Cinema in Context

Frances McDormand. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Fargo. We begin by praising Fargo, particularly the performances of the actors and the balancing of tones in the film. We then compare the merits, similarities and differences between the two McDormand characters. The discussion then moves onto the merits and weaknesses of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, touching particularly on the messy race and sexual politics in the film. We then pivot into the positive aspects of the film, which includes the character dynamism and dialogue. We then investigate into the two films, looking at aspects that work and aspects that don’t. Both films take place in a real place, and we discuss which of the two films are more successful at feeling like the real place. The discussion wraps up with the four of us talking about the use of swearing in films, the television series of Fargo and the potential Oscar wins for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

Top films of 2017. Max Tarrant, Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss each of their top three films of the year.

Max’s top three:

1. The Square

2. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

3. Get Out

Sarah’s top three:

1. Manchester by the Sea

2. The Killing of a Sacred Deer

3. Baby Driver

Jeremy’s top three:

1. Alien: Covenant

2. Blade Runner: 2049

3. War for the Planet of the Apes

William’s top three:

1. Dunkirk

2. The LEGO Batman Movie

3. War for the Planet of the Apes

(4. LOGAN)

Cinema In Context’s Overall Top Films:

1. The Killing of the Sacred Deer

2. War for the Planet of the Apes

Wildcards:

- Wolf Warrior 2 (William)

- Okja (Max)

- Brigsby Bear (Sarah)

- Patti Cake$ (Sarah)

- Gaga: Five Foot Two (Jeremy)

Taika Waititi films. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Thor: Ragnarok (2017) and Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016). The discussion starts by talking about the wonderful pace and opening of Hunt For The Wilderpeople and Waititi’s knack for pathos. All of his films balance both sadness and joy extremely well. We talk about Taika Waititi’s status as an auteur and his strength as a visual storyteller. The cast in Thor: Ragnarok is very strong, with highlight performances from Cate Blanchett, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum. Disagreements are had around the strengths of Thor: Ragnarok, particularly around the structure of the film. We then talk about whether the films are definitively kiwi in their style and the politics around transposing this style onto the international stage, which develops into whether the style of the films are kiwi or just representative of Waititi’s style. This then develops into a discussion around self-deprecating humour and its origins.

We finish by talking about the themes of colonisation and displacement in Thor: Ragnarok, and whether they are clear or not.

Two Blade Runners. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049. Our discussion starts by discussing the bold visual choices in both films, particularly the mastery present in the lighting, as well as the complimenting iconic music. We talk about some of the story elements, particularly the opening, and the keeping of Hampton Fancher as the writer from the original film to the sequel. We then delve into the box office returns on the new film and how it echoes the struggles of the original film. Our discussion then moves on to the great work done by the actors in Blade Runner 2049, particularly Sylvia Hoeks as Luv and Ryan Gosling as Agent K. We all agreed at the strength of the writing and filmmaking around the K and Joi relationship in the new film. We then debate and disagree on the effect of the fight scene between the two Blade Runners in the new film and the success of the Rachel clone special effects. We then get into the sexual politics of the two films and whether or not acknowledging the objectification of women warrants having naked female figures everywhere, as well as the complicated nature of the sex scenes.

Mother times two. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films mother! (2017) and Madeo, or Mother (2009). The discussion starts around mother! (2017) and unpacks its more horrific elements. We then have a back and forth discussion around the merits of Jennifer Lawrence’s character and the strength of her performance. We then jump into the allegory of the film, wondering whether it is a commentary on the experience of women, a commentary on Darron Arronofsky’s romantic relationships, or a commentary on Man’s treatment of the planet. Perhaps it is about obsession with a person’s own creation, whatever the context… Our discussion then moves onto Mother, or Madeo, from Korean director Joon Ho Bong. We start by unpacking the central mother character, played wonderfully by Hye-ja Kim. The portrayal of the young women and their sexualisation is discussed, with the film coming across as immature in this regard. The character of the son and the way his mental disability is dealt with is talked about, and how this aspect of his character is used. We also talk about the relationship between him and his mother. We then talk about the social commentary of the film, particularly its depiction of the impoverished situation of the town. We finish by generally discussing the messages behind both films and how they connect to other films.

