Cinema in Context

Musical political figures. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the Disney+ distributed, live-filmed presentation of Hamilton and Evita (1996). We begin by discussing Madonna, her cultural influence and her performance in Evita. We criticise the adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber shows to film, including Cats and Jesus Christ Superstar, but also highlight the ways that Evita fix aspects of the stage musical in the film. The conversation then moves into a discussion around Hamilton and our experience with the musical before watching it. We compare the Lin-Manuel Miranda show with the work of Shakespeare, and then the work of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Our conversation then moves into a discussion of the female characters in the two shows/films. We then discuss the way Hamilton explores race representation, captures the heart of its story through its cast and how it is a metonymy for wider America. We also discuss the representation in Evita, including its cast's previous work, like Jonathan Pryce in Miss Saigon.

Treasure hunts in war. Billy Revell-Siō, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss the Netflix film Da 5 Bloods and 1999 film Three Kings. We begin by unpacking Da 5 Bloods, and how it doesn't work on a whole, but highlighting the areas that it does do well. We then talk about Three Kings and the commentary it is trying to achieve, the experimentation with film techniques and how well those elements have aged. We talk about the films' ability to be ironic and build commentary around American military involvement in other countries. We then discuss the cast of Three Kings, including Cliff Curtis, Spike Jonze, Said Taghmaoui, Judy Greer and Jamie Kennedy, alongside the leads of Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg, Ice Cube and George Clooney. We discuss the experimentation with film indicative of the late 1990s and early 2000s, including Ocean's Eleven, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Run Lola Run and The Matrix. We finish with a discussion around how the cinema medium has changed and is changing, with the rise of Netflix and other streaming platforms and the disruption of Covid-19.

Chase action films. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss the Netflix film Extraction and 2002 film The Bourne Identity. We begin by pulling Extraction apart, highlight many of its floors. We highlight the brilliant photography, production design and direction of the film, and spent time celebrating the action and stunt choreography. We compare the long shot in Extraction to Children of Men and Atomic Blonde. We talk about the classic qualities of The Bourne Identity, and how the series developed through Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Ultimatum, Bourne: Legacy and Jason Bourne.

Our fourth anniversary, celebrating by discussing the greatest Number 4 films. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss Toy Story 4 (2019), Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and Star Wars (1977), which was retrospectively assigned the subtitle Episode 4: A New Hope. Each are great examples of the fourth film being a great work of cinema, despite other fourth films typically being sub-par. We begin discussion around Star Wars and the way they if backloaded a franchise into its title, as well as how this franchisation has been preloaded into films since, as well as the place of the prequel. We talk about the way each of these four films work into their series, particularly the quality of the films they are following. Our discussion then moves into a discussion of the Mission Impossible series, focused around Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. We then talk about Toy Story 4 and how the whole of Pixar's original series has played out. We talk about the strength of Bo Peep in Toy Story 4 and Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road, and their roles as strong female characters. This then moves into a discussion about felinity, feminism and the statement that Mad Max: Fury Road is making about gender. We return back to Star Wars and finish our discussion around the grandfather film that influenced the other three, including mentioning a raft of other fourth films which aren't good.

Streaming options during our Covid-19 crisis. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss films that you can watch while stuck at home, during the Covid-19 lockdowns occurring around the world. We have split our discussion into five categories:

Film for the family:

William: How to Train Your Dragon (2010, Netflix)

Sarah: The Adventures of TinTin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011, Netflix)

Jeremy: Hairspray (2007, Netflix)

Classic to rewatch:

Sarah: Sense and Sensibility (1995, Netflix)

Jeremy: Beetlejuice (1988, Netflix)

William: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003, Netflix)

Something new:

Jeremy: Russian Doll (2019, Netflix)

William: Sonic the Hedgehog (2020, Amazon Prime Video)

Sarah: The Occupant (2020, Netflix)

Something a bit off the wall:

Sarah: Eye in the Sky (2015, Netflix)

Jeremy: Mulholland Drive (2001, Netflix)

William: Cats (2019, Lightbox)

Go to happy film:

Jeremy: The Castle (1997, Lightbox)

Sarah: Game Night (2018, Netflix)

William: Community (2009-2015, Amazon Prime Video)

Post Oscars discussion. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss the 2020 Academy Awards. We begin by discussing our expectations going into the ceremony, our general apathy towards the ceremony in general and our collective surprise as to how things rolled out. The biggest and best surprise was Parasite, the Cinema in Context film of 2019, winning Best Picture. We discuss the Netflix representation in the ceremony, with lack of awards for Marriage Story, The Irishman and Klaus, as well as referencing Roma from last year. Our discussion then moves into the "Oscars so white" and lack of female nominations debates and the representation of not-white people in the ceremony. We then talk about the four acting awards, with Brad Pitt, Laura Dern, Joaquin Phoenix and Renee Zellweger all taking away at award. Our conversation then moves into discussing 1917 and its technical prowess, including the fantastic work of Roger Deakins. We talk about the Best Score award won by Hildur Guðnadóttir for Joker, the Best Song award won by Elton John and Bernie Taupin for Rocketman, which develops into a discussion about Rocketman-director Dexter Fletcher's work on Bohemian Rhapsody, and the thankful non-awarding of Frozen 2. Discussion then moves into the realm of Taika Waititi and his success in winning Best Adapted Screenplay, as well as the way he presented himself at the Oscars, which then moves into a general discussion of his work, both historical and upcoming (including Next Goal Wins, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Time Bandits). We finish with a quick-fire discussion about the other awards and films, including Ford v Ferrari, Little Women, Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood and Hair Love.

Continuous shot films. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss two films that use a continuous shot throughout most of their films: 1917 (2019) and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014). We begin by discussing the way each film utilises the continuous shot affect. We compare the two films to other films that explore long takes, including Gravity (2013), Dunkirk (2017), The Adventures of Tintin (2011), Searching (2018), Children of Men (2006), and Roma (2018). Roger Deakins' work is celebrated in 1917, as we marvel the photography and how it works within the real world realities of filming this film. We compare the way the two films balance their leads with their supporting characters and how that plays out with the continuous shot structure. 1917 is compared to a range of better films, including The Revenant (2015), Saving Private Ryan (1998), and Apocalypse Now (1979). We unpack and marvel the choreography in both films, which help make the continuous shot dynamic work. We talk about the satire of Birdman that has sadly come to pass in 2020, with our overuse of cellphones, reliance on social media, over saturation of super hero films and obsession over realism. The conversation shifts into a discussion around the upcoming Academy Awards and how both films are represented in their respected awards seasons. We talk about Thomas Newman's score in 1917 and Antonio Sanchez' score in Birdman, both of which are brilliant.

Best films of 2019. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss their top films of the year, in the following categories: Biggest surprise, biggest disappointment, most anticipated film yet to come out (this episode was recorded in mid-November), wildcard, runner up films and each of our film of the year.

Biggest Surprise:

William: Midsommar

Sarah: The Cameraman (1928)

Jeremy: Doctor Sleep

Biggest Disappointment:

Sarah: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

William: Us

Jeremy: Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood

Most anticipated film yet to come out:

Jeremy: Jumanji: The Next Level

William: Klaus

Sarah: The Irishman

Wildcard:

Sarah: Family Romance, LLC.

William: Crazy Alien

Jeremy: Mary Poppins Returns

Runner up films to Film of the Year, in order from 4th to 2nd:

William: Toy Story 4, The Nightingale, Parasite

Jeremy: Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, Toy Story 4, Midsommar

Sarah: Les Misérables (2019), Joker, Bacurau

Film of the Year:

Sarah: Parasite

Jeremy: Parasite

William: Apollo 11

Cinema in Context overall Film of the Year:

Parasite

Comedic World War Two. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss two films that focus on Nazi-occupied Europe during World War Two that have a comedic or satirical edge: Jojo Rabbit (2019) and Inglourious Basterds (2009). We begin by discussing the situations and ways we first watched Inglourious Basterds, highlighting key reactions we had to the film the first time and upon rewatching it. We then move into a discussion of Jojo Rabbit, beginning with a comparison of music between the two films and then progressing into a chat about the film generally. We unpack the way that Jojo Rabbit plays with comedic moments, while not underplaying the horrors of the regime and war, as well as thinking about how the film connects to other movies. We celebrate the character of Col. Hans Landa and the work of Christoph Waltz. We talk about the tension in Tarantino films and how editor Sally Menke's work contributes to his films' confidence in tension. Our discussion then moves back to Jojo Rabbit and how it deals with serious moments, as well looking at how successful the satirical Hitler scenes were. We finish our discussion by exploring the performances in both films and highlighting key actors.

Dark comedian stories. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss two films that centre around wannabe comedians, with a story that follows a dark trajectory: Joker (2019) and The King of Comedy (1982). We begin by discussing the clear connections between the two films, particularly how clearly Joker is riffing on The King of Comedy. The discussion moves onto the mythology of Joker and how it weaves in the existing threads of Batman stories, while fabricating new storylines and ideas. We talk about the concern around Joker inciting violence and the depiction of violence in the film. The discussion harks back to earlier versions of the Joker and representations in other Batman media, including Batman: The Animated Series (1992), The Dark Knight (2008) and Batman (1989). We then discuss The King of Comedy, connecting to the cringe-factor in Curb Your Enthusiasm, the inclusion of Martin Scorsese's mother, who also appears in Goodfellas. We talk about the female characters in The King of Comedy, including Shelley Hack as Cathy Long, Diahnne Abbot as Rita Keene, and Sandra Bernhard as Masha. We finish our discussion about the endings of both films and whether they both suggest that they are fantasies in the lead characters' heads.