The Complete Podcast

Matthew Gasteier

The Complete is dedicated to taking chronological journeys through the most rewarding filmographies in cinema. Each season covers one director, with each episode focusing on one feature film from their catalog. The first season was dedicated to Stanley Kubrick, while the second season covered Elaine May, the third focused on Krzysztof Kieślowski, and our fourth season covered Satoshi Kon. Our current season explores the films of Agnès Varda.

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69 episodes
Updated Aug 13, 2025

Episodes69

Newest first

Aug 8, 2019 · 1 hr 58 min
The Complete Kieślowski 10 – Dekalog 5 & A Short Film About Killing
Matt and Travis welcome Cole Roulain, cohost of The Magic Lantern podcast and cohoncho of The 25th Frame, to discuss the fifth episode of Dekalog and the first to be adapted into a feature-length film. The episode is a significant departure from the family dramas and moral dilemmas of the first four episodes in the...
Jul 9, 2019 · 2 hr 1 min
The Complete Kieślowski 9 – Dekalog 3 and 4
Matt and Travis move on to parts 3 and 4 of Kieślowski’s epic television series Dekalog and bring on Keith Enright of the now defunct Criterion Completion website and pod-on-permanent-hiatus. This is part 2 of our 6-part series on the anthology film that catapulted Kieślowski into international fame. Unlike the gut-punch of the first film...
Jun 14, 2019 · 2 hr 14 min
The Complete Kieślowski 8 – Dekalog 1 and 2
Matt and Travis are excited to kick off our first multi-part series on one work: Kieślowski’s legendary Dekalog television miniseries. For the first episode, we welcome Josh Hornbeck, host of the forthcoming Criterion Channel Surfing podcast, to discuss the first two episodes in the series. Initially intended to be directed by separate up-and-coming directors through...
May 23, 2019 · 2 hr 18 min
The Complete Kieślowski 7 – No End
Matt and Travis welcome Caitlin, the host of Her Head in Films, to discuss Kieślowski’s final film before creating the internationally acclaimed Dekalog series for Television, 1985’s No End. Released in the wake of a two-year period of martial law in Poland that marked the end of the Solidarity breakthroughs of 1980-81, the film was...
May 5, 2019 · 2 hr 10 min
The Complete Kieślowski 6 – Blind Chance
Matt and Travis are joined by Martin Kessler of Flixwise and Flixwise Canada to discuss Kieślowski’s shelved 1981 theatrical feature Blind Chance. Like Short Working Day, Blind Chance was never shown publicly before being withheld from circulation, a victim of the crackdown that culminated in martial law at the end of 1981. Only after Kieślowski...
Apr 6, 2019 · 1 hr 36 min
The Complete Kieślowski 5 – Short Working Day
Matt and Travis welcome Matt Schlee from Cineccentric to discuss the fifth feature in Kieślowski’s filmography, Short Working Day. In 1981, Kieślowski made two films that would be immediately shelved and go unreleased for years: the theatrical feature Blind Chance (which was also censored even its eventually released version) and the made-for-Television feature Short Working...
Mar 22, 2019 · 2 hr 17 min
The Complete Kieślowski 4 – Camera Buff
Matt and Travis welcome Will Remmers to the show to discuss Kieślowski’s second theatrical feature and four feature overall, 1979’s Camera Buff. After The Calm was shelved, Kieślowski carried on with his documentary work, producing I Don’t Know (which he voluntarily shelved to protect the subject), From a Night Porter’s Point of View, and Seven...
Mar 10, 2019 · 1 hr 42 min
The Complete Kieślowski 3 – The Calm
Matt and Travis welcome the all-powerful voice and cinematic insight of Mr. Mark Hurne, co-host of Close-Up and regular on Criterion Now, to discuss Kieslowski’s second full-length made-for-TV feature and third overall feature, The Calm. The Calm was made almost immediately on the heels of Kieślowski’s debut theatrical feature in 1976 for Polish Television. However,...
Feb 10, 2019 · 1 hr 50 min
The Complete Kieślowski 2: The Scar
