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

 

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: EVA DE MATOS ON BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM (GURINDER CHADHA, 2002)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

The podcast explores how Bend it Like Beckham humorously and poignantly explores themes of identity, tradition, gender, sexuality, multiculturalism and Britishness.
Bend It Like Beckham follows Jess, a British Indian teenager who dreams of playing football despite her family’s traditional expectations. Set in a diasporic area of Asian immigrants and 2nd generation children the podcast discusses the associated inter-generational themes that permeate the film. The podcast also discusses the film’s specificity to 2003 and how the political climate may have influenced the film’s representation of multiculturalism.

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

Eva de Matos

The Gus Van Sant Podcast No. 4: Lisa Purse on Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

Lisa Purse on EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES (Gus Van Sant, 1993)

I was truly delighted when Lisa Purse agreed to talk to me about EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES. Lisa is a Professor of Film Studies at the University of Reading, one of the most brilliant scholars on action movies, and a nuanced thinker on questions of mediations, conflicts, identities. I wanted to have her on the podcast because I thought she might expand my thinking on EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES, and she did. In the podcast we discuss seeing the film when it was first released, seeing it now, and explore the hows and whys of changing responses. We note the context of ‘New Queer Cinema’ and the different kinds of experiments that were then taking place. EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES  is a film that refuses seriousness and we speculate that maybe neither of us was then in a place where we could recognise the value of that. We discuss how the film continues Van Sant’s interest in ‘The Road’, and discuss movement and flow, as rhythm, narrative device, formal strategy, and condensed ideation. Is it a film that’s trying to do too much? B. Ruby Rich wrote on how the film contains references to forms of collective action. Is it more of its time than we first realised? We discuss the film as a form of active allyship that is not to be sneezed at, and note the hostility of its initial reception, referencing B. Ruby Rich’s contention that with this film Van Sant fell into the category of a female director (at least for some) and therefore got treated as one.

 

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

The Roseane Barr clip may be seen here:

The paper bag scene may be seen here:

 

 

Lisa Purse’s latest publication is:

 

 

 

José Arroyo

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Meg Tebbutt on Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (Sam Raimi, 2022)

Uncategorized, , , , , ,

This podcast delves into Sam Raimi’s return to Superhero Cinema: Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. 

Combining the classic horror elements of Raimi’s 1981 cult favourite ‘The Evil Dead’ with his more modern Spiderman trilogy offering, this Marvel film follows Doctor Strange in his second solo movie as Strange tries to prevent the multiverse-shattering dark magic created by the vengeful Wanda Maximoff. We discuss the disjunctions present within the film produced by the Marvel/Raimi divide – how much of the film can be viewed as an auteur product separate from the Marvel franchise? 

 

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

 

 

Meg Tebbutt

 

POFCRIT Podcast 2024: Fiola Odusote on EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan, 2022)

Uncategorized, , , ,

The POFCRIT Podcast 2024 returns with Fiola Odusote on EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan, 2022) . The action-filled dramedy follows a high-strung Chinese woman called Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) who owns a struggling laundromat. When Evelyn is tasked with saving the multiverse she is quick to answer the call, not knowing the journey she’s about to embark on will cause her to reckon with her familial relationships and ultimately repair them. The film tackles the themes of family, immigration, choice and generational trauma, with the multiverse being used as a vehicle to explore these themes through a sci-fi lens. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, despite its absurdist elements, is grounded by the mother-daughter story at the heart of the film. The grounded story when mixed with the impeccable performances by the talented cast makes it easy to see why the film racked up so many awards. All this, and much more, is discussed in the podcast 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

 

Fiola Odusote

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Rowan Abbott on EO (Jerzy Skolimowski, 2022)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

In this podcast, we talk about the 2022 Jerzy Skolimowski film, EO. The film is a sweeping picaresque narrative following the tumultuous life of a former circus donkey named EO, who is set free into rural Poland, a place that can’t seem to decide what purpose a donkey still has for humans. This wholly unique film is a landmark in animal representation on screen, being one of the most successful fiction films to feature an animal protagonist that isn’t anthropomorphized. We talk about the implications of this form of animal representation, and how the film achieves its goal of putting us in the shoes – or hooves – of a donkey.

The podcast may 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

 

Rowan Abbott

On the Giornate del Cinema Muto 43 Pordenone Silent Film Festival

Uncategorized, , , , ,

Richard and I were unable to attend the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in person this year. Luckily for us, they provided an online daily programme for the duration of the festival. In the podcast we discuss each of the main daily selections,  the various thematic strands, what was available to us and what we missed.

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

 

Paul Cuff has provided a superb, more in-depth account on each of the programs:

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 1)

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 2)

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 3)

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 4)

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 5)

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 6)

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 7)

Pordenone from afar (2024, Day 8)

Pam Hutchinson also provided an excellent account from the festival itself and her posts may be found here: Silent London

 

Elif Kaynakci has kindly added links to films ‘Sin Nomine’, to be identified, and provided links were they may be seen here:

Mike Gebert has  reported directly on Nitrateville.

Paul Joyce’s daily posts may be found here

Alison Strauss’ report may be found here.

