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Footage Not Found: 
The IU Cinema Podcast

Footage Not Found: The IU Cinema Podcast

By IU Cinema

Footage Not Found is IU Cinema’s podcast offering biweekly interviews and conversations on everything film, including IU Cinema programming. Host Aja Essex and her guests are devoted to erasing our cinephilic blank spots with episodes full of goofy jokes, serious discussions, reviews, film histories, and more movie recommendations than you can handle.

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A Place For Film: Episode 57 - A Conversation with Drusilla Adeline a.k.a Sister Hyde

Footage Not Found: The IU Cinema PodcastDec 22, 2021

00:00
53:21
Footage Not Found: I'll See You At The Movies, Goodnight!

Footage Not Found: I'll See You At The Movies, Goodnight!

Aja says goodbye to the IU Cinema podcast.

Footage Not Found is a co-production of the Indiana University Cinema and WFIU Studios.

Our theme song is “Only Ones” from the band Busman's Holiday off of their recently released album Good Songs. You can currently stream Good Songs on Bandcamp and you can find out more about the band on busmansholidayband.com as well as by following them on Instagram @busmansholiday.

You can follow IU Cinema on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook @IUCinema.

You can follow Aja on Twitter @Samuraiflicks, on Letterboxd @AjaEssex and on Instagram @Aja.Essex.

Check out Aja’s farewell post when it’s live on Establishing Shot: https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/

You can continue to follow Aja and her pop-up theater Cicada Cinema @Cicada_Cinema on Instagram and CicadaCinema.com

IU Cinema’s bi-monthly calendar: https://cinema.indiana.edu/doc/fourthwall-vol1-for-website.pdf

IU Cinema’s website: https://cinema.indiana.edu/

IU Cinema’s blog, Establishing Shot: https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/

Dec 05, 202216:57
Footage Not Found: The World of Hirokazu Kore-eda (with Jon Vickers)

Footage Not Found: The World of Hirokazu Kore-eda (with Jon Vickers)

This week's Footage Not Found features a long-awaited guest: founding Indiana University Cinema director Jon Vickers joins Aja to discuss the films and themes of Hirokazu Kore-eda with special focus paid to his first narrative film, Maborosi, and his most recent film, Broker. They also discuss Jon’s origins as a film programmer and exhibition entrepreneur and their shared love of the joys that blossom from the pains of everyday life.

Footage Not Found is a co-production of the Indiana University Cinema and WFIU Studios.

Our theme song is “Only Ones” from the band Busman's Holiday off of their recently released album Good Songs. You can currently stream Good Songs on Bandcamp and you can find out more about the band on busmansholidayband.com as well as by following them on Instagram @busmansholiday.

You can follow IU Cinema on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook @IUCinema.

You can follow Aja on Twitter @Samuraiflicks, on Letterboxd @AjaEssex and on Instagram @Aja.Essex.


Maborosi screening page:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/screening/2022-fall-program-saturday-november-12-700pm


IU Cinema’s bi-monthly calendar: https://cinema.indiana.edu/doc/fourthwall-vol1-for-website.pdf

IU Cinema’s website: https://cinema.indiana.edu/

IU Cinema’s blog, Establishing Shot: https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/

Nov 01, 202246:41
Footage Not Found: Blaxploitalian - 100 Years Of Blackness In Italian Cinema (with Fred Kuwornu)

Footage Not Found: Blaxploitalian - 100 Years Of Blackness In Italian Cinema (with Fred Kuwornu)

This week's Footage Not Found features filmmaker Fred Kuwornu, the director behind the documentary film Blaxploitalian, which explores the little-known world of Italian-born and American Black performers and their roles in the Italian film industry. Fred also talks about his work with Spike Lee on the film The Miracle at Santa Anna and his role in the 2016 “Oscars So White” campaign.

Footage Not Found is a co-production of the Indiana University Cinema and WFIU Studios.

Our theme song is “Only Ones” from the band Busman's Holiday off of their recently released album Good Songs. You can currently stream Good Songs on Bandcamp and you can find out more about the band on busmansholidayband.com as well as by following them on Instagram @busmansholiday.

You can follow IU Cinema on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook @IUCinema.

You can follow Aja on Twitter @Samuraiflicks, on Letterboxd  @AjaEssex and on Instagram @Aja.Essex.

Blaxploitalian:100 Years Of Blackness In Italian Cinema screening page:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/screening/2022-fall-program-thursday-november-3-700pm

IU Cinema’s bi-monthly calendar: https://cinema.indiana.edu/doc/fourthwall-vol1-for-website.pdf

IU Cinema’s website: https://cinema.indiana.edu/

IU Cinema’s blog, Establishing Shot: https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/

Oct 17, 202226:20
Footage Not Found: Friday Night Frights
Oct 03, 202210:09
Footage Not Found - All The Presidents Men and Watergate (with Gerry Lanosga)
Sep 19, 202227:05
Footage Not Found: Women on Top - Legacies of Women in Global Cinema

Footage Not Found: Women on Top - Legacies of Women in Global Cinema

Indiana University Cinema’s new regular series “Women on Top” seeks to showcase a couple of things. It wants to show the audience that despite the large steps being made to amplify women's voices in the film industry, it has been primarily doing that through the role of the director when so many important and overlooked roles in the film industry have been shaped by women and femmes. It also seeks to give a window into the enriching opportunities and artforms outside of that director’s chair. This episode is a very brief tour of the IU Cinema’s fall “Women on Top” series, which trains a focused eye on the past, present, and future legacies of women global filmmakers, including directors but also writers, curators, cinematographers, costume designers, and more.

Footage Not Found is a co-production of the Indiana University Cinema and WFIU Studios.

Our theme song is “Only Ones” from the band Busman's Holiday off of their yet-to-be-released album Good Songs. You can find out more about them on busmansholidayband.com as well as by following them on Instagram @busmansholiday.

