We had the good fortune of connecting with Criterion Cult and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Criterion, maybe we can start at the very start – the idea – how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Armando : Originally Jordan and I had a YouTube channel called Room 666. We started doing film reviews because we saw other YouTubers focusing their reviews on Star Wars and comic book movies.

Jordan: It’s not that we don’t like those films we just wanted to see reviews of other films that didn’t get a lot of attention on YouTube like, The Killing of Sacred Deer, Mandy, Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire, or Janicza Bravo’s Lemon. We want to spread our love of all cinema to all people!

Mondo: And living in Los Angeles we had the opportunity to see those films that are not wide releases. But Jordan had another idea to expand the channel which we attempted to do the Criterion Cult as part of our YouTube channel and when Covid happened we decided to do it as a podcast.

Jordan: We are both nerds about the Criterion Collection and wanted to do a podcast that talked about the films they have released and also bring films we would like to see released by them. They restore and releases all kinds of different films from all over the world from different time periods and we just wanted to try and talk about those films from a couple of Mexican American film lovers.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Mondo: I believe what sets us apart is the fact that we aren’t film scholars but normal film lovers who can have a perspective of both someone who loves indie and foreign films but also can enjoy the louder, fun action movies. We aren’t talking down to anyone. We want everyone to feel welcome, no matter what you watch.

Jordan: Having the YouTube channel and reviewing all types of films and being able to get passes to film festivals made us feel validated but when we looked at the number of views and audience engagement that always was a huge let down. We always wanted to quit because doing this, while getting no reward, and still having to work a real job was always a struggle.

Mondo: We learned that sticking to what you want to do and not trying to follow a trend was the best thing even if it doesn’t catch on right away. We had to slowly find our audience and that’s not a bad thing. Patience and hard work is what got us to where we are but also sticking to what we know.

Jordan: Our brand is about film and community. We want people to watch all kinds of films with all kinds of friends and family.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Jordan: As an official son of Pico Rivera and Whittier I would welcome any out of towner with some Mario’s Tacos fresh off Whittier Blvd. and to wash that down we would make a quick stop at Brewjeria Brewery which is right around back. That’s just an appetizer.

Mondo: After that we make our way out to uptown Whittier to do some record shopping at Lovells Record Store and walk off that Mario’s Tacos so that we can make room for some seafood from CGK or some amazing vegan food from Modern Shaman. We have a few drinks and see a movie at the Uptown Whittier Village Cinema.

Jordan: The night and the week is still young so we go grab some more drinks at Guildhall or maybe pick up some beer to go at The Cellar. We might just end up in a backyard watching a film on a projector and having a few drinks and laughs.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Our podcast was inspired by a local LA film podcast called ‘Views From The Vista’ that is hosted by a local and master comedian named Steve Hernandez, a hilarious writer named Zed Cutsinger, and a multi talented musician named Honor Nezzo. They talk about film in a fun and welcoming way that we try to emulate but fail at miserably. Everyone listen to their podcast.

Website: https://open.spotify.com/show/1jmoxj8qsX6x9DhNO0XGLx?si=EKn27lEIR5KqblFItZZ0QQ

Instagram: @criterioncultpod

Twitter: @criterioncult

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutLA is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.