Eavesdropping at the Movies: 435 – Nosferatu (2024)

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , ,

Writer-director Robert Eggers, whose reputation for aesthetically rich, deeply-researched and idiosyncratic horror precedes him, has long been working on a remake of F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu, the 1922 German Expressionist classic whose influence has been felt in the horror genre for a century. It’s a big fish to try to take down, but it’s source material that feels like it exists especially for him – how does he do?

Very well, as it turns out… although, in classic fashion, we manage to talk around what a fantastic time we had by concentrating on our criticisms. Ignore them until you’ve taken yourself to the biggest cinema you can to see it – it’s an experience you should have. Then come back and listen to us discuss the debt Eggers’ Nosferatu owes to the colour tinting processes of the silent era, how the second half gets bogged down in tropes and plot, the delineation between sex and love, the pressure to be accessible, whether horror needs to be scary, and the important lesson we learned from Shrek Forever After.

Listen on the players below, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, or YouTube Music.

Listen to our podcast on F. W. Murnau’s original, silent Nosferatu here.

 

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 434 – Conclave

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , ,

You wait for ages for a film about a group of people sequestered in a room, questioning each other, keeping secrets, and repeatedly voting, and two come along at once. But while Juror #2‘s protagonist wrestled with his conscience, Conclave‘s Cardinal Lawrence, played by Ralph Fiennes, has little trouble consistently acting out of principle – sadly, many of his colleagues vying for the Catholic Church’s vacant papacy don’t share his clarity.

Conclave is a marvellously entertaining mystery and thriller, a chamber play in which Fiennes’ performance is a complex and deeply felt standout amongst a number of engaging, if less rich, star turns from Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini. We discuss whether the film is an advert for the Church, how it engages with religion, the striking visual design, liberalism vs. conservatism, representations of gender and nationality… and that magnificent twist. Spoilers within!

Listen on the players below, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, or YouTube Music.

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

 

José Arroyo In Conversation With Fiona Cox On Wicked (Jon M. Chu, 2024)

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

Fiona Cox, PhD in Film Studies by day, and, under the name of Kitty Mazinksy, chanteuse extraordinaire by night, is the ideal person to talk to about WICKED (Jon M. Chu, 2024). She’s read the book, seen the musical four times and has even performed in it. She now talks to me about musicals, the politics of the film, the dancing, the singing, the numbers, the length. Are critics right about tonal problems in the film? About finding fault with the way it looks? What about the casting and the songs? What does the film convey about race, queerness, female solidarity? How does it speak to the current moment? We compare it to the stage version, find it an improvement, and look forward to part II. Like Fiona herself, this is an ebullient, enthusiastic conversation, full of smarts and laughter.

 

The podcast may be listened to here:

 

The duet with Miley Cyrus can be seen here:

 

Fiona performs as Kitty Mazinksy

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 433 – Juror #2

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A film whose brilliant conceit is so simple and compelling we can’t believe we’ve never seen it before, Juror #2 tells the story of a juror whose responsibility it is to assess the guilt of a defendant who he knows is innocent of murder – because it was the juror who did it.

Summoned to serve on a jury and quickly recognising the details of the case, Nicholas Hoult’s Justin quickly realises that the deer he hit with his car one dark, stormy night was in fact the defendant’s girlfriend, for whose supposed murder he is on trial. So begins a morality play of sorts, Justin wanting to do the right thing and keep an innocent person from prison, but unwilling to expose himself as the real, if accidental, killer.

It’s a film that sets two institutions, the family and the court, at war. Justin’s wife has a baby on the way, and is there any wrong that can’t be justified by the protection of the family? We discuss this in the particular light of director Clint Eastwood’s reputation as a lifelong conservative, Mike suggesting that the distrust the film shows towards the legal system, a government institution, has precedent in Eastwood’s other work, but its critique of the sanctity of the family is surprising and invigorating.

Juror #2 is a thoroughly engrossing exploration of a terrific idea, and you’ll take its questions home with you long after it ends. What would you do? Are you sure?

Listen on the players below, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, or YouTube Music.

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Dylan Day on Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996)

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

Adapted from the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh, Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting is as whimsical as it is putrid. One of the most iconic and provocative films of the 1990s, it serves to examine the life of heroin addict Mark Renton and his addict friends as they endlessly search for the next hit. With an unrivalled energy and an unforgettable soundtrack, we seek to dig deeper into this film’s messages and influences of the film, its context within the “Britpop” movement, its allusions to Thatcher’s Britian, its representations of addiction beyond heroin and so on. We take a look at how effective the audio-visual style of Trainspotting is at conveying the visceral experience of drug addiction and how it is unique in its representation of addiction. Join us as we talk about all this and more here:

 

.