Luc Besson Space Operas. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) and The Fifth Element (1997). The discussion touches on gender politics and romance stories in both films. We talk about the connections to other films, like Blade Runner, Stars Wars, Avatar, Indiana Jones and Singin’ in the Rain. Luc Besson clearly loves the story he is telling in both films. We discuss other visual directors, like Peter Jackson, Terry Gilliam, Sam Rami and George Lucas, and how too much money makes their films too long. Both films have strong female actors in the central roles, with Mila Jovovich and Cara Delevingne. We compare the casts in both films, with limited strong performances in Valerian, and a strong cast in The Fifth Element. We return to the gender politics in both films, initially around the juvenile depiction of the female leads and the non-traditional depiction of specific male characters. We compare the music in both films: the forgettable music in Valerian and the dated music in The Fifth Element. The visuals in both films, particularly Big Market in Valerian and the cityscape in The Fifth Element, are impressive.

Heist films with music. Max Tarrant, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss the films Baby Driver (2017) and Reservoir Dogs (1992). The discussion begins by talking about the tightly woven nature of both films and a clear confidence in each. We focus initially on Reservoir Dogs, talking about the strength of the characters and relationships, particularly the work of Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Steve Buscemi. We then talk about how the narrative is constructed, with the large number of cut-aways that reveal the characters. We discuss Reservoir Dogs in relation to Quentin Tarantino’s other films, like Django Unchained, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction, The Hateful Eight and Inglourious Basterds. We also talk about the intensity of Reservoir Dogs, particularly the large amount of shouting. This develops into a discussion around violence and how violence is used in Tarantino’s films, as well as other films like The Dark Knight, and Guillermo del Toro’s films Pans Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone. We then move into a discussion around Baby Driver, starting with the presence of pop culture in the film and the nostalgia of iPods. We compare the film to musicals, particularly Little Shop of Horrors and The Producers. There has been an upsurge in jukebox retro soundtracks, including Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, Kong: Skull Island, Atomic Blonde and Watchmen. We talk about the strength of the actors in Baby Driver, including Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx and Kevin Spacey. We then talk about the weak representation of women in Baby Driver and Edgar Wright’s history with female characters, which also touches on the sexism in Reservoir Dogs, including the famous Madonna “Like a Virgin” speech. We talk about the fatigue around films skipping through their soundtrack to quickly, comparing it to the great amount of space that the TV series Twin Peaks gives to its music. Discussion around music, gender politics, and Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino develops into a chat about the TV series Spaced.

William, Jeremy, Max and Sarah discuss their best and worst cinema experiences.

Comic book action heroines. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Wonder Woman (2017) and Barbarella (1968). The discussion touches on the fun to be had in both films, as well as its exploration of female empowerment, sexual politics and the qualities of both title characters. Sex plays a prominent role in the cult classic sexploitation Barbarella, while careful discussion of sex is explored in the mainstream Wonder Woman. The production design in Barbarella is impressive, which develops into a discussion around the strengths and weaknesses of visual and special effects. We compare the strength of the music in Barbarella to the forgettable music in Wonder Woman. We discuss the female gaze and male gaze in the compared films, and how much the traditional male gaze influences the choices made in the female directed Wonder Woman. Sarah wraps up the discussion with her own personal visceral reaction to seeing a strong female hero on the screen and realising how much a character of this type is needed. Our final words are around the strength of Jane Fonda’s performance in Barbarella, despite being in an overly camp film, and the iconic status of Wonder Woman, and her role in providing young girls a hero to look up to.

Bringing racial tension home. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Get Out (2017) and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967). The discussion touches on: uncovering racial prejudices in society that both films investigate; how the films shift social perceptions on issues like interracial marriage, and both the problematic and successful aspects of that; the gap between generations, when social expectation ideals are different between parent and child; the connection between films Night of the Living Dead (1968), Stepford Wives (1975), Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Keanu (2016); the role of the maid in both films and how it comments on the expected social position of African Americans; the strength of the performances from Catherine Keener, Alison Williams and Daniel Kaluuya; the lens from which we watch a film and investigating how things have or haven’t changed.