Criterion Reflections
132 episodes - English - Latest episode: 21 days ago - ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsA journey in time through the films of the Criterion Collection.
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Episodes
Criterion Reflections – Episode 144 – Mel Stuart’s Wattstax
April 06, 2024 13:40 - 87.7 MBDavid is joined by Richard Doyle and first-time guest James Merritt to talk about this engaging concert/documentary featuring Isaac Hayes, Richard Pryor, The Staples Singers, and an all-star cast of Black musical artists that performed at the LA Coliseum in August 1972.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 143 – Fernando Di Leo’s The Boss
March 08, 2024 22:48 - 34.7 MBDavid is joined by Richard Doyle as they dive into the mafia-infused milieu of Italian poliziotteschi cinema via this trilogy-concluding whirlwind of mayhem, betrayal, and revenge.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 142 – Luchino Visconti’s Ludwig
February 07, 2024 01:19 - 90.7 MBDavid provides a video overview of Visconti's maligned late career masterwork and extends his coverage in a conversation with Brad McDermott
Criterion Reflections – Episode 141 – Roberto Rossellini’s The Age of the Medici
January 16, 2024 13:22 - 14.5 MBDavid revisits the TV miniseries that attempts to recreate the cultural milieu of 15th century Florence in this first episode of Season 5: 1973.
Criterion Reflections – Intro to Season 5: 1973
January 13, 2024 21:07 image/pngA brief video introducing the newest phase of my long-running project to review every Criterion film in chronological order of original theatrical release!
Criterion Reflections – Episode 140 – Costa-Gavras’ State of Siege
December 02, 2023 21:35 - 56.8 MBWe wrap up Season 4: 1972 by discussing a film portraying the grinding conflicts and ruthless power plays between oppressive governments and desperate insurgencies.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 139 – Ingmar Bergman’s Cries and Whispers
October 21, 2023 11:00 - 89.4 MBDavid and guests discuss the strengths and liabilities of Bergman's remarkable comeback to arthouse preeminence in this Oscar-winning symphony of suffering.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 138 – Melvin Van Peebles’ Don’t Play Us Cheap
September 22, 2023 11:14 - 92.5 MBDavid is joined by Richard Doyle and a first-time guest, actor/filmmaker Aaron Strand, to discuss this film adaptation of a barrier-breaking Broadway musical.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 137 – Hanzo the Razor
August 31, 2023 01:00 - 69.8 MBWe discuss Shintaro Katsu's "life after Zatoichi" project, three films about a principled cop in Edo-era Japan, renowned for his fighting skills and infamous interrogation techniques.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 136 – Brian De Palma’s Sisters
June 27, 2023 11:20 - 100 MBDavid dissects Brian De Palma's breakout thriller with Richard Doyle and first-time guest Robert Baum.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 135 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day
April 25, 2023 12:12 - 121 MBDavid and his ensemble gather 'round the table to enjoy and engage with Fassbinder's winsome series about family life and the German working class.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 134 – Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris
March 25, 2023 20:15 - 123 MBDavid and guests share their thoughts on this sensational, scandalous landmark film from 1972 that still stirs up strong reactions today.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 133 – Bob Rafelson’s The King of Marvin Gardens
March 04, 2023 16:03 - 48.2 MBDavid is joined by Richard Doyle to discuss the final feature film in Criterion's America Lost and Found: The BBS Story box set.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 132 – Éric Rohmer’s Love in the Afternoon
February 22, 2023 16:40 - 49.9 MBDavid is joined by Matthew Gasteier to talk about the final installment of Rohmer's film series Six Moral Tales.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 131 – Luis Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
January 19, 2023 14:00 - 97.9 MBDavid is joined by Derek Power, Travis Trudell, Brad McDermott and Dave Eves in a series of 1:1 chats about Bunuel's magnificent and delectable chef d'oeuvre from late in his career.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 130 – Martin Ritt’s Sounder
December 04, 2022 03:10 - 79.8 MBThis adaptation of a youth fiction classic earned 4 Oscar nominations, popular acclaim and some critical backlash. We discuss all that, and also share our reactions to the new Sight and Sound list.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 129 – Shintaro Katsu’s Zatoichi in Desperation
November 19, 2022 20:11 - 53.9 MBThe 24th film in the series finds the Blind Swordsman venturing down the bleakest and most nihilistic pathways. Zatoichi gets no darker than this!