You can follow IU Cinema on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook @IUCinema.

You can follow Aja on Twitter @Samuraiflicks and on Instagram @Aja.Essex.

Women on Top series page: https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/women-on-top-legacies-of-women-in-global-cinema

Alicia Kozma’s writing on Women on Top: https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/2022/08/25/women-on-top-spotlighting-the-work-of-global-women-filmmakers/

IU Cinema’s write-up on Kinuyo Tanaka’s Love Letter:

https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/2022/09/01/women-on-top-presents-love-letter-1953/

IU Cinema’s bi-monthly calendar: https://cinema.indiana.edu/doc/fourthwall-vol1-for-website.pdf

IU Cinema’s website: https://cinema.indiana.edu/

IU Cinema’s blog, Establishing Shot: https://blogs.iu.edu/establishingshot/

Sep 09, 202207:14
Footage Not Found: New Americas Cinema (with Alicia Kozma and Brittany Friesner)
Aug 15, 202232:41
A Place For Film: Episode 72 - Spring 2022 Monthly Movie Round-Up Virtual Edition Preview (with Michaela Owens)

A Place For Film: Episode 72 - Spring 2022 Monthly Movie Round-Up Virtual Edition Preview (with Michaela Owens)

This weeks episode is a little primer for one of the cinemas favorite recent editions: Monthly Movie Round-Up: Virtual Edition. I have my uneasy ally, Publications Editor Michaela Owens on to try and get y'all pumped up for what is a nice party and reunion amongst the regular IU Cinema bloggers. We even spill the beans on what will will be talking about next Tuesday.


You can find information on how to register for this event here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/screening/2022-spring-program-tuesday-may-3-700pm

Apr 25, 202228:46
A Place For Film: Episode 71 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for March 2022

A Place For Film: Episode 71 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for March 2022

Full transparency: all Blu-rays reviewed were provided by Criterion, Kino Lorber, Imprint Films, Arrow Video & 88 Films US.


On this months episode of Physical Media Isn't Dead, It Just Smells Funny, we have nothing but the biggest bangers. Imprint Films delivers The Odd Couple Collection. Kino Lorber brings Zoot Suit and Shakedown. Arrow Video comes through with awaited releases To Sleep So As To Dream and Come Drink With Me. I sit down with returning guest and martial arts master Jesse Balzer to discuss 88 Films US's releases of Shaolin Mantis and welcome mega surprise Monkey Kung Fu. Finally, I'm pleased to talk about Criterions incredible additions to their collection with The Last Waltz and Love Jones.

Apr 11, 202201:12:46
A Place For Film: Episode 70 - My Name is Aja Essex, Speed Racer Introduction and Coming Out

A Place For Film: Episode 70 - My Name is Aja Essex, Speed Racer Introduction and Coming Out

Hey Everyone,

My name is Aja Alexandria Essex and I am a woman. I'll talk about it more as the days become weeks and so forth, but just know I am the happiest I've been in a long time.

What's presented in this episode is my intro to Speed Racer on 3/25/2022 at the IU Cinema. It was an emotional and overwhelming event in the best possible way.

I love doing the podcast and look forward to doing as myself in the future.

With love,

Aja


NOTES:

The Audre Lorde book I'm referencing is called Zami: A New Spelling of My Name


The YouTube video I reference about coming out can be found here:

https://youtu.be/AITRzvm0Xtg


Video of the introduction can be found here:

https://youtu.be/XLOGgQvtFps


And just because I'm proud of it, you can find my Speed Racer essay here:

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2022/03/21/speed-racer-and-the-assault-on-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century/


Mar 29, 202220:31
A Place For Film: Episode 69 - A Conversation on Speed Racer with Margot Stacy a.k.a "mise-en-scène"

A Place For Film: Episode 69 - A Conversation on Speed Racer with Margot Stacy a.k.a "mise-en-scène"

On this very special 69th episode of A Place For Film, I finally had the immense pleasure of sitting down with much wanted and long awaited guest Margot Stacy, the lovely and effusive mind behind the now retired "tees-en-scène" apparel shop (which we did an entire farewell episode for: here) but also the very active and enthralling @mise_en_scene page on Instagram. She joins me for an hour long conversation on Lily and Lana Wachowski's magnum opus Speed Racer. We get into the nitty gritty of how Speed Racer serves as a major turning point not just in the Wachowski's career but in film history as a whole. We get into topics such as kinetics, aesthetic assault/death, postmodernism, transness as it relates to modes of creation and the joys of spectacle.

If you want to here more thoughts on the "aesthetic assault" present in Speed Racer please pop over to the IU Cinema Blog and read my piece on Speed Racer, here:

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2022/03/21/speed-racer-and-the-assault-on-aesthetics-of-the-20th-century/


Speed Racer will screen this Friday, March 25th at 7pm as apart of the IU Cinema's "Staff Selects" series. Please visit the IU Cinema website for more details and to purchase your tickets for what I promise will be a very special evening:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/screening/2022-spring-program-friday-march-25-700pm


You can find Margot's Instagram account, @mise_en_scene, were she finds the beauty and spectacle in fashion, arthouse/populist cinema, and performers, here:

https://www.instagram.com/misc_en_scene/

Mar 21, 202201:08:56
A Place For Film: Episode 68 - Short Musings on Sci-fi Spielberg & A Live Introduction to West Side Story (2021)

A Place For Film: Episode 68 - Short Musings on Sci-fi Spielberg & A Live Introduction to West Side Story (2021)

On this weeks episode of A Place For Film: I'm sick! Which means its a low energy low effort affair, so I decided to talk off the cuff about Steven Spielberg's sci-fi cannon of film in anticipation of the IU Cinema's screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind on 3/29. Because my energy is so low I decided to throw my introduction to West Side Story (2021) into the mix for those who still haven't caught it on HBOMAX or want a little bit more context after their first of hopefully many viewings of that masterpiece.

