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
David Blakeslee
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.
Criterion Reflections – Episode 116 – Jacques Demy’s The Pied Piper
Come 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
David 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
Rossellini'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
Stacy 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
In 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
Pialat'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
David 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.