Criterion Reflections – Episode 128 – Wes Craven’s The Last House on the Left
November 09, 2022 12:35 - 62.7 MBWe discuss this infamous and polarizing film in which Krug and company commit sex crimes of the century that inevitably lead them to a brutal night of vengeance.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 127 – William Crain’s Blacula
October 27, 2022 13:00 - 51.6 MBDavid is joined by Aaron West from Criterion Now to discuss this blaxploitation/horror mash-up from July 1972.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 126 – Late July 1972
October 14, 2022 12:00 - 72.7 MBFilms discussed include GREASER'S PALACE, CIAO! MANHATTAN and BONE - all streaming on the Criterion Channel.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 125 – Pier Paolo Pasolini’s The Canterbury Tales
September 12, 2022 11:36 - 73.9 MBDavid and guests discuss the middle installment of Pasolinin's Trilogy of Life, an adaptation of the bawdiest chapters in Geoffrey Chaucer's classic medieval text.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 124 – Ronald Neame’s The Poseidon Adventure
August 14, 2022 11:46 - 52.6 MBDavid and guests take a deep dive into this massively successful and influential disaster-movie blockbuster that established genre standards for the decades that followed.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 123 – James Ivory’s Savages
August 09, 2022 16:22 - 66.3 MBDaisuke Beppu, Robert Taylor and Richard Doyle join David to discuss this strange diversion from the usual form that made Merchant Ivory Productions an Oscar-winning powerhouse in 80s and 90s cinema.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 122 – Alan Gibson’s Dracula A.D. 1972
June 30, 2022 12:20 - 53.6 MBWe discuss a late entry in Hammer Films' Dracula series at a time when the beloved studio's reign of terror perilously approached the breaking dawn of a new era in cinematic horror.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 121 – Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
June 22, 2022 11:59 - 85.9 MBDavid and guests discuss Fassbinder's emotionally intense and visually compelling chamber piece, exquisitely crafted and impeccably performed, a superb artistic achievement for everyone involved.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 120 – Larry Hagman’s Beware! The Blob
May 20, 2022 12:00 - 47.1 MBDavid and guests discuss this mixed bag of schlock comedy, drippy sci-fi, goopy horror and vintage early 70s kitsch. Don't say we didn't warn you!
Criterion Reflections – Episode 119 – Gordon Parks’ Shaft’s Big Score!
May 11, 2022 11:54 - 52.7 MBDavid and guests talk about the second installment in the SHAFT franchise and also discuss TOP OF THE HEAP, both currently featured in the Criterion Channel's "Beyond Blaxploitation" bundle.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 118 – Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon
April 16, 2022 19:01 - 83.8 MBDavid is joined by Michael Worth and Richard Doyle to talk about the last film Bruce Lee starred in during his lifetime, his only directorial effort, the climactic battle with Chuck Norris, and more!
Criterion Reflections – Episode 117 – Michael Campus’s Z.P.G. and George A. Romero’s Hungry Wives a.k.a. Season of the Witch
March 28, 2022 12:00 - 52.1 MBTwo obscure genre flicks from May 1972 that were given brief limited runs on the Criterion Channel are the focus of this episode.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 116 – Jacques Demy’s The Pied Piper
March 10, 2022 15:21 - 67.3 MBCome listen and be entranced by our enchanted conversation about this overlooked folk horror fairy tale set in the tragic era of the Black Death.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 115 – Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy
February 22, 2022 13:15 - 61.1 MBDavid and guests discuss the delightful flavors and occasional bad taste of Hitchcock's penultimate film, a debate that ends in a tie.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 114 – Roberto Rossellini’s Blaise Pascal
February 14, 2022 14:00 - 47.4 MBRossellini's distinctive approach to portraying history on film focuses on the French polymath, a innovative genius in mathematics, science and philosophy.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 113 – John Huston’s Fat City
February 09, 2022 13:00 - 42 MBStacy Keach, Jeff Bridges and Susan Tyrell star in this remarkable adaptation of Leonard Gardner's classic novel set in the riff-raff boxing milieu of Stockton, California.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 112 – Peter Medak’s The Ruling Class
