The Cinephiliacs

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2014 Favorites With Keith Uhlich (Part 2) Jan 09, 2015

Show notes

"Those lacking in imagination take refuge in reality." So speaks the first line to one of the ten eleven films that appear on Part 2 of Peter Labuza and Keith Uhlich's countdown of the best films of 2014. And what better describes their choices than fantastical images—prehistoric beasts, dogs (talking and non-talking), magical lands, and even more magical loves—bringing us closer to truth. From the snowy peaks of Zubrowka, the peaceful beaches off the coast of France, and inside a female uterus, Keith and Peter search for films that transform the way they see the world. The truth can be tough to swallow ("Well that's depressing," as one character might say), but these films make seeing it all the better.

0:00-6:51 Opening / Voicemails6:52-21:54 Picks for #521:55-43:16 Picks for #443:17-1:01:45 Picks for #31:02:44-1:04:12 Mubi Sponsorship - Melancholia1:04:13-1:30:33 Picks for #21:30:34-1:52:51 Picks for #11:52:52-1:56:02 Close / Outtakes

TC - 2014 Favorites With Keith Uhlich (Part 1) Jan 05, 2015

Show notes

Another year, another cinema count down. Despite 2,500 miles between their locations, Peter couldn't resist sitting down Keith Uhlich—now of The AV Club, The L Magazine, and To Be (Cont'd)—to discuss their favorites of the year, so through the power of technology, the virtual balcony is open for this first of two parts. This year's freewheeling discussion takes us from the lore of Macedonia then up cabal cars to the gods of Nepal, the mundane moments of youth to the dystopic futures of simulacra takeover. And yes, even perhaps the realm of television might be crossed, but not without first fueling up on some cocaine from the good doctor. Plus, our favorite repertory picks of the year.

0:00-4:18 Opening Thoughts4:19-22:34 Picks for #1022:35-47:47 Picks for #947:48-1:04:41 Picks for #81:05:28-1:07:02 Mubi Sponsorship - Bluebeard and The Sleeping Beauty1:08:05-1:24:18 Picks for #71:24:19-1:41:39 Picks for #61:41:40-1:56:10 Favorite Repertory Picks1:56:13-1:58:26 Close / Outtakes

TC #51 - Tina Hassannia (You've Got Mail) Dec 22, 2014

Show notes

Up beyond the American border, Toronto based critic Tina Hassianna has formed a necessary voice that manages to combine a formal analysis of great works of American and world cinema with one concerned of how they socially operate. That made her a perfect candidate to write the first English language book examining the work of Iranian director Asgahr Farhadi, which has just been released. For her podcast with Peter, Tina talks about her late entry into the world of film, her interest in oddball works like Gus Van Sant's remake of Psycho, and her many thoughts on the cinema of her home country of Iran and what issues are at stake when Western critics analyze these works. Finally, the two turn back to Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail, which Tina and Peter look at as more than just a 90s romantic comedy, but a formally humorous remake that intelligently analyzes how online personas construct truer selves.

0:00-2:20 Opening3:34-8:49 Establishing Shots - Clint Eastwood's American Sniper9:35-57:34 Deep Focus - Tina Hassania58:29-1:00:43 Mubi Sponsorship - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!1:02:09-1:24:04 Double Exposure - You've Got Mail (Nora Ephron)1:24:08-1:26:07 Close / Outtakes

TC #50 - Mike D'Angelo (Buffalo '66) Dec 08, 2014

Show notes

Before film criticism and cinephilia moved from print and theaters to the screen and discussion boards, Mike D'Angelo was already there forming its basis for a serious minded engagement with movies. Mike sits down for this 50th episode of The Cinephiliacs to discuss his original path as a screenwriter and an actor, how he moved from an online phenomenon to a full time film critic, and the way the Internet helped in shaping his uniquely crafted voice. Peter also talks with Mike on his walk out policy, his obsession with puzzlebox movies, and the importance of rhythm in cinema. Finally, they look at one of the strangest American indies of recent memory—Vincent Gallo's Buffalo '66—and how the director-star constantly surprises by both engaging and then breaking with indie conventions.

0:00-2:29 Open3:53-8:32 Establishing Shots - Robert Greene's Actress9:18-1:07:04 Deep Focus - Mike D'Angelo1:07:54-1:09:36 Mubi Sponsorship - Edvard Munch1:10:53-1:31:03 Double Exposure - Buffalo '66 (Vincent Gallo)1:31:08-1:33:28 Close / Outtakes

TC #49 - Kim Morgan (Something Wild) Nov 24, 2014

Show notes

Kim Morgan talks straight. There's a directness in what she describes—about the way actors move, about what directors do with the camera, about sex, about gender, about everything. So in her interview with Peter, the blogger, critic, and programmer talks about her first love of movies through Raoul Walsh's High Sierra, her take on the strange sunny world that is Los Angeles, and her programming for the Telluride Film Festival alongside filmmaker Guy Maddin. The conversation also covers many of Kim's great movie loves: Irreversible, the tough worlds of Von Trier and Polanski, the delightful one of Pre-Codes, and especially Marilyn Monroe. Finally, the two sit down with Jack Garfien's Something Wild, a radical independent film starring Carroll Baker and Ralph Meeker that tackles the subject of rape trauma through a mix of hard hitting realism and psychological surrealism.

