The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Quiet and Other Tales
More spirited discussion of Sundance movies worth knowing about, including Judas and the Black Messiah (opening this week) and a curious Gijón comedy
It’s been a while since I attempted a daily (or semi-daily) journal on the podcast, and this year’s virtual Sundance provided an excellent opportunity to undertake this folly. With the help of game guests, the conversations—six in all—turned out well, as we sorted through highlights like Summer of Soul (a genuine pleasure) and grappled with general issues raised by some of the films and by festival coverage itself . The remaining podcast episodes are all detailed below, including another conversation with Amy Taubin, who has an unmissable story to tell…
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NEW PODCAST NOTES
Sundance #5 with Amy Taubin
Judas and the Black Messiah, the story of Black Panther Fred Hampton’s betrayal; gripping California wildfire documentary Bring Your Own Brigade; Would You Rather, a discovery in the episodic series section; and Summer Soul (along with Amy’s excellent reason for missing the concert in 1969). Featuring the one and only Amy Taubin who will be writing about Sundance for Artforum
Sundance #4 with Jessica Kiang
Ana Katz’s small miracle spanning years in under 75 minutes, The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be Quiet; the Sparks documentary; and harrowing ISIS slavery documentary Sabaya. Featuring critic Jessica Kiang (Variety, The Playlist), veteran reviewer at festivals
Sundance #3 with Beatrice Loayza
Ben Wheatley’s sylvan thriller In the Earth, 1980s throwback Censor, A Glitch in the Matrix (from the director of Room 237), and Amalia Ulman’s delightful mother-daughter story El Planeta. Featuring critic Beatrice Loayza, a regular guest who just started contributing to The New York Times
Sundance #2 with Eric Hynes and Nicholas Russell
Werewolf thriller / costume drama Eight for Silver; Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut Passing with Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga; and the tricky nuances of criticism and reception during festivals. Featuring stalwart Eric Hynes (Curator of Film, Museum of the Moving Image; contributor, Reverse Shot) and Nicholas Russell (Reverse Shot). Eric joined me on a previous dispatch (Sundance #1) and Nicholas last featured in our Small Axe discussion.
THIS CRITIC’S PICKS
Smooth Talk (Criterion Collection)
1900 (Amazon)
Mandabi (Criterion Collection)
Eve’s Bayou (Amazon)
Night Tide (Shudder)
Chewing Gum (HBO MAX)
THE END
Here I might end with a song.
ABOUT ME
Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw newsletter and podcast (one of Sight & Sound’s Top Ten Film Podcasts). This is my way of staying in touch and sharing what I’ve been up to. By way of introduction, I’m a writer and an editor. I’ve worked as the editor-in-chief of Film Comment, where I assigned and edited both web and print, hosted its podcast and talks and screenings, learned from brilliant writers, curated Film Comment Selects, and wrote a lot myself. My features, interviews, and reviews have also been published in The New York Times, Artforum, Sight & Sound, and dearly departed publications such as The Village Voice, Stop Smiling, The New York Sun, and The L Magazine.
I miss going out to the movies, especially repertory cinemas, and milling about and chatting, and so the natural response is to inflict a podcast on friends and strangers alike.
As always, feel free to contact me re: writing, editing, moderating, podcasting, etc.
nicolas.rapold@gmail.com