Mar 14, 202227:55
A Place For Film: Episode 67 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for February 2022

A Place For Film: Episode 67 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for February 2022

Full transparency: all Blu-rays reviewed were provided by Criterion, Kino Lorber, 88 Films US and Fun City Editions

On this months PMISDIJSF, Criterion Collection, Kino Lorber, 88 Film US, and Fun City Editions join us with some stellar titles. Millers Crossing, 12 Angry Men (1997), Man on The Moon, The Flag of Iron, Legendary Weapons of the Shaolin, Bilitis and my "pick of the month" Morvern Callar all get the spotlight in a month full of both physicality and melancholy.

Mar 08, 202240:47
A Place For Film: Episode 66 - SECS Fest Midwest (with David Church)

A Place For Film: Episode 66 - SECS Fest Midwest (with David Church)

On this 66th episode of A Place For Film (and disappointingly NOT the 69th episode) SECS Fest co-founder and programmer David Church was nice enough to come on last minute and give me the in and outs and ins and outs (i'm so sorry) as well as history of SECS Fest and how it came to end up in the Midwest. I also lose my mind on microphone when I find out that David Church was also responsible for the beloved Café Flesh screening at the IU Cinema many moons ago. It's a stimulating conversation about the challenges and learned lessons of running a sex positive feminist and queer focused film festival.


Find more information on SECS Fest Midwest here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/secs-fest-midwest


and if you want more time with David Church and his words on SECS Fest Midwest, please visit the IU Cinema blog here:

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2022/02/24/heat-and-heart-coming-to-secs-fest-midwest/

Feb 28, 202231:41
A Place For Film: Episode 65 - A Short Conversation with Jon Vickers Scoring Award Winner Daniel Whitworth

A Place For Film: Episode 65 - A Short Conversation with Jon Vickers Scoring Award Winner Daniel Whitworth

On this weeks episode, I had the opportunity to talk to Jon Vickers Scoring Award winner, composer and saxophonist Daniel Whitworth to discuss his background in cinema and composition and the process of working on an undertaking the demanding. He also talks about some of his musical influences including the works of contemporary classical composers. If you enjoy the interview then please join us on February 26th at 7PM for the world debut of Daniel's score for the silent film directed by Oscar Apfel, Phil-for-Short.


Interview begins at 07:27


You can find more of Daniel's work on his website here:

https://www.danielwhitworthmusic.com/


You can find out more information for Phil-for-Short and the Jon Vickers Scoring Award, here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/screening/2022-spring-program-saturday-february-26-700pm

and here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/jon-vickers-scoring-award

Feb 22, 202220:15
A Place For Film: Episode 64 - Oscar Nominations & Jackass Forever

A Place For Film: Episode 64 - Oscar Nominations & Jackass Forever

On this weeks episode, David is flying solo and low-key so they can casually talk about the 2022 Oscar nominations and what they feel are some good calls and glaring oversights (please ignore that they forgot to bring up Titane at all during the snubs sections but c'mon France was never submitting that for their International contender). And after weeks of talking about the series, David gives their thoughts on Jackass Forever and why this series keeps enduring and feels so sweet and cathartic.


If you are interested in attending Cicada Cinema's screening of Sister Street Fighter on 2/17, please checkout their website for tickets and information:

Cicadacinema.com

Feb 14, 202241:23
A Place For Film: Episode 63 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for January 2022

A Place For Film: Episode 63 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for January 2022

Full Transparency: All blu-rays reviewed were provided by Criterion, Kino Lorber, Cohen Film Collection, Imprint Films, and Arrow Video.

On this weeks episode of Physical Media Isn't Dead, It Just Smells Funny, we have some excellent titles to kick off 2022. Imprint Films brings us a thrilling revenge film starring Kirk Douglas titled Last Train From Gun Hill, and two horror adjacent titles with the folk infused Tam Lin directed by Roddy McDowall and Sam Raimi's gothic "American Giallo", The Gift. Cohen Film Collection puts out the original uncut version of the British Rock n' Roll musical Expresso Bongo (where you will believe a mans stage name can in fact just be "Bongo Herbert"), while Kino Lorber doubles up on gentle heist movies that proves maybe there is honor among thieves with Gambit (starring My-Ko-Kane and Shirley MacLaine) and Bill Forsyth and John Sayles Breaking In.

Arrow Video serves with two kind of highly anticipated titles. Mario Bava's final effort Shock (a.k.a Beyond The Door II) gets a deluxe treatment that far and away better than the Anchor Bay double feature DVD from a million years ago, and Yasuzo Masumura's Red Angel is here to make you ponder than nature of grace and healing. Finally, Criterion Collection puts out now TWO TIME Oscar nominated director Jane Campion's signature film, The Piano to help us ponder just how hot (and tender) Harvey Keitel can be...IN 4K!

It's a great way to kick off the year and I as always, I hope you find something that sings to you and can find its way on to your shelf.


Feb 09, 202248:19
A Place For Film: Episode 62 - The Work of Paulin Vieyra and Sundance 2022 Follow Up (with Dr. Alicia Kozma and Brittany Friesner)

A Place For Film: Episode 62 - The Work of Paulin Vieyra and Sundance 2022 Follow Up (with Dr. Alicia Kozma and Brittany Friesner)

On this weeks episode of the IU Cinema podcast, I very briefly outline the work and legacy of Senegalese filmmaker and pioneer, Paulin Vieyra as well as follow-up with Alicia and Brittany about their virtual Sundance experience and what hidden and not so hidden gems they found at this years festival. A treat of an episode for those who want a sneak preview of all the film possibly coming to the cinema in the next few semesters!