0:00-1:48 Opening2:50-7:49 Establishing Shots - Lav Diaz's From What Is Before8:33-55:14 Deep Focus - Kim Morgan56:01-57:35 Mubi Sponsorship - Camille Claudel, 191559:33-1:15:41 Double Exposure - Something Wild (Jack Garfien)1:15:44-1:17:23 Close

TC #48 - Alex Ross Perry (Husbands and Wives) Nov 10, 2014

Show notes

When most directors talk about the films that influence their work, they might mention one of two obvious citations. For writer-director Alex Ross Perry, there are literally hundreds that can range all over the history of movies. The director of Impolex, The Color Wheel, and his audacious new film, Listen Up Philip, comes on the show to discuss his work ethic, his rounds on the repertory scene, and his breakthrough onto the growing microbudget cinema. Alex talks about the making of his three features and their roles in forming an alternative to mainstream independent cinema, and how breaking traditional models has led him to the most fruitful of territory. Finally, Alex discusses one of the major influences on Listen Up Philip—Woody Allen's anti-Woody Allen film Husbands and Wives. The two discuss how the aesthetic choices made here are radically thrilling in a way rarely shown otherwise by the director, or any filmmaker for that matter.

0:00-2:10 Opening2:54-9:45 Establishing Shots - People's Park / Approaching The End10:29-1:13:00 Deep Focus - Alex Ross Perry1:13:59-1:15:37 Mubi Sponsorship - The Color Wheel and Wuthering Heights1:16:50-1:35:51 Double Exposure - Husbands and Wives (Woody Allen)1:35:55-1:37:48 Close / Outtakes

TC #47 - Angela Catalano (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) Oct 27, 2014

Show notes

If movie theaters are dying and 35mm is turning into a rarity, it's great to know that there are resistance fighters like Angela Catalano, who along with Travis Bird, founded a repertory cinema in New Orleans, Louisiana. Peter sits down with the co-founder of Shotgun Cinema to discuss her original passion for cinephilia in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and her work as the program manager for the city's regional film festival. We also talk about the challenges and pleasures of repertory programming in a city in a changing Hollywood landscape, and the influence of tax breaks in New Orleans's cinema culture. Finally, they discuss The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a perfect horror movie—perhaps because it's completely unaware of any horror tropes.

0:00-2:14 Opening3:03-7:22 Establishing Shots - The Color of Pomegranates8:05-54:20 Deep Focus - Angela Catalano55:02-56:32 Mubi Sponsorship - Hatchet for the Honeymoon57:55-1:15:59 Double Exposure - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper)1:16:02-1:17:41 Close

TC #46 - Karina Longworth (Wanda) Sep 22, 2014

Show notes

Peter doesn't listen to many other film podcasts, but one of his joys this year has been the transporting mysteries of You Must Remember This, hosted by former LA Weekly critic Karina Longworth. Karina discusses how her interest in writing about Hollywood's golden era brought her from the throes of academic writing to the world of online film writing and finally to her new podcast. The two also discuss her books on the careers on Al Pacino and Meryl Street, and her latest text, Hollywood Frame by Frame, which investigates the ins and outs of contact sheets. Finally, the two examine Barbara Loden's singular feminist triumph, Wanda, and how this tragic film explores the psychology of an "ordinary woman." Plus, an brief on the rarities from this year's CineCon, including films by John Ford and Allan Dwan.

0:00-1:50 Opening2:45-7:18 Establishing Shots - CineCon8:04-53:50 Deep Focus - Karina Longworth57:03-1:10:00 Double Exposure - Wanda (Barbara Loden)1:10:03-1:11:41 Close

TC #45 - Stephanie Zacharek (Having A Wild Weekend) Aug 25, 2014

Show notes

It often seems like writing for a large general audience and maintaining an idiosyncratic voice could be on polar opposite planes, but Village Voice critic Stephanize Zacharek has proven for many years they go hand-in-hand. In his final New York episode, Peter sits down with Stephanie to discuss her origins as a writer and learning from Pauline Kael, her entrance into the online world with Salon.Com and the challenges Internet criticism faces, as well as her interests in keeping up with contemporary film in each little aspect. Finally, the two dive into the Dave Clark Five movie, Having A Wild Weekend, and look at its success as a post-Beatles film that happens to critique its culture as much as celebrate.

0:00-3:10 Opening / Location Announcement3:52-9:38 Establishing Shots - Chris Marker's Level Five10:23-50:00 Deep Focus - Stephanie Zacharek52:46-1:10:50 Double Exposure - Having A Wild Weekend (John Boorman)1:10:54-1:12:33 Close

TC #44 - Gabe Klinger (The Bowery) Aug 11, 2014

Show notes

Critic, programmer, and teacher Gabe Klinger isn't interested in what we know about the movies—his journey has been fueled by searching beyond the even the outskirts of the canon to many of the far reaches of cinephilia, bringing those films to light by any means necessary. In his interview with Peter, Gabe discusses his origins as a cinephile in Barcelona, his work as a programmer at a young age in Chicago, and the current state of the world film festival environment. They also discuss two major accomplishments: his co-edited volume on filmmaker Joe Dante and Double Play, a documentary that follows directors Richard Linklater and James Benning, finding the uncommon links between them. Finally, the two examine The Bowery, Raoul Walsh's pre-code historical comedy, and the unique similarities it shares between a 1900 actuality called Namo Village, which was shot in Indochina.

0:00-1:47 Opening2:57-8:27 Establishing Shots - The Lovers on The Bridge9:12-1:07:20 Deep Focus - Gabe Klinger1:10:06-1:29:11 Double Exposure - The Bowery (Raoul Walsh) with Namo Village (Gabriel Veyre)1:29:15-1:30:53 Close

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