The 305

Episode 11 - The Hidden Fortress (Spine #11, CC1111L) Published 5/27/2021 1958, Dir. Akira Kurosawa Featured Guest: Nick Oberlander "It is a period of civil war"... Despite being a box office hit in Japan, Akira Kurosawa's first widescreen film is perhaps best known now as a direct inspiration on George Lucas as he created Star Wars. My guest today is cinematographer, visual effects artist, and known Star Wars nerd Nick Oberlander of the Bay Area, CA. Join us as we pick apart Kurosawa's big "popcorn flick" and see just how much of an "inspiration" the film was on a young Lucas. Not to mention a mutual admiration of Toshiro Mifune's winning smile.

Episode 11 - The Hidden Fortress (Spine #11, CC1111L), Published 5/27/2022, 1958, Dir. Akira Kurosawa, Featured Guest: Nick…

Episode 10 - The Seventh Seal (Spine #10, CC1110L), Published 4/28/2021, 1957, Dir. Ingmar Bergman, Featured Guest: Hrannar…

Episode 10 - The Seventh Seal (Spine #10, CC1110L) Published 4/28/2021 1957, Dir. Ingmar Bergman Featured Guest: Hrannar Baldursson Spawning countless parodies and homages, The Seventh Seal is often seen as the founding piece of arthouse cinema. While generally hailed as one of the greatest films of all time, the movie requires a fair amount of patience to weather the bleak presentation of fourteenth century Sweden. As my guest observes, this is a film that only gives back what you are willing to put in.

Episode 9 - The Magnificent Ambersons (Spine #9, CC1109L), Published 12/05/2020, 1942, Dir. Orson Welles, Featured Guest: Theron…

Episode 9 - The Magnificent Ambersons (Spine #9, CC1109L) Published 12/05/2020 1942, Dir. Orson Welles Featured Guest: Theron Seckington (Some profanity in this episode) Hear about the film that practically broke Orson Welles's career, The Magnificent Ambersons! Famously chopped in the editing room by the studio against the director's wishes, this film has a hard time holding up against its more famous big brother, Citizen Kane. For those interested in learning more about what the movie could have been, check out the shooting script as well as an illustrated recreation at http://www.themagnificentambersons.com/final-shooting-script/.

Episode 8 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Spine #8, CC1108L), Published 10/31/2020, 1956, Dir. Don Siegel, Featured Guest:…

Episode 8 - Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Spine #8, CC1108L) Published 10/31/2020 1956, Dir. Don Siegel Featured Guest: Sean McGill Everyone's turning into pod people! And you're next! Join us for a spooky Halloween exploration of this sci-fi cult classic, subject of no less than three remakes with a fourth one on the way. If you're intrigued by the philosophy of identity that was discussed, go check out The Teletransportation Paradox.

Episode 7 - High Noon (Spine #7, CC1107L), Published 10/21/2020, 1952, Dir. Fred Zinneman, Featured Guest: Theron Seckington, The…

Episode 7 - High Noon (Spine #7, CC1107L) Published 10/21/2020 1952, Dir. Fred Zinneman Featured Guest: Theron Seckington The time was certainly right to watch High Noon, a thrilling film about a US marshal about to face an old nemesis, and desperately seeking help from friends, loved ones, or anyone willing to stand up for something. Hear about the film's unusual background as either communist propaganda or conservative fantasy! Correction: John Wayne was president of the Motion Picture Alliance, not the Association. Prominent members included Gary Cooper(!), Cecil B. DeMille, Walt Disney, Irene Dunne, Victor Fleming, John Ford, Clark Gable, Hedda Hopper, Leo McCarey, Adolphe Menjou, Dick Powell, Ayn Rand, Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, and King Vidor.