Dylan Day

Thinking Aloud About Film: Volver (Pedro Almodóvar, 2006)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

Richard and I return to discuss VOLVER (Pedro Almodóvar, 2006), interesting to see always but particularly for Richard now having seen WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS (1984) and his earlier films, which he hadn’t seen before, and thus more fully appreciating one of the ‘returns’ in VOVER, that of Carmen Maura. We discuss the recurring motifs: Strong women, dreadful men, female solidarity, rape, relationships between mother and child, cemeteries, a star entrance through a tombstone. We note the evidence of Almodóvar’s rural background, how his films always reference and often feature the rural as setting. Almodóvar is of the few directors to represent rural customs (the white shirts and dark trousers of the men at the funeral); the rural is also evident in his use of dialogue, which feels so true, and adds a particular texture to his films, phrases that are structures of feeling, modes of understanding. We note how this is in tension with the representation of Madrid, often a character of its own in his films, and in this instance, the particular, working-class Madrid neighbourhoods of this film. We discuss the narrative, and how the film creates a world in which death and violence hover, the work of a filmmaker who doesn’t believe in ghosts but is aware of the relevance of the spectral in people’s lives and people’s understandings. The film looks luminous with a depth and texture to the visuals. Flowers turn up significantly in the film, represented in the poster’s design. We can’t think of another director who features rape so recurringly, in this case there’s a parallell rhyming rape of a father/ daughter with significantly different responses from the mothers; we note too how fathers are often shown as abusive, absent, neglectful. We discuss how Almodóvar often structures his story telling around a history of cinema, a telling through allusions, quotations, references to film, here we note how the film evokes Magnani, Loren, MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz, 1945), STELLA DALLAS (King Vidor 1937, the Magnani clip in the film is from Visconti’s BELLISSIMA (1951).  Lastly, we tie all of this to the film’s themes: the past, making amends, building bridges, making connections, various kinds of returns.

The podcast may be listened to here:

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546

 

Above: From the Madrid: Chica Almodóvar exhibition at the Conde Duque in Madrid. 

 

José Arroyo

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 432 – Heretic

Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Hugh Grant brings his idiosyncratic brand of English charm to the world of horror in Heretic, in which he isolates and tests the faith of two young Mormon missionaries. It’s a film that leaves you asking all sorts of questions, such as, “did anything he was up to actually make any sense?”, but for a horror film so heavy on the dialogue and relatively light on the scares, it’s fabulously enertaining throughout – a real achievement of direction and writing. See it!

Listen on the players below, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, or YouTube Music.

 

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

 

WALDO (Charlie Arnaiz, Alberto Ortega)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

Waldo de los Rios was an Argentinian musician and arranger who moved to Spain in 1962, became a key figure in Hispanovox, arguably the most popular and influential record company in Spain, and gained wealth and renown for his recordings of ‘Ode to Joy’ and other classical standards, some of which went to top the charts in countries around the world. In 1977, rich, married to Isabel Pisano, a beautiful and famous Uruguayan actress, and only 42, he blows his brains out with a shotgun. Why? The first half of the film deals with his rise to fame, the stars he helped make famous or shine brighter (Janette, Raphael, Karina, Miguel Rios), his relationship with his mother and his wife. The second half opens up to a hidden sexual orientation, the brutal police repression (‘La ley de la pelgrosidad’  and ‘La ley de vagos y maleantes’) and the sadness that he killed himself so brutally — listening to the voice of his unrequited love — just a few years before gay activism began to make a dent and homosexual acts were decriminalised in 1979. The film ends with one of the directors finding parallels between his life and Waldo’s; images of the 2 million plus gay pride parade in Madrid; all overlaid with Gardel’s ‘El Dia que me quieras’. Waldo never lived to see that day; his yearnings rendered impossible and leading to death, the change and celebrations possible to others later never to be his then. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house by the end, and and elderly gay couple sitting next to me were both heaving with tears. They, like I, lived to see that change.

José Arroyo

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 431 – Venom: The Last Dance

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

We enjoyed the first. We didn’t care for the second. Does the third bring back the fun?

No, not really.

Listen on the players below, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, or YouTube Music.Listen on the players above, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, or YouTube Music.

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

 

DES TEUFELS BAD/ EL BAŃO DEL DIABLO/ THE DEVIL’S BATH (Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

I saw DES TEUFELS BAD/ EL BAŃO DEL DIABLO/ THE DEVIL’S BATH (Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala) at the beautiful Albeniz Cinema in Malaga and hated every moment whilst viewing it. But it’s one of those films that’s stayed with me and that gets better and better the more one thinks about it. The film starts with a mother throwing a baby down a waterfall. It then follows a young woman (Anja Plaschg) into a new marriage; the husband is inattentive and possibly homosexual, the mother-in-law tyrannical, the work relentless, the loneliness unbearable. She runs away and back to her own family but custom and law prevents them from sheltering her as they’d like. She’s very religious and fears the eternal damnation that will follow from suicide. Her solution is to kill a young child, innocent and therefore guaranteed heaven, so that she in turn might be condemned to death and escape the torments of this life. Ostensibly, there were over 400 cases of this in Austria in the late 18th/early 19th century.  So, a film that is gruelling to watch ends up a bold feminist statement. The film is based on Kathy Stuart’s SUICIDE BY PROXY IN EARLY MODERN GERMANY: CRIME, SIN AND SALVATION.

