Cinema Gadfly

By Arik Devens

A podcast about trading films with friends. Each month I choose a film for a friend to watch and they choose one for me. Then we discuss. Two episodes a month, first my choice and then theirs.... more

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FAQs about Cinema Gadfly:

How many episodes does Cinema Gadfly have?

The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.

Cinema Gadfly episodes:

July 31, 201624. The Happiness of the Katakuris
My guest for this month is Christa Mrgan, and she’s joined me to discuss the film she chose for me, the 2001 surreal horror-comedy film The Happiness of the Katakuris. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
Takashi Miike has made an astonishing 90 films in his career, but none quite like this one
Thematically it would be hard to have two films as different as this one and our last episode on Ozu’s An Autumn Afternoon
Arcadia, California was home to at least one video store, in 2004
It really is quite hilarious that both An Autumn Afternoon and this were released by Shochiku, how the world changes
Shochiku were, of course, also the sometime home to films by Nagisa Oshima, and Mikio Naruse
As well as the phenomenally goofy films of their horror period, so brilliantly captures by Criterion in the When Horror Came to Shochiku Eclipse set
Those films were inspired by the likes of Godzilla, and Jigoku
House, by Nobuhiko Obayashi, is a much watch film if you even kind of enjoy this one
The RankinBass production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has undoubtedly caused its share of nightmares
The Big Lebowski is one of my all-time favorite films. I can quote it endlessly
I’d really like to see The Quiet Family someday, just to see how far this adaptation strayed
Sadly you won’t find this film on Netflix
As of this writing, you can still watch the film on Fandor though
The film is also coming to iTunes, as of the end of August, 2016
It was also released on Blu-ray by Arrow in a Region A and B edition
If you can find a copy of Nowhere you’re in for a treat, there has never been a Region 1 DVD
If you’re ever in Portland you should absolutely check out Movie Madness, it’s an incredible store
And, yes, they have the knife from Psycho
I love Letterboxd
Civil Comments is amazing. You should all check it out!
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31min
July 17, 201623. An Autumn Afternoon
My guest for this month is Christa Mrgan, and she’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for her, the 1962 Japanese drama film An Autumn Afternoon. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
This was the last film that Yasujirō Ozu made, after a career that started in the silent era
His most famous is probably Tokyo Story, but he made 53 others, 19 of which are considered lost
Christa’s husband is Neven Mrgan who was a guest on this podcast as well
Chishū Ryū, who plays the lead here, was in 32 of Ozu’s 54 films
Manga, J-pop, and Sushi are all examples of prominent cutural exports from Japan
Toyko Story is based on Make Way For Tomorrow, a depression era film by Leo McCarey that touches on a lot of Ozu-type themes
No one knows who wrote Caro mio ben, but it was probably Tommaso Giordani
Before this podcast, I’d never even heard of Italian voice method
Civil Comments is amazing. You should all check it out!
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34min
June 29, 201622. Bob Roberts
My guest for this month is Herb van der Poll, and he’s joined me to discuss the film he chose for me, the 1992 American-British satirical mockumentary film Bob Roberts. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
The cast is seriously insane, with Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, Ray Wise, Gore Vidal, John Cusack, Peter Gallagher, Alan Rickman, and Susan Sarandon
Oh and also James Spader, Helen Hunt, Jack Black, Jeremy Piven and his sister Shira, and Bob Balaban
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you already know we have an election happening
The film shows some strong parallels to the presidency of George W. Bush
Ray Wise, of course, was famously Laura Palmer’s dad on one of my all time favorite shows, Twin Peaks
In this film, he and Alan Rickman play Dick Cheney and Karl Rove type figures
Folk music is often in the service of liberal causes, and the subversion of that idea is one of the reasons this film is so compelling
Specifically the music here is in the style of Bob Dylan, with Bob Roberts naming his albums The Freewheelin' Bob Roberts, and Bob on Bob
The Alan Rickman character also has a distinctly Oliver North vibe to him
Strom Thurmond was a terrible human being
This film feels like a satire of Ronald Reagan’s America
Bob Roberts himself represents a response to the JFK and RFK eras
The 24-hour news cycle is designed for 9/11 level attacks, not the daily news
I still haven’t seen Toy Story 3, much to my shame
The Mass Psychology of Fascism, by Wilhelm Reich, is the book I was referring to
If for some reason you haven’t listened to Hamilton yet, you really should, it’s phenomenal
Herb may be right that most people know Giancarlo Esposito from Breaking Bad, I know him from Do the Right Thing, School Daze, The Usual Suspects, and King of New York
This film is very different from other Tim Robbins directed projects, like Dead Man Walking or Cradle Will Rock
The film has a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, built on 36 positive reviews
The Simpsons episode that is named for this film is Sideshow Bob Roberts, from 1994’s season six
