The Prestige

Our last Iñárritu film is 2014’s BIRDMAN, OR (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE) (don’t worry: that’s the last time we’ll use the subtitle). We offer fairly similar reviews, before talking about style over substance and the director’s views on the superhero genre — and we end with some concluding thoughts on Iñárritu’s oeuvre. Next Week Our next mini-season is all about Spike Lee — we start with his 1986 breakout SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT, available here. This Week’s Media ANTFARM DICKHOLE (2011): Bill Zebub, Mike Nastri, Jessica Mazo STAR TREK: DISCOVERY (2017–): Akiva Goldsman, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones MCMAFIA (2018–): James Watkins, James Norton, David Strathairn Recommendations ROUNDERS (1998): John Dahl, Matt Damon, Edward Norton THE REVENANT (2015): Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy THE TREE OF LIFE (2011): Terrence Malick, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn VICTORIA (2015): Sebastian Schipper, Laia Costa, Frederick Lau Footnotes There’s an intro to the basics of magic(/al) realism here. Here’s our standard link to something on the subject of Chekov’s Gun, a concept that gets another airing this week. There are some interesting thoughts on social media notoriety here and here. Finally, the IMDB page for Emmanuel Lubezki is worth a read, if only to marvel at the extent of his body of work, particularly as cinematographer

The next Ińárritu offering — and the last in a ‘trilogy’ that began with AMORES PERROS — is the 2006 film BABEL. We have fairly similar takes on the movie, and this is followed by broader discussions about language, Westernisation, and the purpose of the film. Next Week Our final Ińárritu film is 2014’s BIRDMAN OR (THE UNEXPECTED VALUE OF IGNORANCE), available on Amazon This Week’s Media HOW NOT TO BE A BOY (2017): Robert Webb THE BABYSITTER (2017): McG, Judah Lewis, Samara Weaving Recommendations PACIFIC RIM (2013): Guillermo del Toro, Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam THE NEON DEMON (2016): Nicolas Winding Refn, Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks 13 ASSASSINS (2010...not 2013, as confidently asserted): Takashi Miike, Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada UTOPIA (2013-14): Marc Munden, Adeel Akhtar, Paul Higgins Footnotes First this week, I’ve searched long and hard for the origins of the ‘Trilogy of Death’ label, to no avail; answers on a postcard... This review is broadly positive, at least with respect to the Japanese narrative strand of the movie. This is a good introduction to the idea of ‘the idiot plot’. Finally, here’s more on the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, to which the title refers.

Our next Iñárritu film sees him move from Spanish to English (although the change of language doesn’t indicate a change in mood!) with 21 GRAMS (2003). We talk about screen presentations of grief and the way that the impact of cinema changes over time — and one of us changes his mind a little about the movie... Next Week Iñárritu stays in English for the last in his ‘Death Trilogy’: BABEL (also available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.co.uk/BABEL-Cate-Blanchett/dp/B00FYNX6TU This Week’s Media TOKYO TRIBE (2014): Sion Sono, Ryōhei Suzuki, Riki Takeuchi BACK (2017): Simon Blackwell, David Mitchell, Robert Webb F.R.I.E.N.D.S (1994-2004): David Crane, Marta Kauffman, Jennifer Aniston Recommendations SWINGERS (1996): Doug Liman, Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn THE WORLD’S END (2013): Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost SICARIO (2015): Denis Villeneuve, Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro BIG EYES (2014): Tim Burton, Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz UN CHIEN ANDALOU (1929): Luis Buñuel, Salvador Dalí, Pierre Batcheff Footnotes First, this week, apologies if Sam’s audio is even more ropey than usual (which, incidentally, isn’t for lack of trying! apparently even a fancy new mic didn’t quite do the trick): blame the whirrings of an ancient computer fan. Second, on the subject of revisiting cultural artefacts and one of the TV shows we talk about this week, this is an interesting and funny take on some of the relationships in FRIENDS: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/amp11807508/joey-rachel-friends-together. This is an in-depth piece on one of the greatest practitioners of the ‘mosaic film-making’ style Rob describes: https://cinephiliabeyond.org/filmmakers-masterclass-with-andrei-tarkovsky-cinema-is-a-mosaic-made-of-time. Here’s a reminder of the details of the ‘bleach bypass’ technique: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bleach_bypass. Finally, here’s more on the artistic movement that spawned Rob’s final recommendation: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealism

The first in our season of films by Alejandro González Iñárritu (the accents are getting a workout this month!) is his 2000 breakout feature film, AMORES PERROS. We talk about differing reactions to the movie (two of them from one person, over 15 years!), the way that its violent themes often inform the way that it’s put together, and the essentially very optimistic ending. Next Week The next Iñárritu film is the 2003 follow-up, 21 GRAMS (available on Amazon video: http://amzn.to/2CBrJiP) This Week’s Media THE BOY IN THE DRESS (2014): Matt Lipsey, David Walliams, Billy Kennedy DIRTY GRANDPA (2016): Dan Mazer, Robert De Niro, Zac Efron THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (2017): Michael Gracey, Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron Recommendations LA HAINE (1995): Mathieu Kassovitz, Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé 200 CIGARETTES (1999): Risa Bramon Garcia, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck Y TU MAMA TAMBIÉN (2001): Alfonso Cuarón, Maribel Verdú, Gael Garcia Bernal LA MALA EDUCACIÓN (2004): Pedro Almodóvar, Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martinez Footnotes Firstly, this week, here’s a link to the episode on the predecessor we discuss: http://www.kaiju.fm/prestige/3-08-dodeska-den-1970-and-dreams/. Then, this is an interesting piece on a (previously mentioned) movement to which Rob refers:http://learnaboutfilm.com/soviet-montage. Here are two good articles on the various aspects of film editing covered in Iñárritu’s work: https://www.raindance.org/the-6-stages-of-editing-as-a-film-director & https://www.filmcomment.com/article/the-close-up-films-that-changed-filmmaking.

In this week’s episode we reveal our Top 5s. Will there be any overlaps, or is there some characteristic Prestige disagreement? Happy 2018, everyone

The band’s back together! Sam’s back from new-baby intensiveness, just in time for a festive episode for the end of the year — and it’s a film which may or may not (don’t mention that Bruce Willis film) be a Christmas movie: LOVE ACTUALLY. Rob was expecting more negativity from Sam — maybe fatherhood has mellowed him — but we’re both broadly positive about the film; notwithstanding its faults, which we discuss towards the end of the episode, along racial and gender lines. Next Week If we can manage it, next week will be our Review of 2017 (or, in Sam’s case, Review of the First Ten Months of 2017…) This Month’s Media THE PUNISHER (2017): Steve Lightfoot, Jon Bernthal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach LA LA LAND (2017): Damien Chazelle, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI (2017): Rian Johnson, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher THE GOOD PLACE (2016—): Michael Schur, Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper Recommendations KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2014): Matthew Vaughn, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson THE TRUMAN SHOW (1998): Peter Weir, Jim Carrey, Laura Linney THE HOLIDAY (2006): Nancy Meyers, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet GOOD OMENS (2018): Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Adria Arjon Footnotes The other storylines Richard Curtis proposed for the film are here: http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-03-23/richard-curtis-reveals-the-love-actually-storylines-he-left-out. The four types of Greek love, which Sam shamefully couldn’t bring to mind, are these: https://totescute.com/four-types-of-love-greek-style. This article has all the Easter Eggs Emma Freud revealed, as mentioned by Sam: http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/love-actually-film-secrets-facts-7061864. And finally, here’s a good piece on the different sorts of textuality that are (or may be) at play in the movie: https://www.decodedscience.org/what-is-transtextuality-understanding-the-meaning-of-the-words-we-read/28891/2 Merry Christmas! It’s good to be back. :)

Rob and his 1st guest host, Anna, relive their respective childhoods, get lost in Hook's luxurious facial hair and fawn over RU-FI-OOOOOOOOOOOOOO(Look folks, Sam does the show notes and he's great at it. I'm really not, so they are going to be a bit shorter for the next month. Bare with me!)

