Criterion Thots Podcast

Two women, isolated in a house together with no outside contact, slowly lose their minds as the lines between their identities blur and breakdown. No, this is not the story of the Criterion Thots during quarantine but the shared thematic thread of this week’s Criterion double-feature: Olivier Assayas’ “Clouds of Sils Maria” (2014) and Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona” (1966). Join the Thots as they discuss how the meaning of a film is meant to change depending on who’s watching it, society’s obsession with staying young and now once you watch “Persona”, you will see it in EVERYTHING.

Can you guess the theme of this episode? The Thots dive into Ingmar Bergman’s “Scenes From a Marriage” (1973) and its descendant, Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” (2019) and how they tackle the same theme in their own uniquely brilliant ways. Expect a lot of gushing over Liv Ullman and Laura Dern, a breakdown of each film’s writing and visual styles and how each thot sees their own childhoods reflected to them in these films.

This week the Thots become fully immersed in a Terrance Malick double-feature - 1998’s “The Thin Red Line” and 2011’s “The Tree of Life”- and go on a philosophical journey as they discuss the pitfalls of trying to define art, why acting is a deeply human and valuable craft (and our love for the extraordinary Jessica Chastain), the collaborative nature of filmmaking, and why some Tarantino super fanboy bros honestly scare them a little. Not only is this episode an analysis of these two films but an insightful and educational tribute to the art of filmmaking overall.

This week, the Thots contrast the colorful & dreamy idealism of Jacques Deng’s 1967 French musical “The Young Girls of Rochefort” to the cynical ambition of the Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s momentous 1948 ballet drama “The Red Shoes”, then dive deep into one of the greatest existential questions in history: can an artist really have it all? This episode is a must-listen for any artist pursuing a career in their artistry, whether you’re a fan of these fantastic films or not.

Meet The Criterion Thots! In their first episode, Chanelle and Amanda start their journey through Chanelle's collection of Criterion blu-rays with a musical-comedy double-feature. The thots theorize over the lack of consent inherent in a film with the premise of Billy Wilder's "Some Like it Hot", gush over the vibey, chaotic comedic stylings of The Beatles in Richard Lester's "A Hard Day's Night", critique the widespread objectification of Marilyn Monroe, and most importantly, discuss how Chanelle is definitely John Lennon.