James Spader’s current show Blacklist is about to start its fourth season
Technically Miramax is still a studio, but it’s changed hands several times in the last few years, and I don’t think they’re producing new films
StudioCanal uses Lionsgate for their US distribution
I think the involvement of Robert Altman and Gary Trudeau is probably why Criterion released Tanner ‘88
This film was an influence on another of my favorite television shows, The West Wing
I’ve never seen Tapeheads, so I’ll have to take Herb’s word that “Retake America” from this film came from it
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38min
June 17, 201621. The Vanishing
My guest for this month is Herb van der Poll, and he’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for him, the 1988 Dutch–French film The Vanishing. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
The director, George Sluizer, didn’t really direct much else besides this film and its remake
The soundtrack definitely has a Tears for Fears vibe to it, which is 100% ok with me
Herb checked with his Dutch parents to make sure we pronounced Spoorloos correctly
Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu is basically perfect as the villain in this film
If you enjoy this film, you’d probably also love Alfred Hitchock’s The Lady Vanishes
The actress who plays the second girlfriend Lieneke, Gwen Eckhaus, was randomly in a television series in the Netherlands called Spoorloos verdwenen, which I assume is unrelated
Getting a compliment on your film from Stanley Kubrick is a big deal to me
The first girlfriend, Saskia, is played by Johanna ter Steege. I think I would have enjoyed her in a Kubrick film
I want to be very clear that this film is a billion times better than The Blair Witch Project
Apparently Curious George is alternately called “Slimme Sjors” and “Nieuwsgierig Aapje” in the Netherlands
This film is really nothing like Requiem for a Dream or Audition
Seriously, please don’t watch the remake, it’s not even fun ironically
I don’t know how much we can blame the remake on the adapted screenplay by Todd Graff, but I would hazard a guess that it’s a lot
A more subtle mistake was the changing of cinematographers from the sublime work of Toni Kuhn to the mediocre adaptation by Peter Suschitzky
The changes go way, way beyond those of Brazil’s Love Conquers All cut. Also, at least that one includes the entire original film to enjoy
Jeff Bridges is usually pretty good, so I’m not sure what happened here. I tend to believe Herb’s Silence of the Lambs theory
Milton from Office Space was played by the incomparable Stephen Root
R.I.P.D. is really an underrated example of good acting in a terrible film
Jeff Bridges is truly terrible here, while Kiefer Sutherland and Sandra Bullock are just really bad
This film was two years before The Net, but a year after Love Potion No. 9, so I’m not sure how famous Bullock was
Nancy Travis is terrible as well, but her character does provide a lot of the unintentional comedy, so I mind less
The award Blood Simple got was the Mel Novikoff award
Peter Becker and Jonathon Turell didn’t start the Criterion Collection, but they do run it today
To my mind, the Coen Brothers, Barry Sonnenfeld, and Blood Simple definitely belong in the collection
I am irrationally excited for the arrival of FilmStruck, and just wish it was here already
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43min
May 30, 201620. The Front
My guest for this month is West Anthony, and he’s joined me to discuss the film he chose for me, the 1976 comedy-drama film The Front. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
Not sure what happened to the audio in the introduction, apologies!
The Hollywood blacklist is a term for the treatment of people in the entertainment industry who refused to name names to the House Un-American Activities Committee from 1947 to 1960
For a more in depth take on the blacklist, check out the latest season of the phenomenal You Must Remember This podcast
WonderCon is a comic book convention that was held annually in SF until it was cruelly moved to the LA area in 2012. Yes I’m still bitter about it.
West also recommends the Gabrielle de Cuir directed Thirty Years of Treason by Eric Bentley
Among the people famously blacklisted were Lillian Hellman, Lionel Stander, Paul Robeson, and Zero Mostel
This film was directed by blacklisted director Martin Ritt, who also directed the film from our third episode, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
I’m just not a fan of Woody Allen. He’s too painfully neurotic for me, even before I start thinking about whatever the hell happened with his daughter and step-daughter
Another Woody film where he only acts is the Paul Mazursky film Scenes from a Mall
I’ve been a huge fan of Fiddler on the Roof, and Zero Mostel in it, since I was a little kid
Elia Kazan is one of the more interesting stories of directors and the blacklist
The writer of this film, Walter Bernstein, was also blacklisted
As were many of its stars, including Herschel Bernardi and Lloyd Gough
So was the father of actress Julie Garfield, actor John Garfield, which may have contributed to his death from heart problems
West’s reference to bodily fluids is, of course, from the excellent Dr. Strangelove
Hallie Flanagan ran the Federal Theatre Project, as part of FDR’s WPA program
She gave Orson Welles the money to make his Voodoo Macbeth
She also gave Marc Blitzstein the money to make The Cradle Will Rock
Which was remade in 1999 by Tim Robbins