Our Schumacher mini-season concludes with the 2003 biopic VERONICA GUERIN. For a second week running (savour it), we’re largely in agreement with our reviews of the film, and then we talk about how these events passed us by, the difficulties in bringing a real life to screen, and the parallels between the protagonist and a quite surprising tortured genius. Next Week’s Film Sam’s off on parental duty, so the next month sees Rob — with a number of guest hosts — get stuck into the oeuvre of Steven Spielberg, starting with the 1991 ‘classic’ (Sam’s quotation marks) HOOK. This Week’s Media HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (2009): David Yates, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint MINDHUNTER (2017—): Joe Penhall, David Fincher, Jonathan Groff STAR TREK: DISCOVERY (2017—): Bryan Fuller, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones Recommendations CON AIR (1997): Simon West, Nicolas Cage, John Cusack IN BRUGES (2008): Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (1992): Chris Columbus, Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci PUSHING TIN (1999): Mike Newell, John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton Footnotes In the vein of starting with a light-hearted subject, our first link for this episode is to Tim Murphy’s book Rethinking the War on Drugs in Ireland: books.google.co.uk/<wbr />books?hl=en&lr=&id=9e2KT-<wbr />zW6bcC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=drugs+<wbr />in+ireland&ots=bS3Lal7lQB&sig=<wbr />Q3E4nnS0hhbv1Cew7QeGy_H2bsw#v=<wbr />onepage&q=drugs%20in%<wbr />20ireland&f=false. Veronica Guerin’s life makes for an interesting read (although the jury’s out on the film): books.google.co.uk/<wbr />books?hl=en&lr=&id=<wbr />Pm37P54fAzMC&oi=fnd&pg=PT3&dq=<wbr />veronica+guerin&ots=<wbr />vDl85zPDa6&sig=<wbr />zP1aC2D1YBaqTRUm9EbAFJTG7QU#v=<wbr />onepage&q=veronica%20guerin&f=<wbr />false. This account of her funeral (included at the very end of the film) is good: www.independent.co.uk/<wbr />news/tears-and-applause-at-<wbr />journalists-funeral-1339427.<wbr />html. The IMDB Trivia page, as usual, is a good one: www.imdb.com/title/<wbr />tt0312549/trivia. And finally, Rob mentions considering Guerin as a tragic protagonist or ‘hero'; for more on this, this is a useful — if very basic — source: http://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/tragic-hero

Our next Schumacher offering is 1999’s 8MM. We have fairly similar reviews of the film, before embarking on a discussion of what makes human do what they do, the voyeurism inherent in modern life, and why Keanu Reeves wouldn’t have been able to save this movie. Next Week’s Film VERONICA GUERIN (2003): pending certain events in Sam’s house, we’ll be concluding our Schumacher season. This Week’s Media THE WISE MAN’S FEAR (2011): Patrick Rothfuss HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (2007): David Yates, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint Recommendations MONEYBALL (2011): Bennett Miller, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill WALK THE LINE (2005): James Mangold, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon PREACHING TO THE PERVERTED (1997): Stuart Urban, Guinevere Turner, Tom Bell TOMORROWLAND (2015): Brad Bird, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie Footnotes Light-heartedly enough, the first link is to a book exploring one of the concepts we address early on this week, the nature of evil: https://books.google.co.uk/<wbr />books?hl=en&lr=&id=<wbr />oUfHAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=<wbr />the+nature+of+evil&ots=<wbr />jCSup0M8NJ&sig=<wbr />6gxqqHOnoZ1OHVVrIjVAqlue4b8#v=<wbr />onepage&q=the%20nature%20of%<wbr />20evil&f=false. Here’s the IMDB page for Andrew Kevin Walker, writer of this and other 90s staples FIGHT CLUB and SE7EN: http://www.imdb.com/name/<wbr />nm0001825/?ref_=tt_ov_wr. Here are two interesting articles about voyeurism in cinema, and a list of other films on the subject: https://mubi.com/<wbr />lists/a-hidden-eye-voyeurism-<wbr />surveillance-in-cinema, https:<wbr />//humanities.byu.edu/the-dual-<wbr />meaning-of-cinematic-voyeurism<wbr />, and http://www.tasteofcinema.<wbr />com/2015/25-great-voyeuristic-<wbr />movies. Finally, this is a good piece on social media and voyeurism, a subject on which we ended this week: http://www.sutherlandlabs.com/blog/social-media-and-a-culture-of-voyeurism

The Joel Schumacher season continues with the 112-minute cry of rage and frustration that is FALLING DOWN. We talk about the film’s presentation of different sides of modernity in America, its use of borders and locations, and various takes on its ideas of diversity and alienation: basically, we get stuck in to a good old-fashioned discussion! Next Week’s Film 8MM (1999): another popular (thus easily available) one for our third Schumacher film This Week’s Media W1A (2014—): John Morton, Hugh Bonneville, Monica Dolan BLADERUNNER 2049 (2017): Denis Villeneuve, Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford Recommendations TOTAL RECALL (1990): Paul Verhoeven, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin SAVAGE STREETS (1984): Danny Steinmann, Linda Blair, Linnea Quigley IE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995): John McTiernan, Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons WONDER BOYS (2000): Curtis Hanson, Michael Douglas, Tobey Maguire Footnotes Sam mentions a possible cultural forerunner of Bill Foster, in Willy Loman: https://en.wikipedia.<wbr />org/wiki/Death_of_a_Salesman. Foster’s plight is further explained in the idea of the ‘soured’ American Dream, a concept explored in these two books, written either side of the film: https://books.google.co.<wbr />uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=<wbr />hqafM0xZjqIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&<wbr />dq=american+dream&ots=<wbr />1nYMaswH1d&sig=<wbr />jR7R4UiQIfLCnVZjkf5DVIp_ZhM#v=<wbr />onepage&q=american%20dream&f=<wbr />false and https://books.<wbr />google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&<wbr />id=PTF0mlZE26AC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&<wbr />dq=american+dream&ots=<wbr />nIDzdsXxDg&sig=xDqKx2Zh-<wbr />mSHDhaH8LwQAqw5qPA#v=onepage&<wbr />q=american%20dream&f=false. While the title of this article is a little obvious, it has some interesting stuff in it: http://www.laweekly.com/<wbr />film/falling-down-25th-<wbr />anniversary-michael-douglas-<wbr />was-the-villain-8164453. Finally, the film’s IMDB page (particularly the trivia section) is worth a look: http://www.imdb.com/<wbr />title/tt0106856.

We kick off our Joel Schumacher mini-season with a look at his 1980s ‘classic’ (Sam’s inverted commas) THE LOST BOYS. There are…conflicting initial reviews, but we unite in discussions of being out of time, vampirism, and puberty. Next Week’s Film FALLING DOWN (1993): Schumacher month continues with possibly his most commercially available film (good for watching purposes). This Week’s Media COMING TO AMERICA (1988): John Landis, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall JACK WHITEHALL: TRAVELS WITH MY FATHER (2017): Jack Whitehall, Michael Whitehall, Hilary Whitehall Recommendations BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1992): Fran Rubel Kuzei, Kristy Swanson, Donald Sutherland THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (2014): Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Addison Timlin, Travis Tope BLADE (1998): Stephen Norrington, Wesley Snipes, Stephen Dorff EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990): Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder Footnotes Rob mentions the pre-eminent vampire drama of recent years, TRUE BLOOD; for much more on this, there’s a whole wiki: http://trueblood.wikia.com/wiki/True_Blood_Wiki. These two books are both good on subcultures (the first is particularly good about music, which we discuss in passing): https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=II19ilADqGEC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=subcultures&ots=t0zG7b30Yt&sig=WwTcjQB41ychVfV8YtQXNnrCEAw#v=onepage&q=subcultures&f=false, https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OgfyekgkpwwC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1914&dq=subcultures&ots=G8PUd7Ndfx&sig=iEHptTDQpequsWSuVf6pCVjCB-0#v=onepage&q=subcultures&f=false. The IMDB page (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093437) has some good info on the movie, though for its homoerotic connotations you’d be better heading here: http://www.horror-movies.ca/2014/09/new-perspective-lost-boys-homosexual-film. Finally, here’s some good stuff about vampire stereotypes (that this film was often in the vanguard of establishing): http://vampirefunstuff.blogspot.co.uk/p/vampire-cliches.html.

