Episode 172 – This is the End and the Beginning / YOUR HIGHNESS / Why We Do The Film Talk
In what could be our last show Gareth and I discuss the new comedy YOUR HIGHNESS and ruminate on why film criticism matters as well as the reasons behind our desire to continue reviewing, investigating, mocking and praising cinema week after week.
Episode 171 – OF GODS AND MEN / AU HASARD BALTHAZAR
In what might quite possibly turn out to be our penultimate show we talk about Gareth’s film of the year so far: OF GODS AND MEN as well as one of the greats: AU HASARD BALTHAZAR.
JANE EYRE: Bride of Rochester
For a film about a singular meeting of minds, Cary Fukunaga’s JANE EYRE is kind of undistinguished. Now, the words remain delicious morsels straight from Charlotte Bronte’s novel, and the performances (Mia Wasikwoska, Michael Fassbender, Jamie Bell, and Judi Dench) embody three-dimensions like James Cameron never dreamed of.
Sacred Monsters – Bronson v. Statham
At the height of his mid-1970s cinematic celebrity, Charles Bronson was known in movie-mad France as “Le Sacre Monstre,” or “The Sacred Monster.” It’s a strange sentiment, but an appealing one. Bronson was the archetypal action hero of the 70s, but he couldn’t seem more atypical by 21st century standards. He had a face and [...]
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 3
For my third day at the Nashville Film Festival, I screened three of the best movies in the fest: Steve James’ THE INTERRUPTERS, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, and James Marsh’s PROJECT NIM. I began the day engineering The Film Talk podcast live at the festival. Jett and Gareth interviewed [...]
Episode 170 – The Secrets of Pitching with Darris Hatch / The Nashville Film Festival / Erin Buckley on NDAPEWA
In today’s show Gareth and I talk with producer and manager Darris Hatch on the secrets of pitching and Erin Buckley stops by to discuss the child produced Namibian short NDAPEWA; all part of the 2011 Nashville Film Festival.
Episode 169 – The Nashville Film Festival / BUCK / An Interview with Director Cindy Meehl / THE CONSPIRATOR
In today’s show Gareth and I talk with Cindy Meehl, the director of the Sundance and Full Frame Audience Award Winning documentary BUCK as part of the 2011 Nashville Film Festival and muse slight on Robert Redford’s new historopic THE CONSPIRATOR.
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 2
I’m a few days behind on my day-to-day Nashville Film Fest posts, and for that I blame the Nashville Film Fest. The schedule is so chocked full with must-sees, I don’t have a moment to catch my breath. I am trying to get this particular post out in the 25 minutes left on my lunch [...]
MILDRED PIERCE: A Woman’s Picture
In the grand tradition of Ingmar Bergman and Rainer Werner Fassbinder comes Todd Haynes’ television miniseries MILDRED PIERCE, which seems like a gray area for The Film Talk but such is the modern age: the difference between Michael Curtiz’ MILDRED PIERCE and Todd Haynes’ is one of degree, not kind, and if cinephilia embraces Youtube [...]
Episode 168 – Nashville Film Festival / Ursula Lawrence – Writers Guild of America East / SUBMARINE
In today’s show Gareth and I talk with Writers Guild of America East Lead Strategic Organizer Ursula Lawrence, discuss the new coming of age laugher SUBMARINE, and touch lightly on THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, 13 ASSASSINS and UNCLE BOONME WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES as part of the 2011 Nashville Film Festival.
NASHVILLE FILM FESTIVAL Day 1
My first day of The Nashville Film Festival was filled with some pretty spectacular cinema. Takashi Miike’s new film 13 ASSASSINS is a few dials less crazy than his average fair and a few notches more assured. Cut from the SEVEN SAMURAI mold, the film follows a group of samurai as they plot to kill [...]
Episode 167 – An Interview with Monte Hellman / ROAD TO NOWHERE
In this week’s show Gareth and I join director Monte Hellman to discuss his film ROAD TO NOWHERE as part of the 2011 Nashville Film Festival.
SUCKER PUNCH, CERTIFIED COPY & The Nashville Film Festival
After an exhausting week of a Disney World vacation and NOT riding the new Harry Potter ride at Universal Studios because the park closed one hour earlier than I expected, I’m back for quick reviews of SUCKER PUNCH, CERTIFIED COPY, and the 2011 Nashville Film Festival. The Belcourt’s game-changing series VISIONS OF THE SOUTH has [...]
The 2011 Nashville Film Festival
Incredibly Gareth and I are in the same place at the same time Dear Reader – the 2011 Nashville Film Festival! We’ll be doing at least four shows from the fest – the first one kicks off tomorrow – an interview with TWO-LANE BLACKTOP/COCKFIGHTER director Monte Hellman.
CERTIFIED COPY: Je ne sais quoi
It might be imperial to claim Abbas Kiarostami’s best film is his first outside Iran, not in Farsi, and starring an international star—in other words, the one that’s most European—but I have no guilt, because in my universe it’s true: CERTIFIED COPY is the most intellectually and emotionally stirring film I’ve seen since INLAND EMPIRE
Episode 166 – HANNA / Sidney Lumet
In this week’s show Gareth and discuss the delightful, (for a film so consumed with violence), HANNA and mourn the passing of perhaps the greatest of U.S. directors Sidney Lumet.
Survival of the Shiftiest: Richard Stanley and the Deep Magic of DUST DEVIL
Jett here: I’m excited to introduce a new contributor to the site – Tim Hayes. Tim’s a freelance writer based in the UK, who earns his living writing about business, science, art, and other topics in a land where, according to legend, the work of the journalist is respected and rewarded.
Episode 165 – SOURCE CODE / Death of the Film Critic
In this week’s show Gareth and I discuss in some great detail the new Duncan Jones Sci-Fi Romance Actioner SOURCE CODE as well as mull over the possible Death of the Film Critic.
RED RIDING HOOD: Season of the Witch
2011 in general and the weekly viewing of films in particular have taught me a valuable lesson: there are many different kinds of terrible movies. THE EAGLE may be incompetently scripted, but it’s degrees of quality better than the immoral (THE LINCOLN LAWYER), the amoral (THE MECHANIC), and the thunderously boring (BATTLE: LOS ANGELES).