Material and worlds for the Paulin Vieyra section of the podcast was DIRECTLY pulled from the two following resources:

https://blackfilmcenterarchive.wordpress.com/2019/08/26/paulin-vieyra-pioneer-of-african-cinemas-filmmaker-producer-historian/

https://news.iu.edu/stories/2021/07/iub/releases/27-black-film-center-archive-acquires-paulin-vieyra-papers.html


If you would like to find out how to view and participate with the IU Cinema's Paulin Vierya program, you can find more information here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/paulin-vieyra-pioneer-of-african-cinemas-filmmaker-producer-and-historian

Feb 07, 202248:10
A Place For Film: Episode 61 - An Introduction To Douglas Sirk (with Michaela Owens)

A Place For Film: Episode 61 - An Introduction To Douglas Sirk (with Michaela Owens)

Prepared to get Sirk'd up for this weeks episode of A Place For Film. Joining David once is again is his eternal enemy and elegant editor Michaela Owens to give everyone a little primer on the lush and lively world of melodrama director Douglas Sirk in anticipation of the IU Cinema's "5x Douglas Sirk: Magnificently Obsessed" series. If you don't know the work, this is a good place to start so you know what to expect going in, especially if you're drawn towards his incredible output in the 1950's.


In short, tune and listen if you want Michaela and David to teach you how to Doug(las)


For more information about the IU Cinema's Sirk series and they're "5x" series in general, please visit the cinema's website here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/5x-series

Jan 31, 202240:37
A Place For Film: Episode 60 - Underground Film (with Joan Hawkins)

A Place For Film: Episode 60 - Underground Film (with Joan Hawkins)

On this weeks A Place For Film, Professor Joan Hawkins joins me once again. We discuss the origins of the "Underground Film" series in Bloomington as well has this history of Underground film and upcoming screenings at the IU Cinema this semester featuring exciting pieces of Underground celluloid. Joan is a wellspring of information and knowledge so I hope you enjoy the conversation.


You can find more information about upcoming Ryder Film Series screenings, here:

https://www.theryder.com/


You can read Jesse Pasternack's recent write up about the film Possession, here:

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2022/01/20/the-enduring-mysteries-of-possession-1981/


More information about past and present screenings in the Underground Film Series can be found at the IU Cinemas website, here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/underground-film-series

Jan 24, 202250:44
A Place For Film: Episode 59 - The State of International & Arthouse Cinema (with Dr. Alicia Kozma and Brittany Friesner)

A Place For Film: Episode 59 - The State of International & Arthouse Cinema (with Dr. Alicia Kozma and Brittany Friesner)

On this weeks episode, I had the pleasure of talking to Associate Director and returning guest Brittany Friesner, as well as new Indiana University Cinema Director, Dr. Alicia Kozma about the current state of international/arthouse cinema exhibition and distribution in honor the IU Cinema's returning International Arthouse series as well the upcoming Sundance Film Festival. They discuss how the model has changed over the past 30 years as well as the challenges and realities of finding the right cross section of films to both entice and enlighten a theater going audience.


Learn more about the International Arthouse Series here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/international-arthouse-series

Jan 17, 202201:01:29
A Place For Film: Episode 58 - A VERY Brief History of Midnight Movies.

A Place For Film: Episode 58 - A VERY Brief History of Midnight Movies.

On this weeks episode of A Place For Film, I do my best to give you the short version of the history of the midnight movie in honor of the IU Cinema's "Not-Quite Midnights". How it came to be, how it evolved, how it went mainstream and how it (sadly) ended. I also admit on air that I've never been to a Rocky Horror Picture Show screening in my 31 years of life and ask you to be cool about it (or invite me to a screening).


You can find the entire line up of "Not-Quite Midnights" screenings here:

https://cinema.indiana.edu/upcoming-films/series/not-quite-midnights


You can find my writing on Alejandro Jodorowsky's El Topo and The Holy Mountain here:

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2017/09/05/the-climb-to-the-holy-mountain/


If you're interested in the audio project I did with Dr. Terri Francis interviewing scholars and filmmakers about the movies and what moves them, please check out "Frame By Frame" here:

https://anchor.fm/black-film-centerarchive




Jan 10, 202229:57
A Place For Film: Episode 57 - A Conversation with Drusilla Adeline a.k.a Sister Hyde

A Place For Film: Episode 57 - A Conversation with Drusilla Adeline a.k.a Sister Hyde

This weeks joint A Place For Film/Physical Media Isn't Dead, It Just Smells Funny episode is a special one. Artist and graphic designer Drusilla Adeline made her way down to the IU Cinema to chat about her work as an artist designing some of the best and most instantly recognizable work for distributors like Criterion, Kino Lorber, Arrow, Vinegar Syndrome and Fun City Editions. She discusses her non-traditional art background and then dives into the wonderful period of discovering cinema in her youth and how that opened her world as a queer woman. Things then turn to discussion of her latest collaboration with Jonathan Hertzberg and Fun City Editions with their latest release, Radio On. It's was an honor to have who is essentially the "Cal Schenkel of Criterion" on the podcast and also just a lovely evening of gushing about what movies mean to two cinephiles from Indiana.


You can check out more of Drusilla's work at her website:

https://www.sisterhydedesign.com/


You can order Radio On from Fun City Editions through Vinegar Syndrome:

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/radio-on-fun-city-editions

Dec 22, 202153:21
A Place For Film: Episode 56 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for December 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 56 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for December 2021

Happy holidays, everyone! 'Tis the season for merriment, goodwill to your fellow man, and watching people beat the living hell out of each other, or at least it is on “Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny.” There’s something in the air within the world of physical distribution. It seems that the time has come for balletic martial arts and high-octane action films to get their time to shine. On this month's episode, we have three labels and all of them have brought some of the greatest films featuring fast and furious fists and a symphony of squibs.