Our final Kurosawa offering is one of Rob’s favourites: 1970’s DODES’KA’DEN. Sam liked it, too (though with some caveats), and we go on to discuss the director’s use of colour, sound, and film in general — with a look back at his oeuvre, as explored over the past month. Next Week’s Film THE LOST BOYS (1987): we kick off a look at Joel Schumacher with his 1987 comedy; it’s generally pretty available, whether streamed or on DVD. This Week’s Media KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017): Matthew Vaughn, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore AN UNLIKELY HERO / PAPER MAN (2009): Kieran Mulroney, Jeff Daniels, Emma Stone Recommendations CITY OF GOD (2002): Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund, Alexandre Rodrigues RISING SUN (1993): Michael Crichton, Philip Kaufman, Sean Connery THE OMEGA MAN (1971): Boris Sagal, Charlton Heston, Anthony Zerbe INLAND EMPIRE (2006): David Lynch, Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons Footnotes The critical reception received by the film (including Kurosawa’s reaction to this reaction) is documented in the following book: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=C2z3otM-y5kC&pg=PA460&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false. The IMDB page on the film is good, particularly on the ‘Committee of the Four Knights’ group of Japanese directors: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065649/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv. I don’t know how reliable this site is, but it’s still a potentially interesting exploration of the meanings of various colours in Japan: https://www.color-meanings.com/color-meanings-japan. Rob mentions the following as a possible corollary for the film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889. Finally, this is the first part of the Youtube video Rob talks about in the course of his recommendations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP468k1u_Mk.

The next Akira Kurosawa film is probably his best-known — and certainly most-imitated — film: SEVEN SAMURAI (1954). We both really enjoyed this (one more predictably so than the other); after some general discussions of community feeling and individuality, we get more specific about the social hierarchies of the film, dive into Kurosawa’s cinematography once more, and end with a good, old-fashioned nerd-off. Next Week’s Film DODES’KA-DEN (1970): Kurosawa’s first film in colour. Get the DVD for £5.34, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/DodesKa-Den-Junzaburo-Ban/dp/B00ABAYWIK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1506152619&sr=8-1&keywords=dodeskaden. This Week’s Media WONDER WOMAN (2017): Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Chris Pine THE DEFENDERS (2017): Douglas Petrie, Charlie Cox, Krysten Ritter Recommendations BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980): Jimmy T. Murakami, Richard Thomas, Robert Vaughn HEROES (2006—10): Tim Kring, Santiago Cabrera, Jack Coleman THRONE OF BLOOD (1957): Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune, Isuzu Yamada 13 ASSASSINS (2010): Takashi Miike, Kōji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada Footnotes There’s more on the visuals of Kurosawa and this film’s influence in cinema, here: http://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/seven-samurai-akira-kurosawa-masterpiece-influence-filmmakers-mad-max-fury-road-1201811690/. Here’s that book on class and aesthetics in Japan, again: https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=10krbGkGMyoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=class+in+japanese+history&ots=SMdOiQbPSf&sig=eAq53yCWiBvqsQE7uIJqqw_YfBQ#v=onepage&q=class%20in%20japanese%20history&f=false. This article has a useful introduction to the history of the samurai in Japan: http://www.history.com/topics/samurai-and-bushido. Finally, while the visual presentation of this website is truly horrible, there’s some interesting stuff on the objective/subjective shots that Rob discusses this week: http://www.videoeditingsage.com/camera-angles-objective-and-subjective.html. (Oh, and the podcast in which Sam is cheating on Rob [but not really: it’s TV, not film] is a forthcoming episode of THE BOX SET POD: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-box-set-pod-the-boxset-podcast/id948417371?mt=2.)

Our next offering of the season is Akira Kurosawa’s breakout movie, RASHOMON (1950). After some positive reviews, we spend lots of time on the particular visuals of the film — including the way in which things are seen through other things — and end with a discussion of what the last scene might mean in the context of the film as a whole. Next Week’s Film SEVEN SAMURAI (1954): you need to sign up for the BFI player for £4.99 after a week's free trial, but if classic films aren’t your thing, then just cancel before the week is out: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Seven-Samurai-Takashi-Shimura/dp/B00P4OHWTO/ref=sr_1_1?s=instant-video&ie=UTF8&qid=1505411259&sr=1-1&keywords=seven+samurai This Week’s Media SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017): Jon Watts, Tom Holland, Michael Keaton GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME II (2017): James Gunn, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana Recommendations M. BUTTERFLY (1993): David Henry Hwang, David Cronenberg, Jeremy Irons MEMENTO (2000): Christopher Nolan, Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss STREET OF SHAME (1956): Kenji Mizoguchi, Yoshiko Shibaki, Machiko Kyō ONE NIGHT AT MCCOOL’S (2001): Harald Zwart, Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon Footnotes This is a good primer on ‘the hero’s journey’, which Rob mentions early on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey. The production, music, and script on this video are terrible, but there is some useful info about the different types of camera movement! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45e1XuA-oLY There’s more on the gate in question, which lends its name to the film — as Sam discusses — here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajōmon. Here are a couple of good books on (1) the films of Kurosawa, and (2) class and aesthetics in Japan: https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=vdchVqMSiDEC&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=influences+on+akira+kurosawa&ots=D7Tq-c1G1f&sig=7FA76g1iigwjWS1fQXEAqlM2YA4#v=onepage&q=influences%20on%20akira%20kurosawa&f=false, and https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=10krbGkGMyoC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=class+in+japanese+history&ots=SMdOiQbPSf&sig=eAq53yCWiBvqsQE7uIJqqw_YfBQ#v=onepage&q=class%20in%20japanese%20history&f=false. Finally, here’s your regular reference to the concept of the MacGuffin, which is probably not employed in this film: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MacGuffin.

The second director of Season 3 is Akira Kurosawa; the sequence of his films begins with his 1948 breakthrough, DRUNKEN ANGEL. Initial discussions centre on its viability as a cinematic — rather than theatrical experience — and then we delve into post-war Japan, Kurosawa’s relationship with gangster culture, and this film’s positioning as a metaphor for some of these ideas. Next Week’s Film RASHOMON (1950): rent it on Amazon for $3.99 (still probably just about affordable, post-Brexit) at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004D3ICOG This Week’s Media STRIKE (2017–): Robert Galbraith, Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger NARCOS, SEASON 3 (2017): Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro Recommendations NOSFERATU (1922): F.W. Murnau, Max Schreck, Greta Schröder CARANDIRU (2003): Héctor Babenco, Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos, Rodrigo Santoro BRIGHTON ROCK (1947): John Boulting, Richard Attenborough, Hermione Baddeley TOMBSTONE (1993): George P. Cosmatos, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer Footnotes Firstly, for more on the specifics of the yakuza (general introduction), have a look at this. This thread also has some interesting discussions of the yakuza’s place in Kurosawa’s work. Actors like the ever-wonderful Buster Keaton (to whom Sam refers at one point) are celebrated in this interesting article. For more on the history of post-war Japan, this is good. Finally, this is the film that Rob mentions in passing along with NOSFERATU as a visual fore-runner of this movie

