In this final episode of 2019, Jim talks a little bit about Dans Paris (not a fan), but mostly uses it to wax poetic about Christmas and how his life has changed, is changing, and will continue to change.  

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year to everyone!   

It would be easy to assume that Rare Exports is just a dark and cynical twist on the Christmas symbolism of which many people have grown sick, but that wouldn't do justice to the  fine line that writer/director Jalmari Helander straddles between satire and sincerity.

Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale is a mix of emotions, personalities, soundtracks, powerful performances, and filmmaking tricks that masterfully encapsulates the cacophony that results from a reunion of so many people with so much baggage. Desplechin's aesthetic keeps the audience constantly unsettled, riding waves of emotions that whip the audience back and forth amongst relating with his characters and rejecting them from scene-to-scene. It's a fabulous work, but not one without its problems.

'Tis the season to be jolly...and for Alonso Duralde to return to I Do Movies Badly! The author of "Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas" makes his annual appearance on the podcast to talk about all things Christmas from the why's and what's of the influx of original streaming content to who's the best cinematic Ebenezer Scrooge (the correct answer is Michael Caine). Yuletide recommendations abound in both some highlights from this year's streaming crop to the titles I'll be reviewing this month: Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale (2002), Jalmari Helander's Rare Exports (2010), and Christophe Honoré's Dans Paris (2006).

Okja may not have made me swear off meat, but its intimacy with an adorable albeit extremely large pig did provide an emotional and critical look at larger societal forces (corporations, police, extremist groups) that all contribute to the oppression and separation of innocent people.

The exploration of class separation may be more subtext in The Host than it was text in Memories of Murder, but it still provides fertile ground for exploring the absurdity of authorities that perpetuate the separation of people. Also, go see Parasite!

Memories of Murder is a story that's relatively simple in concept, but complex in execution because of how Bong Joon-ho skillfully blends emotions together within his characters and his scenes.

Writer/director Jim Mickle (Stake Land, We Are What We Are, In the Shadow of the Moon) graces I Do Movies Badly with his presence to talk about his journey to filmmaking, his penchant for genre, and - of course - Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho! The Jims talk about Joon-ho's tendency to change lanes and moods mid-film, how his films are always centered in heart, and why Snowpiercer is Mickle's least favorite of the filmmaker's output before getting on to the recommendations: Memories of a Murder (2003), The Host (2006), and Okja (2017).

Jim Mickle's latest film, In the Shadow of the Moon, is streaming now on Netflix!

I'm wrapping up September with unadulterated, unfiltered Abbas Kiarostami. Close-Up, the filmmaker's second feature-length film, radiates the visual and aesthetic ambition of a young filmmaker exploring cinematic conventions for the very first time. 

Listen to the end for an exciting announcement about October's guest and theme!

After some big news - New podcast! New co-host! Coming next week! - I get to the discussion of Certified Copy, a film that I was fully on board with for...55 minutes.