Flixwise Podcast

We are so pleased and honored to welcome back to the show, writer and film historian, Professor James Naremore. As is the author of the seminal book on the film noir genre -- More Than Night: Film Noir and Its Contexts -- Naremore is more than equipped to tackle today's Sight and Sound entry: Chinatown (1974). Naremore, along with host, Lady P, discusses how the film creates an amalgam of Classic Noir homages along with an infusion of Nixon-era paranoia and cynicism. Lady P and Naremore also talk about how well the style and themes of the film hold up today, and they make a series of feeble excuses for why they are able to still enjoy the film in spite of the obvious parallels between the film's villain, John Huston's Noah Cross, and the offscreen criminal behavior of the film's director, Roman Polanski. To justify her love of the movie, Lady P makes an attempt to reclaim Chinatown as a Faye Dunaway film. Let us know if you buy into that reasoning in the comments below.

Lady P is joined by Michelle Buchman (the social media maven over at Nerdist) and Kate Hagen (the Director of Community at The Blacklist), to discuss a pair of John Cassavetes films: Faces and A Woman Under the Influence. Or is it a pair of Gena Rowlands films? Either way, our panel discusses both films' ground breaking experimentalism, their emotional resonance, and whether or not their worthy of their places on the Sight & Sound list.

Happy four year anniversary of Flixwise! I hope you'll find that the fundamental things still apply, as time goes by. On this milestone episode, Lady P is joined by an esteemed film scholar and all-around snappy dresser, David Bordwell to discuss none other than Casablanca. They see if it lives up to its reputation as the quintessential Hollywood movie, not just of the 1940s but of all time, and consider if it's worth of its 78th spot on the Sight & Sound List. For a second topic they turn to the subject of David Bordwell's book, Reinventing Hollywood; How 1940s filmmakers changed movie storytelling. Mostly it's just an excuse to talk Joan Crawford. 

Returning guest, Chris Funderberg and John Cribbs of thepinksmoke.com join Martin in a discussion of Neil Jordan's Seaside Trilogy. The trilogy includes Mona Lisa, The Miracle, and The Crying Game. They talk about what makes it a trilogy, how it fits into Jodran's career, and whether films like Angel or The Butcher Boy might be considered unofficial additions to the trilogy. They talk about lumpy films, second-1st films, and what happened to Neil Jordan.

Martin is joined by Jon Laubinger of the FilmBabyFilm podcast to discuss the film adaptations of William Shakespeare's Scottish Play.They cover the gamut of interpretations, looking at what changes and what stays the same from film to film, and try to decide which is the most faithful. They can't resist talking about the theatre, and then give their opinion on which filmmakers they would like to see tackle The Bard's brutal tragedy.

For our Valentine's Day show, we relitigate an ancient (mid-90s) grudge, which breaks to new mutiny. Flixwise newcomers Jacob Mertens and Erica Moulton head up opposite households in the Shakespearean adaptation universe.Jacob, who hails from the House of Baz, believes that Luhrmann's 1996 cultural touchstone, Romeo + Juliet is one of the greatest movies of all time. Erica, of the House of Skeptics, thinks that Baz's formal flourishes don't do justice to the original text. Host, Lady P plays referee as these two argue over whether or not this adaptation is worthy of canonization. Expect quarreling, drawn swords, and lots of swooning over young-Leo DiCaprio.   Many thanks to friend of the show, Ma Narizza dela Cerna for the lovely intro.   

Martin is joined by returning guest Becky D’Anna to discuss Alexander Payne’s Election. They discuss the film’s use of unreliable narration, which of its characters are sympathetic, its garbage motif, and what a bee sting adds to it.  They talk about why the film’s ending is perfect, and why the original ending might not have worked. They cover the film’s political satire, depiction of high school life, and decide once and for all if Tracy Flick is a winner.

On today's show, classic movie buffs, Michelle Buchman and Kate Hagen, join Lady P for the first Flixwise Favorites entry of 2k18. Michelle is on hand to tell listeners why she thinks Robert Redford's 1980 Best Picture winner, ORDINARY PEOPLE, is actually pretty exceptional. According to Michelle, the film offers both great performances (particularly those of Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton) as well as an ahead-of-its-time portrayal of mental illness and behavioral therapy. The panel then delves into a discussion on why ORDINARY PEOPLE has been either forgotten or unfairly maligned in the years since its release. For many, the film is now better known as a spoiler for RAGING BULL winning the Academy Award, than a movie with its own artist merit.  Our panel discusses whether other 1980 releases including RAGING BULL and ELEPHANT MAN were indeed robbed that year, or whether ORDINARY PEOPLE was worthy of it's initial acclaim. Then they decide whether it should enjoy further adulation with a place on the Flix

Our annual year in review show, and our first ever call-in episode. A whole host of guests both new and familiar join Lady P̶o̶r̶g̶ P and Martin in covering their favourite movies of the year, and manage to give their thoughts on some of 2017's most debated film topics like post-horror and if a TV show belongs on a list of the best movies of the year.

Is Titanic an unsinkable classic? A deluxe panel dives in to decide whether the one-time 'biggest movie i the world' is worthy of The Flixwise Favourites List. They discuss Kate and Leo....and James "Feminist Filmmaker" Cameron. The sing-a-long of My Heart Will Go On is just a bonus.