Our final Kathryn Bigelow offering is the 2008 multiple-Oscar-winning THE HURT LOCKER (2008). After initial (and not entirely favourable) reviews, we discuss the film’s sparse qualities, the way in which Bigelow subverts expectations, and one particularly…interesting stylistic choice. We conclude with a look back at her filmography, as explored over the past month, focusing on the various ways in which she has explored the ‘individual versus the world’ theme. This Week’s Media TRAINWRECK (2015): Judd Apatow, Amy Schumer, Bill Hader BAYWATCH (2017): Seth Gordon, Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron Recommendations THE ENGLISH PATIENT (1996): Anthony Minghella, Ralph Fiennes, Juliet Binoche MAN ON A LEDGE (2012): Asger Leth, Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks LOCKOUT (2012): Luc Besson, Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace BLACK HAWK DOWN (2001): Ridley Scott, Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor Footnotes First, here’s our TRAINWRECK small-batch episode, from a couple of years ago: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/small-batch-trainwreck/id990653468?i=1000382263538&mt=2. Then, here’s a link to the IMDB pages of the (delightful) Mark Boal, and the film itself (containing some interesting trivia): http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1676793/?ref_=tt_ov_wr, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/?ref_=nm_knf_i1. This is more on the actual term ’the hurt locker’, which Rob mentions in passing, but we don’t actually explain: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8555318.stm. This is the game Eldridge plays (we’re completely not advocating this, but its levels of violence are very interesting in the light of what this film says about war): https://gearsofwar.com/en-us. And finally, here’s that Dustin Hoffman speech against the idea of individualism in the film industry, which seems a nice place to end our mini-series on Bigelow’s artistic endeavours (skip to about 3 minutes in to get past the nominations): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhDmNRQgKLM.

Welcome to world of The Other, what makes a character The Other and some films that highlight that

Our latest Kathryn Bigelow offering is the 2002 thriller based on a true story, K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER. We discuss its editing, pacing, and narrative, in a discussion that ranges from the way in which Bigelow tries to tease out relationships on different social levels to more on her depiction of masculinity, particularly in a military context This Week’s Media THE PINK CHIQUITAS (1987): Anthony Currie, Frank Stallone, Bruce Pirrie ATONEMENT (2007): Joe Wright, James McAvoy, Keira Knightley Recommendations THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016): Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt MADMEN (2007—15): Matthew Weiner, Jon Hamm, Elisabeth Moss NKNOWN (2011): Jaume Collet-Serra, Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger THE CONSTANT GARDENER (2005): Fernando Meireilles, Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz Footnotes Firstly this week, here’s a link to the historical narrative adapted into Bigelow’s film (the ’Nuclear accident’ section is particularly relevant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_submarine_K-19. Then, here’s a fairly basic piece explaining the building blocks of camera technique, a number of which KB uses in the cramped space of the submarine: http://www.elementsofcinema.com/cinematography/camera-movement. This is an interesting book collecting some essays on post-World-War-II nuclear diplomacy: https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=79RJheQYvq8C&oi=fnd&pg=PR8&dq=russian+cold+war+party+camaraderie&ots=gOKV934XTD&sig=qVst45eyi3bXblB66eDeVVnY9yg#v=onepage&q&f=false. This gives a better explanation of a ‘match cut’ than Sam offered! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Match_cut. And finally, here’s more on the composer who did so much to help build tension aurally in the film (Sam meant to wax lyrical about him, and forgot): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Badelt.

Season 3 continues with the next in our Kathryn Bigelow mini-season: 2000’s THE WEIGHT OF WATER. One of us is more in favour of the film than the other, but we settle into a good discussion of the representation of past events on film, novel—movie adaptation, and valuing ‘a valiant effort’ above ‘safe and uninspiring’ when it comes to films that don’t quite hit the mark. This Week’s Media SELFLESS (2015): Tarsem Singh, Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez GAME OF THRONES, Season 7 (2017): George R.R. Martin, David Benioff, Peter Dinklage BLADERUNNER (1982): Ridley Scott, Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer Recommendations THE WOMAN IN BLACK (2012): James Watkins, Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds 21 GRAMS (2003): Alejandro González Ińárritu, Sean Penn, Naomi Watts GO (1999): Doug Liman, Taye Diggs, William Fichtner EDTV (1999): Ron Howard, Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman Footnotes We start with the obligatory Chekov’s gun (or ‘Chekov’s flaming bazooka’) link: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ChekhovsGun. Here a couple of interesting articles on the use of black and white photography in cinema: https://www.infoplease.com/features/movies-tv-and-music/movies-and-film-aesthetics-black-and-white-and-color and http://www.unl.edu/english/black-white-cinema-colorful-history-monochrome-movies. Rob uses the phrase ‘in medias res’ in passing, and if you’re not familiar with it this might be worth a look: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InMediasRes. Finally, this is an explanation of the Anita Shreve with which Bigelow was working: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weight_of_Water (complete with reference to the Janeses’ ambiguously named child!).

We kick off Season 3 with a fresh approach: we’re going director-by-director, for four weeks at a time. The subject of our first four weeks — the director of our first four films — is the fêted director of ZERO DARK THIRTY, subject of an early PP episode, and the forthcoming DETROIT: Kathryn Bigelow. We’re starting at the other end of Bigelow’s career, though, with her 1991 breakthrough POINT BREAK. A surprisingly progressive film, given its era, we talk about the particularly ‘female’ way it’s shot, the breathless editing style, and how the characters may be archetypes that reach beyond the movie itself. This Week’s Media DESPICABLE ME 3 (2017): Pierre Coffin, Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig MULAN II (2004): Darrell Rooney, Mark Moseley, Ming-Na Wen GHOST IN THE SHELL (2017): Rupert Sanders, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Carmen Pitt Recommendations SCRUBS (2001–10): Bill Lawrence, Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke TOMBSTONE (1993): George P. Cosmatos, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer TANK GIRL (1995): Rachel Talalay, Lori Petty, Ice-T THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (2001): Rob Cohen, Paul Walker, Vin Diesel Footnotes On the subject of Kathryn Bigelow, here’s our ZDT episode, from Season 1: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/zero-dark-thirty-the-other/id990653468?i=1000382263499&mt=2. To make up for the fact that Sam got the lead actor confused, here’s a link to this summer’s ATOMIC BLONDE: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2406566. (Though, on a side note, if they were going for 80s pop chic, why does the trailer use a Eurythmics song rather than the open goal of Blondie’s ‘Atomic’??). Here’s a whole book on the ‘hard body’ action films of the 80s: https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Bodies-Hollywood-Masculinity-Reagan/dp/0813520037. These are various editing tips, some of which — as explained this week — chime with KB’s work: https://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/12-tips-for-better-film-editing. For more on gender studies and ‘the female gaze’, the work of Anneke Smelik (as advocated on previous PPs) is a good place to start: http://www.annekesmelik.nl. Finally, this is a good primer on the historical (but quasi-folkloric) figure of Johnny Appleseed: http://mentalfloss.com/article/62113/9-facts-tell-true-story-johnny-appleseed.

To mark our 100th episode, we go back to the film that in part gave the podcast its name: yes, it’s The Prestige on The Prestige! We talk about how this film works as an allegory for a magical illusion, some theories about how the movie might represent parts of Christopher Nolan’s psyche, and how this technique really works in this film whereas in others it probably/definitely (depending on whether you ask Sam or Rob) doesn’t. This Week’s Media DHEEPAN (2015): Jacques Audiard, Anthonythasan Jesuthasan, Thomas Bidegain BABY DRIVER (2017): Edgar Wright, Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey Recommendations MEMENTO (2000): Christopher Nolan, Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss LABYRINTH (1986): Jim Henson, David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly CARRIERS (2009): Àlex Pastor, David Pastor, Lou Taylor Pucci THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995): Bryan Singer, Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne Footnotes A lot of what we talk about this week has the idea of meta-cinema behind it, which we’ve talked about a lot before: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metacinema. (We do so most obviously in the last episode of Season 1, on JOHN DIES AT THE END: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/john-dies-at-the-end-and-meta/id990653468?i=1000382263507&mt=2). Sam’s fact about jump-cuts in the film comes from the IMDB page on the film, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482571, which also has the (quite short) section on production gaffes. This is a good article about some of the cinematic trickery of the movie: http://www.avclub.com/article/prestige-plays-trick-its-audience-hiding-secret-pl-232247. Finally, here are a couple of videos: an interview with Nolan himself about the film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOD4d--mztc, and a longer ‘making of’ video, taken from the DVD extras: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOD4d--mztc.

