Closed Set w/ Themistoklis Alexis

Our director for this month is the mercurial Sam Peckinpah (1925-1984), who left an indelible mark on American television and cinema over a 30-year career. Despite his many clashes with Hollywood studio brass (and often his own crew) and his early passing at the age of 59, Peckinpah distinguished himself with a singular vision of the Old West and his graphic depictions of violence in films like The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid, and Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia. We'll revisit these films and what the man known as "Bloody Sam" sought to demonstrate with his often polarizing on-screen violence. Listen, like, subscribe, and don't forget to leave a rating or review wherever you get your podcasts. Kisses many.

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.

The marvelous Elaine May (b. 1932) has worn many different hats over a lifelong career that began in the Yiddish theatre during childhood, and before she receives an overdue Honorary Academy Award at this month's Oscars, we're celebrating her with a look at the four films she directed in the 70s and 80s. An accomplished improvisational comedian, actress, filmmaker, screenwriter, and playwright, May first took the director's chair in the early 70s and helmed classics like A New Leaf (which she also wrote and starred in), The Heartbreak Kid, and a personal favourite, Mikey & Nicky - all as the only female Hollywood director of her era. Her career was plagued by frequent studio regime changes and clashes with production heads, but her directorial efforts still stand the test of time as nuanced, ironic, and often hilarious portraits of human behaviour. Join us as we cover the uniquely talented May's films and the studio troubles - some self-inflicted - that deprived them of the reception they deserved. Listen, subscribe, and comment on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio, and Tune In, and don't forget to follow us on Instagram @closedsetpodcast. Kisses many.

Fans of old film noir know and love the director we're covering on today's episode: Joseph H. Lewis (1907-2000). In a prolific career that saw him helm 40 films for every Hollywood studio in operation from the late 30s through the 50s, Lewis cemented himself as a workhorse with a knack for making the most of limited means. The New York native made low-budget westerns, war films, musicals, and everything in between, but his best work came between the mid-40s and -50s with a string of noir films that defied typical B-movie limitations and are now remembered as some of the genre's greatest offerings. We revisit Lewis' career and how he elevated films like My Name is Julia Ross, So Dark the Night, Gun Crazy, and The Big Combo from standard B-level ditties to influential noir classics that are celebrated by filmmakers and cinephiles alike to this day. NOTE: In this episode, I mistakenly stated that long, one-shot takes became a hallmark of Lewis' style with his film The Undercover Man. In fact, he began using them before then, namely in My Name is Julia Ross. Also, due to some unforeseen calamities, this episode had to be recorded in two sittings. You'll notice a slight change in the audio about 12 minutes in, but no technical issues. Kisses many.

Director, producer, screenwriter, film critic. Tony Richardson (1928-1991) held every one of these distinctions over his long and prolific career, but he's best remembered as a leading figure of the Free Cinema and British New Wave movements, which produced many great filmmakers and shed light on the plight of England's post-war working class in the late 50s and early 60s. His films Look Back in Anger, The Entertainer, A Taste of Honey, and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner helped define this era of "kitchen sink" realism, their shared cynical, bleak tone lamenting Britain's decline from an industrialized Western powerhouse to a shell of its former self. We'll revisit these beloved films, Richardson's tumultuous marriage to the great Vanessa Redgrave, his role in the prison break of a former British spy, and more in today's episode. Listen, subscribe, and comment on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, and don't forget to stay up to date with the show by following on Instagram @closedsetpodcast. Kisses many.

After a rest and a surprise visit from the Rona, we're back with a slightly different format for a look at Alan J. Pakula (1928-1998) and his Paranoia Trilogy. This trio of classic 70s films includes Klute, a murder mystery and character study carried by an incredible performance from Jane Fonda, the slow-burning conspiracy thriller The Parallax View, and All the President's Men, which dramatized two journalists' efforts to uncover the machinations behind the Watergate Scandal. Thanks to riveting performances, voyeuristic cinematography from Gordon Willis, and eerie scores, these films still hold up as singular depictions of paranoia, intricate yet nebulous criminal conspiracies, and mistrust of American political administrations. NOTE: A few of the clips used in this episode came from an interview Pakula gave in 1974. The audio quality of this interview is serviceable, but not ideal. Apologies if it gives you a bit of a hard time. Kisses many.

We conclude our series on Elia Kazan (1909-2003) with a look at his later works, his marriages, his infidelities, and some allegations that surfaced long after his passing. The third act of Kazan's career saw him helm some personal passion projects, including America, America and The Arrangement, albeit with mixed results. Join us as we cover Kazan's last five films, his contradictions, his self-indulgence, and his greatest transgressions, all while I try to conduct some meathead psychoanalysis. Happy New Year and kisses many.