Flixwise Podcast

On today's show, we have the 59th movie on the Sight and Sound International Critics' Poll: Barry Lyndon. Speaking of Sight and Sound, today's guest is a freelance critic for that esteemed film journal, as well as the social media maven for Film4, Michael Leader. Michael joins host Lady P and Flixwise regular Kristen Sales to discuss Stanley Kubrick's overlooked masterpiece. Barry Lyndon has historically been dogged by a kind of middle child syndrome. It has neither the technical marvel of 2001: A Space Odyssey ('68), nor the crowd-pleasing sexuality and violence ofA Clockwork Orange ('71)  or The Shining ('80). Nevertheless, our panelists believe Barry Lyndon to be among Kubrick's shining achievements. They talk about why the film is such a success, and why it's taken so long for it to be properly recognized as one of the greats. Plus, they talk about Ryan O'Neal, his eventual fall from grace (Warning - don't click this link if ever hope to take Mr. O'Neal seriously again), and, of course, they touch on the film's notoriously arduous production process.

Then for our second topic, we discuss Michael's latest film distribution venture, Misc Films. Michael and Misc Films' co-founder, Rowan Woods, have joined forces to get some of their favorite little-seen indies a proper screening in London. Michael talks about what it takes to organize a screening in a major metropolitan area and how you go about getting the rights to these works. Eventually the panelists just geek out about the various rep houses in their respective areas, and they talk about how to drive people back to the theatre.

On today's show, we have our first Flixwise Favorites entry of 2017. This time, guest Joshua Wilson, of the film blog F for Films, asks Lady P and Martin to consider Blake Edwards' 1964 farce, A Shot in the Dark, for entry into our alternate greatest of all time list. Those keeping track of our journey through the Sight and Sound Critics' Poll are familiar with Lady P's griping about the lack of comedies featured in the cinema canon. But listen up to hear if she and Martin think this Pink Panther sequel is worthy of being named among the all-time-best.

Fair Warning: A Shot in the Dark features George Sanders aka the greatest actor who's ever inhabited this sweet cesspool. Therefore Lady P can make no claim of objectivity or even rationality. She can, however, promise honesty and a terrible French accent.

On today's show, Lady P is joined by the woman who penned one of the greatest movies of the decade: Carol (2015). The funny and brilliant Phyllis Nagy is here to talk about adapting Carol's screenplay from Patricia Highsmith's original source material and the lengthy, and at times frustrating, process of getting the film into production. They chat about Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara's rendering of the two lead characters, as well as the standout performance from supporting players, Sarah Paulson and Kyle Chandler. Plus, Phyllis offers a scoop on what happened to a few scenes from the book that didn't make the final cut of the film.

Longtime listeners are by this point well aware of Lady P's total adoration of things Carol. Listen up to see if she manages to keep her composure throughout the entire interview.

In addition to filling us in on details from behind-the-scenes of Carol, Phyllis is also here to discuss a pair of standout performances by the incomparable French actress, Isabelle Huppert. This year Huppert was, at long last, nominated for her first Academy Award. However, Huppert has been giving Oscar-worthy performances well before she ever worked with Verhoeven. If you are unfamiliar with her work up to this point, you might not know where to begin, as her filmography is quite extensive. Fortunately, Phyllis is here to offer up two of her favorite Huppert films as suggestions for your watch list: Claude Chabrol's 1988 film: Story of Women, and Diane Kurys 1983 film: Entre Nous. 

Both Story of Women and Entre Nous are period dramas which find Huppert playing malcontented married women, both of whom form deep attachments to their closest female friends. In Story of Women she plays Marie Latour, a woman who, despite her husband's objections, traffics in abortions and other illegal dealings in German occupied France. In Entre Nous, Huppert plays Lena Weber, a woman who falls into an expedient marriage in order to escape Nazi control, but after the war is over falls in the love with another woman.

Both of these movies were heralded by critics upon their initial release. However, only Story of Women, is readily available. You can purchase it on DVD and it's also streamable on FilmStruck. However, Entre Nous (you know, the one directed by a woman) is currently unavailable in the US. If you're lucky enough to have a region 2 DVD player, you can purchase it here.

Listeners, your mission is now to bug the right people, and get this wonderful film back in circulation.

We are honored to welcome film historian, Professor James Naremore, back to the show for a discussion on Orson Welles' 1958 film noir classic Touch of Evil. Orson Welles is a frequent topic of conversion on this podcast. We've had several Welles scholars make appearances, including Joseph McBride and Patrick McGilligan, as well as today's guest, Professor Naremore, who has made reference to his Welles critical study: The Magic World of Orson Welles on several previous occasions. Clearly, we at Flixwise will take any excuse to expound on our favorite cinematic wunderkind, but believe it or not, Touch of Evil is only the second Welles film on the Sight and Sound International Critics Poll.

Needless to say, we are thrilled to finally have another Welles Sight and Sound entry to mull over. Lady P and Naremore delve into Welles stylistic choices, and how they differ from some of Welles' previous Hollywood pictures. They talk about the terrific performances from both the lead actors and the supporting players, and of course the screen-scorching presence of Marlene Dietrich.

