In this episode, we review the film 'Civil War' (2024) by Alex Garland. We talk about the ethics of journalism and the question of neutrality in cultural productions.
01:39 Ethics of journalism as the central theme
11:17 Two Models of Neutrality in Political Philosophies of Citizenship
13:13 Alex Garland's Own Conformity to Neutrality
16:43 The Problem of Value-Free Cinematic Representation
23:32 The Ethical Problem of "Value-Free", Detached Approach to Representation
Credit to:
Trevor Noah: You Laugh But It’s True, 2011
The analysis is partially inspired by Golob, B. B. (2013). Restricted Representation: The Role of Ethics and Esthetics in Framing Images of Suffering. Journal of Human Rights, 12(4), 511–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/14754835.2013.812469
We review the film 'Toni Erdmann' and explore the themes of alienation, humor, and the meaning of life.
03:33 Marx's theory of Alienation
07:26 Emotional and Relational Labor
18:07 Time, Death and Escapism
21:02 Humor as Disruption
25:42 The Naked Party
28:16 Commodification of Human Relations
Danny and Angela talk about the film's representation of science, child development, gender, and body-mind relationship. They discuss whether Poor Things is a truely feminist film.
01:12 Poor Things as a Feminist Fairytale
07:47 Bella's Relationships and Feminist Themes
17:52 The Ethics of Scientific Progress in 'Poor Things'
25:25 The Influence of Body and Mind on Bella's Identity
30:14 Bella's Superpower
Angela and Danny discuss the film 'Saltburn' by Emerald Fennell. They explore the film's portrayal of class relationships, the twist in the storyline, and the power dynamics between the characters. They also analyze the representation of the aristocrats and the fillm’s message about class.
00:09 Introduction and Film Summary
00:56 Overall Impressions
04:58 Interpreting the Twist
06:13 The Aristocrats: Victims or Villains?
17:21 Sex Scenes and Power Reversal
20:56 Different Interpretations of the Film: Bourgeoisie’s Triumph or Double Exploitation of the Working-class?