NYNoirFan

This is my number one movie on the list and I enjoyed the episode as usual but I did have an issue . And I do not want to come across as an Amy hater as I have been a fan since the first episode of the Canon and there is just way too much of it floating around, especially in the Facebook group. So Amy, you are awesome! In this episode( and it is definitely due to me loving the story and dialogue of this movie above most any other) I really found it boring when alternative takes were offered of scenes and characters. The whole point is that Gloria has internalized the way that the world(and Gilles) sees her and has treated her(terribly) and that is the basis of the story. "There's nothing tragic about being 50, not unless you try to be 25." And if we point it out that she should be celebrated instead, yes indeed do that absolutely. But the discussion of every scene with Gloria kind of came back to that point with alternative scenarios being offered. That's not really criticism in my book and I was just kind of bored by it. Same with the discussion of the characterization of Gilles. This is a bit unfair, but I just love the "text" of this movie so much that I wish it had been appreciated a bit more in the discussion. We should tear down our idols for sure and examine the wreckage, but there was so much greatness in this movie(especially about the idea of movies and culture) that was largely left un-examined that I was perhaps a bit let down. One of my favorite exchanges of all time: Betty Schaefer : Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Gillis, but I just didn't think it was any good. I found it flat and trite. Joe Gillis : Exactly what kind of material do you recommend? James Joyce? Dostoyevsky? Betty Schaefer : I just think that pictures should say a little something. Joe Gillis : Oh, one of the message kids. Just a story won't do. You'd have turned down Gone With the Wind. Sheldrake : No, that was me. I said, "Who wants to see a Civil War picture?" But these are two people I love hearing talk about movies and will be interested to hear their takes on 2018! Keep up the great work! and Thank you!

Great episode and great movie. I really enjoyed the Robert Benton interview as well. I do feel like, and this is a real nit to pick, that content is getting pushed a little above form on the discussion, which is part and parcel of the format I think (and I am really enjoying the podcast as a whole.) Amy did mention the editing and Dede Allen briefly and the New Wave was briefly addressed. I feel like this excerpt from the wonderful documentary "The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing" does a pretty good job of explaining the synthesis of previous rule breaking being presented to American audiences in an American film. You can get that doc on the Blu ray of Bullitt by the way, probably my favorite special feature of all time. Mark Harris's "Pictures at a Revolution" is also a big recommend for some more historical context. This is not a film history podcast per se and the crux is the conversation between Amy and Paul and they are doing a great job, so I don't expect them to bog it down in a deluge of film facts, but I thought it was an interesting clip. Keep up the great work! Also, for a very interesting movie check out "Mickey One" an earlier collaboration between Penn and Beatty that has even stranger tonal shifts...

I have had it since week 1 and love it. The Filmstruck and Criterion Channel package is a great value. As pointed out by a previous poster, started out a lot more Criterion heavy, but they have incorporated more TCM programming as of late. They have a very poor selection of Westerns, and just keep putting the same ones in rotation mostly, but that is a very niche issue. Love their collection picks and their director spotlights especially. In short, highly recommended for any film fan.

Great film. Interesting discussion from two knowledgeable film viewers with a fresh perspective, as someone who has seen the film multiple times and written about it through several different prisms. Big yes! Would however not at all agree with the all or nothing twist on the end of the episode concerning political thrillers. I think there is a diverse amount of films of this ilk which bring enough unique cinematic and historical street cred to justify their place in The Canon(although admittedly that is a hard thing to quantify). "Seven Days in May"(my preferable Frankenheimer over "The Manchurian Candidate), "The Day of the Jackal," "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion," and "Three Days of the Condor"(although does it outshine any of Hitchcock's man on the runs?) are just a few of the films that could be painted with this broad brush. Also, random thought, but I would be interested in an examination of 1943's "Keeper of the Flame," in the context of today's political climate. Although the veneer of nobility in that film clearly was not necessary in today's climate... First time posting in a while, but very glad that the show is back! Also, 50% Criterion sale at B & N for Costa-Gavras' "The Confession" and "State of Siege" if anyone's appetite was whetted by this selection!