This 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.
David Blakeslee
David Blakeslee
Criterion Reflections – Episode 129 – Shintaro Katsu’s Zatoichi in Desperation
The 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
We 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
David is joined by Aaron West from Criterion Now to discuss this blaxploitation/horror mash-up from July 1972.
American Murderer – An Interview with Director Matthew Gentile
David Blakeslee interviews Matthew Gentile, director and writer of AMERICAN MURDERER, a new true-crime drama now in theaters and soon available via streaming on demand.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 126 – Late July 1972
Films 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
David 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
David 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
Daisuke 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
We 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
David 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
David 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!
David 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
David 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
Two obscure genre flicks from May 1972 that were given brief limited runs on the Criterion Channel are the focus of this episode.