We’ve done it! It’s the end of the franchise season! Peter Jackson’s fantasy behemoth comes to a close — or does it? We talk about that feeling of ‘what now?’, the way in which the narrative shifts perspectives, and the visual cinematic genius of Jackson. This Week’s Media MR ROBOT S2 (2017): Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Charly Chalkin HAPPY ENDINGS (2011—13): David Caspe, Eliza Coupe, Elisha Cuthbert Recommendations TOY SOLDIERS (1991): Daniel Petrie Jr., Sean Astin, Wil Wheaton AUSTRALIA (2008): Baz Luhrnmann, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman STAR TREK (2009): J.J. Abrams, John Cho, Ben Cross CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011): Joe Johnston, Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones Footnotes Once again, our footnotes start with links to the Wikipedia and ‘Tolkien Gateway’ entries for the film. This is the video of Andy Serkis’s transformation for the new APES film (which really doesn’t look worth watching, except possibly for him): https://www.youtube.com/<wbr />watch?v=NeZ8BQBl8NA. There’s a sort of introduction to the ‘filmic language’ that Rob briefly mentions, here: http://learnaboutfilm.<wbr />com/film-language. And finally, confused by the phrase ‘Dutch tilt’ or ‘Dutch angle’? Here’s a basic guide: http://www.<wbr />videoeditingsage.com/camera-<wbr />angles-dutch-tilt.html. (Every day’s a school day…)

Our concluding franchise continues, with the film that’s a bit of a ‘difficult second album’. We get onto a theme much earlier, talking about who is loyal to whom, why the bad guys seem particularly unnatural, and links with other franchises: from K.K. Rowling to Ridley Scott. This Week’s Media MARS (2016—): André Bormanis, Jihae, Alberto Ammann THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY (2013): Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine WONDER WOMAN (2017): Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Chris Pine Recommendations THE THIN RED LINE (1998): Terrence Malick, Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn CHILD’S PLAY (1988): Tom Holland, Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon THE AVIATOR (2004): Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett KING KONG (2005): Peter Jackson, Naomi Watts, Jack Black Footnotes Not much in the way of footnotes this week, though trawling the Wikipedia article for TTT is an enjoyable way to waste quarter of an hour. Should you want more detail, the ‘Tolkien Gateway’ can help. On a different note, referring back to ’This Week’s Media', here are a few glowing features on WONDER WOMAN: 1, 2, and 3. And here’s one of those ‘surprising information’ articles (although, if you’ve seen the film, several of the points aren’t really that surprising…). Finally, given all this, it’s fitting that this is the week that we have the highest number of women in our list of directors/actors (above); at 8 out of 21, though (38%), it’s still not amazing...

The last franchise of Season 2 is a bit of a behemoth: it’s the Jackson/Tolkien epic. We don’t get round to talking about our theme till very late on, but we do talk a lot about the mechanics of this film: including just what makes the ring itself so impressive. This Week’s Media THE CRACKED PODCAST (2013—): Alex Schmidt, Michael Swaim, Dan O'Brien I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO (2016): Raoul Peck, James Baldwin, Samuel L. Jackson Recommendations DEAD ALIVE/BRAINDEAD (1992): Peter Jackson, Timothy Balme, Diana Peñalver A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (2005): David Cronenberg, Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello THE FIFTH ELEMENT (1995): Luc Besson, Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman MR HOLMES (2015): Bill Condon, Ian McKellen, Laura Linney Footnotes The episode of the CRACKED podcast Sam recommends is here. If you’re the sort of full-on fantasy fan (I won’t use the N or the G word, as everyone’s a bit like that…) who’s interested the nitty-gritty in authors’ world-building, then here’s an introduction to the nittiest of grittiest background works (that Rob briefly mentions): . Here’s quite a good basic introduction to the 3-act dramatic structure that we discuss this week. And here’s more on Tolkien himself, for those (including the two of us!) who might want to do some reading up on the author before we continue with the franchise.

Here’s the sequel to the Spheeris/Myers/Michaels smash hit. Discussion ranges from movie references to franchise-level production decisions, via ‘good v. bad’ spoofs (yes, it’s another of Rob’s Theories…) This Week’s Media HOUSE OF CARDS, Season 5 (2017): Beau Willimon, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright THE THREE CABALLEROS (1944): Norman Ferguson, Homer Brightmen, Clarence Nash Recommendations A VIEW TO A KILL (1985): John Glen, Roger Moore, Tanya Roberts WHIP IT (2009): Drew Barrymore, Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden TRUE LIES (1994): James Cameron, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis LOCK, STOCK... [TV] (2000): Ralph Brown, Daniel Caltagirone, Scott Maslen Footnotes There isn’t much in the way of footnotes this week, so here are a few references to some of the TV/films we mention: BATMAN; any John Hughes film; TERMINATOR 2; THE GRADUATE; and AIRPLANE!. Finally, a short piece on the story behind the film’s writing (though it’s surprisingly pro- the movie!).

This week’s ‘palate cleanser’, post-Batman, is the iconic Mike Myers vehicle (iconic, but unwatched for one of us!). We talk about the conventions with which the film is fairly obviously playing, touch on its meta-filmic nature, and think about the extent to which this is a genuinely funny comic film with very few jokes. This Week’s Media TAMPOPO (1985): Juzo Itami, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2014): Matthew Vaughn, Colin Firth, Samuel L. Jackson Recommendations PARKS AND RECREATION (2009—2015): Greg Daniels, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989): Stephen Herek, Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter THE CLASS OF 1999 (1990): Mark L. Lester, Bradley Gregg, Traci Lind JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK (2001): Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Ben Affleck Footnotes Firstly, here’s more on the concept around which we’ve based this episode. Rob spends some time talking about Myers and camera angles; this gives more info on the details of this. This is the American TV series that required some Googling from us(!). And this is a good piece on some of the stories behind WW that we may not have had time to explore.

We conclude our tour through the Batman universe (except for That Of Which We Do Not Speak [see footnotes]) with Christopher Nolan’s 2012 film. We talk about a visually impressive but ultimately pretty unsatisfying movie, earning narrative weight, and the dubious politics of Bruce Wayne. This Week’s Media GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017): James Gunn, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana GET OUT (2017): Jordan Peele, Daniel Kaluuya, Alison Williams THEIR FINEST (2017): Lone Scherfig, Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin Recommendations THE REVENANT (2016): Alejandro G. Iñarritu, Leonardo di Caprio, Tom Hardy INCEPTION (2010): Christopher Nolan, Leonardo di Caprio, Ken Watanabe MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (2015): George Miller, Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron ONE DAY (2011): Lone Scherfig, Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess Footnotes First of all, here’s our ‘small batch’ episode on the most recent Batman film, Zack Snyder’s 2016…effort. Here’s that Nerdwriter video Rob mentions (and his video on the evolution of Gotham is also apposite, as we come to the end of the franchise). We discuss two comic series, ‘No Man’s Land’ and ‘The Dark Knight’. And finally, I do enjoy these videos (there are some impressively thorough ones about more recent blockbusters, too).

The ‘Nolanverse’ rolls on, as we focus on THE DARK KNIGHT. Sam’s view of the film may not be as predicted, before we talk about the origins of the Joker, what it means to really be chaotic, and the young loss of a phenomenal acting talent. This Week’s Media JOHN WICK (2014): Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, Keanu Reeves AMERICAN GODS (2017): Neil Gaiman, Ricky Whittle, Emily Browning Recommendations BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005): Ang Lee, Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal SPECTRE (2015): Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz HEAT (1995): Michael Mann, Al Pacino, Robert de Niro THE MAN WHO LAUGHS (1928): Paul Leni, Mary Philbin, Conrad Veidt Footnotes Rob mentions that one of his recommendations this week is a piece of German Expressionism; read more about this movement here, here and here. Speaking of which, here’s that eerily Joker-esque picture of Conrad Veidt. Not much else to add this week, apart from a great piece on Heath Ledger. And this is a fun article (not on movie mistakes, despite the page’s title).