February 03, 2022 13:01 - 40 MBIn this barbed satire of aristocratic elites, Peter O'Toole's manic pivot from beatific flower child to merciless killer ranks as one of his greatest on-screen roles.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 111 – Maurice Pialat’s We Won’t Grow Old Together
January 17, 2022 14:39 - 51.5 MBPialat's second feature film won a Best Actor award at Cannes in 1972 for its portrayal of the terminal phase of a doomed and codependent love affair.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 110 – Robert Altman’s Images
January 04, 2022 22:49 - 50.6 MBDavid is joined by Brad McDermott to talk about Robert Altman's overlooked excursion into psychological horror, featuring an award-winning lead performance by Susannah York.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 109 – Lone Wolf and Cub [Part 2]
November 30, 2021 14:00 - 82.4 MBThis episode covers the last three films in this classic series: Baby Cart in Peril, Baby Cart in the Land of Demons and White Heaven in Hell.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 108 – Kenji Misumi’s Lone Wolf and Cub [Part 1]
November 18, 2021 12:51 - 82.6 MBDavid and guests embark on the demon path to hell as they discuss the first three films (and Shogun Assassin too!) in this classic saga of ronin & child in feudal Japan.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 107 – Jean-Luc Godard & Jean-Pierre Gorin’s Tout va bien / Letter to Jane
October 20, 2021 22:15 - 99.8 MBDavid wraps up his miniseries on Godard as he and his guests interrogate JLG's final collaborations with Jean-Pierre Gorin as part of the Dziga Vertov Group.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 106 – Godard 68/71
October 06, 2021 11:32 - 108 MBDavid is joined by Jon Laubinger to discuss Le gai savoir and the Arrow box "Godard + Gorin: Five Films 1968-1971", released during Godard's period of politically-charged cinema as a member of the Dziga Vertov Group.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 105 – Godard 66/67
September 21, 2021 11:12 - 87.9 MBDavid is joined by Jon Laubinger to discuss MADE IN U.S.A., 2 OR THREE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT HER, LA CHINOISE and WEEKEND, four films that marked the end of the nouvelle vague phase of Jean-Luc Godard's filmography.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 104 – Massimo Dallamano’s What Have You Done to Solange?
September 03, 2021 12:45 - 29.4 MBListen in as David makes his tentative entry into the seductive and traumatizing milieu of giallo cinema, ushered in by guests much more experienced in this realm.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 103 – Lo Wei’s Fist of Fury
August 14, 2021 22:05 - 64.2 MBDavid is joined by Michael Worth, Richard Doyle and Jason Beamish as they battle shaky VOIP connections and emerge triumphant to discuss this kung fu masterpiece starring Bruce Lee.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 102 – Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris
July 22, 2021 02:00 - 210 MBDavid and guests spend 3 1/2 hours contemplating a luminous pulsating oceanic mind and the dazzling phantoms it projects into our collective consciousness.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 101 – John Waters’ Pink Flamingos
June 16, 2021 23:05 - 83.5 MBDavid and guests have a tasty treat made just for you, served up nice and warm, straight from our own little oven!
Criterion Reflections – Episode 100 – Dennis Hopper’s The Last Movie… and More!
May 29, 2021 22:15 - 84.2 MBFor the 100th episode, David has a conversation with Alexander Cormier about Dennis Hopper's ill-fated magnum opus, and also does a bit of reflecting on his experiences in podcasting and blogging about the films of the Criterion Collection.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 99 – Sidney Poitier’s Buck and the Preacher
May 14, 2021 16:26 - 70.6 MBDavid is joined by William Remmers to talk about Sidney Poitier's directorial debut and the suppressed history that this film brings to our attention.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 98 – Federico Fellini’s Roma
May 12, 2021 16:00 - 97.9 MBDavid and guests take on the role of tourists as they accompany Fellini on an impressionistic travelogue dedicated to his adopted home.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 97 – Jun Fukuda’s Godzilla vs. Gigan
April 29, 2021 12:15 - 63.5 MBDavid teams up with Richard Doyle, Brad McDermott and Robert Taylor in a star-studded low-budget brawl to talk about a kaiju film matching that very description.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 96 – Les Blank’s Spend It All & A Well Spent Life
April 14, 2021 22:19 - 61 MBSpend some time with us as we talk about two films that celebrate tasty food, soul stirring music and the joys of simple living.