First Impressions: Thinking Aloud About Film

Wonderful to have an opportunity to discuss THE WIRE (David Simon, showrunner: 2002-2008) -- a show which got mixed reviews and diminishing audiences but nonetheless survived to become a cultural touchstone -- with Dr. Ben Lamb. Ben is the author of You’re Nicked: Investigating British Television Police Series, for Manchester University Press as well as the producer of award winning films such as Rewinding the Welfare State: A Social History of the North East on Film and In the Veins: Coalming Communities In his new book on the series – THE WIRE -- Ben Lamb discusses the history of the production, how and why it was made, and he also provides vital context to each season to better understand what happened as well as to enhance the appreciation of the show. We talk on all of this as well as how it was groundbreaking, why its influence persists, how it laid the groundwork for the rise of a whole generation of black stars, how it can be seen to have predicted the rise of populism….and much more.

Fiona Cox, PhD in Film Studies by day, and, under the name of Kitty Mazinksy, chanteuse extraordinaire by night, is the ideal person to talk to about WICKED (Jon M. Chu, 2024). She’s read the book, seen the musical four times and has even performed in it. She now talks to me about musicals, the politics of the film, the dancing, the singing, the numbers, the length. Are critics right about tonal problems in the film? About finding fault with the way it looks? What about the casting and the songs? What does the film convey about race, queerness, female solidarity? How does it speak to the current moment? We compare it to the stage version, find it an improvement, and look forward to part II. Like Fiona herself, this is an ebullient, enthusiastic conversation, full of smarts and laughter.

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/29/pofcrit-podcast-2024-dylan-day-on-trainspotting-danny-boyle-1996/

Adapted from the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh, Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting is as whimsical as it is putrid. One of the most iconic and provocative films of the 1990s, it serves to examine the life of heroin addict Mark Renton and his addict friends as they endlessly search for the next hit. With an unrivalled energy and an unforgettable soundtrack, we seek to dig deeper into this film’s messages and influences of the film, its context within the “Britpop” movement, its allusions to Thatcher’s Britian, its representations of addiction beyond heroin and so on. We take a look at how effective the audio-visual style of Trainspotting is at conveying the visceral experience of drug addiction and how it is unique in its representation of addiction. Join us as we talk about all this and more.

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/29/thinking-aloud-about-film-volver-pedro-almodovar-2006/

Richard and I return to discuss VOLVER (Pedro Almodóvar, 2006), interesting to see always but particularly for Richard now having seen WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS (1984) and his earlier films, which he hadn’t seen before, and thus more fully appreciating one of the ‘returns’ in VOVER, that of Carmen Maura. We discuss the recurring motifs: Strong women, dreadful men, female solidarity, rape, relationships between mother and child, cemeteries, a star entrance through a tombstone. We note the evidence of Almodóvar’s rural background, how his films always reference and often feature the rural as setting. Almodóvar is of the few directors to represent rural customs (the white shirts and dark trousers of the men at the funeral); the rural is also evident in his use of dialogue, which feels so true, and adds a particular texture to his films, phrases that are structures of feeling, modes of understanding. We note how this is in tension with the representation of Madrid, often a character of its own in his films, and in this instance, the particular, working-class Madrid neighbourhoods of this film. We discuss the narrative, and how the film creates a world in which death and violence hover, the work of a filmmaker who doesn’t believe in ghosts but is aware of the relevance of the spectral in people’s lives and people’s understandings. The film looks luminous with a depth and texture to the visuals. Flowers turn up significantly in the film, represented in the poster’s design. We can’t think of another director who features rape so recurringly, in this case there’s a parallell rhyming rape of a father/ daughter with significantly different responses from the mothers; we note too how fathers are often shown as abusive, absent, neglectful. We discuss how Almodóvar often structures his story telling around a history of cinema, a telling through allusions, quotations, references to film, here we note how the film evokes Magnani, Loren, MILDRED PIERCE (Michael Curtiz, 1945), STELLA DALLAS (King Vidor 1937, the Magnani clip in the film is from Visconti’s BELLISSIMA (1951). Lastly, we tie all of this to the film’s themes: the past, making amends, building bridges, making connections, various kinds of returns.