We’re back, after a week off, and it’s the first in the ‘Nolanverse’: BATMAN BEGINS. After predictably quite different opinions on the film(!), we come together to talk about fear, horror aesthetics, and how real Batman can be. This Week’s Media BLUE RUIN (2013): Jeremy Saulnier, Macon Blair, Devin Ratray GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017): James Gunn, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana Recommendations 28 DAYS LATER (2002): Danny Boyle, Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL (2011): John Madden, Judi Dench, Bill Nighy THE BIG SHORT (2015): Adam McKay, Christian Bale, Steve Carell HARRY BROWN (2009): Daniel Barber, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer Footnotes Rob mentions the visual design of the Tumbler; if high-spec car stuff is your thing, then this article will be right up your alley. This is a good introduction to the Italian giallo genre. This is a reminder of the MacGuffin trope that Rob mentions. And finally, the links Rob made between medievalism and horror made me (Sam) think about this guy, whose artwork is beautiful and horrific and intriguing and bonkers.

Our Caped Escapades continue, with BATMAN AND ROBIN. Is this a film about who is or isn’t in control? And, most importantly, who is in control of this hot mess of a movie?? This Week’s Media ROGUE ONE (2016): Gareth Edwards, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016): Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt Recommendations BLAST FROM THE PAST (1999): Hugh Wilson, Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001): Ron Howard, Russell Crowe, Ed Harris KILL BILL, VOLUME 1 (2003): Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu CLUELESS (1995): Amy Heckerling, Barry M. Berg, Alicia Silverstone Footnotes Again, not much in the way of further reading this week. The first thing to link to is Rob’s article on the film. Then, here’s another (though not entirely different) take. Here’s a readable list of hidden/not-so-hidden ‘gems’. And finally, here’s another link to a good book on feminism in pop culture, which the film sort of addresses, towards the end.

The next in the franchise — and the first Joel Schumacher film — is the 1995 commercial hit BATMAN FOREVER. Rob and Sam have…differing views of the film, but then we dive into comic-book adaptations, colour symbolism, and casting decisions. This Week’s Media FANBOYS (2009): Kyle Newman, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011): David Fincher, Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara Recommendations TOMBSTONE (1993): George P. Cosmatos, Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer FALLING DOWN (1993): Joel Schumacher, Michael Douglas, Robert Duvall NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007): the Coen brothers, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem WEST SIDE STORY (1961): Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins, Natalie Wood Footnotes Not much further reading this week, but here’s that article about the various choices made in the process of getting the film produced. This looks like a version that one of us would have much preferred. Rob mentions Watchmen; to remove any doubt, he meant the comic, the first in the series of which is one of the greatest books ever written, rather than the distinctly lacklustre film version. And finally, this is a good article (and video) on the symbolic uses of color in film.

Who’s in a position of power, and who isn’t? Our respective assessments of this film may surprise you; Rob’s diversion into the world of feminist theory certainly will! This Week’s Media POP CULTURE HAPPY HOUR (2013—): Linda Holmes, Glen Weldon, Stephen Thompson DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (2016—): David Guggenheim, Kiefer Sutherland, Natascha McElhone THE PERFECT SCORE (2004): Brian Robbins, Erika Christensen, Chris Evans Recommendations FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (2016): David Yates, Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002): Stephen Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks CELEBRITY (1998): Woody Allen, Hank Azaria, Kenneth Branagh ALL SUPERHEROES MUST DIE (2011): Jason Trost, Lucas Till, James Remar WEIRD SCIENCE (1985): John Hughes, Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith Footnotes Rob mentions the phrase ‘beyond the pale’, right at the start, which is an interesting phrase to use when talking about power, duality, and exclusion; this is a good introduction. There’s more on the etymology of the name Shreck/Schreck/Shrek (also seen in cartoon form). As Rob explains, the name may well be a reference to German actor Friedrich Gustav Maximilian ‘Max’ Schreck. Finally, there is a LOT about feminism and femininity on film to get your proverbial teeth stuck into — the following are good places to start: 1, 2, 3, and (for an older take) 5.

We embark on another franchise, kicking off with one of Rob’s favourite directors. We get geeky about comics history, talk about why fairy-tales make parts of this film unsatisfying, and say just why the visuals and audio are brilliant. This Week’s Media MR ROBOT (SEASON 1; 2015): Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Carly Chaikin JUNK FOOD CINEMA (2014): Brian Salisbury, C. Robert Carsgill Recommendations CHINATOWN (1974): Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway BIG EYES (2014): Tim Burton, Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM (1987): Barry Levinson, Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker BRAZIL (1985): Terry Gilliam, Jonathan Pryce, Robert de Niro Footnotes If you want more comics geekery, about the 1954 Comics Code, the ‘Golden Age’ v. ‘Killing Joke’/‘Dark Knight’, etc., then these are some good links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. This is an interesting article about the links between horror and comedy that Rob mentions. Here’s a re-cap on what we mean by ‘the fourth wall’ (and 'breaking' it), and you can read more about a prominent theatrical tradition Rob talks about, here. Finally, Sam talks about why ‘Beautiful Dreamer’ is such a good theme in the film; you can get more on this, here.

The classic Zemeckis trilogy concludes, with talk of the many movie references in the film and discussion of what makes a parody a parody, as well as Another of Rob’s Theories about how cinema works. This Week’s Watching THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE (2015—): Frank Spotnitz, Alexa Davalos, Rupert Evans DAREDEVIL (2015—): Drew Goddard, Charlie Cox, Deborah Ann Woll APOLLO 13 (1995): Ron Howard, Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon Recommendations UNFORGIVEN (1992): Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman INLAND EMPIRE (2006): David Lynch, Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons PHILADELPHIA (1993): Jonathan Demme, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (1960): John Sturges, Yul Brynner, Eli Wallach Footnotes The GIF of Pauline Johnson on the train ledge in 1929 is here (courtesy of an interesting Twitter account). This is an interesting article, which covers many of the references we discuss. This is a piece espousing an opinion which you may think, after listening to this episode, may not be far from ours! The authors Rob mentions are Jules Verne and, unwittingly(!), H.G. Wells. And, finally, here’s a description of the TV series that sort of follows on from the franchise (but not quite).

We continue the franchise with the next Zemeckis installment, and it’s a divisive one! We talk American politics (inevitably), Spaghetti westerns (less inevitably), and how this is an interesting re-establishing of the first film. This Week’s Watching KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017): Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson IRON FIST (2017): Scott Buck, Finn Jones, Jessica Henwick Recommendations THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT (1995): Rob Reiner, Michael Douglas, Annette Bening PIRANHA 3D (2010): Alexandre Aja, Elisabeth Shue, Adam Scott THE FACULTY (1998): Robert Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Clea Duvall WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? (1988): Robert Zemeckis, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd Footnotes Firstly, Sam mentions the Marx brothers when we discuss the opening diner scene; this, as the URL suggests, is a fairly comprehensive resource! Here’s a summary of the ‘Dollars’ trilogy, for those unfamiliar with Biff’s favourite film. Back on BTTF territory, here’s an article we really should have linked to last week. Finally, here are a couple of vindications of Sam’s half-remembered Zemeckis—Spielberg connection (see? he was an EP!)g. (There are, sadly, no vindications of his theory that Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom are secretly the same person.)