For the second topic, they move on to another iconic Welles character: Harry Lime. The purpose of art in today's scary political climate is a popular topic kicking around online magazines and social media feeds. Some articles have even suggested that these times of great tumult may prove a boon to artists, because, apparently, social revolt is grist to the mill for creative types. This sentiment echoes Harry Lime's "Cuckoo Clock" speech from Carol Reed's 1949 classic, The Third Man in which he makes a claim that great cultural works are produced primarily as a result of war and strife.  Lady P and Naremore revisit this infamous speech, and discuss whether its central argument still holds any merit today, and perhaps more significantly, whether it ever held any merit at all.

It's official. Flixwise co-producer Martin Kessler has signed his soul over to the dark lord Black Phillip, and decided to starts a new podcast - Flixwise: Canada. Seeing as how Martin is the world's nicest human, this obvious betrayal of Flixwise founder, Lady P, can only be the work of the Devil. But before you go calling your local exorcist, just know that Lady P is also on good terms with Satan and is totally onboard this new venture.

These new Martin hosted-episodes will focus on topics outside of Flixwise's usual purview. Don't worry, we're still going to have our normal Sight and Sound coverage, as well as plenty of Flixwise Favorites entries and special episodes. Except now we'll also have episodes focusing exclusively on topics Martin wants to cover.

Like for instance, on today's show, Martin's discussing Robert Eggers' 2016 debut feature, The Witch, with Bay Area English Professor, Burton Fisher. Listeners will recall that The Witch was one of Martin's favorite films of 2016. Here he gets a chance to elaborate on why this film stands apart from other recent supernatural horror flicks. Plus, he and Burton explore the various influences that helped Eggers shape The Witch's cinematic world, including puritan folklore and the works of Andre Tarkovsky.

Our 2016 wrap-up continues with a special bonus episode on the best television shows of the year. Lady P is joined once again by Martin Kessler, Kristen Sales, and special call-in guest Marya E. Gates, to discuss their top 5 television shows and moments that stood out among the din. They cover the good (the CW and FX rocked it last year), the bad (The Cleveland baseball team is called WHAT?!), the strange (Atlanta - the Twin Peaks of the south!), and the all-too-familiar (Stranger Things). Let us know if we missed anything.

It's our annual year in review show! Lady P is joined by Anne Marie Kelly, Martin Kessler, and Kristen Sales (with a special call-in segment from our pal Marya E. Gates) to talk about the best movies of 2016.  Each panelist runs through their Top 5 favorite films of the year. Plus, they highlight notable performances and delight in ripping into movies that didn't quite meet their expectations (or in the case of The Handmaiden, met their expectations exactly).

Finally, they close things out with a brief remembrance of beloved pop culture icons Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, and offer a few halting reasons to be optimistic for the coming year. 

Since this our last episode of 2016, we felt it appropriate to mark the occasion with a pair of discussions about "changing times." First up, Lady P welcomes blogger, David Eves, and Flixwise co-producer, Martin Kessler, to talk about today's Sight and Sound entry, Luchino Visconti's 1963 epic period drama, The Leopard. The film is about an aging Sicilian prince, played by Burt Lancaster, who attempts to stoke the flickering remnants of his family heritage and societal standing as the old world aristocracy crumbles around him. At number 57, The Leopard stands as Visconti's most highly ranked film on the "Greatest of all Time" list. It is largely heralded for its lavish production design, its sweeping themes of love and family strife, and the towering central performance from Lancaster. The panel deliberates on how well the central themes of the film still resonate in our current political climate.

Then, the gang jumps into a discussion on movies about intergenerational conflict (i.e., they'll take any excuse to bring up The Magnificent Ambersons). They talk about the challenges of portraying these eternal struggles on film, and why we as humans insist on pitting different generations against each other. 

Yesterday (December 5th, 2016) was the 126th birthday of German director turned Hollywood Auteur, Fritz Lang. Today, we honor the legendary filmmaker with a discussion of his 1931 classic, M. Host, Lady P, is joined by co-producer, Martin Kessler, and Flixwise regular, Carrie Specht, to talk about Lang's disturbingly prescient tale about the dangers of mob rule and police overreach. The panel talks about how well the message of the film holds up to contemporary audiences, and whether or not it is worthy of the 56th spot on the Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time List.

Then, in honor of Peter Lorre's Hans Beckert character, the panel delves in to a discussion about sympathetic villains. They talk about the ways in which a sympathetic villain differs from a charismatic villain, or an anti-hero. Plus, each panelist gives their Top 5 examples of the type.

We recorded this episode several weeks ago, but given the results of last Tuesday's election it could not be more prescient. Martin Kessler and Marcus Pinn join Lady P to talk Melvin Van Peebles 1967 debut feature The Story of a Three-Day Pass. Directed by an African-American with the style and panache of a French New Wave film, it perfectly encapsulates the essence of 1960s Parisian chic. It tells the story of an African-American soldier on leave for a few days in Paris. He tours the city by himself feeling lonely and out-of-place, that is, until he has a chance encounter with a young French woman who has came to spend the weekend with him. The pair fall head over heels for each other, but quickly find that love does not conquer all.

This episode directly addresses issues that society continually grapples with - namely the role of casual and systemic racism in contemporary culture. If we were to do this episode again today, the tenor of our discussion would likely be very different. However, the subjects and opinions expressed in this recording still stand.

During these solemn times we give thanks to people like Melvin Van Peebles, someone who overcame tremendous economic and racial barriers, and steadfastly held to his cinematic vision. Let us hope that these efforts were not in vain, and that through art and discourse we can eventually move this ever-stubborn needle forward.