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Madeleine Lear on One Hour Photo (Mark Romanek, 2002)

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Starring Robin Williams in one of his most unsettling roles as Sy, ‘the photo guy’, One Hour Photo follows Sy, a photo technician, as he forms an obsession with the Yorkin family before taking it upon himself to avenge his shattered fantasy and lost childhood innocence. In the accompanying podcast, Madeleine Lear shows how Romanek skillfully extends this film’s sense of unease into its cinematography and mise-en-scène, delving into the intricate depths of the human mind, exploring themes of obsession, isolation and voyeurism.This podcast discusses portrayals of mental health within cinema while looking towards this film’s visuals as a way of depicting isolation and loneliness.
The podcast may be listened to here:

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 430 – Gladiator II

Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Ridley Scott returns to Gladiator after more than twenty years, telling a story that’s broadly the same, but neatly picks up from the original too. Gladiator II stars Paul Mescal in the central role, and we discuss whether he has the movie star charisma to match his indie film credentials; we also talk action, visual effects, Denzel Washington’s Iago figure, the trope of the gay villain, and more.

Listen on the players below, Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, or YouTube Music.

With José Arroyo of First Impressions and Michael Glass of Writing About Film.

POFCRIT Podcast 2024: James Thompson on Under The Silver Lake (David Robert Mitchell, 2018)

Uncategorized, , , , ,

James Thompson on UNDER THE SILVER LAKE:

Unpacking the mysteries of this dream-like neo-noir, the podcast takes a look at the film’s many potential meanings and messages, as well as its wide array of influences and homages from classical Hollywood. From subliminal messages in the media, to mythical murderers, to secret underground bunkers or to cults of the ultra-rich, this episode explores all of the surreal enigmas of Under The Silver Lake. Shrouded by all of the mystery and excitement of Under The Silver Lake, however, lies something deeper. Beneath the surface, the film poses a profound statement as to the human condition, the search for meaning and the turmoil of consciousness, all of which will be revealed in this podcast, which be listened to below:

 

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546

 

James Thompson

The Gus Van Sant Podcast No. 6 :Michael J. Glass on Good Will Hunting (1997)

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Michael J. Glass joins me for a discussion of Gus Van Sant’s GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997), a blockbuster success in its day; a film that won Robin Williams an Oscar, made stars of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and left a big cultural imprint. It’s since been much parodied (in COMMUNITY, THE SIMPSONS, all over youtube) and a dominant critical perspective is slightly sniffy on the film: filmmaking by numbers and committees on a ‘we need a job’ script. We found it an extremely easy watch that holds up and is even more interesting on second viewing. GOOD WILL HUNTING is an effective piece that is surprising in all kinds of ways and still works. We discuss its critique of the US, its focus on class, on abuse, on the fragility of young men. Its rare to see a film that dramatizes how American foreign policy is one of extraction and exploitation and how social mobility in the US is available only to geniuses with sponsorship. We also discuss whether how Van Sant films and what he focuses on might be connected to sexual identity.

 

The podcast may be listened to here:

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546

Some of the clips discussed may be seen below:

Ben’s Speech:

Denunciatory Speech:

A look in the mirror:

Matt’s Look:

The fight:

 

Perspective:

Community Parody:

Family Guy Parody:

Michael J. Glass is co-host, with myself, of the Eavesdropping at the Movies podcast

Jose Arroyo

Some observations on The Day of the Jackal (Fred Zinnemann, 1973)

Uncategorized, , , ,

I don’t remember hearing of THE DAY OF THE JACKAL(Fred Zinnemann, 1973) spoken of in relation to gay representation but here is the sauna pick-up scene, repeated in the current tv version to close the latest episode, but here filmed more discreetly so that viewers who don’t want to know don’t need to notice.

The use of real locations is also an enormous pleasure. See below the British Library at the British Museum, filmed in 1972, just before it moved to St. Pancras.

I love the use of the widescreen format, 1.85:1 spherical, blown up to 70mm in Japan to allow for wide views of a frame where the eye catches movements across it (see below), often featuring dozens of extras — it’s a highly populated frame — in which the eye can wonder through Zinnemann’s meticulous mise-en-scene. An interesting contrast to the current TV version, which I also like very much, but from a completely different era of filmmaking.