José Arroyo

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Jack Hulbert on The Batman (Matt Reeves, 2022)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

The most recent entry in the 58 year long canon of Batman films, Matt Reeves’ 2022 film, The Batman, represents a stark departure from every iteration before it. It takes the core aspects of Batman, its characters and its world, and presents them as grimmer; more beaten down. It warps the franchise’s trend towards realism into a gothic, brooding, detective noir. This episode delves into the varied history of the Batman film franchise, discovering how and why the series has evolved and morphed in the way it has. We look at film and societal changes that could have affected the franchise, and explore the breadths of such changes. Asking the question: how could a franchise surrounding one character go from being bright, colourful and campy in 1966, to something akin to David Fincher’s Seven in 2022.

The podcast may be listened to here:

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

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

The first of two podcasts on Gus Van Sant’s TO DIE FOR (1995), this one with Matt Hays, journalist, co-editor with Tom Waugh of McGill-Queen’s Press’ QUEER FILM CLASSICS series, and a professor of film at Concordia University and Marianopolis College. Matt’s reviewed Criterion’s recent edition of the film for the current CINEASTE and I wanted to pick up on some of the excellent points he raises there: how is the film a turning point in Van Sant’s career? What is this shifting of gears between Van Sant’s more commercial and more esoteric works? Was the film prescient? What does it tell us about celebrity culture, the media and politics? What is the film’s view of heterosexual relations? Is there a ‘gay gaze’ on the male bodies? What does it tell us about race in America? What are the formal tensions running through the film? It’s structure has been compared to that of CITIZEN KANE and RASHOMON. How so? We agree that Kidman gives one of her greatest performances but have Matt Dillon and Joaquim Phoenix been overlooked? All this and much more can be heard 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

 

Matt’s article and the list of questions that arose from it:

José Arroyo

Homophobia and Homophilia in unexpected places

Uncategorized, , , , ,

I’m watching Don Siegel’s RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11 (1954) for the first time, thinking how great it is, how the issues regarding prisons have hardly changed since it was first released, how superb it looks….and then you come to the inevitable homophobic moment and the heart sinks. According to the film, gay men should be separated from ‘normal’ prisoners and placed with the ‘nuts’ and ‘looneys’ into a separate psycho ward, bringing to mind Trin T Min-ha’s phrase that there’s a ‘third world in every first world and vice versa’. I do think the scene reflects the times and some reference to homosexuality is probably inevitable in a prison film. But I think that it is also a mark against the film.

CONVOY (Sam Peckinpah, 1978) surprised me. I’d avoided it upon its first release thinking it a sub SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT rip-off but was encouraged to see it recently when Dîna Iordanova described it as being about civil disobedience and protest, which it is. And unlike the experience with RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11, I was delighted by this bit, a joke I suppose, but one countering some of the dominant stereotypes of its time, at least outside gay porn.

Eavesdropping at the Movies: 429 – Joker: Folie à Deux

Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

2019’s Joker, which gave the iconic supervillain an all-purpose mental health disorder, a tragic origin story, and a name – Arthur Fleck – was never meant to have a sequel. But it made a billion dollars, so Joker: Folie à Deux is here. And, being a jukebox musical based primarily on show tunes from the mid-20th century canon, we ask who it’s for. The first film took risks in eschewing so many trappings of the comic book genre; did the filmmakers hope that their audience would respond similarly to further experimentation? Or is it a means of punishing an audience they attracted but loathe?

If the film hates its audience… well, so does Mike, which might explain why he got on with it. José, on the other hand, liked the first film, and is happy to see more of Joaquin Phoenix and hear those classic songs. Joker: Folie à Deux is far from a great film, not that close to a good film, and doesn’t have much of interest or intelligence to say about its themes – but it’s fascinating that it exists.

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: Harry Molloy on Superman (Richard Donner, 1978)

Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

‘You’ll believe a man can fly?’  was the tagline of Superman the Movie (1978) the use of the word ‘can’ rather than ascribing a quality to the film creates a world of possibilities for the feature.  Superman as a film represents a dream-like possibility of a perfect man who can defy gravity, lift anything, and run at incredible speeds, and the film revels in the utopian idea of this man who has everything. This edition of the Film Criticism podcast will discuss how the film expresses these themes and how they differ from the modern discourse of the superhero genre. Further, we discuss the issues with the concept of the utopian man and the pure optimism presented within the film. 

The podcast may 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

Harry Molloy

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Liberty Boyd-White on Funny Games (Michael Haneke, 2007)

Uncategorized, , , , , , ,

A highly unforgiving work, Michael Haneke’s horror cult-classic Funny Games (2007) stands as a profound critique of modern media consumption and the spectator’s complicit relationship with the spectacle of violence often provided by American cinema. This podcast delves into the personal reflections on ideology, morality, genre and cinema as a whole, prompted by the unique viewing experience of Haneke’s film. From an analysis of the abstract form (Emphasised best by its many meta-textual elements.), it’s commitment to sound design, as well as an investigation into the film’s dismissal of  spectator ‘enjoyment’ – this episode hopes to emphasise the pervasive genius of Haneke’s U.S remake through a conversational analysis of Funny Games as an outlier within contemporary film, thanks to its unflinching hostility towards the spectator typically depended on by cinema.

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

Liberty Boyd-White