Ep. 212: Restorations with James Vaughan: Abel Gance, Pressure, Man Ray, Abraham’s Valley Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. Every year the New York Film Festival rolls out a selection of revivals and restorations, and for the latest edition, I welcomed filmmaker James Vaughan (Friends and Strangers) back to the podcast. We discussed a number of highlights, some of which will be making their way to cinemas: La Roue (Abel Gance), Pressure (Horace Ové), films by Man Ra...
Nov 11, 2023•36 min
Ep. 211: Edo Choi on Killers of the Flower Moon, Janet Planet, All of Us Strangers, Kevin Jerome Everson Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon is finally out in theaters, and it’s one of the films I discussed with Edo Choi, associate curator of the Museum of the Moving Image. We chatted on campus at Lincoln Center while attending the New York Film Festival, and the titles in our conversation included: Scorsese’s Killers of th...
Nov 02, 2023•41 min
Ep. 210: Bruce Bennett on Eight Hours of Terror, Ambush at Tomahawk Gap, Yield to the Night, Nuke Films, and more Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. It’s that most wonderful time: writer and “recovering film critic” Bruce Bennett returns to the podcast for another absolutely enjoyable discussion of recent viewing. As always it’s hard to pigeonhole the selection but broadly speaking we mine the 1950s—from Japan to England to the U.S.—for unsung brilliance by known and...
Oct 26, 2023•1 hr 55 min
Ep. 209: Clyde Folley on 90s Horror on Criterion Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. Season’s greetings! On this episode I talk about 90s horror with Clyde Folley, programmer on the delightful 90s Horror series on the Criterion Channel (and, previously, their incredible 80s Horror series!). We talk about a few titles in the ripsnorting selection, including Body Parts, Def by Temptation, The Exorcist III, When a Stranger Calls Back, The Addiction, and the religious apo...
Oct 18, 2023•51 min
Ep. 208: Amy Taubin on the New York Film Festival 2023 Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This year, the 61st New York Film Festival curated a notably strong selection of films drawn from other festivals as well as a few premieres of its own. To discuss her critical highlights, I was delighted to welcome back the one and only Amy Taubin (whose report on this edition appears in Artforum). Among the films discussed are Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, May December (To...
Oct 14, 2023•1 hr 21 min
Ep. 207: Michael Koresky and Jeff Reichert on Reverse Shot at 20 Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The wonderful film publication Reverse Shot celebrates its 20th anniversary of existence this year. Since I first wrote for Reverse Shot early in my career, it’s always held a special place in my heart, and it’s still going strong -- a gladdening beacon in the landscape of film criticism (and of critics, with an enviable roster of sharp voices and alums). I sat down wi...
Oct 06, 2023•38 min
Ep. 206: Eric Hynes on Toronto 2023: The Pigeon Tunnel, The Holdovers, The Peasants, American Fiction, Gonzo Girl Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. As the fall season kicks off, I have a few more titles—some slated for release in the coming months, others yet to be distributed—plucked from the ranks of the Toronto International Film Festival. I talked with Eric Hynes, curator of film at Museum of the Moving Image, about Errol Morris’s The Pigeon Tunnel, Alexander Pa...
Sep 29, 2023•49 min
Ep. 205: Toronto 2023 with Beatrice Loayza: The Teachers’ Lounge, Arthur & Diana, Wavelengths shorts, Memory Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. As the fall season kicks off, I’m catching up with some intriguing titles seen at the Toronto International Film Festival 2023 that you might not have heard much about yet. I chatted with critic Beatrice Loayza about a few titles: Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge, Michel Franco’s Memory starring Jessica Chastain and Pet...
Sep 24, 2023•27 min
Ep. 204: Toronto 2023 with Mark Asch: The Boy and the Heron, His Three Daughters, Lee, Silver Dollar Road Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This month I went to the Toronto International Film Festival 2023 and recorded a few dispatches for your edification. I sat down with Mark Asch, who was filing for the film journal Little White Lies, and discussed an eclectic selection of movies from the sprawling TIFF lineup. Titles include: Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Her...
Sep 21, 2023•37 min
Ep. 203: Venice 2023 with Glenn Kenny: The Killer, Caine Mutiny, Orson Welles TV, Making Of, Restorations Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. For the last day of the 80th Venice Film Festival. I’m back again with Glenn Kenny of The New York Times and RogerEbert.com to chat about a cavalcade of films. Titles include: David Fincher’s The Killer; William Friedkin’s final film, The Caine Mutiny Court Martial; Orson Welles’s Portrait of Gina, a 1958 documentary about Gina ...
