Changing Reels

William Wyler’s 1961 film The Children’s Hour has been hailed as a landmark piece of cinema. It was one of the few films of the time to bring LGBT issues to mainstream audiences. We dive into the pros and cons of Wyler’s film and whether it is still relevant to audiences of today.

Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar winning film Call Me by Your Name may not be overlooked or underappreciated, but we love it nonetheless. This week we soak up the beauty of this tender romance set in 1980s Italy. We also discuss our short film of the week Dylan by Elizabeth Rohrbaugh.

Show Notes:

1:44 – Dylan

8:56 – Call Me by Your Name

Short film: https://vimeo.com/110822721

We dive back into the films of Sofia Coppola with The Virgin Suicides and discuss our short film pick of the week: Hala by Minhal Baig.

1:57 – Hala

14:16 – The Virgin Suicides

Courtney's Luke Cage piece for Leonard Maltin's New Voices: http://leonardmaltin.com/the-blinding-light-of-love-in-luke-cage-season-two/

Hailed by Roger Ebert as the best film of 1997, Eve’s Bayou is an astonishing work. We dive into Kasi Lemmons’ directorial debut and discuss the theme of memory, the lies adults tell children, and so much more. We also spend time with our short film pick 1982 by Jeremy Breslau.

Show notes

1:09 – 1982

7:47 – Eve’s Bayou

Short film: https://vimeo.com/67093569

In this episode we discuss the 2017 film Columbus directed by Kogonada. The drama focuses on Jin (John Cho), a successful Korean-American, who strikes up a tender friendship Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), while stuck in Columbus, Indiana. We also discuss our short film of the week Dol (First Birthday) by Andrew Ahn.

Show Notes:

1:17 - Dol (First Birthday)

8:16 – Columbus

In this episode we discuss Alejandro Amenábar’s 1997 film Open Your Eyes. The plot revolves around a handsome playboy named César who finds his life in a downward spiral after being disfigured in the accident the day after he meets the woman of his dreams. Of course, we also touch on the Cameron Crowe American remake Vanilla Sky and discuss our short film pick, The Psychology of Dream Analysis by Rian Johnson.

Show notes:

1:20 - The Psychology of Dream Analysis

8:07 – Open Your Eyes

Ida Lupino was the first woman to direct a film noir, but her work behind the camera is not as well-known as her acting career in front of it. In this episode we talk post-war America, classic cinema and why a happily married man gets the itch for something more as we take in Lupino’s 1953 film The Bigamist. We also discuss our short film pick of the week Vows by Tal Zagreba.

Show notes:

1:50 - Vows

10:29 - The Bigamist

In this episode Courtney and Kristen discuss the origins of Wonder Woman, polyamorous relationships and the strong and complex women in Angela Robinson’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. They also spend time with their online short film pick of the week, Heather Fink ‘s The Focus Group written by and starring Sara Benincasa.

Show Notes:

1:14 – The Focus Group

10:48 - Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

In this episode, Courtney and guest co-host Kristen Lopez (Roger Ebert, Hollywood Reporter) journey to Uganda through Disney’s Queen of Katwe directed by Mira Nair. They also discuss this episode’s short film pick First Match by Olivia Newman.

Film critic Kristen Lopez (Roger Ebert, Hollywood Reporter) fills in as guest co-host while Andrew is on hiatus. In this episode we spend time with the 2012 Saudi Arabian drama directed by Haifaa Al Mansour. Our short film pick of the week is Mo’ne Davis: I Throw Like a Girl by Spike Lee.

Show Notes:

5:40 - Mo’ne Davis: I Throw Like a Girl by Spike Lee

15:21 - Wadjda by Haifaa Al Mansour