Martin Kessler is joined by Emma Guerard to discuss a pair of films, Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl, both starring Louise Brooks and directed by G.W. Pabst. They consider Louise Brooks' acting style, her status as an icon, and how her collaboration with Pabst fit into her career. They compare the films to one another, and look at them in context of coming at the very end of the silent period. Also Martin finds out that there are Flixwise t-shirts.

Dave Eves returns to join Martin in discussing Sergio Leone's epic spaghetti western, Once Upon a Time in the West. They talk about the films casting of Henry 'Good Guy' Fonda as the film's villain, its international shooting locations, the myths of the old west, the nuance of gunshot sound effects, and what a 'special guest star' credit is doing in a feature film. Then they showdown to figure out if it's worthy of its 78th spot on The Sight & Sound List.

Martin Kessler is joined by returning guests Chris Funderberg and John Cribbs of thepinksmoke.com to discuss Rainer Werner Fassbinder's fifteen and a half hour long adaptation of Alfred Döblin's novel, Berlin Alexanderplatz. They look at its complex narrative, moral themes, and historical context. They make comparisons to the novel, the 1931 film adaptation, the rest of Fassbinder's filmography and other 'long movies'. They discuss it's visual and audio style, and try to figure out if Franz Biberkopf is a better person by the end (perhaps if only because there is physically less of him).

Lady P is joined by Patrick McGilligan, author of Robert Altman Jumping Off the Cliff, who has returned to the podcast to discuss the musically and politically charged film Nashville. However with Nashville being the only Robert Altman film on the list, they can't resist diving into the rest of Altman's long, eclectic, and magnificent career. Pat talks about his relationship with Altman's films, and what Altman was like in person. They look at Altman's visual style, his unique soundscapes, and even some of the costume in his films. They consider if Nashville is worthy of its 73rd spot on the Sight and Sound list, and ponder why there aren't other Altman films talking over it on the list as well.

Martin Kessler is joined by Jacob Rivera for a look at the films of director David Fincher in the 1990s; Alien 3, Se7en, The Game, and Fight Club. They see how well each film holds up, and examine their thematic landscapes. They discuss Fincher's shifting style, his approach to visual effects, his sense of humour, how he establishes a tone, and whether or not he might be considered an auteur. They reflect on spoiler warnings, DVD special features, Switzerland in the 23rd century and do their best Brad Pitt impressions.

On today's show, we're sinking into the sweet embrace of existential despair. Host Lady P is joined by co-producer Martin Kessler, Battleship Pretension writer and Flixwise regular Scott Nye, and new friend of the show Lilly Holman, to evaluate Michelangelo Antonioni's 1962 classic L'Eclisse. They step through some of the films forays into genre cinema - including it's sci-fi, dystopian elements. Plus, they draw comparisons between the previous two films in Antonioni's Eros Trilogy and discuss how this film plays as an extension of the other two, both in terms of cinematography and pacing, and also its thematic material. They reflect on its anti-narrative ending, and consider if it’s worthy of its 73rd spot on the Sight and Sound List. For the second topic, the gang continues on their existentialist kick, with an exploration of how Antonioni's brand of upper-class urban malaise has been taken up by contemporary filmmakers. They discuss ways in which newer films attempt to render the current psychological turm

On today's show, NYC film critics, Caroline Golum and Matt Prigge, of Blue Velvet fame make their glorious return to Flixwise. In their previous appearance they discussed David Lynch's 1986 neo-noir, and so we thought it would be appropriate to stick with the freshman dorm-room milieu and talk about the other 69th film on the Sight and Sound Critics' poll, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982). They join host, Lady P (as well as Lady P's new school chum and fellow adventurer in grad school, Lilly Holman) in pondering the various philosophical elements of Scott's cinematic universe, and admiring the seamless fusion of several disparate genre film styles into the production design. From there, the panel starts making baseless predictions about the quality of the forthcoming Blade Runner sequel: Blade Runner 2049, which then leads to a discussion about the greatest sequels of all time. Lilly makes a stand for the Toy Story franchise as being the greatest of all time due to it's narrative coherence. Whereas Matt and

Martin Kessler is joined by Chris Funderberg and John Cribbs of thepinksmoke.com to discuss the films of two-time Palme d'Or award-wining director Shohei Imamura. They talk about his dark subject matter, his bleak point of view, the phases of his career, and his wild sense of humour. They discuss how Imamura has been handled by critics, compare him to New German Cinema, Luis Buñuel, and discuss why comparing him to other Japanese filmmakers may be a misleading.

Martin Kessler is joined by Jon Laubinger and Jason Beamish to discuss Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil. A film that seems to defy classification, they consider whether it’s a documentary, travelogue, essay, poem, or survival guid for the 21st century. They examine its varied images, and look for meaning in its unexpected juxtapositions and distortions of reality, and consider it it’s worthy of its 69th place on the Sight & Sound List (or maybe a Nobel prize).

Join Martin Kessler and Dave Eaves as they travel through time (forward, at regular speed) and try to figure out what Lo-Fi science fiction is exactly. They discuss examples new and old, of films that take an unconventional approach to all manner of sci-fi subjects. They discuss the themes, subtle production design, and walking the tightrope of pretentious in films that may not be obviously sci-fi. Then they let their humanity show, and can’t resist comparing them to sci-fi films on the opposite end of the spectrum, bemoaning Alien: Covenant and ruining Star Wars forever. Follow Dave Eves into The Zone (or on Twitter) at @CinemaVsDave