Flixwise Podcast

We are so pleased and honored to welcome back to the show, writer and film historian, Professor James Naremore. As is the author of the seminal book on the film noir genre -- More Than Night: Film Noir and Its Contexts -- Naremore is more than equipped to tackle today's Sight and Sound entry: Chinatown (1974). Naremore, along with host, Lady P, discusses how the film creates an amalgam of Classic Noir homages along with an infusion of Nixon-era paranoia and cynicism. Lady P and Naremore also talk about how well the style and themes of the film hold up today, and they make a series of feeble excuses for why they are able to still enjoy the film in spite of the obvious parallels between the film's villain, John Huston's Noah Cross, and the offscreen criminal behavior of the film's director, Roman Polanski.

To justify her love of the movie, Lady P makes an attempt to reclaim Chinatown as a Faye Dunaway film. Let us know if you buy into that reasoning in the comments below.

Lady P is joined by Michelle Buchman (the social media maven over at Nerdist) and Kate Hagen (the Director of Community at The Blacklist), to discuss a pair of John Cassavetes films: Faces and A Woman Under the Influence. Or is it a pair of Gena Rowlands films? Either way, our panel discusses both films' ground breaking experimentalism, their emotional resonance, and whether or not their worthy of their places on the Sight & Sound list.

Happy four year anniversary of Flixwise! I hope you'll find that the fundamental things still apply, as time goes by. On this milestone episode, Lady P is joined by an esteemed film scholar and all-around snappy dresser, David Bordwell to discuss none other than Casablanca. They see if it lives up to its reputation as the quintessential Hollywood movie, not just of the 1940s but of all time, and consider if it's worth of its 78th spot on the Sight & Sound List. For a second topic they turn to the subject of David Bordwell's book, Reinventing Hollywood; How 1940s filmmakers changed movie storytelling. Mostly it's just an excuse to talk Joan Crawford. 

Returning guest, Chris Funderberg and John Cribbs of thepinksmoke.com join Martin in a discussion of Neil Jordan's Seaside Trilogy. The trilogy includes Mona Lisa, The Miracle, and The Crying Game. They talk about what makes it a trilogy, how it fits into Jodran's career, and whether films like Angel or The Butcher Boy might be considered unofficial additions to the trilogy. They talk about lumpy films, second-1st films, and what happened to Neil Jordan.

Martin is joined by Jon Laubinger of the FilmBabyFilm podcast to discuss the film adaptations of William Shakespeare's Scottish Play.They cover the gamut of interpretations, looking at what changes and what stays the same from film to film, and try to decide which is the most faithful. They can't resist talking about the theatre, and then give their opinion on which filmmakers they would like to see tackle The Bard's brutal tragedy.

For our Valentine's Day show, we relitigate an ancient (mid-90s) grudge, which breaks to new mutiny. Flixwise newcomers Jacob Mertens and Erica Moulton head up opposite households in the Shakespearean adaptation universe.Jacob, who hails from the House of Baz, believes that Luhrmann's 1996 cultural touchstone, Romeo + Juliet is one of the greatest movies of all time. Erica, of the House of Skeptics, thinks that Baz's formal flourishes don't do justice to the original text. Host, Lady P plays referee as these two argue over whether or not this adaptation is worthy of canonization. Expect quarreling, drawn swords, and lots of swooning over young-Leo DiCaprio.  

Many thanks to friend of the show, Ma Narizza dela Cerna for the lovely intro. 

Martin is joined by returning guest Becky D’Anna to discuss Alexander Payne’s Election. They discuss the film’s use of unreliable narration, which of its characters are sympathetic, its garbage motif, and what a bee sting adds to it.  They talk about why the film’s ending is perfect, and why the original ending might not have worked. They cover the film’s political satire, depiction of high school life, and decide once and for all if Tracy Flick is a winner.

On today's show, classic movie buffs, Michelle Buchman and Kate Hagen, join Lady P for the first Flixwise Favorites entry of 2k18. Michelle is on hand to tell listeners why she thinks Robert Redford's 1980 Best Picture winner, ORDINARY PEOPLE, is actually pretty exceptional. According to Michelle, the film offers both great performances (particularly those of Mary Tyler Moore and Timothy Hutton) as well as an ahead-of-its-time portrayal of mental illness and behavioral therapy. The panel then delves into a discussion on why ORDINARY PEOPLE has been either forgotten or unfairly maligned in the years since its release. For many, the film is now better known as a spoiler for RAGING BULL winning the Academy Award, than a movie with its own artist merit.  Our panel discusses whether other 1980 releases including RAGING BULL and ELEPHANT MAN were indeed robbed that year, or whether ORDINARY PEOPLE was worthy of it's initial acclaim. Then they decide whether it should enjoy further adulation with a place on the Flixwise Favorites list. 

Our annual year in review show, and our first ever call-in episode. A whole host of guests both new and familiar join Lady P̶o̶r̶g̶ P and Martin in covering their favourite movies of the year, and manage to give their thoughts on some of 2017's most debated film topics like post-horror and if a TV show belongs on a list of the best movies of the year.

Is Titanic an unsinkable classic? A deluxe panel dives in to decide whether the one-time 'biggest movie i the world' is worthy of The Flixwise Favourites List. They discuss Kate and Leo....and James "Feminist Filmmaker" Cameron. The sing-a-long of My Heart Will Go On is just a bonus.