New to the round-up this month we have 88 Films US, a label that specializes in martial arts films from the golden age of the medium. Their contribution is the workers' rights-infused Shaw Brothers film directed by legend Chang Cheh, Disciples of Shaolin, starring the charismatic Alexander Fu Sheng. Kino Lorber doubles down this month with Mei-Chun Chang’s follow-up to the thoroughly entertaining Dynasty with Revenge of the Shogun Women, another collaboration with the 3-D Film Archive and their initiative to seemingly bring you eye-popping action whenever they can. Kino Lorber has also decided to grace us with an HD and 4K release of John Woo’s American debut film, the 1993 film Hard Target, starring Jean Claude Van Damme’s mullet and Wilford Brimley's Cajun accent (along with Jean Claude Van Damme and Wilford Brimley). For such an occasion I had the opportunity to sit down with CMCL PhD candidate and all-around lovely person Jessie Balzer to discuss what makes Jean Claude Van Damme compelling and just what is going on with Lance Henrikson's physical performance in this film. Finally, for my pick of the month, I swing back around to Criterion's November release of the staggering Once Upon a Time in China: The Complete Films boxset -- a must-own for anyone even vaguely interested in exploring the world of Hong Kong action cinema.

Limber up and get ready for a month of grace, violence, and doves making welcome appearances into the frame.


You can read the rest of the reviews over at the IU Cinema blog

Dec 16, 202101:01:44
A Place For Film: Episode 55 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for November 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 55 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for November 2021

Believe it or not, I’ve been doing these reviews for over a year at this point and it’s been lovely watching how much it's all grown. This originally started with me desperately wanting to review the Criterion Collection’s The Complete Films of Agnès Varda boxset and it has grown into something I couldn’t imagine. Over the past 12 months, this has gone from just the lovely folks over at Kino Lorber and the Criterion Collection to also working with other lovely folks over at Arrow Video, Fun City Editions, GKIDS, Code Red, MVD Entertainment, Synapse Films, and Cohen Film Collection to help bring awareness to the wide world of well-curated and pristinely-packed cinema you could experience from the comfort and safety of your home with no more than a TV and a Blu-ray player (no internet required). This started as a way to keep people engaged with repertory and arthouse titles while theaters were closed and tech companies continued to gobble up the scope of cinema, but it’s now evolved into blog discovery and being intentional and passionate about cinema I consume. It’s been great hearing all the feedback over the past 12 months and getting to hear from people who found this column by chance. I love doing it and I hope you guys still like listening to and reading it.

So what better way to celebrate a one-year anniversary than with the addition of two new distributors! From the UK but bearing “All Region” gifts comes Imprint Films with its releases of Basil Dearden’s penultimate film, The Assassination Bureau starring late greats Oliver Reed, Telly Savalas, and of course Diana Rigg, a romp about assassins who clearly don’t understand there are more efficient ways to kill a person than bombs (more on that later). They also have released a handsome boxset containing both the 1951 Anthony Asquith/Michael Redgrave and 1994 Mike Figgis/Albert Finney adaptations of Terrence Rattigan's The Browning Version. Also making their debut is the long-awaited and oft-asked-for Vinegar Syndrome! We're starting off with their exclusive release of the very exciting reconstruction of the nearly lost and soon-to-be-cult-favorite New York Ninja.


We also have our usual suspects with Kino Lorber giving us releases of director John G. Avildsen and composer Bill Conti’s unlikely but welcome follow-up to Rocky, Slow Dancing in the Big City starring unlikely romantic lead Paul Sorvino. John Huston’s Freud biopic starring Montgomery Clift and Susannah York makes a welcome appearance, which prompts me to once again think about what makes a biopic work artistically in the first place. There is also the season 1 release of Rod Serling’s horror-tinged Twilight Zone follow-up Night Gallery.


Arrow Video brings us two welcome releases for cinephiles who have their sights set on lesser-known Japanese genre cinema: Gamera director Noriaki Yuasa’s adaptation of Kazuo Umezu’s manga “Hebi shōjo (Snake Girl)” into a horror film aimed to traumatize children everywhere, The Snake Girl and the Silver Haired Witch, and there’s also the genre-bending mash-up that is Shinji Somai’s Sailor Suit and Machine Gun, which somehow threads the needle between quiet coming-of-age drama, yakuza movie, and Japanese “idol movie.” Finally, we have my pick of the month from Fun City Editions with their recent release of Christopher Petit’s New German cinema-inspired and new wave-scored British road movie Radio On, a gem I hope won’t remain hidden for long.


After a year of doing this, I hope some of you have found something you’ve enjoyed that you  would have otherwise missed or overlooked, and if you haven’t yet, I hope this month can change that.


You can read the rest of the written reviews on the IU Cinema Blog, here:

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/

Nov 30, 202101:02:32
A Place For Film: Episode 54 - Talkin' Tierney 2021 (featuring Emma Kearney and Michaela Owens)

A Place For Film: Episode 54 - Talkin' Tierney 2021 (featuring Emma Kearney and Michaela Owens)

This weeks episode is all about the ethereal talent and beauty of the one and only Gene Tierney. In honor of the IU Cinema's "A Century of Tierney" series and "Noir-vember" I decided to have two Tierney techs on to talk about her career, persona, and life off camera. Publications Editor Michaela Owens and Maurer School of Law student Emma Kearney, lend their expertise to a lovely and lively conversation about the enchanting and entrancing star.


You can read Michaela's writing on Gene Tierney here...

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2020/11/19/100-years-of-gene-tierney/


...and Emma's, here:

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/2021/09/23/seeing-god-in-a-lightbulb-gene-tierney-and-the-work-of-viewed/


Nov 25, 202151:31
A Place For Film: Episode 53 - Back At It Again, With The Theatrical Experience

A Place For Film: Episode 53 - Back At It Again, With The Theatrical Experience

On this weeks episode, Elizabeth and David chat about their experience returning to theaters the past 7 months or so since their vaccines took hold. The go down a partial list of films they've seen (Nobody, Pig, The French Dispatch The Card Counter, Petite Maman, Bergman Island A Quiet Place 2, Malignant, Thelma and Louise, Last Night in Soho, Dune) and what the general vibe and decorum has been with audiences since returning to such an intimate space.

