It seems inevitable: a Looking Closer podcast!

I’ve decided to celebrate my arrival at the half-century mark by launching a new series of Looking Closer recordings at Anchor.fm. This will give me an opportunity to build a library of episodes in which I share my enthusiasms for new movies, music and more; bring new perspective to subjects I’ve covered in past years here at the site; and host conversations with special guests.

The Looking Closer podcast will include a variety of episodes:

  • Cutaways:

Short, specific episodes of 15 minutes or less;

  • Tracking Shots:

Close looks approximately 30 minutes long; and

  • Master Shots:

Sweeping, epic episodes of more than 30 minutes.

Listen to the very first episode here!

In this introductory Master Shot episode, I give close attention to a dramatic turn at the climax of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, and find there a vocabulary for why I started writing about movies in the first place… and why I’m compelled to launch this series.

Then, check out Episode Two!

In this “Tracking Shot” episode (approximately 30 minutes), I look at the 2020 documentary “Flannery” and how it might be useful in a trending argument about the stories of Flannery O’Connor and how she represents African Americans in her stories.