Episode 6 - Swing Time (Spine #6, CC1106L), Published 08/26/2020, 1936, Dir. George Stevens, Featured Guest: Chelle Janczewski, We're…

Episode 6 - Swing Time (Spine #6, CC1106L) Published 08/26/2020 1936, Dir. George Stevens Featured Guest: Chelle Janczewski We're back after a summer vacation with the first musical in the series, Swing Time, with legendary duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. But despite all the praise for the movie, Chelle and Jonathon find a number of issues with an admittedly 'light' plot. Content Warning: This movie does feature an extended musical number called "Bojangles of Harlem" featuring Fred Astaire in blackface as an 'homage' to Bill "Bojangles" Robinson. Impossible to justify, and hard to separate from the technical virtuosity on display. P.S. Sorry for Chelle's distorted audio in the intro! Frank Sinatra's cover of Academy Award-winning song "The Way You Look Tonight"

Mild profanity in this episode, Episode 5 - The Third Man (Spine #5, CC1105L), Published 04/17/2020, 1949, Dir. Carol Reed, Featured…

Mild profanity in this episode Episode 5 - The Third Man (Spine #5, CC1105L) Published 04/17/2020 1949, Dir. Carol Reed Featured Guest: Theron Seckington "An excellent film, competently made." Theron and I both agreed that The Third Man is still a wonderful piece of filmmaking, but an interesting debate occurs about just what it is that makes a film "important." To check out the prequel radio dramas referenced in our discussion, hop on over to archive.org. This movie is available to watch at various online marketplaces.

Episode 4 - The Lady Vanishes (Spine #4, CC1108L), Published 03/27/2020, 1938, Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, Featured Guest: Catherine…

Episode 4 - The Lady Vanishes (Spine #4, CC1108L) Published 03/27/2020 1938, Dir. Alfred Hitchcock Featured Guest: Catherine Dvorak With this episode we encounter the first movie that both viewers agree doesn't really to seem to fit in The Criterion Collection, despite rave reviews and box office success. This was Hitchcock's final film for Gaumont before transitioning to Hollywood, and according to many critics is the apex of his British comedy-thriller work, (though we found The 39 Steps to be a stronger contender for the title). If you'd like to listen to the Truffaut/Hitchcock interview mentioned in this episode, in which Hitchcock seems amusingly dismissive of the film, you can check it out on youtube starting at 18:20. This movie is available for streaming on Hulu+Starz and The Criterion Channel, or online at dailymotion.

Episode 3 - The 39 Steps (Spine #3, CC1103L), Published 03/12/2020, 1935, Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, Featured Guest: Catherine Dvorak, Watch…

Episode 3 - The 39 Steps (Spine #3, CC1103L) Published 03/12/2020 1935, Dir. Alfred Hitchcock Featured Guest: Catherine Dvorak Watch the full movie here. With the third title in the Collection we have our first international movie, British master Alfred Hitchcock's 1935 chase thriller The 39 Steps. This movie caught the attention of famed Hollywood producer David O. Selznick, who would convince Hitchcock to come to America and become the widely revered director we know today. Episode Notes: Although I was mistaken about Bond's use of a woman as cover during a train chase, using a parade as cover did appear in both Thunderball and Moonraker .

Episode 2 - King Kong (Spine #2, CC102L), Published 03/02/2020, 1933, Dir. Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack, Featured…

Episode 2 - King Kong (Spine #2, CC102L) Published 03/02/2020 1933, Dir. Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack Featured Guest: Tim Smyth - Stop-Motion Animator In the second episode, we witness the 1933 special effects classic King Kong. Premiering on March 2nd, 1933, King Kong practically created the giant monster genre, and broke all-time attendance records with its two-theater, four-day run in New York City before going into wide release later that month. This episode features tons of great technical behind-the-scenes info thanks to King Kong historian and filmmaker Tim Smyth.

Episode 1 - Citizen Kane (Spine #1/#142, CC101L/CC1259L), 1941, Dir. Orson Welles, Featured Guest: Theron Seckington, In this…

Episode 1 - Citizen Kane (Spine #1/#142, CC101L/CC1259L) 1941, Dir. Orson Welles Featured Guest: Theron Seckington In this first episode, host Jonathon Irons and guest Theron Seckington-Philgreen watch and discuss the very first Criterion release on LaserDisc, Orson Welles's Citizen Kane. Often regarded by critics as the "greatest film of all time", we examine whether this classic still has anything to teach us 79 years after its release. And don't forget to listen to The White Stripes cover of the script: