Cinema in Context

Versus films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), two films at the ends of the 'versus films' spectrum. We jump into Godzilla vs. Kong, unpacking the plot details, and connecting and comparing it to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), The Guest (2014), Transformers (2007), Alien vs. Predator (2004), Alien vs. Predator: Requiem (2007), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Eagle vs Shark (2007), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Opera (1987), Suspiria (1977), The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Monsters vs. Aliens (2009), and American Crime Story (2016-), including the O.J. Simpson season, the Versace season and the upcoming Monica Lewinsky season. We then move our conversation onto Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), unpacking the details of the story, and connecting and comparing it to Marriage Story (2019), Before Midnight (2013), Before Sunset (2004) and the series of 'Before' films as a whole. We wrap up our conversation by highlighting last thoughts and final 'versus films' connections, including Shin Godzilla (2016), Ford v Ferrari (2019), Formula 1: Drive to Survive (2019), The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010), and Allen v. Farrow (2021).

Academy Awards 2021. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the Oscar nominations for 2021 a few weeks before the awards ceremony.

Houseless on the road. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Nomadland (2020) and Into The Wild (2007), two films with protagonists who are houseless and on the road. We begin by discussing the real world connections inherent in both films, including the non-actors (but highlighting the skills and strengths of Frances McDormand), elements based on true stories and the production styles of both films. We unpack the narrative in Nomadland and how the manages genre, and what it is saying about capitalism, choice and survival. Our discussion then moves to Into The Wild, sharing our general criticism of the film, including the ethos of the main character, the photography, editing and direction. Our conversation then moves into the dystopian qualities of Nomadland, particularly the factory scenes set in Amazon, the central character Fern working at the Sugar-beet Plant and the open desert spaces, and highlights the commentary on modern day slavery. We praise the strength of Chloe Zhao's direction and criticise some of Sean Penn's direction. We talk about the past of Emile Hirsch and Sean Penn, touching on allegations of them being violent, Speed Racer (2008), and other connections to events and films of the time Into The Wild came out.

#MeToo revenge and road trips. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen are joined by Julia Craig to discuss Promising Young Woman (2021) and Thelma & Louise (1991), two films dealing with sexual assault, female revenge and the unpicking of society's complicity and encouragement of toxic, dangerous and misogynist behaviours. We begin by sharing our experiences watching Thelma & Louise and our reactions to Promising Young Woman. We then focus on the characters in both films, the lead roles and the various side characters. Our conversation moves into how each film deals with systemic issues of brining up sexual assault, complicity and overstepping of consent. Music becomes our next focus topic, especially the needle drops in Promising Young Woman.

Exploring the "greatest film of all time". Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Mank (2020) and Citizen Kane (1941). We start by comparing Mank to Joker and Alien3, and then jumping into a discussion of Citizen Kane, as the subjective greatest film of all time. We discuss the impressive cinematography and the strength of the cast, linking the strength of the ensemble to the films of Christopher Guest. We unpack the shots and cinema work of both Citizen Kane and Mank, praising the work of Kane and questioning some of the techniques used in Mank. We compare Mank to Roma and Ed Wood, for their use of cinema techniques. Our discussion moves to the various motivations behind the making of Mank and how they either work or don't work. We talk about the strengths and weaknesses of the cast of Mank, including Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Charles Dance, Tuppence Middleton, Tom Burke and Lilly Collins. Our conversation touches on the Netflix deal David Fincher has made, comparing the potential compromise to the work of Francis Ford Coppola, Terry Gilliam and Quentin Tarantino. We finish our chat with a focus on Citizen Kane and Mank's storytelling, politics, and intentions around social and political commentary.

Memorable film and television from an unpredictable year. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss their highlights from 2020, but because of the unsettled nature of 2020, we talk about both film and TV we watched this year, regardless of when they were released. We talk about and mention the films Babyteeth, One Cut of the Dead, Cats, Corpus Christi, Queen & Slim, The Surrogate, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Hamilton and The Invisible Man. We also mention and discuss multiple television series, including Green Eggs and Ham, Watchmen (2019), Ted Lasso, Schitt's Creek, The Midnight Gospel and BoJack Horseman.

