It’s spooky season and we’re discussing “The Descent”, a cautionary tale on why you shouldn’t go caving. Despite starting out a little generic, the film develops into an fantastic horror exploration of all that could go wrong if you go into a cave with your friends.
00:00 Intro
01:00 First Impressions
02:11 The Setup
03:50 Too many blondes
04:37 Caving is strange
06:45 The Narrative Development
08:15 Familiar images
10:45 First time watching the film
14:00 Emotional stakes
15:09 The Music
16:00 Very Good Horror
20:30 Neil Marshall
21:30 Sarah's transformation
25:40 Sarah's Questionable Actions
28:40 Is she justified in killing Juno?
30:19 The Ending
For Halloween we discuss the beloved “Train to Busan”. It’s a well built thrill machine, with great action and fun zombies, but we are a little disappointed by parts of the narrative and by the fact that it is a bit bland visually.
00:00 Intro
01:35 Fast vs Slow Zombies
05:10 Good and Bad things
06:10 Predictable Narrative?
07:00 Men and Women
08:50 Who created the virus?
10:33 Corny moment
11:50 Dialogue
13:00 It works emotionally
14:25 Slow transformation
15:46 World War Z
16:45 The Evil Businessman
18:02 Comparison to "The Descent"
23:50 Very Well Structured
Discutimos um dos filmes menos conhecidos de Peter Jackson, “Heavenly Creatures”. Apesar de ter as suas virtudes, especialmente pelo quão imaginativo o realizador consegue ser, tivemos algumas dúvidas (e discórdias entre nós) no que diz respeito à exploração da psicologia das personagens principais.
Hoje falamos de “Twentieth Century”, uma comédia incrível de Howard Hawks em que ele aponta a câmara para a loucura do mundo da arte. Com duas performances perfeitas de John Barrymore e Carole Lombard, achámos o filme hilariante e cheio de detalhes cómicos que se vão revelando.
Today we have the pleasure to interview filmmaker Duwayne Dunham to discuss his latest film “The Legend of the Happy Worker” as well as his past work with David Lynch, having worked as the editor for “Blue Velvet” and “Wild at Heart”.
00:00 Intro
01:15 Adapting "Legend of the Happy Worker"
07:08 Visual Style
11:12 Relationship with Lynch
18:00 Watching Eraserhead with Kubrick and George Lucas
20:25 Blue Velvet, Cutting it down to 2h
23:32 Creative Discussions with Lynch
26:24 How "Wild at Heart" came together
32:33 Lynch and Searching for Meaning
36:55 Watching your movie with an Audience
Today we are joined by filmmaker Hanna Gray Organschi to discuss “The Graduate”, a film close to Hanna’s heart. Hanna reflects about the memories of watching this film for the first time, and we talk about the complexity of the characters and provide our interpretations regarding the ambiguity of the ending.
Join our discussion of the Haneke's "The White Ribbon", an expectably bleak but thought-provoking film. We talk about how we all were (predictably) emotionally invested in the romantic sub-plot, and also discuss what Haneke's ultimate point might be through his depiction of this German village in the early 20th century.
Today we discuss Justin Kerrigan's "Human Traffic", a delightful 90s gem. The film is full of charm and great comedy, even if sometimes it can be a little excessive with its MTV aesthetic; and we appreciate how despite its freewheeling party-focused nature, the film is very well structured and committed to the character development.
Hoje discutimos "Radio Days", um filme de Woody Allen. Apesar de não ser dos mais populares do realizador, é um filme interessante e com um mood nostálgico muito forte, e gostámos da sua narrativa mais solta e episódica.
Hoje discutimos "La Grande Illusion", um filme anti-guerra de Jean Renoir. Achámos o filme único pela forma leve como retrata o campo de prisioneiros e como reflete sobre a diferença de classes entre os soldados e generais.
It’s time to discuss Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers, one of his best films. It’s characteristically bleak, although in this one the director takes a more psychological approach with less presence of body horror we usually associate with Cronenberg. It also features Jeremy Irons in one do his greatest performances.
Today we discuss “The Time That Remains”, a film by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. It’s a comedic and melancholic look at the the creation of the state of Israel and a reflection of what’s it’s like for Palestinians to live under occupation. Suleiman’s sense of humor and his mix of the personal with the historical are part of what makes the film so beautiful.
Juntem-se à nossa discussão menos positiva de "The Reflecting Skin", um filme que nos disse muito pouco. Achámos o filme sem grande ideia do que quer ser, as performances bastante fracas (excepto o Viggo) e que toma decisões narrativas pouco interessantes.
Hoje discutimos "Sambizanga" de Sarah Maldoror, um dos primeiros filmes africanos realizado por uma mulher. O contexto histórico, por ser filmado durante a guerra pela indepedência da Angola, é das coisas que torna o filme mais interessante. Ainda assim, o filme é relativamente direto, focando-se na procura desesperada de uma mulher que tenta reaver o seu marido raptado.
It’s time for 90s detachment and malaise as we discuss “Trust”, the celebrated indie film by Hal Hartley. The film’s interesting approach to comedy and drama generated lots of discussion between the hosts: is it well done? is it unbalanced? Is it funny? Come listen and see where you stand.
Today we take a challenging dive into Pasolini’s “Medea”. The visual construction and Maria Callas’ strong presence make the film intriguing to watch, however, it’s a difficult one to follow and connect with. Pasolini does not make it easy on the audience, which can l be a strength or a flaw depending on your perspective.
Hoje discutimos "Born in Flames", um filme independente de Lizzie Borden. É uma obra rica em ideias e ideologia, refletindo sobre feminismo radical e movimentos revolucionários, e fá-lo através da sua estética documental cativante. Um filme intrigante, será que nos convenceu?
Hoje falamos de "Shame" de Steve McQueen. Muito do que torna o filme cativante é a sua temática única, abordando a questão do vício sexual da personagem de Michael Fassbender; mas será que o tom misterioso e a estética fria do filme funcionam na sua totalidade?
We take a look at King Hu's Wuxia masterpiece "A Touch of Zen". The film has an otherworldly feel and is quite narratively unconventional in some regards, but when you get on its wavelength it's a thing of beauty.
Today we discuss "Hedwig and the Angry Inch", a cult classic from the early 2000s. Despite some rushed moments in the narrative, the beautiful music and the creative imagery do a great job of placing us in Hedwig's world.