Indiana Daily Student

Welcome back to Double Feature, the IDS film podcast where the powers that be let us in a podcast booth to give you hot takes and maybe some lukewarm ones too.

With years of internationally acclaimed work, a distinct philosophical look at the nature of connections and a new film with 10 Academy Award nominations, Mexican writer and director Alfonso Cuarón has made a name for himself as a critical darling with an eternally-fresh artistic eye.

On this week’s episode of Double Feature, hosts Annie Aguiar and Chris Forrester discuss arguably his two most personal works: 2001’s coming-of-age drama “Y Tu Mamá También” and 2018’s black-and-white tale of a live-in housekeeper, “Roma.”

“Y Tu Mamá También” follows two teenage boys who go on a road trip with an older married woman, but it’s so much more than the wacky sex romp that it sounds like it is. It even earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay, despite some controversy over explicit sex and drug use.

When it came time to make “Roma”, Cuarón decided to shoot the film himself in addition to writing, directing, co-producing and co-editing it. The story is focused on Cleo, a housekeeper in the home of a middle-class family in Mexico City in 1970.

Cleo is played by first-time actress Yalitza Aparicio, whose Oscar nomination for Best Actress marks the first time an Indigenous woman has been up for the prize.

After a seven-game losing streak, the IU men's basketball season was energized last weekend with a stunning upset win in East Lansing, Michigan.

The Hoosiers defeated the then-No. 6 ranked Spartans for their first road win in the series since February 2013, a win that also changes the trajectory of this IU season.

Indiana Daily Student men's basketball writers Ben Portnoy and Murphy Wheeler discuss the ramifications of IU's victory, as well as the effect the win has on the Hoosiers' NCAA Tournament hopes.

PODCAST SEGMENTS:

0:36 - How did IU defeat then-No. 6 Michigan State on the road?

2:40 - The return of De'Ron Davis and Devonte Green for IU

5:39 - IU's depth is once again a strength for the Hoosiers

9:00 - Does one win fix all of IU's problems?

14:00 - Looking forward to the rest of IU's schedule

19:20 - NCAA Tournament discussion

26:00 - NCAA Tournament predictions

Welcome to back to Double Feature, the IDS film podcast where the powers that be let us in a podcast booth to give you hot takes and maybe some lukewarm ones too.

Generally speaking, faith-based films usually suck. More often than not, they tend to be pandering, flat and completely derivative. Filmmakers rarely have the courage to tackle the nuances of spirituality or look at the uglier sides of what it means to live a religious life.

On this week's episode of Double Feature, hosts Annie Aguiar and Chris Forrester discuss two films that do: 2011's "The Tree of Life" and 2017's "First Reformed."

"The Tree of Life," directed by Terrence Malick, stars Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain in an epic comparing a man's memory of growing up in 1950s Texas with the origins of the universe and life on Earth.

"First Reformed," directed by Paul Schrader, follows the Reverend Ernst Toller — played by Ethan Hawke in a performance many say deserved an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor — as he wrestles with questions of faith and forgiveness after encountering a radical environmentalist.

IU has now gone nearly a month without a victory after losing its last six games. The Hoosiers now sit at 12-8 overall and 3-6 in Big Ten play with a pair of daunting road games on the schedule for this week.

IU plays at Rutgers on Wednesday night before a Saturday night contest at Michigan State.

Indiana Daily Student men's basketball writers Ben Portnoy, Cameron Drummond and Murphy Wheeler discuss potential solutions for IU, as well as what the realistic expectations should be for the team for the rest of the season.

PODCAST SEGMENTS:

0:55 — Where does IU go following its embarrassing home loss to Michigan?

8:05 — How disappointing has Romeo Langford's outside shooting been this season?

9:50 — The role coaching has played in IU's losing streak

13:30 — Why IU fans shouldn't panic about Archie Miller

22:30 — A preview of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights

28:30 — The opportunities IU will have this season to win important conference games

31:45 — Options Miller has to help "move the needle" for IU on the court

35:45 — The Zach McRoberts problem

Welcome back to Double Feature, the IDS film podcast where the powers that be let us in a podcast booth to give you hot takes and maybe some lukewarm ones, too.

Every year, movie nerds anticipate the nominations from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, better known as just the Academy, to see if their favorite films of the year get any recognition leading up to the Oscars. The nominations are the moment when all the awards show buzz either falls flat or propels a picture to the canon of movies worth seeing.

This year's nominations are a mixed bag. This week, hosts Annie Aguiar and Chris Forrester are breaking the usual format to discuss the highs and lows of the nominations, which were announced earlier this week.

For example, the thoughtful and beautiful films "Roma" and "The Favourite" are both up for Best Picture, but Barry Jenkins' latest film, "If Beale Street Could Talk," wasn't even nominated in that category. This is only a couple years after Jenkins' "Moonlight" took home the same award.

But, perhaps most egregiously of all, "Paddington 2" didn't receive a single nomination.

After a 3-0 start to Big Ten Conference play, the IU men's basketball team has gone through its roughest stretch of the season.

IU has lost its last four games, including this past week's contests at home against Nebraska and at Purdue, to drop to 3-4 in conference games and 12-6 overall for the season.

Indiana Daily Student men’s basketball writers Cameron Drummond and Ben Portnoy discuss the reasons for IU's recent downturn in fortunes, any positives to come out of a 15-point road loss at Purdue and look ahead to the importance of this week's games as IU looks to stay in the NCAA Tournament picture.

Brendan Quinn of The Athletic Detroit also joins the podcast to help preview IU's rematch against Michigan this Friday night.