Sep 09, 2023•26 min
Ep. 202: Venice 2023 with Jessica Kiang: Priscilla, Green Border, Hit Man, Coup de Chance Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the 80th Venice Film Festival. This time I’m talking with Jessica Kiang, who is writing about the festival for Variety, Sight & Sound, and The New York Times. We discuss premieres from the festival’s second week: Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, and Woody ...
Sep 07, 2023•53 min
Ep. 201: Venice 2023 with Jordan Cronk: Aggro Dr1ft, The Beast, Evil Does Not Exist, Gasoline Rainbow Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the 80th Venice Film Festival in, you guessed it, Venice. For the latest episode, regular guest Jordan Cronk talks about his inaugural trip to the festival. We talk about a number of films including Harmony Korine’s Aggro Dr1ft, Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast starring Lea Seydoux, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil ...
Sep 05, 2023•36 min
Ep. 200: Venice 2023 with Jonathan Romney: Maestro, Henry Sugar, The Palace, El Conde, Promised Land Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the 80th Venice Film Festival in, you guessed it, Venice. This time I'm joined by Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily and the Observer. We talk about a number of films including Maestro, directed by Bradley Cooper; Wes Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptation The Wonderful Tale of Henry Sugar; Roman Polanski’s The Pa...
Sep 04, 2023•33 min
Ep. 199: Venice 2023 with Guy Lodge: Poor Things, New Wiseman, City of Wind, Explanation for Everything Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The 80th Venice Film Festival has begun, and I’m reporting from Venice about the movies that are making their premieres here. For the second episode, I’m joined by Guy Lodge, who’s writing for Variety and Film of the Week. We discuss Yorgos Lanthimos’s unexpected hit Poor Things, Frederick Wiseman’s Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros,...
Sep 02, 2023•35 min
Ep. 198: Venice 2023 with Glenn Kenny: Ferrari, Dogman, Hollywoodgate Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The 80th Venice Film Festival has begun, and I’ll be reporting from Venice about the movies that are making their premieres. For the first episode, I’m joined by Glenn Kenny of The New York Times and RogerEbert.com. We discuss Michael Mann’s highly anticipated Ferrari, Luc Besson’s Dogman, and Ibrahim Nash'at’s extraordinary Taliban documentary Hollywoodgate, and ...
Aug 31, 2023•41 min
Ep. 197: Manohla Dargis on Summertime Viewing (and possibly Barbie) Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I catch up with a very special guest, Manohla Dargis, chief film critic of The New York Times. Instead of comparing festival notes or discussing recent reviews, this is a glimpse at what Dargis happens to have been watching recently. So in the interest of preserving the surprise, I’ll leave out the usual viewing list, though I can say we get some final tho...
Aug 24, 2023•59 min
Ep. 196: Locarno 2023 with K.J. Relth-Miller on Mexican Retro: Spectacle Every Day Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. We have one final report from the Locarno film festival, on this year's retrospective. K.J. Relth-Miller, who programs at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, has been attending Locarno's overview of Mexican popular cinema dating back to the 1940s: “Spectacle Every Day.” Among the films we discuss are The Batwoman, Take Me in Your Arms, El Suavecito, Th...
Aug 18, 2023•36 min
Ep. 195: Locarno 2023 with Giovanni Marchini Camia on The Human Surge 3, Critical Zone, Good Place Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’ve been reporting on the Locarno film festival, and for the latest batch of premieres, I am happy to welcome back a past guest, Giovanni Marchini Camia, who is a programmer at Locarno, a critic, and co-founder of the publishing house Fireflies Press. We discuss Eduardo Williams’s The Human Surge 3; the Golden Leopard winner...
Aug 14, 2023•20 min
Ep. 194: Locarno 2023 with Beatrice Loayza: Mademoiselle Kenopsia, Yannick, Camping du Lac, The Vanishing Soldier Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the Locarno film festival. Beatrice Loayza, who’s attending the festival for the first time, joins the podcast to discuss a few highlights, including: Quentin Dupieux’s Yannick, Denis Côté’s Mademoiselle Kenopsia, Éléonore Saintagnan’s Camping du Lac, and Dani Rosenberg’s The Vanishing Sold...
Aug 11, 2023•17 min
Ep. 193: Locarno 2023 with Jessica Kiang: Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, Sweet Dreams, Manga D'Terra Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m reporting from the Locarno film festival, where Radu Jude’s Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World, has been a major stand-out. Jessica Kiang (Variety) joins the podcast to discuss Radu Jude’s film as well as two more titles in Locarno’s competition lineup: Ena Sendijarević’s Swe...
