Surprisingly Criterion
24 episodes - English - Latest episode: 12 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingSurprisingly Criterion - the podcast where we select and talk about the films that we’re surprised are a part of the Criterion Collection, and the films we can’t believe are not!
The Criterion Collection brands itself as a depository of important classic and contemporary films for film aficionados. Their collection features over a 1000 movies and counting! Surely all of these can’t be important, can they? What does 'important' even mean!
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Episodes
24. The Handmaiden (2016)
May 05, 2023 11:00 - 1 hour - 109 MBWe make the case for the first Park Chan-Wook film to be in the Criterion Collection! Articles mentioned: Sarah Waters interview in the Guardian Jia Tolentino in The New Yorker Laura Miller in Slate Park Chan-Wook speaking about Extended version and other elements of adapting the script Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit Instagram Facebook Twitter
23. French Cancan (1955)
January 13, 2023 12:00 - 49 minutes - 67.5 MBJean Renoir’s colourful and, at times, funny film about the building of the Moulin Rouge is the next edition of the Randomizer. Criterion’s listing and boxset: Spine #243: French Cancan Spine #241: Stage and Spectacle: Three Films by Jean Renoir Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit Twitter Instagram Facebook
22. The New World (2005)
October 28, 2022 16:00 - 57 minutes - 79.6 MBTerrence Malick’s re-telling of the story of Pocahontas and John Smith, the extended cut. It’s a doozy. Bonus Material: Indian Country Today review Imperialist Nostalgia essay Roger Ebert’s review World Socialist Today review Support: https://supportanishnawbe.ca/donate/make-a-donation/ http://www.nwia.ca/about/donate-to-nwia/ https://imaginenative.org/support/donate/ https://artscancircle.ca/ https://makemusicmatter.org/donate/ https://nctr.ca/ Music: “The Endless Scro...
21. Dogtooth (2009)
August 26, 2022 11:00 - 1 hour - 94.9 MBThe latest in our I Can’t Believe It’s Not Criterion, we discuss one of the Greek Weird Wave’s most significant films and its director (and co-writer) Yorgos Lanthimos. Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit Twitter Instagram Facebook
20. Enter The Dragon (1973)
July 22, 2022 11:00 - 54 minutes - 75.6 MBThe martial arts masterpiece is part of a Bruce Lee box set on the Criterion Collection - does it kick ass? Or does it sink in a pool of acid? Bonus Content: Original Hong Kong poster referenced North American poster Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit Instagram Twitter Facebook
19. I Married A Witch (1942)
May 13, 2022 11:00 - 45 minutes - 63 MBOur latest edition of the Randomizer: will it be magic, or will it go up in flames? BONUS CONTENT Original Poster Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit Twitter Instagram Facebook
18. Jurassic Park (1993)
April 15, 2022 21:50 - 1 hour - 99.2 MBHow is there no Steven Spielberg film in the Criterion Collection? BONUS CONTENT Lessons From The Screenplay: Using Theme To Craft Character Michael Crichton’s Global Warming Legacy Dinosaur Reimagining: All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals From a 99pi episode: Welcome To Jurassic Art Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit T...
17. The Big Chill (1983)
March 11, 2022 13:00 - 58 minutes - 81.3 MBThe movie that made Boomers cool again — or maybe just Motown. We dig into the values and the problems with Lawrence Kasdan’s 1983 ensemble film about … well about many things! Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit Twitter Instagram Facebook
16. Night On Earth (1991)
February 11, 2022 12:00 - 1 hour - 98.3 MBWe give Jim Jarmusch’s vignettes a closer look as we travel across 5 time zones on one night in 1991, and experience 5 separate taxi rides. BONUS CONTENT Essays: Los Angeles New York Paris Rome Helsinki Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online @SurprisingCrit Twitter Instagram Facebook
15. Il Generale Della Rovere (1959)
January 14, 2022 12:00 - 59 minutes - 82.6 MBThe next edition of our Randomizer segment, the great wheel has fallen on Spine #463: IL GENERALE DELLA ROVERE by acclaimed Italian director Roberto Rossellini We had a lot of fun with this one! And what's more fun than... Italian Neorealism Multe Salami AND Vittorio De Sica as a wartime rascal. ...oh and it's another prison-themed movie *we promise we are not doing this on purpose* Bonus content: Essay: Rediscovering Roberto Rossellini Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely...
14. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
December 03, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 92.8 MBStarring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet - this Michel Gondry directed and Charlie Kaufman film is a cult fan favourite - how will it fair? Listen to the latest edition of I Can’t Believe It’s Not Criterion. Bonus content: How editing shapes a story (YouTube) Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter Instagram Facebook
13. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
November 05, 2021 11:00 - 58 minutes - 81.1 MBForrest Gump meets Titanic? We watched the second David Fincher film to make it into the Criterion Collection. Bonus Material: Short Story by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Curious Case Of Benjamin: The Visuals, Music and Costumes (YouTube) Criterion Listing: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingCrit Instagram: @SurprisingCrit Fac...
