CineJourneys (master feed)

Description: Kristina Dijan joins to talk about the upcoming Japanese Horror Journey and also talks Spooky Season movie watching in October, with recommendations. Aaron talks about The Substance and how it is a must see, preferably in theaters. Links: Video Version of this Discussion CineJourneys - October Japanese Horror Details and Registration October CineJourneys Shirt Follow Us: Cinejourneys - YouTube Channel | Facebook Page | Facebook Group | Instagram | Letterboxd | BlueSky | Threads Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: The second chapter of our Classic Suspense Journey is called "Buckle Up." We watched Henri-Georges Clouzot's The Wages of Fear (1953), which is widely considered to be among the best suspense films of all time. We followed it with William Friedkin's Sorcerer (1977), which had some distribution challenges (mostly due to being released close to the time frame of Star Wars), but it is still considered one of the best classic remakes of all time. We feel it is more of a re-imagining. The films work differently, and reflect differences in filmmaking from their time frame and changes in global politics. During this call, we dive deep and have a constructive discussion about both films. Ultimately it was an experiment to watch them closely together, and while the films were appreciated, the results depended on the individuals. Links: Chapter Two Video Call Explosive Terror in The Wages of Fear (1953) - Jill Blake Classic Suspense Journey Details Follow Us: Cinejourneys - YouTube Channel | Facebook Page | Facebook Group | Instagram | Letterboxd | BlueSky | Threads Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron welcome Keith Enright, The Completionist. Keith is a longtime friend of both Criterion Now and CineJourneys, and he was primarily the motivator for us to schedule a Coen Brothers Screwball Comedy Journey. This episode is a brief conversation after the conclusion of the journey, and we talk some about the Coen Brothers being part of the Minneapolis community, but more about just being a fan of their films and how that has lasted through time. We also have a conversation about lists and what we had for breakfast. Links: Keith's Letterboxd My Coen Brothers Odyssey - Aaron West Unedited Video Episode Follow Us: Cinejourneys - YouTube Channel | Facebook Page | Facebook Group | Instagram | Letterboxd | BlueSky | Threads Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: This is the first episode of Read Her to Heaven, which is our new Journey where we look at film related books. We were delighted to have Erica Shultz as our inaugural guest. She is the author of The Sweetest Taboo: An Unapologetic Guide to Child Kills in Film. which is as crazy and also hilarious as it sounds. We released our YouTube Channel. Future podcast episodes will appear on the CineJourneys master feed. Links: Read Her to Heaven - Episode One on YouTube Unsung Horrors Podcast Follow Us: Read Her to Heaven - Journey Hub | Discord Channel | CineJourneys Group Cinejourneys - Read Her to Heaven Journey | Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd Unsung Horror Podcast