Aug 08, 2023•52 min
Ep. 192: John Wilson on How To with John Wilson Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I talk with John Wilson, the mastermind of How To with John Wilson, the sui generis series on HBO. The third and final season of How To has now begun, and so I took the opportunity to ask Wilson about the secret to assembling the show’s serendipitous paths through New York and his own experience of the world. We also talked about his recent viewing and selections from the Ant...
Aug 03, 2023•25 min
Ep. 191: Amy Taubin on Oppenheimer, Barbie, Command-Z, Richard Kelly Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I talk with the one and only Amy Taubin about the double feature that has attracted crowds to movie theaters this weekend: Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, and Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig. We pick apart what we loved (or hated) about the two films, and then we discuss Steven Soderbergh’s surprise series Command-Z, available only online. Pl...
Jul 23, 2023•1 hr 3 min
Ep. 190: Mstyslav Chernov on Ukraine documentary 20 Days in Mariupol Welcome to the Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I’m speaking with the director of the Ukraine documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, now showing at Film Forum and winner of a Sundance audience award. Mstyslav Chernov was a video journalist for the Associated Press who stayed in the city when the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. The AP journalists were the last from an international organiz...
Jul 15, 2023•22 min
Ep. 189: Amy Taubin on the Tribeca Festival 2023 and Beyond Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I talk with the one and only Amy Taubin about the 2023 edition of the Tribeca Festival. We discuss Taubin’s favorite from the festival; a couple of hard-hitting documentaries, Transition and Rule of Two Walls; video game titan Hideo Kojima and auteurs in dialogue David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh; and other notable titles like Mountains and A Strange Path. Plus ...
Jul 01, 2023•51 min
Ep. 188: Peter Labuza on Sokurov, Klimov, Shepitko, Hellman’s Iguana, the strike Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week brings some recent highlights from Los Angeles repertory courtesy of my latest guest, Peter Labuza. He talks about two 1990s films by Alexander Sokurov, the formidable war-movie pairing of Larissa Shepitko’s The Ascent and Elem Klimov’s Come and See, and Monte Hellman’s rarely screened Iguana. Labuza, researcher at IATSE Local 600 (the Interna...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr
Ep. 187: Michael Shannon Directs: Eric LaRue, a premiere at the Tribeca Festival Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. This week I spoke with Michael Shannon who’s become an indelible actor in film, on stage, and on television. Now Shannon has directed his first feature film, Eric LaRue, which is in this year’s Tribeca Festival. It’s based on a play by a longtime collaborator of his, Brett Neveu, who wrote the film’s screenplay. The story is about a woman and her husban...
Jun 16, 2023•24 min
Ep. 186: Cannes #14 with Manohla Dargis of The New York Times Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The 2023 Cannes Film Festival series joyously concludes with our traditional grand finale: a discussion with Manohla Dargis, chief film critic of The New York Times, live from Cannes. Dargis reveals what might be her favorite film of the festival, and then we discuss too many titles to list here in full, ranging from Catherine Breillat’s Last Summer and Wang Bing’s Youth ...
Jun 03, 2023•54 min
Ep. 185: Cannes #13 with Guy Lodge on How to Have Sex, In Our Day, Anselm, Mambar Pierrette, Sleep Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The 2023 Cannes series continues, with episodes recorded live in Cannes! For the latest discussion, I chat with Guy Lodge of Variety and Film of the Week, about a few more films that haven’t come up yet on the podcast. Titles include Molly Manning Walker’s How to Have Sex (winner of Un Certain Regard), Hong Sangsoo’s In Our Day, Wim We...
Jun 02, 2023•34 min
Ep. 184: Cannes #12 with Eric Hynes on In the Rearview, Riddle of Fire, The Breaking Ice, La Chimera, It’s Raining in the House Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The 2023 Cannes series continues, with episodes recorded live in Cannes! For the latest discussion, I chat with Eric Hynes, curator of film at the Museum of the Moving Image, about some discoveries from across the festival that people may have overlooked or missed. Titles include Maciek Hamela’s In the Rear...
May 31, 2023•26 min
Ep. 183: Cannes #11 with KJ Relth-Miller on Cannes Classics including L’Amour Fou and Skeleton of Mrs. Morales Welcome to The Last Thing I Saw. I’m your host, Nicolas Rapold. The 2023 Cannes series continues, with episodes recorded live in Cannes! For the latest discussion, I was delighted to welcome returning guest K.J. Relth-Miller, who heads the film program at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. She surveys Cannes Classics, the festival’s robust program of new restorations ...
May 30, 2023•29 min