LBJ said in 1966 “I do not believe that this generation of Americans is willing to resign itself to going to bed each night by the light of a Communist moon”
Red Channels named 151 entertainers it claimed were communists
Trumbo is a 2015 film about Hollywood Ten member Dalton Trumbo
Another film about the blacklist is 1991s Guilty by Suspicion, directed by Irwin Winkler and starring Robert De Niro
One of the co-writers of Guilty by Suspicion was Abraham Polonsky, who also wrote and directed Force of Evil with John Garfield, but he was so offended by what Irwin Winkler did that he had his name removed from it
Guilty by Suspicion also stars Annette Bening
Good Night and Good Luck by George Clooney is about McCarthyism, not the blacklist, but it’s also a great film about government overreach
Panic in the Streets is a 1950 film, directed by Elia Kazan, and starring Zero Mostel
Both West and I think that On the Waterfront, written by Budd Schulberg, was a justification for Kazan’s willingness to name names
Lee J. Cobb was also forced to testify in front of the committee
Leonard Bernstein wrote the score for On the Waterfront, and the film featured incredible performances from Marlon Brando, Karl Malden, and Eva Marie Saint
I still haven’t seen Hail, Caesar! yet, which is a damn shame
Nothing better than comparing the work of the Coen brothers to that of fellow Criterion Collection auteur Michael Bay
Paranoid American films from the 70s include Three Days of the Condor, Klute, The Parallax View, and All the President’s Men
Everyone who reads this needs to go subscribe to Musical Notation with West Anthony. Right now. I’ll wait
It’s part of the awesome Battleship Pretension Podcast Fleet
You can also follow West’s amazing show on twitter @notationpod
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38min
May 17, 201619. ¡Alambrista!
My guest for this month is West Anthony, and he’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for him, the 1977 drama film ¡Alambrista!. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
This film was written and directed by Robert M. Young
We discuss a certain unnamed presidential candidate at length, who has since gone on to become an unnamed presumptive nominee. I’m not going to do this candidate any favors by linking to them
Loving Cheeseburgers, Rock and Roll, The Beatles, and Blue Jeans, is pretty damned American
Ned Beatty is one of my all time favorite “that guy” actors
He was nominated for an Academy Award for Network, and appeared in All the President’s Men, Deliverance, and both Superman and Superman II, among many other films
Edward James Olmos has been in quite a few of Robert M. Young’s films
He was also awesome in the reboot of Battlestar Galactica
Paul Giamatti is another of my all time favorite “that guy” actors, he’s just so great
Don Cheadle is staring in Miles Ahead, which I’m fiendishly excited for
He was in the second and third Iron Man films
He was also in Oceans Eleven
Jerry Hardin played Deep Throat on The X-Files
His daughter Melora was Jan on The Office
I don’t know if Ryan Gallagher is still re-watching the X-Files in HD or not. Hey Ryan!
Everyone who reads this needs to go subscribe to Musical Notation with West Anthony. Right now. I’ll wait
It’s part of the awesome Battleship Pretension Podcast Fleet
You can also follow West’s amazing show on twitter @notationpod
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34min
April 30, 201618. Moon
My guest for this month is Patrick Gibson, and he’s joined me to discuss the film he chose for me, the 2009 science fiction drama film Moon. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
This film was co-written and directed by the former Zowie Bowie, Duncan Jones
It stars the delightful Sam Rockwell, with voice acting from the also delightful Kevin Spacey
We recorded this episode right after the sad passing of Jones' father, David Bowie
I watched this film via a Blu-ray that was given to me by former guest of the show Jake Desaulniers
The music was composed by Clint Mansell, who has also scored a bunch of Darren Aronofsky films
I still maintain that Steve Jobs is the reason my internet was being flaky
Daren Arinofsky isn’t Paul Thomas Anderson, thank goodness
Mallrats cost $6 millon to make, whereas Clerks cost $27,575. This film cost $5 million
There were two slogans for this film, both are very much like what I remembered
I haven’t seen Matt Damon in The Martian because I rarely see new films. It cost $108 million to make
Here at Cinema Gadfly, we recognize former guest Serenity Caldwell as our official French pronunciation expert
It’s way beyond the powers of a one line note to explain set theory. It’s very cool though
I wouldn’t watch a television sequel staring Charlie Sheen and Ashton Kutcher. On that point I’m pretty confident
This film owns a lot to 2001: A Space Odyssey, in really great ways
The Three Laws of Robotics are followed fairly closely in this film
Another reminder that Patrick’s wife Maja appeared in two great episodes of this very show
I’ll admit that I haven’t actually watched K-PAX. Maybe it’s a great film?
Firewatch may not have come out last Tuesday, but it’s a phenomenal game everyone should play
Bon Iver’s first album was recorded in singer Justin Vernon’s father’s remote Wisconsin hunting cabin
It’s no longer current, but the piece on Apple I mention is still up on Patrick’s awesome site
Patrick and Maja are currently traveling around the world, while writing about it. It’s an awesome way to learn about a bunch of interesting places, and see a bunch of cool photos
