Bonus: A Look Back at 2023

Holy Moly! It’s been a minute!
We’re back after a long hiatus to have a long, winding chat about a bunch of our favourite films from 2023.
Chris & Lee discuss huge blockbusters (Barbenheimer included), smaller festival films, and some hidden gems that they really dug. They also give a bit of an update on the state of the podcast (we’re not gone, we’re just busy!).
The discussion is rather spoiler filled, so we’ve included timecodes below, so please if you want to avoid any spoilers please skip ahead.

Spoiler timecodes if you need to skip ahead:
Barbie - 00:10:54
Oppenheimer - 00:22:47
Beau Is Afraid - 00:48:36
Bottoms - 00:55:56
The Zone of Interest - 01:09:35
Anatomy of a Fall - 01:16:01
Past Lives - 01:25:45
Priscilla - 01:39:39
Saltburn - 01:49:27
The Killer - 01:52:39
Killers of the Flower Moon - 02:00:48

You can find Chris’s Favourite Films of 2023 video on YouTube

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 323: The Children Are Watching Us

After a brief and annoying hiatus, Chris returns from the globe trotting adventure of truth seeking to settle down and spend some time with a distraught Italian family who are going through some troubling times with their relationships.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 322: The Complete Mr. Arkadin

Leaving the harrowing and religious experiences of Sweden behind, Chris is joined by his buddy Adam as the pair set off on a globetrotting adventure to unravel the truth behind the mysterious and ominous Mr. Arkadin.

Featuring Special Guest Adam Hetherington.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 321: The Virgin Spring

Having left the peaceful scenery of rural America, Chris now finds himself in the fields of Sweden where he bears witness to a horrible act of violence that shakes a family to their core, calling into question their faith as well as their humanity.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 320: Young Mr. Lincoln

Leaving the corrupt world of business behind and instead diving into the world of lawyers and politicians… Chris finds himself sitting in on the trial of two young men accused of murder, as their defense attorney, a young many by the name of Abraham Lincoln, works to prove their innocence.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 319: The Bad Sleep Well

After the heartbreaking farewell at the station, Chris reunites with Lee as the pair make their way into the jungle of the post-war business world of Japan. Along the way they encounter intrigue, double-crosses and very devious methods of conducting corporate affairs.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 318: Forbidden Games

After leaving Lee at the beer hall with the lamenting poet, Chris embarks on a trek through the war torn French countryside where he encounters two small children who are processing their surrounds and death in some unique ways.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 317: The Tales of Hoffmann

After escaping the imploding Japanese empire, Chris reunites with Lee in a odd artists bar to have a few drinks and listen to a melancholy poet reflect on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the ailing daughter of a celebrated composer.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 316: Ran

After taking a brief sojourn from the Quest to chat about the year that was 2022, Chris is again joined by Eric as the pair cross paths with an elderly warlord who has subjugated his throne to his three sons, although the transition of power doesn’t go as smoothly as he would’ve hoped…

Featuring Special Guest Eric Coleman.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Bonus: A Look Back at 2022

It’s 2023! What better way to kick off the new year than with a massive and meandering chats about some of our favourite films from the previous year. Joined by special guest Toby (and his seemingly endless fountain of slight negativity and ambivalence), Lee & Chris sit down and discuss everything from The Northman to Nope, RRR to Rescue Rangers… and everything in between. (Warning: there are some slight spoilers for The Fabelmans, but we do our best to keep things “spoiler free”).

You can find Chris’s Favourite Films of 2022 video on YouTube

The song used to open and close the episode is called Lullaby by Grace Ives from her 2022 album Janky Star.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 314: Pickpocket

After feeling feudal Japan, and taking a short work sabbatical, Chris returns to the lonely streets of Paris where he encounters an isolated young man with a penchant for kleptomania.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 312 & 313: Samurai Spy/Kill!

Still wandering feudal Japan, Chris finds himself encountering more rebellious samurai by first crossing paths with a wanderer caught up in a web of political espionage and intrigue, before meeting up with a pair of down on their luck men who find themselves in the middle of two fighting clans.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 310 & 311: Samurai Rebellion/Sword of the Beast

Having arrived safely back at the small farming village, Chris meets up again with Claire as the pair encounter a troubling incident involving a family, their new wife/daughter in law and the local lord. After some shocking and bloody results, Chris hightails it to the mountains where he encounters more samurai on the run, along with some possible fortune in gold.

Featuring Special Guest Claire Swan.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 309: Ugetsu

After a triumphant return to the film festival, Chris sets out wandering the civil-war torn countryside of 17th Century Japan where he encounters two farmers looking to make some quick money and better their station in life… but at what cost?

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Bonus: MIFF 2022 Wrap Up

After two and a half weeks of basking in the warm glow of the cinema screen, the 70th annual Melbourne International Film Festival has drawn to a close, and Chris saw a whole lot of movies!
In this little mini wrap up episode he highlights some interesting films he saw during the last week and a half of the 2022 festival, giving some recommendations and mini reviews.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Bonus: MIFF 2022 Week 1

We’re taking a little break from the Collection for a few weeks, as Chris is spending most of his days sitting in the cinema watching brand new films at the 70th Melbourne International Film Festival!
Joined by regular guest and fellow MIFF patron Toby, the pair discuss some of the films they’ve seen during Week 1 of the festival.

Featuring Special Guest Toby Zarb

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 308: Masculin féminin

After his lunar adventure around London with the misanthrope Johnny, Chris finds himself on the streets of Paris, this time crossing paths with a group of young men and women as they engage in hopeless love affairs with music, revolution, and one another.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 307: Naked

After their stoic encounter with the hitman on the streets of Paris, Chris hightails it to London where he crosses paths with an aggressive and articulate loner wander the streets spouting his philosophies and conspiracies.

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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 306: Le Samouraï

After saving himself from the annoying drowned vagrant, Chris reunites with Lee as the pair cross paths with a deadly contract killer working to outwit the police and outmatch his rivals in the gritty backstreets of Paris.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
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Chris is on Letterboxd and Twitter and Lee is on Letterboxd

Episode 305: Boudu Saved from Drowning

After the strange encounter with the being from another planet, Chris reunites with the lovely Claire for a scenic trip along the Seine, where they stumble upon a upper middle-class bookshop owner who is in the process of saving the life of a somewhat reprehensible homeless man… will it work out well? Who’s to say!

Featuring Special Guest Claire Swan.

Support us on Patreon where you’ll find bonus episodes, monthly commentary tracks and all sorts of fun stuff: patreon.com/TheCriterionQuest
Send us an email at thecriterionquest@gmail.com
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And Chris is Letterboxd and Twitter