12. The Harder They Come (1972)
October 01, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 92.1 MB“You guys up for some reggae tonight?” We watched the first feature film made in Jamaica, starring reggae star Jimmy Cliff, and featuring one of the best soundtracks we’ve covered thus far. Bonus Material: Klive Walker’s essay: How The Harder They Come created Jamaican cinema Ulrick Casamir’s essay: A question of audience: revisiting Perry Henzell’s The Harder They Come Perry Henzell’s obituary from 2006 Criterion Listing: The Harder They Come Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Ab...
11. Equinox (1970)
August 06, 2021 11:00 - 46 minutes - 65.2 MBA new segment - the Randomizer. Can the Criterion Collection handle a random selection and then subsequent viewing of one of the films? For our first Randomizer episode, we got Equinox, directed by Jack Woods and Dennis Murren - the 338th film on the list. Bonus material: Films made by students on cell phones in Nigeria discussed in the episode - news clip about them Criterion listing for Equinox Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts &...
10. Ghost World (2001)
July 09, 2021 12:09 - 1 hour - 95.7 MBThe cult classic with Spine number 872 starring Thora Birch, Scarlett Johansson and Steve Buscemi, by Dir./Writer Terry Zwigoff and writer Daniel Clowes Bonus material: Three Things You Never Knew About Ghost World (that we discuss in the show) “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingCrit Instagram: @SurprisingCrit
9. RoboCop (1987)
June 04, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 91.7 MB“I’d buy that for a dollar!” Criterion’s 23rd film is kind of an odd choice, and a surprise! Paul Verhoeven’s RoboCop is a wonderful satire of the era it was made, but does it belong on the list? Bonus material: Theatrical vs Director’s Cut - the 1 minute difference Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingCrit Instagram: @SurprisingCrit
8. The Thing (1982)
May 07, 2021 11:00 - 1 hour - 100 MBJohn Carpenter! How has he been forgotten by the collection? We talk about his 1982 sci-fi horror classic, The Thing, featuring great performances from Kurt Russel, Wilford Brimley and Keith David, and a wonderful score from Ennio Morricone. Bonus material: - New reissue of the OST from 2020 - Story of the origins of the partnership of Morricone and Carpenter Background reading: - On the writer of the short story “Who Goes There?” and why a literary award was renamed after the winn...
7. Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
April 07, 2021 10:30 - 1 hour - 95.2 MBWe have our first guest! Our friend, comedian and fellow podcaster, Cas Knihnisky, brings us a movie only half of us had seen — Rosemary’s Baby! It’s on the list - we talk about it, and a lot of the things surrounding it like what kind of a nightmare Polanski is, and how funny Ruth Gordon is! Bonus Material: Cas’s podcast about Stephen King: Castle Rockettes Follow them on the Internet Follow Cas online Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Reco...
6. The Rock (1996)
February 19, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 93.8 MBIn the conclusion of our inadvertent and accidental prisons and prisoners trilogy, we talk about how Michael Bay’s 1996 adventure into Alcatraz. Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, and Ed Harris star in this wild ride. Bonus Material: Every Frame A Painting - “Michael Bay - What Is Bayhem?” Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingCrit Instagram: @SurprisingCrit
5. Prisoners (2013)
January 28, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour - 95 MBIn a new edition of “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Criterion” we talk about Denis Villeneuve, Hollywood, and why our favourite French Canadian director deserves some recognition. Bonus material: Team Deakins podcast speaking with Denis Villeneuve Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingCrit Instagram: @SurprisingCrit
4. Hunger (2008)
December 08, 2020 14:00 - 1 hour - 89.2 MBOur final episode for 2020! Steve McQueen’s Hunger is visceral, artistic, and a 96 minute exploration of the convictions of prisoners inside Northern Ireland’s Maze Prison in 1981. Hunger's Criterion Collection page New York Times interactive article about Black and African-American directors largely absent from the Criterion Collection Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingC...
1. Godzilla vs Megalon (1973)
November 05, 2020 13:00 - 51 minutes - 70.7 MBOur premiere episode! Join us as we discuss the 1973 not-so-classic 13th Godzilla film from 1973, directed by Jun Fukuda, Godzilla vs. Megalon — featuring the debut of Jet Jaguar! Notes: Criterion Collection page Criterion edition artwork by Ronald Wimberly Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingCrit Instagram: @SurprisingCrit
3. True Stories (1986)
November 05, 2020 13:00 - 59 minutes - 81.8 MBIn this, our third episode, we discuss the feature film directorial debut of Talking Heads frontman, David Byrne, True Stories. Featuring key performances from John Goodman, Spalding Gray, Anne McEnroe, and David Byrne himself. Do we agree it should be on the list? Why was it added so late? We get into it! Notes: Criterion Collection page Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @Su...
2. Gladiator (2000)
November 05, 2020 13:00 - 52 minutes - 72.8 MBIn our second episode we discuss the Academy Award winner for Best Picture from 2000, Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Join us as we discuss the merits of the film, and try to parse whether it’s surprisingly of Criterion quality or not! Notes: Pollice Verso - 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme Music: “The Endless Scroll” by Absolutely Free courtesy of Idée Fixe Records and Arts & Crafts Music Inc. Follow us online: Twitter: @SurprisingCrit Instagram: @SurprisingCrit