Flixwise Podcast

The Academy Award nominees were announced a week ago today, so theoretically we should have had a sufficient amount of time to mull over the various categories. However, this podcast offers something of a collective scratching of the heads at the hodgepodge of different Best Picture nominees. Host, Lady P, is joined by Oscar enthusiasts, and fellow UW-Madison Graduate Students, J.J. Bersch and Tim Brayton, to help sort through the good, the bad, and the Green Book of this year's contenders. Together they suggest reasons why there is so much incongruity in the major categories and discuss their favorites among the contenders. 

Plus, since we never got around to it last year, we are finally doing an abbreviated year-in-review show wherein we chat about A Story is Born, Spike Lee, Minding the Gap, and of course, Miss Weisz.  

If you want to hear more movie talk from Tim, here's a link to his regular podcasting gig, Alternate Ending. Also, he made a previous appearance on Flixwise for our Oliver & Company/The Hunchback of Notre Dame episode. 

And if you want a change of pace from movies, click here to listen to J.J's fantastic music playlists. 

We're kicking off 2019, with a trip back in time! It is a look back to turn-of-the-Century Midwestern America with Orson Welles's adaptation of Booth Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). Film historian and author, Professor Joseph McBride joins host Lady P to talk about the legacy of Welles' feature follow-up to Citizen Kane. McBride delves into the film's fraught post-production--a process which ultimately resulted in the dismantling of Welles's directorial vision. While the film may not reflect Welles's original intentions, there is still much to admire about the craftsmanship and storytelling in the film as it currently stands. Indeed, despite the careless studio mutilation, Ambersons is still held in such critical esteem that it managed to snag the 81st spot on the Sight & Sound Critics Poll. Lady P and McBride discuss the film's enduring appeal and how the nostalgic remembrance of a time long since past is still as relevant and moving today as it was when the film first debuted.

This is the third in our trilogy of recent podcasts with McBride. See our previous discussions on Ernst Lubitsch's Trouble in Paradise and our episode on Welles's (new!) film The Other Side of the Wind. And make sure to check out McBride's interview feature on the new Criterion Blu-Ray of The Magnificent Ambersons. 

Note--this episode was recorded well in advance of its release. Please disregard the ending note detailing upcoming episodes. We are still in the process of preparing our slate of podcasts for this new year. 

Martin is joined by returning guests Zachary Curl and Leanne Kubicz to discuss Nagisa Oshima's atypical war film, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. They talk in-depth about the film's four leads: Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Bowie, and Takeshi Kitano. They examine Oshima's themes and dream-like style, look at the films flashback structure, and talk about how they connect personally to it.

Martin is joined by returning guest Matthias van der Roest to discuss a pair of David Cronenberg films: A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. They talk about what makes the pair a pair, and where they fit into Cronenberg's filmography as a whole. Then they talk about both films status as 'Canadian films', and what makes a film 'Canadian'.

Martin is joined by returning guest Becky D'Anna to discuss her second favourite film of all time, Broadcast News. Becky explains why the film means so much to her, and they take a deep dive into its themes, characters and performances.  Becky and Martin then politely debate the film's ending, and bemoan the lack of film award recognition for Albert Brooks.

After a series of postponements, our episode on The Other Side of the Wind has at long last arrived. Of course, our delays are nothing compared to the 30-plus year wait for this brand spankin' new Orson Welles movie. Today's guest, Joseph McBride, is not only one of the great Welles historians in academia, he also makes an appearance in the film. We're fortunate to have Joe on hand to both contextualize what's onscreen, as well as regale us with tales of being onset with one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Plus, he and host (Lady P) detail one of the major difficulties of this project--assembling all the footage without Welles on-hand to offer feedback. They discuss how the editors and sound designers went about executing this challenge and speculate about whether or not Welles would be pleased with this final cut.

Martin is joined by the very best Buñuel-enthusiasts he know, Chris Funderburg and John Cribbs to discuss the film of surrealist master Luis Buñuel by focusing specifically on the theme related to religion in his films. They look primarily at Nazarin, Viridiana, Simon of the Desert, and The Milky Way. However, other films make their way into the conversation too, like Mexican Bus Ride, as our panel shines a light on the unfair obscurity of many of Buñuel's Mexican films. They break down some of the misconceptions about Buñuel, and give their interpretations of his films.

Lady P is, once again, joined by film historian Professor Joseph McBride to talk about about his latest release, How Did Lubitsch Do It?. The book is a comprehensive critical study on the film works of famed German-American filmmaker, Ernst Lubitsch. McBride steps listeners through Lubitsch's early years, and discusses how his technique and style evolved through the various phases of his career. They also talk about career highlights, with special attention paid to what many consider to be his masterpiece, Trouble in Paradise (1932). As the 117th film on the critic's poll, Trouble in Paradise is the highest ranking Lubitsch film on the Sight and Sound list. McBride and Lady P discuss why it's considered such a seminal work, and talk about its legacy as formative film in the romantic comedy genre.

Plus, McBride and Lady P make a slight digression to talk about Joe's interesting take on the on the current state of the romantic comedy, and why he believes it has had a precipitous fall from the Lubitsch era.

Martin is joined by returning guest Spencer Seams of the High and Low podcast to discuss Frank & Eleanor Perry's David and Lisa. They talk about the film's approach to character, and its portrayal of mental illness and psychiatric care. They cover surreal dream sequences and low budget naturalism, and consider the legacy of the Perrys and their post-divorce careers (as well as their relation to a certain pop superstar).

At long last, Lady P and Martin are doing a show together again. They are joined in their reunion by film fanatic, and Wrong Reel mainstay, Becky D'Anna. The three of them join forces to tackle Marcel Carné's lengthy, 1945 period drama, Les Enfants du Paradis (aka Children of Paradise). The film was initially released in two parts, and remains bifurcated even in it's completed form. The first part, "Boulevard du Crime", follows the rising star of a young mime named Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault), who makes the leap from penniless street performer to veteran actor at a famous theatre. This part also introduces us to Baptiste's love interest, Garance (Arletty), a courtesan to whom Baptiste pledges his undying love. Initially, Garance doesn't seem to feel the same level of devotion, as she's got three other suitors vying for her affection, and she eventually opts to be with a wealthy Count over Baptiste. However, in the second half of the film "L'Homme Blanc", after a six year time-jump, it is revealed that Garance has been carrying a torch for Baptiste and would still like to be with him. The remainder of the film explores the will-they/won't-they dynamic of that relationship, as well as the other criminal entanglements of the tertiary characters.

We here at Flixwise ascribe to the conviction that a mime is a terrible thing to waste (Thanks Mel!), however, three plus hours of backstage pantomime drama can prove taxing to even the most ardent theatre nerd. Listen up to find out how well the misadventures of Baptiste and co. held our panelists's attention and whether the broader themes of tragic love and virtuous poverty hold up in 2018. They also discuss the remarkable circumstances of the film's production, and whether there are traces of Nazi propaganda or subversive French Resistance messaging in the material. Plus, they decide whether the film is worthy of the 73rd spot on the Sight and Sound list.