Description: This is the third chapter of our Coming of Age Journey, and we really dived deep into Dazed and Confused. We also discussed Rohmer's The Green Ray, and the pairing worked well because there's a clear connection between the work of Rohmer and Linklater. The Green Ray is cited as a direct influence. As for Dazed and Confused, we shared a couple stories from Melissa Maerz's book "Alright Alright Alright" and talked about the impact of the film. We released this call on our YouTube Channel and podcast on the CineJourneys master feed. Links: Chapter Three Video Call Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Ryan Verrill joins the podcast to announce that we are joining Someone's Favorite Productions network. We also get into the November 2024 announcements on the heels of having already reacted (somewhat critically) to the CC40 boxset. We are pleased with this month, and we show a different side of Mifune to show our gratitude. Links: Criterion Now - Episode 152 - Video Someone's Favorite Productions links Disc-Connected Links Criterion Collection - Coming Soon Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Website | YouTube Channel | Discord Server Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron take a look at the recently announced Criterion Collection 40 box set, which was based on the selections of guests who have visited their closet and recorded a video. We think this was a bad idea and strays from their vision, and we are not exactly sure who this is for. Links: Criterion Now - Episode 151 - Video Criterion Collection - CC40 Details Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Website | YouTube Channel | Discord Server Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Imogen Sara Smith joins for our special episode 150, which we recorded without interruptions. We talk about a number of subjects including the thrill and rarity of seeing a repertory nitrate screening. She talks about her craft process, and how she approaches writing about film. We talk about modern French film and specifically how Celine Sciamma has pushed the boundaries of telling a visual story. We talk about the 2024 October Criterion announcements, including the Val Lewton set which features an Imogen interview. Finally, Imogen weighs in our Jill and Aaron’s choices for the upcoming #Noirvember Blogathon. Thanks Imogen for helping us celebrate this milestone episode! Links: Criterion Now - Episode 150 - Video Film Noir Foundation Maine Media - Imogen Sara Smith Criterion Collection - Imogen Sara Smith - Rohmer's Tales of the Four Seasons Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Website | YouTube Channel | Discord Server Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron return the Criterion Now podcast with a long overdue episode. We get into the ownership situation with Criterion Collection and Indian Paintbrush, and what we expect from it. We also look at the recent and upcoming releases, and what we are looking forward to seeing as new or for the first time. Links: Criterion September 2024 Reaction with Josh Hornbeck CineJourneys - Join Our Inclusive Online Community Cinema Ritrovato Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Website Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron welcome Joe Petrucelli. Joe is a founding member and listener of the Criterion Now podcast, but we didn't get to meet him until he joined CineJourneys. He has been here since the beginning and watched this begin with no website, then barely a website, and now a full website, so we reflect on that experience with him. We also talk about the Japanese Films Journey, which was such great fun, and Joe was a big part of what we enjoyed about that. Links: Japanese Films Journey But Also - Video Loop Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron welcome Caitlin Kuhwald. We had the great pleasure of working with Caitlin on the art for CineJourneys, and we couldn't be happier with the results. Usually when people see the website, the art is what they compliment. We also talk about Screwball Comedies and her Criterion covers. Links: Caitlin Kuhwald Illustration   Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron welcome Andrew Pierce from The Curb. He is also co-chair of the Australian Film Critics Association, and has written books on Australian Cinema. This past year he started voting for the Golden Globe Awards, which was really intriguing to hear about. Andrew takes his credibility serious and the Globes have a checkered past, and this year was surprising in that the Awards became part of the conversation again, in many ways thanks to Andrew and others who have tried to establish some dignity. We also speak about Awards Season generally, and he talks about the state of Australian Cinema. Links: The Curb - Andrew's Website Australian Film Yearbook - 2021 Edition, by Andrew F Pierce The Curb - Facebook The Curb - Instagram Andrew F Pierce's Rotten Tomatoes Profile   Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron are ready and excited for the imminent launch of the CineJourneys website. In this call we give a preview of what's to come, and we share a call where the remainder of the 2024 Journeys are unveiled. Current subscribers are excited and we think you will be too. Once the site launches, we will have registration open for all remaining 2024 Journeys, plus we'll start onboarding new Guides who will lead their own Journeys. Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Jill and Aaron catch up a bit on exciting topics such as David Zaslav, Dune 2, Naked Attraction, and we give a tribute to David Bordwell who is responsible for a lot of people's journeys into cinephilia. We also wrap up Modern Classics by discussing two of the films that resonated the most, Marie Antoinette and There Will be Blood. We also get a surprise guest for a Paddington 2 review. Links: David Bordwell tribute from colleagues Criterion Tribute to David Bordwell Naked Attraction Trailer Modern Classics - Chapter 2 Call Modern Classics Journey Rankings   Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Michael Schulman, New Yorker staff writer and author, joined us to discuss the Oscar experience. Michael recently wrote the wonderful book, Oscar Wars. We talk about this year's Oscars and a couple of the controversies, and then we dive into one of his book chapters. This was when Gregory Peck was President of the Oscars and with his all Candice Bergen, he made sweeping reforms to allow the young American New Wave directors into the Academy. We discuss the blacklist and how that impacted the Academy, and we also talk about the great Meryl Streep, since Michael has also written a book called Her Again. Links: Michael Schulman's New Yorker articles Michael Schulman's Website The Oscars are Confused About Barbie How the Oscars Got Groovy - Excerpt from Oscar Wars about Gregory Peck and the Academy CineJourneys - Kazan Naming Names - Aaron West Follow Us: Michael Schulman - Twitter/X | Instagram Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: Derek Smith from Slant Magazine joins Aaron and Mark Hurne to dig into Awards Season. He has seen pretty much everything and then some, and he just recently participated in Virtual Sundance and shares some highlights. We also talk about Modern Classics and how he inadvertently suggested a 14-hour film, and also whether any films from 2023 have potential to become classics. For the Oscars, we talk about the highlights of the nominations, a few snubs, and also some great films that did not get nominated. Links Slant Magazine - Derek Smith Variety - 25 Great Films Snubbed by the Oscars IndieWire - The Best Movies of Sundance 2024, According to 166 Critics Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Derek Smith - Bluesky | Letterboxd Mark Hurne - Letterboxd | Twitter/X Aaron West - Letterboxd

Description: We had a great time hosting Rodney Wade, who was one of the more active participants in our first ever Journey, Noirvember. We talk about the films, the overall experience, and what we learned from it going forward. Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd Rodney Wade - Letterboxd

This episode is a deep dive into true crime documentaries, and how they’ve changed throughout the years from informational to entertainment.

We are joined by Marya E. Gates, self-professed "professional cinephile" who has worked with TCM, FilmStruck, Netflix, Criterion, and many others.

Description: Noirvember is our first Journey. As of today, we'll be spending the month soft-launching our platform and enjoying noir films with friends. In this episode we discuss what Noirvember is going to look like for us, including the film list and how we'll unpack these films. In response to some questions, we discuss how the CineJourneys platform integrates with Substack. Since many of the subscribers of the journey are film experts, we also go over some of the film noir basics. Links: Noirvember Registration Noirvember and Founding Member Details Follow Us: Cinejourneys - Substack, Facebook Group Jill Blake - BlueSky Aaron West - Letterboxd