Nov 16, 202152:30
A Place For Film: Episode 52 - The News Marches On

A Place For Film: Episode 52 - The News Marches On

This week on A Place For Film, David and Elizabeth reunite during David's social media hiatus to talk about some film news that did trickle down him in his Twitter and Instagram free "Fortress of Solitude". They discuss Disney's refusal to make a separate cut of The Eternals, Robert Downy Jr. being cast in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer film as well as his new partnership with Universal, and they also discuss the Taika Waititi being tapped as director for adapting Alejandro Jodorowsky's Incal to the big screen. 


It's lite, it's fun, it's A Place For Film

Nov 08, 202134:35
A Place For Film: Episode 51 - Physical Media Isn't Dead, It's Undead: Blu-ray Reviews for October 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 51 - Physical Media Isn't Dead, It's Undead: Blu-ray Reviews for October 2021

Full transparency: all Blu-rays reviewed were provided by Kino Lorber, Arrow Video, and Synapse Films.

Finally, the best month of the year is here: OCTOBER! The one I’ve been waiting for, folks. There’s nothing quite like the thrills and chills of a month marinated in the macabre. As the days dwindle and the nights grow longer, it’s nice to sit down with a spooky story or two to keep you company and to keep you and your loved ones on your toes. Who knows what creeps around every conspicuous corner? Horror movies are always a fun and communal way to let the hairs stand up on your neck and get your pulse pounding and your stomach churning without having to go out and find a masked killer to get the job done. So that is why I bring you some of the wildest, weirdest, and most weighty selections this column has seen to date.

Joining us this month is Synapse Films with their reissue of Lamberto Bava and giallo giant Dario Argento’s nightmare-inducing (and nightmare-logic-infused) horror duology Demons and Demons 2. Arrow Video comes in swingin' with a substantial piece of film history and a fresh collection for non-weeby western eyes: the Yokai Monsters Collection, featuring the entire trilogy of the influential yokai monster movies produced by Daiei, the studio behind Gamera, as well as exhaustingly prolific auteur Takashi Miike’s 2005 yokai free-for-all, The Great Yokai War, which begs the question "What if there was a great yokai war?"

The final addition to my reviews this month -- as well as my pick of the month -- comes from Kino Lorber, but not in the form of a film. No, ma’am. We are treading into the uncharted territory of TV and TV movies with, if not the granddaddy of “monster of the week” television shows then certainly the cool uncle of them, Kolchak: The Night Stalker. For such a momentous occasion I decided to bring back past guest, Lotus operations & visual arts manager, radio DJ, and The X-Files aficionado Amanda Hutchins to talk about the sizable impact this show has had on TV and film as a whole, its never-ending delightfulness, its fascinating pedigree, and how it embodies the more “fun” side of the Halloween season.

Take a listen... if you dare.

You can find the rest of the months reviews in written form on the IU Cinema blog

Oct 29, 202101:02:14
A Place For Film: Episode 50 - Fun City Editions/Primetime Panic Interview (with Jonathan Hertzberg)

A Place For Film: Episode 50 - Fun City Editions/Primetime Panic Interview (with Jonathan Hertzberg)

This week on A Place For Film, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Fun City Editions founder Jonathan Hertzberg to talk to him about his experience starting up a boutique blu-ray label in an already crowded landscape. We also get into his passions as a programmer and his time as an IU alumni in The Department of Communication and Culture. After that, we dive into Fun City Editions latest release of a trio of "Golden Era" TV movies titled "Primetime Panic" and how they really illustrate a very specific moment in cinema history. Jonathan was an absolute joy to talk to, and it's always nice to talk to another collector about our sickness.


I hope you enjoy the episode and if it so moves you, you can purchase Primetime Panic here:

https://vinegarsyndrome.com/products/primetime-panic-fun-city-editions


Oct 22, 202159:26
A Place For Film: Episode 49 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for September 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 49 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for September 2021

This month’s round-up is an eclectic bunch, which, if you know me at this point, is a good thing. Things are beginning to lean towards the change of seasons thematically. There is a Carl Reiner/Steve Martin comedy-noir collab called Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid featuring some help from a bevy of screen legends, plus an unexpected discovery from Code Red in the form of Story of a Woman, a romantic drama starring Ingmar Bergman regular Bibi Andersson, Dead and Buried star James Farentino, and Unsolved Mysteries host Robert Stack. In collaboration with Greenwich Entertainment, Kino Lorber brings us All the Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding (1987-1997), a loving look back at two subcultures intersecting right before they became mainstream. Kino Lorber also has a delectable double feature starring IU Cinema favorite Vincent Price with The Tomb of Ligia, debatably the best of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, and Theater of Blood, the second best Price movie where he theatrically and thematically gets revenge on those who wronged him. My dual picks of the month come in the form of Criterion's release of Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa, starring the late great Bob Hoskins in a surprisingly tender role, and Arrow's luxuriant release of Ridley Scott's aesthetically ambitious Legend.

To me, it's a line-up of films that feel like fall (noir! dramatic romance! dark fantasy! horror!) and nicely transitions us to the spooky stuff coming down the pipeline in October. As always, a month filled with pleasures I can’t wait to tell you about.

Head over to the IU Cinema Blog to read the written reviews for films I did not mention here.

https://blogs.iu.edu/aplaceforfilm/

Sep 29, 202134:21
A Place For Film: Episode 48 - Glenn Close and The Art of The Character Exhibit (with Kelly Richardson)

A Place For Film: Episode 48 - Glenn Close and The Art of The Character Exhibit (with Kelly Richardson)

This week on A Place For Film, David sits down with Eskenazi and Elizabeth Sage Collection Curator Kelly Richardson to discuss the ongoing Art of The Character exhibit featuring costumes from Glenn Closes most iconic films and characters. As this is also in partnership with IU Cinema, Kelly explains how that came to be along with what the collection is, what curating fashion and costumes is like and her own personal passions. 