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32min
April 15, 201617. Wild Strawberries
My guest for this month is Patrick Gibson, and he’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for him, the 1957 drama film Wild Strawberries. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
My original review of Wild Strawberries
This film was the last role by legendary Swedish actor Victor Sjöström, who directed The Phantom Carriage
You can’t fly directly from Stockholm to Lund these days, you have to go to Malmö and drive. It takes about two hours total
A flight from Stockholm to Sydney, Australia takes almost 24 hours, so a bit longer
Ingmar Bergman was having an affair with his leading lady Bibi Andersson during the making of this film
Norwegian Black Metal and Swedish Death Metal are two things that I associate with Scandinavia
A Mitzvah is a good dead, and a Mensch is someone who does them
Virtually every Bergman film was produced by Svensk Filmindustri
Akira Kurosawa made loooong films. Seven Samurai is 207 minutes for instance
Bergman getting to work with both Gunnar Fischer and Sven Nykvist is almost unfair to other filmmakers
The Seventh Seal’s portrayal of death is famously parodied in Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey
I loved the brilliance of Persona, and highly recommend it to anyone who liked this film
Patrick’s wife Maja appeared in two great episodes of this very show
If you haven’t checked out Firewatch yet, what are you waiting for? The tone feels similar to this film
Patrick works for one of my all time favorite companies, Portland’s Panic, which also employees our last guest Neven Mrgan
I highly recommend anyone technical out there to read Patrick’s website, it’s really good stuff
Patrick and Maja are currently traveling around the world, while writing about it. It’s an awesome way to learn about a bunch of interesting places, and see a bunch of cool photos
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33min
March 28, 201616. Taste of Cherry
My guest for this month is Neven Mrgan, and he’s joined me to discuss the film he chose for me, the 1997 drama film Taste of Cherry. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
Abbas Kiarostami, who directed this film, is probably the most celebrated living Iranian director
We are both huge fans of films with an existentialist bent, like this one
Seriously, Criterion, upgrade your crappy DVD of this film already. It’s not even anamorphic for crying out loud!
If you want to read someone really get it wrong, read Roger Ebert’s thoughts on this film
A film that won the Palme d'Or in 1997, and was named to the 2012 Sight & Sound greatest films of all time list
Martin Scorsese is also a huge fan of Kiarostami
I assume we’re the only podcast to ever compare this film to Disney’s Wall-E, but I suppose you never know
This film reminds me of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors trilogy, especially Three Colors: Red
When we said Apéritif we clearly meant Digestif. Clearly
Some of Kiarostami’s other well-known films include Close-Up, Certified Copy, and Like Someone in Love. The last two were made in Italy and Japan respectively
I seriously can’t recommend Tony Zhou’s Every Frame a Painting highly enough. Especially his episode on Ensemble Staging, as it relates indirectly to our conversation about what an American remake might do to ruin this film
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46min
March 15, 201615. Day of Wrath
My guest for this month is Neven Mrgan, and he’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for him, the 1943 romantic drama film Day of Wrath. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.
Show notes:
The director of this film, Carl Theodore Dreyer, had an extremely unhappy childhood, which seems relevant
The story was based on a Norwegian play called Anne Pedersdotter, about an actual witch trial
A previous Dreyer film The Passion of Joan of Arc, was super controversial when it was initially released in France
My favorite Dreyer film thus far is Vampyr, which has the eerie quality of dreams
I also enjoyed Master of the House, which had a lot more in common with this film stylistically
This could be seen as a cautionary tale on the dangers of electing Donald Trump
It’s hard to believe this film could have been made in the US, at least not under the Hays Code of the time
Apparently the correct term for Absalon and his other church official buddies is pastor
That one evil church dude does really look an awful lot like Vladimir Putin
It’s not hard to see all the influences this must have had on Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible
The Fassbinder film that we watched instead of this was Mutter Küsters' Fahrt zum Himmel
Dreyer was a huge, and obvious, influence, on Danish director Lars von Trier
Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies is a good book, but I’m not sure he named the actress he slapped as Meryl Streep
If I Did It is an actual book, nominally by OJ Simpson, about how he would have committed the murders. Yep
During the time this film was made, Denmark was occupied by the Nazis
It’s important to note that Facism typically comes after Totalitarianism
Neither the actress who played Anne, nor the one who played Herlof’s Marte, are known for much other work
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43min

FAQs about Cinema Gadfly:

How many episodes does Cinema Gadfly have?

The podcast currently has 24 episodes available.