Closed Set w/ Themistoklis Alexis

This month, we return to celebrate and examine the work of a personal favourite of mine: Greek-Cypriot director Yannis Economides (b. 1967).  Heralded as one of several filmmakers responsible for a recent resurgence in Greek cinema and an auteur of modern realism, Economides has spent a 20-year career as a feature director exploring the darker sides of human nature and their many manifestations among the lower and middle class of modern Greece, helming bold, unsettling, and often darkly humorous films like Matchbox, Soul Kicking, Stratos, and Ballad for a Pierced Heart. Listen, like, subscribe, and don't forget to leave a rating/review wherever you get your podcasts. Kisses many.

This episode takes a stab at covering the life and early work of Hal Ashby (1929-1988), a director who was synonymous with the New Hollywood era of the 70s and helmed a string of beloved films that often doubled as social commentaries, including The Landlord, Harold & Maude, The Last Detail, and Shampoo. We'll revisit these films, Ashby's apprenticeship under filmmaker Norman Jewison, his contradictions, and the parallels between his male protagonists and his own life. Listen, like, subscribe, and don't forget to leave a rating and review on your go-to podcast platform. Kisses many.

The show is (finally) back to celebrate the life, work, and legacy of Renaissance man Melvin Van Peebles (1932-2021), a well-travelled director, songwriter, actor, playwright, and novelist who played an integral role in breaking the color barrier for Black filmmakers in Hollywood during the late 60s-early 70s and helmed the groundbreaking and provocative independent hit Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, among many other triumphs. Join us as we attempt to do his many lives and oeuvre justice by covering his start as a feature filmmaker in France, his role in spawning the blaxploitation film era of the early 70s, and how he paved the way for both independent and Black directors, all without being beholden to the studio system. Listen, like, subscribe, and feel free to leave comments, ratings, or reviews on Spotify, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Google Podcasts, Tune In, and iHeart Radio. Kisses many.

After a hectic month away, the show is back for a look at the life of Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni (1912-2007) and his portraits of existential dread in the modern world. Antonioni helped pave the way for Italy's post-war neorealist movement with a series of short documentaries, then set a new standard for European art films in the 60s with L'Avventura, La Notte, L'Eclisse, and Red Desert. We'll revisit these beloved works and their depictions of alienation, loss of communication between lovers, and superficiality and materialism supplanting traditional values in Antonioni's industrialized Italy. Listen, like, subscribe, and remember to leave the show a rating/review on your podcast platform of choice. NOTE: As we've done previously with foreign filmmakers, the clips from films and interviews are in Antonioni's mother tongue and in some cases, French, which he spoke fluently. Kisses many.