Travis and Matt welcome Jon Laubinger, host of fellow 25th Frame show Film, Baby, Film, to discuss The Scar, Kieślowski’s second feature-length film. The Scar was Kieślowski’s first feature film for theaters, as Personnel had been made for television. Although it was fairly well-received, including two awards at the Polish Film Festival, Kieślowski was extremely...
Jan 31, 2019 · 2 hr 5 min
The Complete Kieślowski 1: Personnel
Season three of The Complete begins with the first full-length film made by Krzysztof Kieślowski, the made-for-TV 72-minute feature Personnel. We begin by discussing the director’s reputation and give a brief overview of his early life, time at the Łodz film school, and early documentary work. We also discuss the short narratives he made prior...
Nov 28, 2018 · 1 hr 10 min
The Complete Supplemental Elaine May
Matt and Travis close out the season with May's final film, an hour-long profile of Mike Nichols's career. We start by discussing the special and Nichols's career before closing out the season with a discussion of May's films and her legacy. Mike Nichols: An American Master
Nov 17, 2018 · 1 hr 29 min
The Complete Elaine May 4: Ishtar
Matt and Travis tackle one of the most notorious "debacles" in Hollywood history, Elaine May's Ishtar. We discuss the sad history of a modest film buried under a legendary backstory, along with the surprisingly entertaining product actually at the center of it all. Ishtar
Nov 4, 2018 · 1 hr 36 min
The Complete Elaine May 3: Mikey and Nicky
Travis and Matt discuss Elaine May's first Criterion Collection entry, set to be released on blu-ray in January. We discuss the film's shaggy filmmaking, the central performances from Falk and Cassavetes, and its place in both May's filmography and the gangster genre. Mikey and Nicky
Oct 25, 2018 · 1 hr 41 min
The Complete Elaine May 2: The Heartbreak Kid
Travis and Matt take on Elaine May's second film, the anti-romantic comedy The Heartbreak Kid. We talk about the film's emphasis on character and how the movie upends conventions that had barely been invented yet. We also compare it to May's former partner's best-known movie and the atrocity that is the Farrelly brothers' remake. The Heartbreak Kid
Oct 14, 2018 · 1 hr 30 min
The Complete Elaine May 1: A New Leaf
Matt and Travis kick off the new season of The Complete with A New Leaf, Elaine May's debut film. We talk about the tragic underrepresentation of women in the director's chair during Hollywood's "golden" era, along with May's unique path to her own career as a filmmaker, before discussing the many charms and sophisticated execution of the very dark comedy of A New Leaf. A New Leaf
Aug 20, 2018 · 1 hr 23 min
The Complete Kubrick: The Supplemental Kubrick
To wrap up the first season, Matt and Travis cover books and documentaries about Kubrick, while also touching on his unproduced films and their big takeaways from watching Kubrick's work in chronological order. The Supplemental Kubrick
Jul 23, 2018 · 2 hr 44 min
The Complete Kubrick 13: Eyes Wide Shut
For Kubrick's final film, Matt and Travis are joined by Trevor Berrett of The Mookse and the Gripes and The Eclipse Viewer. We discuss the film's remarkable relevance in America today, along with its dual themes of marriage and power. Introducing Sociology: A Review of Eyes Wide Shut by Tim Kreider Eyes Wide Shut
Jun 14, 2018 · 2 hr 13 min
The Complete Kubrick 12: Full Metal Jacket
Matt and Travis are joined by Doug McCambridge of Good Times, Great Movies to discuss Kubrick's final war film, 1987's Full Metal Jacket. We explore Kubrick's larger purpose beyond the Vietnam War and the complicated moral landscape of the film. Full Metal Jacket
May 21, 2018 · 2 hr 18 min
The Complete Kubrick 11: The Shining
Matt and Travis welcome Aaron West, host of Criterion Now, to discuss Kubrick's most popular movie, The Shining. We discuss the film's use of cinematic technique to explore fear and the film's many mysteries, both real and imagined. The Shining
Apr 20, 2018 · 2 hr 22 min
The Complete Kubrick 10: Barry Lyndon
Matt and Travis welcome cinema samurai and man-about-Twitter Dave Eves to discuss Barry Lyndon. We discuss the film's uncanny reproduction of 18th Century Europe and the film's thematic depth, along with the many mysteries of Barry and Ryan O'Neil's performance. Barry Lyndon