Carlos Reygadas, BATTLE IN HEAVEN and the Sound of Silence
The Film Talk’s magnificent JumboChat5000 operating system, which also coughs up my lottery numbers, recently flagged up a months-old post by my comrade Tony Youngblood about cinema anima.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
THE LINCOLN LAWYER: In Cold Blood
I felt dirtier walking out of Brad Furman’s THE LINCOLN LAWYER than its idol THE LONG GOODBYE, and not just because all that hero worship makes us into peeping toms.
Episode 164 – SUCKER PUNCH / Elizabeth Taylor / TOPSY-TURVY
In this week’s show Gareth and I discuss in some detail the new ‘video games as movie’ SUCKER PUNCH, the work of Elizabeth Taylor and one of Mike Leigh’s few period pieces TOPSY-TURVY.
OF GODS AND MEN: Putting the static in ecstatic
Can we please talk about the difference between contemplative and just slow? OF GODS AND MEN is the most recent César winner and France’s submission to the Oscars, beating Assayas’ CARLOS, Renais’ WILD GRASS, and most conspicuously Denis’ WHITE MATERIAL.
Episode 163 – BATTLE: LOS ANGELES / LIMITLESS / The iPhone Film Festival
Is BATTLE: LOS ANGELES the most important film of the year so far? Gareth and I think so and say why in this episode. Also discussed are the Bradley Cooper vehicle LIMITLESS and the new iPhone Film Festival.
HEARTBEATS: Don’t you want me, baby?
HEARTBEATS is like Godard directing the kind of mad love music video the ‘80s were rife with (“Don’t You Want Me,” “Every Breath You Take,” “There is a Light That Never Goes Out,” etc.) where the bouncy electronic pop doesn’t come close to obscuring the dark edge that underscores passionate love
Episode 162 – The Oscars / RANGO / THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU
Here it is – Gareth and I discuss how we managed to endure this year’s Oscars, talk about the lovely RANGO, suggest you become a Social Media Intern for a new feature, cry at SONG SUNG BLUE and reveal a strange personal story with THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU.
THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU: Patriarchy Rules
When will people learn? Mystery is greater than resolution. Curiosity lured us from hulking mouth-breathers into torture rationalizers—but torture-rationalizers who went to the Moon! Answers just remind us that George Nolfi’s THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU is a work of poorly planned screenwriting about half-forgotten ideas
Episode 161: UNKNOWN / Glenn Kenny on SHUTTER ISLAND
Here it is – we investigate TAKEN 2, aka UNKNOWN, and special guest film critic Glenn Kenny talks about a film that had a profoundly personal effect on him: SHUTTER ISLAND.
THE EAGLE: Love, Honor, and Obey
You could blame the monumental waste of Kevin Macdonald’s THE EAGLE on CENTURION‘s release last year, which preemptively renders its successor both outclassed and unnecessary, if the bulk of its ineptitude didn’t reside in the script. Yes, Jamie Bell heroically tries to balance an ensemble led by a statue and filled out with Donald Sutherland’s paycheck [...]
A Second Opinion on BLUE VALENTINE
I spent the afternoon watching the Liam Neeson thriller UNKNOWN with Jett at the Regal Green Hills. I don’t want to reveal my impressions until Jett and Gareth get a chance to review it on the upcoming Film Talk podcast; but for now, let me co-opt a Jett phrase and say, “Oh boy.” I also [...]
Episode 160 – John Barry Remembered / SOMEWHERE / THE GREY ZONE
Here it is – our tribute to the great John Barry as well as an investigation of the new Sofia Coppola film SOMEWHERE and a look back at Tim Blake Nelson’s THE GREY ZONE.
COLD WEATHER: The Big Wake-Up
Ironically, and here I’m talking about the artistic technique and not a pretend embrace of, say, Chuck Norris, Aaron Katz’s COLD WEATHER validates mumblecore by rejecting it. The first act is your standard mumblecore setup: a low-ambition young white male moves in with his sister, gets a routine job, meets an ex, all while making [...]
