Why This Film?
🎬 Exploring the Criterion Collection, one spine at a time. In each episode, I sit down with film historians, critics, filmmakers, and scholars for in-depth conversations about a single film from the Criterion Collection. I'm Ron, and I guide these expert-driven discussions examining the artistry, cultural significance, and historical context of classic and contemporary cinema. From French New Wave masterpieces to American westerns, from experimental shorts to beloved classics, we unpack what makes these films essential viewing. Whether you're a longtime Criterion collector, a film student, or simply curious about cinema history, Why This Film? offers thoughtful analysis and engaging conversations about the movies that shaped filmmaking. New episodes release 1-2 times monthly. Subscribe to join me for deep dives into the Criterion Collection.
Episodes
"It captures an uncanny feeling that relates to grief, that there's something after, the hope we could get more time with someone we love."
In this episode of Why This Film?, Film critic Carlos Aguilar joins me to explore Birth, Jonathan Glazer's 2004 psychological thriller and Criterion Collection Spine #1298.
Birth follows Anna, a widow living a comfortable Manhattan life who has finally agreed to remarry, ten years after the sudde...
"It's an incredibly rich film."
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by film critic and scholar Girish Shambu to explore La cérémonie, Claude Chabrol's 1995 masterpiece and Criterion Collection Spine #1199.
La cérémonie follows Sophie, a withdrawn live-in maid hired by the welcoming Lelièvre family at their country estate. The family is pleasant. The job is fine. And then Sophie meets Jeanne, the local postmistress. Jeanne i...
"It's a perfectly imperfect film."
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by film editor Caleb Tyson to explore Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022), the Academy Award-winning stop-motion feature and Criterion Collection entry that reimagines one of the world's oldest stories through an entirely new lens.
Set in Mussolini's fascist Italy, del Toro's Pinocchio follows a grieving woodcarver named Geppetto who, lost in sorrow af...
"Is our identity predetermined or something we can create?"
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by Michael Repsch, President of Dark Star Pictures, to explore Kagemusha - Akira Kurosawa's sweeping historical epic and Criterion Collection Spine #267.
Released in 1980, Kagemusha follows a thief who is spared execution because of his uncanny resemblance to the powerful warlord Takeda Shingen. When...
"To me, it's a perfect film."
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by assistant director Chris Cook to explore The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Wes Anderson's meticulously crafted family drama and Criterion Collection Spine #157.
Released in 2001, The Royal Tenenbaums follows the once-brilliant Tenenbaum siblings - Chas, Margot, and Richie - whose early promise has long since faded. When their estranged ...
"I think of it as Saving Private Ryan for thinkers."
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by historian, author, and educator Jared Frederick to explore The Thin Red Line (1998), Terrence Malick's philosophical World War II epic and Criterion Collection Spine #536.
Released in 1998 after a 20-year hiatus from filmmaking, The Thin Red Line marked Malick's long-awaited return to cinema. Adapted from the 1962 novel by James Jone...
“The regular world still has something special for someone who is weird.”
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by comedian, broadcaster, and Maximum Fun founder Jesse Thorn to explore Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), the feature film debut of Tim Burton and one of the most unique comedies of the 1980s.
Released in 1985, Pee-wee's Big Adventure follows Pee-wee Herman, played by Paul Reubens, as he embarks on ...
"Otto is Forrest Gump."
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by assistant director James Chestnut to dive into Repo Man (1984), Alex Cox's punk-rock, sci-fi, anti-Reagan cult classic that refuses to sit still or make sense in a conventional way.
Released in 1984, Repo Man follows Otto, a disaffected LA punk who stumbles into a world of car repossession. He soon finds himself caught up in conspiracies, aliens, the government,...
"The gun really doesn't mean anything until people start obsessing over it."
In this episode of Why This Film?, I'm joined by historian and author Brady Crytzer to explore Winchester '73 (1950), Anthony Mann's landmark Western starring James Stewart. Released as Criterion Collection Spine #1248, Winchester '73 helped redefine the Western genre by shifting focus from frontier justice to obsession, revenge, and moral ambiguity in post...
"It's such an important film in his [Scorsese's] filmography. I'm so happy people are discovering it and Criterion decided to focus on it."
In this episode of Why This Film?, Ron is joined by critic and writer Sheila O'Malley of RogerEbert.com to discuss After Hours, Martin Scorsese's dark comedy and anxiety-driven odyssey through late-night SoHo. Sheila also wrote the essay for Criterion's release of the film.
Together, they walk th...
In episode 3 of Why This Film?, Ron is joined by Ciara Moloney to discuss The Breakfast Club, John Hughes's defining 1980s teen film.
Together, they walk through the film scene by scene, talking about why these characters still resonate 40 years later. They discuss the film's use of archetypes and how it reveals we are often more alike than we may seem on the surface.
Along the way, they unpack the film's emotions, its humor, its bli...
"If retirement means you're in a lovely flat in Paris and your fridge is full of foie gras and champagne - I'm okay with that."
In episode 2 of Why This Film?, Ron discusses Jacques Becker's Touchez pas au grisbi (1954) with Ginette Vincendeau, one of the most influential scholars of French cinema working today.
Together, they explore how Grisbi reshapes the gangster genre through efficient storytelling and the routine life away from...
“The past is dead!”
In the premiere episode of Why This Film?, I sit down with Dr. Dennis Weiss to explore Chris Marker's La Jetée (1962), a groundbreaking French science fiction short film that redefined what cinema could be. Released as Criterion Collection Spine #387, this 28-minute masterpiece is composed almost entirely of still photographs, creating a meditation on memory, time, and human longing.
Directed by Chris ...
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