Sep 26, 202140:08
A Place For Film: Episode 47 - A Short Conversation on Princess Mononoke

A Place For Film: Episode 47 - A Short Conversation on Princess Mononoke

This week on A Place For Film, we take some time to eulogize Michael K Williams and Norm MacDonald. We get excited about Guillermo del Toro's Nightmare Alley and finally we give some short and sweet thoughts on the film Princess Mononoke and discuss why its so special us.


You can purchase The IU Cinema's first book "Indiana University Cinema: The New Model", at IUPress:

https://iupress.org/9780253058089/indiana-university-cinema/

Sep 19, 202141:00
A Place For Film: Episode 46 - Fall 2021 Preview

A Place For Film: Episode 46 - Fall 2021 Preview

David and Elizabeth (after a small delay and some Matrix Resurrections talk) finally bring you Fall 2021 preview ep! Tune in to get a full run down of what the IU Cinema has to offer this fall.

Sep 13, 202134:33
A Place For Film: Episode 45 - A Conversation on IU Cinema's New Book (with Brittany D. Friesner, Jon Vickers, Michaela Owens, and Kyle Calvert)

A Place For Film: Episode 45 - A Conversation on IU Cinema's New Book (with Brittany D. Friesner, Jon Vickers, Michaela Owens, and Kyle Calvert)

This week on A Place For Film, we had the pleasure of sitting down with the team behind "Indiana University Cinema: The New Model", the new book from Indiana University Press looking back at the first 10 years of IU Cinema's journey. The team discusses the fun and unexpected hardships of writing and publishing a book, as well as the possible future of the IU Cinema publishing more books. An engaging conversation with friends and family of the IU Cinema

Sep 06, 202140:54
A Place For Film: Episode 44 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for August 2021
Aug 29, 202129:28
A Place For Film: Episode 43 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Criterion Presents "Working Girls" Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 43 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Criterion Presents "Working Girls" Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

Our final review for the month is Criterions release of Lizzie Borden's socio-economic examination of middle class sex work: Working Girls.


"Physical Media Isn't Dead, It Just Smells Funny" Will be back in the podcast feed AND on the IU Cinema blog later this month. Thanks for hangin out with me this week folks.




Aug 06, 202109:33
A Place For Film: Episode 42 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Fun City Editions Presents "Rancho Deluxe" Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 42 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Fun City Editions Presents "Rancho Deluxe" Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

Todays episodes focuses on Fun City Editions most recent release: Rancho Deluxe. A slacker western about how the west was done. Take a listen and find out why I loved this movie and this release so much.

Aug 05, 202110:34
A Place For Film: Episode 41 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Arrow/Severin/Blue Underground Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 41 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Arrow/Severin/Blue Underground Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

Up next in our week of blu-ray reviews, we have the MVD Entertainment Group umbrella of labels. From Arrow, a cult favorite 1975 gang exploitation film. From Severin, a mid-career masterpiece from art house provocateur Alejandro Jodorowsky. And we round out the month with the Lovecraftian delight co-penned by Alien writer Dan O'Bannon.


Once again if you like the music from this episode, most of it comes from or is inspired @iansundstroms yearly summer mixtapes.

Aug 04, 202123:45
A Place For Film: Episode 40 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Kino Lorber Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

A Place For Film: Episode 40 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Kino Lorber Blu-ray Reviews for July 2021

We've been mostly dark this past July for some R&R but that doesn't mean you aren't getting some bonus episodes before the summer falls away! This week on the pod is Physical Media Isn't Dead Week! I decided to split up the giant pile of blu-ray reviews into their own episodes. Todays episode is all about Kino Lorber's crop of hidden gems. A romantic cop dramady from the writer and director of The Onion Field, an NBC made for TV movie by director Don Seigel starring Henry Fonda, a movie where Ray Milland plays The Devil, a psycho-sexual noir starring Rita Hayworth, and visceral piece of sensual cinema from master Andrej Żuławsk. A joy to watch and a joy to talk about.


Id like to give a special shout out to Ian Sundstrom, who's 2017 Summer mixtape was the basis for the music used in this episode and will be for the rest of the episodes this week. Go ahead and give Ian a follow @IanSundstrom on Twitter!

Aug 03, 202130:26
A Place For Film: Episode 39 - Cry Baby and the Summer Movie Musical Series Post Mortem.

A Place For Film: Episode 39 - Cry Baby and the Summer Movie Musical Series Post Mortem.

We've come to the end of our summer movie series once again, and its been a great time. To send the who thing off we decided to have a very chill conversation about John Waters 1990 film Cry Baby (A MOVIE WE WILL REVISIT IN THE FUTURE. DO NOT PANIC AT THE LENGTH OF THIS EPISODE) and to give our thoughts about how much fun exploring these movies the past 5 weeks have been, as well as talk about possibly returning to musicals later this year...

Jul 19, 202138:57
A Place For Film: Episode 38 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for June 2021 (with Michaela Owens)
Jun 30, 202155:16
A Place For Film: Episode 37 - You Were Never Lovelier (with Emma Kearney)

A Place For Film: Episode 37 - You Were Never Lovelier (with Emma Kearney)

For our final episode with a guest we decided to bring a delightful and warm presence from the recesses of the World Wide Web. Emma Kearney joins us to talk about the 1942 Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth re-team, You Were Never Lovelier. Elizabeth and David sit back and listen while Emma dazzles them facts about fashion, Rita Hayworth history and why Fred Astaire astounds as a performer. There couldn't be lovelier way to end the guested portion of the summer musical series. 