PODCAST SEGMENTS:

1:45 - Inside the guard matchups between IU and Purdue

5:00 - Justin Smith as IU's only positive from the Purdue loss | Read more at: https://www.idsnews.com/article/2019/01/iu-justin-smith-offers-third-scorer-potential-in-loss-to-purdue

7:25 - Purdue's offensive runs on either side of halftime and IU's lack of energy in the game

12:15 - Is IU getting enough on-court production from its role players?

15:10 - IU's lack of depth and outside shooting, and how much does it limit the Hoosiers on offense?

19:30 - Looking ahead to this week's games

24:40 - An interview with Brendan Quinn, Michigan and Michigan State basketball writer for The Athletic Detroit

Welcome back to Double Feature, the IDS film podcast where the powers that be let us in a podcast booth to give you hot takes and maybe some lukewarm ones, too.

A lot of children’s movies have a habit of talking down to or tailoring themselves to their audience, favoring cutesy kitsch over impactful storytelling. On this new episode of Double Feature, hosts Annie Aguiar and Chris Forrester discuss two children’s movies that are wonderful specifically because they don’t do that: "Paddington 2," and "The Last Unicorn."

"Paddington 2," the story of our hero Paddington Bear trying to find a birthday present for his Aunt Lucy, is currently the highest rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. What appears to be a straight-forward movie for children ends up touching on topics like the hostility of modern society towards immigrants as well as the injustices inherent within the criminal justice system. It's still about a CGI bear who loves marmalade sandwiches, though.

"The Last Unicorn" is a 1982 animated fever dream of a movie about a unicorn who, fearing she is the last of her kind, goes on a journey to find the rest of the unicorns. In her travels, she finds a butterfly who only communicates in song, a very nervous wizard who hasn't quite figured out how to use magic, a talking pirate cat with a peg leg and a eye-patch who only speaks in riddles and so much more. It's a film that is actively terrifying, but for children.

IU’s conference record has gone from an unblemished 3-0 to a 3-2 mark after recent losses at Michigan and Maryland.

Now, IU returns home to play Nebraska on Monday night before traveling to play Purdue this weekend at Mackey Arena.

Indiana Daily Student men’s basketball writers Cameron Drummond, Ben Portnoy and Murphy Wheeler discuss how important this week’s games are to the rest of IU’s season, as well as the depth issues plaguing IU.

Purdue men’s basketball writer Nathan Baird of the Lafayette Journal & Courier also joins the podcast to preview IU’s game Saturday afternoon at Purdue.

PODCAST SEGMENTS:

0:45 - How and why IU lost at Maryland

3:32 - The challenges facing IU when the Hoosiers play talented, physical frontcourt players

5:55 - What are IU's current frontcourt options?

10:29 - Are De'Ron Davis and Juwan Morgan able to handle frontcourt responsibilities by themselves?

14:00 - Previewing the IU - Nebraska guard matchup

17:00 - A KenPom breakdown of Nebraska

20:15 - Does IU's offense work better in transition or in a half-court setting?

25:00 - An interview with Nathan Baird of the Lafayette Journal & Courier

Welcome back to Double Feature, the Indiana Daily Student film podcast where the powers that be let us in a podcast booth to give you hot takes and maybe some lukewarm ones, too.

The Midwestern identity has been the subject of a lot of scrutiny in recent years. There was a lot of conjecture from people living on the coasts about the Midwest after the 2016 election — who lives in small towns in states like Indiana? What are their lives like?

In this episode of Double Feature, hosts Annie Aguiar and Chris Forrester talk about two films from the last two years that attempt to answer that question, with different levels of success: "Monrovia, Indiana" and "Columbus." These films both offer looks into small town Indiana life as veteran documentarian Frederick Wiseman takes viewers into day-to-day scenes in "Monrovia, Indiana" and debut director Kogonada makes the audience think — and cry — about what it's like to both love and hate the place you're from.

After winning seven consecutive games following a blowout loss at Duke University, the IU men's basketball team was dealt its third road loss of the season Sunday night.

The Hoosiers fell by 11 points against the then-No. 2 ranked Michigan Wolverines, a game in which IU never led.

Injuries, foul trouble and a slow start to the game doomed IU from the opening tipoff, but a resurgent second-half performance gave the Hoosiers some momentum despite the loss.

With 16 more conference games left to close out the season, Indiana Daily Student basketball writers Cameron Drummond and Ben Portnoy, along with special guest and former IDS staffer Andrew Hussey from Michigan's Rivals' website, The Wolverine, dissect what happened during Sunday's game and what it means for both IU and Michigan going forward.

PODCAST SEGMENTS:

2:25 - What went wrong for IU and what went right for Michigan during Sunday's game?

6:35 - Going inside the box score for IU and Michigan

9:45 - Will IU ever find a consistent third scoring option on offense behind Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan?

12:00 - Do IU's bench players need to do more once substituted into the game?

16:45 - How would this game have played out with both teams having a fully healthy roster?

24:20 - The experience factor of Michigan versus the youth of IU

25:40 - What to expect from IU's upcoming stretch of games

28:00 - Is it too late for IU to find a third scorer?

30:30 - How do IU's fringe players fit into IU's offensive system?

33:50 - Who is the best option to be the Hoosiers' main leader?

36:12 - Where does Michigan go for the rest of the season?

38:00 - Where does IU go for the rest of the season?

Read more here:

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2019/01/slow-start-contributes-to-iu-mens-basketballs-loss-at-michigan

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2019/01/juwan-morgans-huge-second-half-not-enough-for-hoosiers-at-michigan

https://www.idsnews.com/article/2019/01/column-iu-basketball-showed-growth-in-loss-at-michigan