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/25/pofcrit-podcast-2024-madeleine-lear-on-one-hour-photo-mark-romanek-2002/

Starring Robin Williams in one of his most unsettling roles as Sy, the photo guy. One Hour Photo follows Sy, a photo technician, as he forms an obsession with the Yorkin family before taking it upon himself to avenge his shattered fantasy and lost childhood innocence. In the accompanying podcast, Madeleine West shows how Romanek skillfully extends this film's sense of unease into its cinematography and mise-en-scène, delving into the intricate depths of the human mind, exploring themes of obsession, isolation and voyeurism.

This podcast discusses portrayals of mental health within cinema while looking towards this film's visuals as a way of depicting isolation and loneliness.

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/18/pofcrit-podcast-2024-james-thompson-on-under-the-silver-lake-david-robert-mitchell-2018/

James Thompson on UNDER THE SILVER LAKE:

Unpacking the mysteries of this dream-like neo-noir, the podcast takes a look at the film's many potential meanings and messages, as well as its wide array of influences and homages from classical Hollywood. From subliminal messages in the media, to mythical murderers, to secret underground bunkers or to cults of the ultra-rich, this episode explores all of the surreal enigmas of Under The Silver Lake. Shrouded by all of the mystery and excitement of Under The Silver Lake, however, lies something deeper. Beneath the surface, the film poses a profound statement as to the human condition, the search for meaning and the turmoil of consciousness, all of which will be revealed in this podcast, which be listened to below:

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/17/the-gus-van-sant-podcast-no-6-michael-j-glass-on-good-will-hunting-1997/

Michael J. Glass joins me for a discussion of Gus Van Sant’s GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997), a blockbuster success in its day; a film that won Robin Williams an Oscar, made stars of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and left a big cultural imprint. It’s since been much parodied (in COMMUNITY, THE SIMPSONS, all over youtube) and a dominant critical perspective is slightly sniffy on the film: filmmaking by numbers and committees on a ‘we need a job’ script. We found it an extremely easy watch that holds up and is even more interesting on second viewing. GOOD WILL HUNTING is an effective piece that is surprising in all kinds of ways and still works. We discuss its critique of the US, its focus on class, on abuse, on the fragility of young men. Its rare to see a film that dramatizes how American foreign policy is one of extraction and exploitation and how social mobility in the US is available only to geniuses with sponsorship. We also discuss whether how Van Sant film and what he focusses on might be connected to sexual identity.

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/15/pofcrit-podcast-2024-jake-diamond-on-i-am-legend-francis-lawrence-2007/

In this podcast we will discuss the often-overlooked 2007 adaptation of Richard Matheson's I Am Legend. Following Will Smith's rendition of Dr Robert Neville, a virologist and last man on earth, it focuses on the psychological deterioration and complex need for coping mechanisms one would face when confronted with complete existentialism. We will discuss the difficulties of adaptation and where focus can often be shifted with minute changes, forcing different interpretations; as well as how the 2007 version - with its complicated production - is the most poignant when it comes to the horror of isolation. Additionally, we will discuss a key element, which is the paradoxical situation Robert Neville finds himself in, because as the tagline states: The Last man on Earth isn't alone.

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/12/pofcrit-podcast-2024-lily-stripe-on-blue-lagoon-randal-klaiser-1980/

In this podcast we discuss the 1980 Randal Kleiser film, The Blue lagoon. It tells a coming-of-age story of two children shipwrecked on a tropical island, as they grow and develop into teenagers, and discover both themselves and the island. With beautiful sweeping landscapes and gorgeous young stars, it has all the attractions of a Hollywood film. However, its narrative is even more intriguing, both fascinating and bizarre in what it tries to tell, and the way the directors vision comes across. We talk about the frustrations of a story like this being told in a visual medium, and why it had the potential to break out of its western societal box, but failed to do so.

In this episode, we dive into Fallen Angels, one of Wong Kar Wai’s most visually stunning and emotionally layered films. Known for his distinct cinematic style, Wong blends fragmented storytelling with poetic visuals to explore themes of loneliness, alienation, and disconnection in Hong Kong’s urban landscape. The film’s fragmented narrative is complemented by Wong’s trademark use of disorienting camera movements, which heighten the emotional intensity and immerse viewers in the characters' internal worlds. Through his unique approach, Wong Kar Wai invites us to reflect on the complexities of human connection and the feeling of being lost in a modern, disconnected city.