Our next franchise is a Robert Zemeckis classic. We talk about different kinds of time travel (Rob has A Theory!), history repeating itself, and how this is a very different film on later viewing. This Week’s Watching THE RAID (2011): Gareth Evans, Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim THE MARTIAN (2015): Ridley Scott, Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain Recommendations SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL (1987): Howard Deutch, Eric Stoltz, Mary Stuart Masterson BILL AND TED’S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (1989): Steven Herek, Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter THE GOOD WIFE (2009–2016): Robert King, Michelle King, Julianna Margulies ADDAM’S FAMILY VALUES (1993): Barry Sonnenfeld, Anjelica Huston, Raúl Juliá Footnotes The Indonesian martial art whose name Sam so thoroughly butchered is Pencak Silat; for more on this, see here. This BFI list has some good lesser-known exponents of the time travel genre in film. Here’s a short introduction to the Oedipus complex, for those unfamiliar with it. And, finally, here’s a good working definition of dramatic irony, a concept that we touch on towards the end of today’s episode ('GCSE Bitesize’ might seem a bit of a basic resource, but it can actually be really useful). Podcasts We’re supporting the ‘trypod’ initiative this month (or at least we are when we remember!) Here are our recommendations (though Sam might change his PCHH tip after hearing this week’s level of snark about BEAUTY AND THE BEAST…) ‘The Comedian’s Comedian Podcast’ (COMEDY/PERFORMANCE: @comcompod) ‘The Partly Political Broadcast’ (POLITICS: @parpolbro) ‘NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour’ (POP CULTURE: @pchh) ‘Lift-off’ (SPACE, THE UNIVERSE, AND EVERYTHING: from @_relayfm) ‘D&D is for Nerds’ (D&D: from @sanspantsradio) ‘The British History Podcast’ (HISTORY: @britishpodcast) These Twitter links should take you to iTunes, Stitcher, Overcast, or however you consume podcasts. (Sam likes Overcast, but that may just be because he thinks the logo’s cool.) Have a listen to those that take your fancy — and remember to recommend THIS podcast (very important!) using the hashtag #trypod.

The franchise concludes as we return to Jesse and Céline’s relationship after another 9-year hiatus. We talk a little bit about how the film could have made more sense, but a lot about the beauty of Linklater’s film-making and the way that he draws out the links with the other films. This Week’s Watching BROADCHURCH (2013—): Chris Chibnall, David Tennant, Olivia Coleman WESTWORLD (2016—): Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, Evan Rachel Wood HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (2014—): Peter Nawalk, Viola Davis, Billy Brown THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS (2016): Chris Renaud, Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet Recommendations 500 DAYS OF SUMMER (2009): Mark Webb, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER (1962): Tony Richardson, Alan Sillitoe, Tom Courtenay ZORBA THE GREEK (1964): Michael Cacoyannis, Nikos Kazantzakis, Anthony Quinn THE LOBSTER (2015): Yorgos Lanthimos, Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz Footnotes Firstly, here are a couple of articles about a fourth film (which we hope doesn’t happen). On meta-cinema again, this is a good reference work. Here’s a refresher on the Minotaur, to add to our discussion of mythology. And finally, here’s Walter Lassally’s IMDB page (the newspaper articles linked to are great).

The franchise continues with the 80-minute (check that out!) follow-up to Richard Linklater’s first film. We talk about meta-filmic cinema, how this film is like Berthold Brecht crossed with Arthur Miller, and why the film is a reflection on the process of creating memories. This Week’s Watching THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (2017): Chris McKay, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis MOANA (2016): Ron Clements, Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson Recommendations DODES’KA-DEN (1970): Akira Kurosawa, Yoshitaka Zushi, Kin Sugai BUT I’M A CHEERLEADER (1999): Jamie Babbit, Natasha Lyonne, Clea Duvall DEAD POETS’ SOCIETY (1989): Peter Weir, Robin Williams, Ethan Hawke MARY AND MAX (2009): Adam Elliot, Bethany Whitmore, Toni Collette Footnotes Firstly, an interesting introduction to meta-cinema. Secondly, here are links to the playwrights we mention this week, in an episode that looks more at dramatic than filmic convention. Finally, here are a bunch of articles on the process of creating memories, that seemed particularly pertinent to this week’s discussion: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

This week we embark on a new franchise, spending time with the first film in Richard Linklater’s trilogy. We talk about the passage of time, why this might have made a better play than a movie, and how the film might just be a metaphor for the whole industry. This Week’s Watching POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING (2016): Akiva Shaffer, Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone THE MAZE RUNNER (2014): Wes Ball, Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario Recommendations LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003): Sofia Coppola, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson SLACKER (1991): Richard Linklater, Kim Krizan, Mark James THREE COLOURS: BLUE (1993): Krzysztof Kieślowski, Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013): the Coen brothers, Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan Footnotes If you haven’t seen anything of the ‘Lonely Island’ crew, do yourself a favour and dive into their work on YouTube. Otherwise, there aren't a lot in the way of footnotes, this week, apart from an article on a recent political stand taken by Richard Linklater as well as a link to his biography.

The franchise comes to a conclusion and our — well, Rob’s — work is done. We talk about deaths of all kinds: physical darkness, mental endings, you name it. How technical can Rob get, how metaphysical can Sam be, and — crucially — did the guinea pig enjoy this series?? This Week’s Watching DEEPWATER HORIZON (2016): Peter Berg, Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell NO OFFENCE (2015—): Paul Abbott, Joanna Scanlan, Elaine Cassidy Recommendations SKYFALL (2012): Sam Mendes, Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem THE LADY IN THE VAN (2015): Nicholas Hytner, Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES (1991): Kevin Reynolds, Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING (2002): Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen WHAT IF (2013): Michael Dowse, Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan Footnotes Firstly, the obligatory ‘Chekhov’s gun’ link (in TV rather than film, but still some good examples)s. Then, a shout-out for JKR’s other literary projects, which are brilliant (the ‘Cormoran Strike’ series) and here

As we move towards the conclusion of the franchise, we talk about friendship, fading to black, and, bizarrely, Formula 1. This Week’s Watching ROMEO + JULIET (1996): Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo di Caprio, Claire Danes THE SEARCHERS (1956): John Ford, John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter Recommendations STAND BY ME (1986): Rob Reiner, Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix EASY RIDER (1969): Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, Jack Nicholson TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY (2011): Tomas Alfredson, Gary Oldman, Colin Firth METROPOLIS (1927): Fritz Lang, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich Footnotes Just a few footnotes this week, starting with an article about Baz Luhrmann’s qualities an a film-maker: http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/baz-luhrmann-essential-filmmaker. This is a list of the differences between the book and the film (although, as the article explains, the film is particularly faithful): www.cinemablend.com/new/10-Big-Differences-Between-Harry-Potter-Deathly-Hallows-Book-Movie-21819.html. Finally, here’s a little something about the various different types of transitions in cinema, which Sam briefly mentions: www.elementsofcinema.com/editing/types-of-transitions.

The franchise is back on form: the sixth instalment, we agree (a Prestige rarity!) is a belter. Rob gets technical; Sam gets metaphorical. Business as usual! This Week’s Watching HEAT (1995): Michael Mann, Robert de Niro, Al Pacino TABOO (2017): Tom Hardy, Edward Hardy, Steven Knight Recommendations HOT FUZZ (2007): Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost THE PRESTIGE (2006): Christopher Nolan, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale GANGS OF NEW YORK (2002): Martin Scorcese, Leonardo di Caprio, Daniel Day-Lewis THE ROAD (2009): John Hillcoat, Cormac McCarthy, Viggo Mortensen Footnotes Firstly, a few technical notes: about tilt-shift and its use in photography. (Also, here’s one of our favourite directors on his use of the technique, in a film we’ve discussed here before) This is an example of the sort of model-village stuff Rob mentions. And this is good on the link between colour palette and mood in film. Finally, Sam’s been thinking about the neologistic word Horcrux, which is pretty central to this film; here’s a fun little article on a number of the coinages J.K. Rowling has come up with over the course of the franchise, some of which we’ve already praised for their inventiveness.

