Elliott Gould plays an “apathist” photographer and Adam Driver a confrontational comedian who take center stage - with varying degrees of enthusiasm -- as we discus Alan Arkin’s early ‘70s satire Little Murders and Leos Carax’s 2021 musical extravaganza Annette.
“ so much of a piece, so consistent on its own terms, that while you're watching it, it doesn't even feel like satire: just real life, a little farther down the road.”
-Roger Ebert
What does a bleak adaption of a late 60s stage satire about the prevalence of violence in modern US American life have to do with a stylized, surrealistic Sparks-penned musical about two performers in love and their puppet baby? Is heterosexual romantic love doomed to fail? What pivotal events in act two cement the fates of these characters, and the thematic connections between these films? Who is hotter, Elliott Gould or Adam Driver? Join us for urgent answers to these burning questions, and oh so much more!
Transcript Here
Links
Roger Greenspun reviewed Little Murders in the New York Times
AO Scott reviewed Annette in the New York Times
Shelia O’Malley reviewed Annette for Ebert.com
Ebert himself reviewed Little Murders
Justine Smith - Annette brings toxic masculinity to the musical rom-com (Cult MTL)
Richard Brody - Leos Carax is Limited by Adam Driver’s Star Power (The New Yorker)
Beatrice Loayza - Leos Carax on Annette and the Cinema of Doubt (The New York Times)
Jonathan Romney - Annette Cannes Review (Screen Daily)
Ben Sachs - The still-relevant satire Little Murders is the best movie in town this week(Chicago Reader)
Rob Hunter - Little Murders is a Bleakly Cynical Gem with Big Laughs (Film School Rejects)
Little Murders Review (Film Authority)
Marriage Story is on Netflix (watch from 1hr 57 min to 2hrs 4 min to see the two scenes featuring Sondheim songs we discuss)
We’re also on twitter, instagram, Patreon, and have a website
All music in the episode is by Kevin MacLeod