Aaron Sorkin scripts. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss The Social Network (2010) and The Trial of Chicago 7 (2020). We start by speaking about the real-world impact of the real-life stories of both films, especially Facebook and how its impact has changed over time. Our conversation then moves into the work of Aaron Sorkin, highlighting his work on The West Wing, A Few Good Men and Molly's Game. We talk about the strengths and weaknesses of The Trial of the Chicago 7, especially the brilliance of the cast and script, but the misfires around the direction, pace and tone of the film. We then move onto a more focused discussion of The Social Network, praising the cast in this film as well and the music of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

Two versions of Mulan. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Mulan (1998) and Mulan (2020), both available on Disney+. We start by discussing the state of Disney live action remakes and whether the new Mulan is a "cash grab". We discuss the talents of Niki Caro and what she brought to the live action film. We criticise the lack of intention in the new live action films or the new films not understanding what made the original animated films tick, including bringing up Aladdin, The Lion Kind and The Jungle Book. We talk about the accents in the films and how language works in Disney films, considering where the story is set, like watching the Chinese version in Mulan and French version of Ratatouille. We discuss the openings of both films, with the instant stakes in the original and the messiness of the new film. We talk about the intended audience of the new film, comparing it to The Great Wall. We discuss the music in the animated Mulan film and both the great themes and missed opportunities, bringing up Hercules and The Little Shop of Horrors. We compare some of the set pieces between the two films, like the avalanche scene, the palace climax and the new film ending in a claustrophobic construction site. We talk about representation in both films, including Mushu in the original film. We discuss the gender play in the stories, including how much we can suspend disbelief and how the relationships are developed.

Christopher Nolan films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing, Doug Dillaman and William Chen discuss two Christopher Nolan films, Memento (2000) and Tenet (2020). We start by discussing how we each saw Tenet at the cinema, with a global pandemic, comparing our respective experiences - especially the sound design of Nolan's films. Sarah unpacks elements of the sound in Tenet, highlighting her own podcast The Sound of Movies and the work of Hans Zimmer. Our discussion then moves into the central story of Tenet, trying to unpack what the film is trying to do and comparing it to the simple narrative drive of Memento. We compare the work done behind the scenes in bth films, especially the big budget nature of Tenet and the low-budget focus of Memento. We compare the films to Zack Snyder's work, The Matrix, Jonathan Nolan and Westworld, Primer, Timecrimes, Triangle, Inception, The Lost Boys and Timecop.

Obsessive game competition documentaries. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the Netflix+ distributed The Speed Cubers and The King of Kong (2007). We begin by discussing the despicable qualities of the people featured in The King of Kong, particularly Billy Mitchell, and the under-dog qualities of Steve Wiebe. We then talk about the filmmaking and crafting of The King of Kong, particularly the areas where artistic license has been taken, and highlighting the characters of Brian Kuh and Steve Sanders. We move the conversation into The Speed Cubers, highlighting the difference in spirit between the two films, with the more recent film being far kinder than the harsher older film - connecting to our previous episode on Catfish and Tickled. We unpack the focus of the film The Speed Cubers, especially around its lack of focus on speed cubing competitions, with a focus on the relationship between Max and Feliks. We then discuss the films in comparison to other documentary films and documentary series, such as Spellbound, Wordplay, Double Dare, Jesus Camp, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, Capturing the Friedmans, Three Identical Strangers, The Wolfpack, The Act of Killing, The Last Dance, Samsara and Koyaanisqatsi, particularly in structure and crafting, genre and place within the wider documentary film landscape, and the change in distribution style, between classic cinema release and Netflix. Our conversation then moves to the films' focus on the autism spectrum, discussing Max Park, the potential of Steve Wiebe being on the spectrum, with further connections to the Netflix docu-series Love on the Spectrum. We finish our conversation by considering both films as commentary on modern times, particularly each film representing two different philosophies around how to perceive of the world, with The King of Kong being a potential allegory for America's journey over the past decade, with The Speed Cubers being a story of friendship, community and hope for young people, regardless of nationality.