Irma Vep (1996)

Predictably, the Crit Club couldn’t stay away from France for long. This week, we joined a sloppy movie production for 1996’s Irma Vep from Olivier Assayas. This sly, meta commentary on the state of French films at the time stars Maggie Cheung playing a version of herself as she plays the titular Irma Vep in a haggard director’s lackadaisical attempt to reboot the silent classic Les Vampires. It’s a bit playful, a bit navel-gazy, and a lotta French. Did Irma Vep steal our hearts in the same fashion as those international jewel thieves from Les Vampires, or did it make us want to wrap the whole shoot? Listen to find out! And since this was our 50th episode(!), next week we’re looking back at all the movies we’ve watched so far in a big 51st episode celebration show! Come join us for some good ol' nostalgia over the last three years, and a spreadsheet or two. If you want to get ready for the next movie we watch, Peter’s on his spooky season kick and has picked Ingmar Bergman’s 1968 horror thriller Hour of the Wolf. And drop us a line! You can email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram or Threads with the handle @critclubpodcast.