Producer's Note: The last 4 minutes of Emma's audio was somehow lost but everything of importance was intact. 

Jun 21, 202101:00:56
A Place For Film: Episode 36 - In The Heights (with Jesse Pasternack)

A Place For Film: Episode 36 - In The Heights (with Jesse Pasternack)

GOOOOOD MORNING LISTENERS. We're happy to present the next film in our summer series of symphonic-esque sweets: In The Heights. That's right, we decided to do an ep on the brand spankin' new musical you can see in your home on HBO Max OR in your local multiplex. However, when we decided we were going to do this episode, there was only one person we had in mind. Long past due returning guest Jesse Pasternack joins us this week to shine so much light on the heights. He talks about his love of Lin Manuel Miranda's work, the differences between the stage and screen versions of In The Heights, as well his background with this miracle of a modern major musical. It's tight ep but its packed to the brim. Take a listen!

Jun 12, 202148:29
A Place For Film: Episode 35 - West Side Story (with Jay Hurst)

A Place For Film: Episode 35 - West Side Story (with Jay Hurst)

You guys are in for a treat with this episode. Not only are we covering David's favorite musical of all time, West Side Story, were doing it with a bonafide PH.D. holder. Jay Hurst, a wonderful and incredibly talented composer, has come on the podcast to bring his musical expertise to give a crash course on some of the dense musical motifs present in Leonard Bernstein's incredible compositions. They also talk about the unreality of world, racial dynamics in and out of the film, and just gushing about how good this thing is. Its sonic feast this week on A Place For Film and we hope you take something from it.


*Producers Note*


The audio quality of Elizabeth and David occasionally drops due to a recording error. Its very clear and listenable, this is just a heads up!

Jun 07, 202101:17:46
A Place For Film: Episode 34 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for May 2021 (with Amanda Hutchins)

A Place For Film: Episode 34 - Physical Media Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. Blu-ray Reviews for May 2021 (with Amanda Hutchins)

Well, folks, things have heated up considerably since I started doing these reviews last fall. I’ve reached out to so many great distributors and all of them have been kind, helpful, and generous with what they allow access to and there are some genuinely amazing new discoveries this past month.

Joining the round-up we have Arrow Video with its release of post-war Japanese New Wave director Yasuzo Masumura’s cult satire Giant and Toys, a movie about avarice and the water/vinegar mix of western influence on Japanese salaryman culture. In association with Arrow, MVD’s “Rewind Collection” has put out an extended director's cut of a 1997 Hong Kong action-cinema-inspired barnburner, Drive. Criterion comes in strong with its own underrated film in the Tyrone Power carny-noir Nightmare Alley, based off of the controversial and extremely racy novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham. Fun City Editions returns this month with a little seen Robert Forrest/Nancy Kwan two-hander called Walking the Edge, a low-budget and slick-sounding neo-noir and revenge film.

However, our main segment focuses on two art-centric docs released by Kino Lorber: the impassioned and red-hot Chris McKim documentary about queer East Village artist David Wojnarowicz, Wojanrowicz: F**k You You F*ggot F**ker, as well as the more whimsical and pragmatic look into graphic artist M.C. Escher's process, life, and dreams with M.C. Escher: Journey to Infinity. Joining me for that segment will be the lovely and engaging new Operations and Visual Arts Manager at the Lotus Education and Arts Foundation, Amanda Hutchins!

Honestly, May has probably been the most interesting month to date, filled with movies packing much style, heft, and aesthetic. Give it a listen and I'm sure you’ll find something to watch while the cicadas hum in the background as spring winds down and summer starts peeking its head through.


If you want to read my thoughts on some films that didn't quite make the cut, head on over to the IU Cinema Blog and check those out!

Jun 03, 202158:21
A Place For Film: Episode 33 - Vincent Price Visits A Place For Film

A Place For Film: Episode 33 - Vincent Price Visits A Place For Film

Todays heralds some pieces of good news. The first being that it is Vincent Prices birthday. It also marks the time Vincent Price joined us at A Place For Film to talk about his illustrious career in honor of his daughter Victoria Price visiting the cinema back in March of 2018. We accomplished this by having Vincent's good friend and birthday buddy Nile Arena give us his contact info (did you know Vincent Price communicates exclusively through Live Journal DM's?) and he was a treat to have on!


This also marks the official beginning of our effort to rescue old A Place For Film episodes. Listen in to find out what happened behind the scenes, but needless to say we are relieved and happy to bring you the loose, fun and sometimes embarrassing early episodes of this podcast. We hope you enjoy this blast from the past and keep your eyes peeled for other classic episodes in the future

May 27, 202132:48
A Place For Film: Episode 32 - Bells Are Ringing (with Michaela Owens)

A Place For Film: Episode 32 - Bells Are Ringing (with Michaela Owens)

"It's showtime, folks!"

This week on A Place For Film, we begin our six week soak in the sun celebrating our summer series with movie musicals! We dive headfirst in to the oeuvre of acclaimed musical director Vicente Minelli and his final MGM musical, Bells Are Ringing. Who better to start us off than three time returning guest AND publications editor for the IU Cinema, Michaela Owens. She guides Elizabeth and David through the wonders of the movie musical, why its artificiality is important, the underrated Judy Holiday and disagrees with David about Dean Martin being the worst Rat Packer. Friends are laughing and the bells are ringing. Wont you take a listen?

May 24, 202101:05:13
A Place For Film: Episode 31 - Weekly Watch #3 and Announcing Our Summer Series

A Place For Film: Episode 31 - Weekly Watch #3 and Announcing Our Summer Series

On this weeks A Place For Film, David and Elizabeth announce the winner of the summer series poll and dish on what they've been watching the past few days. Short, sweet, and simple. Give it a listen!

May 17, 202119:41
A Place For Film: Episode 30 - Smile Blu-ray Review
May 10, 202113:28