The Peasants, Gonzo Girl (Toronto)
Beatrice Loayza on The Teachers’ Lounge, Michel Franco’s Memory, Arthur & Diana, Wavelengths shorts (Toronto)
Episodes of The Last Thing I Saw are also available at other podcast places such as Spotify.
RECENT WORK
For The New York Times, I wrote about the 1968 movie The Batwoman, of course. Loads of fun—it’s one of several recent fine restorations of Mexican films. Featuring quotes from the film’s star, Maura Monti!
My latest piece for The Financial Times discusses a few recent documentaries about Ukraine and the Russian invasion. Highlights include 20 Days in Mariupol, Ukraine’s candidate for the Best International Feature Oscar nomination, and In the Rearview, with quotes from the directors.
And also for The New York Times, I reviewed The Creator, an AI adventure starring John David Washington and directed by Gareth Edwards. There are neat things in this movie, but overall... nope.
THIS CRITIC’S PICKS
In the Mouth of Madness (Criterion)
Red Angel (MUBI) Masumura!
The Day of the Jackal (Amazon)
The Prison in 12 Landscapes (Metrograph)
Cure (Criterion)
THE END
Here I may end with a song.
ABOUT ME
Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw! I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. Feel free to get in touch re: writing, editing, moderating, programming, podcasting, etc.
nicolas.rapold [at] gmail.com
Besides hosting the podcast, I’m a writer and an editor. My features, interviews, festival reports, and reviews are published in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, Screen Slate, Sight & Sound, Filmmaker, The Financial Times, Air Mail, and W Magazine. (Plus, in the past, dearly departed publications such as The Village Voice, Stop Smiling, The New York Sun, and The L Magazine.) For notes on my superfun programming experience, drop me a line.
On the editorial side, 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.