The next film in the franchise is the first David Yates vehicle. Rob and Sam talk about why this may be slightly unsatisfactory as a film, but not as a narrative — and how this movie is a great take on the slipperiness of different versions of the truth. This Week’s Watching NO LIMIT (2012—): Luc Besson, Vincent Elbaz, Anne Girouard RIVERDALE (2017): Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, K. J. Apa, Lili Reinhart Recommendations ABOUT A BOY (2002): the Weitz brothers, Nick Hornby, Hugh Grant WAG THE DOG (1997): Barry Levinson, Dustin Hoffman, Robert de Niro THAT DAY WE SANG (2014): Victoria Wood, Michael Ball, Imelda Staunton CALVARY (2014): John Michael McDonagh, Brendan Gleeson, Chris O'Dowd Footnotes This explains the concept of the MacGuffin that Sam briefly mentions: . There are several useful introductions to the central tenets of fascism available online; this is a good place to start. This link has some interesting parallels between the film and contemporary ‘quirky quest[s] for social justice’. And finally, here’s more on the use of point of view in film, as mentioned by Rob.

Is this the best film yet? It’s certainly the most ‘grown up’, whatever that means; we talk about being no longer a kids’ franchise, the role of Robert Pattinson, and a whole host of different transitions. This Week’s Watching SCANDAL (2012—): Shonda Rhimes, Kerry Washington, Tony Goldwyn modern family (2009—): Christopher Lloyd, Steven Levitan, Ed O'Neill Recommendations JESSICA JONES (2015—): Melissa Rosenberg, Krysten Ritter, Mike Colter PUSHING TIN (1999): Mike Newell, John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton DAZED AND CONFUSED (1993): Richard Linklater, Jason London, Wiley Wiggins THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER (2015): Brady Corbet, Bérénice Bejo, Liam Cunningham Footnotes Another sparse week for footnotes, other than more about Peter Pettigrew, whose identity we discovered last week (although to be avoided if you’re not keen on spoilers, it looks like). This is good about the topic of transition in film — particularly in teen film — which we touched on with our discussions of adolescence. Finally, don’t forget to check out our umbrella podcast network at Kaiju FM — subscribe to your favourite! (Well, second favourite, obviously.)

The third in the franchise is interesting for various reasons: we discuss innovative cinematography, how Dumbledore provides a tagline for the film, and why this is a movie about transformation on a number of different levels. This Week’s Watching NOW YOU SEE ME 2 (2016): Jon M. Chu, Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo HOUSE OF CARDS (2013–): Beau Willimon, Kevin Spacey, Robin Wright Recommendations LÉON: THE PROFESSIONAL (1994): Luc Besson, Jean Reno, Gary Oldman SPACED (1999—2001): Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson, Edgar Wright Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN (2001): Alfonso Cuarón, Maribel Verdú, Gael Garcia Bernal THE DARK KNIGHT (2008): Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Michael Caine Footnotes Not that many footnotes this week, apart from that Nerdwriter video about the film, (his whole channel’s pretty good, if you enjoy that). Rob mentions retconning, which is explained in more detail here, and there’s some good stuff about Cuarón’s direction here, here, and here. (Also, if you happen to have access to an academic subscription [ok, it’s a long shot, but also only academics ever read to the end of footnotes, anyway, right?], then this looks like it could be good)

The next in the HP franchise is the second (and last) Chris Columbus vehicle. Sam theorises tenuously about why multiculturalism may have had a hand in the focus of the narrative, and we talk about why this film makes more sense if you’ve seen them all, the concept of wizarding purity, and the theme of home or belonging. This Week’s Watching THE NEON DEMON (2016): Nicolas Winding Refn, Elle Fanning, Karl Glusman MOANA (2016): Ron Clements, Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson Recommendations INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989): Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliott THE PATRIOT (2000): Roland Emmerich, Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger RABBIT-PROOF FENCE (2002): Phillip Noyce, Doris Pilkington, Everlyn Sampi GATTACA (1997): Andrew Nichol, Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman Footnotes Firstly, definitive proof of the pronunciation of J.K.’s surname. There’s a good article on recent political developments with links to the ‘no blacks or Irish’-type signs in 1960s Britain, here. This is a great book about purity and other things in fantasy literature (and contains a reference to the linguistically brilliant neologism ‘mudblood’). And, for those unfamiliar with it, there’s more on the ‘Deus Ex Machina’ concept Rob mentions, here. Finally, here’s an article positing that Hermione is in fact the hero(ine) of the series (although these sorts of article are not recommended for those who want to avoid spoilers about the series as a whole).

We kick off 2017 with a new franchise, and it’s one of Rob’s favourites! After some discussion of why Sam may or may not be a fan, we get into some talk about establishing narratives, introductions, and why the story involves a great meta-textual metaphor for growing up. This Week’s Watching ROGUE ONE (2016): Gareth Edwards, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016): Antoine Fuqua, Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt Recommendations THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE (2005): Andrew Adamson, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977): Stephen Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr MRS DOUBTFIRE (1993): Chris Columbus, Robin Williams, Sally Field LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (2001): Peter Jackson, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen Footnotes J.K. Rowling’s literary predecessor, whom Sam mentions at the start, is the late Diana Wynne Jones, whose Chrestomanci series of books covers some of the same ground as HP. On the subject of books, we also mentioned Jill Murphy and The Worst Witch. There’s a good introduction (hah!) to the panning shot Rob talks about, as well as various other camera techniques, here. Here’s more on J.K. Rowling’s meticulous approach to plotting and, finally, a plug for Peter Jackson’s NZ film company (not that he needs one!), where Rob worked in the mid-2000s.

You know the score...

This week sees the conclusion of the ALIEN franchise. We discuss its shortcomings — clunky storyline, overzealous editing, Sigourney Weaver as an actor/producer — but then we get stuck into what makes this film really interesting: from French philosophy to cinematographic trickery. This Week’s Watching THE KING’S SPEECH (2010): Tom Hooper, Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush SUICIDE SQUAD (2016): David Ayer, Will Smith, Jared Leto Recommendations DRIVE (2011): Nicolas Winding Refn, Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan THE USUAL SUSPECTS (1995): Brian Singer, Stephen Baldwin, Gabriel Byrne LUKE CAGE (2016): Cheo Hodari Coker, Mike Colton, Mahershala Ali HELLBOY (2004): Guillermo del Toro, Ron Perlman, Selma Blair SERENITY (2005): Joss Whedon, Nathan Fillion, Alan Tudyk Footnotes An explanation of Foucault’s ‘panopticon’ principle can be found here (the ‘panopticon’ article takes you to the philosophical origins of Foucault’s ideas, so you might prefer to start here). There’s more on the ‘bleach bypass’ cinematographic technique used by Darius Khondji, and an interesting article — one of a series — that features the work of a variety of cinematographers, Khondji included. We didn’t have time to go into the idea of cyclical narratives, but this is good. Finally, proof that Sam’s Simone Missick story isn’t just the ravings of someone who’s watched (and written about) faaar too much LUKE CAGE.

The ALIEN franchise continues, as we try to make sense of a film that may not always make sense. As well as talk of sacrifice and religion, we have some not entirely un-negative discussions, including what sort of film this isn’t, ways in which it wasn’t filmed, and why Sam and Rob saw different versions. This Week’s Watching FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM (2016): David Yates, J.K. Rowling, Eddie Redmayne SAS: WHO DARES WINS (2015—): Anthony Middleton, Jason Fox, Matthew Ollerton Recommendations THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011): David Fincher, Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara INCEPTION (2010): Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt A TIME TO KILL (1996): Joel Schumacher, Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson LAST ACTION HERO (1993): John McTiernan, Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham Footnotes These are all really good articles about the troubled production of ALIEN 3, mentioned by Rob: 1, 2, 3, and 4. 'Den of Geek' also has the following list of unused story ideas, which includes the ‘monks on a wooden planet’ narrative. Finally, here’s a list of the differences between the versions of the film.