José Arroyo

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Jake Diamond on I Am Legend (Francis Lawrence, 2007)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

In this podcast we will discuss the often-overlooked 2007 adaptation of Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend. Following Will Smith’s rendition of Dr Robert Neville, a virologist and last man on earth, it focuses on the psychological deterioration and complex need for coping mechanisms one would face when confronted with complete existentialism. We will discuss the difficulties of adaptation and where focus can often be shifted with minute changes, forcing different interpretations; as well as how the 2007 version – with its complicated production – is the most poignant when it comes to the horror of isolation. Additionally, we will discuss a key element, which is the paradoxical situation Robert Neville finds himself in, because as the tagline states: The Last man on Earth isn’t alone. 

 

The podcast may be listened to here:

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546

 

Jake Diamond

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Lily Stripe on Blue Lagoon (Randal Klaiser, 1980)

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

In this podcast we discuss the 1980 Randal Kleiser film, The Blue Lagoon. It tells a coming-of-age story of two children shipwrecked on a tropical island, as they grow and develop into teenagers, and discover both themselves and the island. With beautiful sweeping landscapes and gorgeous young stars, it has all the attractions of a Hollywood film. However, its narrative is even more intriguing, both fascinating and bizarre in what it tries to tell, and the way the directors vision comes across. We talk about the frustrations of a story like this being told in a visual medium, and why it had the potential to break out of its western societal box, but failed to do so.

The podcast may be listened to here:

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546

 

Lily Stripe

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024 — Yu Hua on Fallen Angels (Won Kar Wai, 1995)

Uncategorized, , , , ,

In this episode, we dive into Fallen Angels, one of Wong Kar Wai’s most visually stunning and emotionally layered films. Known for his distinct cinematic style, Wong blends fragmented storytelling with poetic visuals to explore themes of loneliness, alienation, and disconnection in Hong Kong’s urban landscape. The film’s fragmented narrative is complemented by Wong’s trademark use of disorienting camera movements, which heighten the emotional intensity and immerse viewers in the characters’ internal worlds. Through his unique approach, Wong Kar Wai invites us to reflect on the complexities of human connection and the feeling of being lost in a modern, disconnected city.

The podcast may be listened to here:

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546

 

 

Yu Hua

The Gus Van Sant Podcast 5: Richard Drew on TO DIE FOR (1995)

Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

I very much wanted to speak to the wonderful Richard Drew about TO DIE FOR (Gus Van Sant, 1995). Richard has a degree in Film and Literature so knows something about film, yet unusually for the guests on this podcast, he is not a Gus Van Sant fan. More importantly, Richard is a television producer, now based in Los Angeles, but who got his start on the ground floor of Reality TV in England and has worked on BIG BROTHER, SECOND SURVIVOR, FAME ACADEMY, and many more. He is now SVP of Development at Law and Crime Productions, specialising in True Crime Documentaries. His latest work, JAILBREAK: LOVE ON THE RUN is currently on Netlfix.

In the podcast we discuss how TO DIE FOR draws on the talk show culture of the era (Oprah, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Phil Donahue) as well as the rise of celebrity culture in print (PEOPLE, US) and Television (ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT). It’s a film that’s very much about not only a grasping for fame, but for television and televisual fame. We talk of the performances, the film’s form and structure, how it’s a story  complexly told but in a manner that’s experienced as simple and direct. All this and much more can be heard below:

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546

We previously spoke to Matt Hays on the Criterion’s re-release of the film here:

The Gus Van Sant Podcast 5A: To Die For (1995)

Some of the clips discussed in the podcasts may be seen below:

Fame:

From death to celebrity:

 

 Keep your feet off the coffee table:

 

Matt Dillon as a particular kind of object of desire:

Famous Sweet ‘Home Alabama’ moment: 

Mediated evidence:

 

Some images to think about:

José Arroyo

POFCRIT Podcast 2024: Ying Qi on Tangled (Nathan Greno, Byron Howard; 2011)

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

”In this episode, I’m diving into the world of Disney’s Tangled and exploring how it redefined what it means to be a princess, and the stereotypes that revolve around it. I’ll be talking about Rapunzel’s incredible agency, her journey from the tower to the floating lights, and how she takes charge of her own story—a big leap from
traditional princess roles. I also delve into the music that makes Tangled so unforgettable, and how it creates meaning and emotion. Join me as we unravel how Tangled brought a fresh, inspiring twist to the Disney princess legacy’.
Ying Qi

 

The podcast may be listened to here:

The podcast may also be listened to on: Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/2zWZ7Egdy6xPCwHPHlOOaT

and on itunes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/first-impressions-thinking-aloud-about-film/id1548559546