On the BiTTE

Hitting the tonnes with something "special".

Episode 101 sees us covering SALÒ, or THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM, with our friends from UNCOMFORTABLE BRUNCH: Josh and Kat. This is a film that, even describing it in any way, will make us look like freaks. We promise that next time we'll cover something funny(-ish). Buckle up buttercups!

If you've watched the film, you have an idea what to expect. If you have watched the film and decided to come here for further analysis, can I ask you one thing? Are you OK?

Look at where our tenacity and dedication have gotten us. All the way to episode 100! It is true what they say: if you stick at something long enough in a sequential order, you will eventually reach EPISODE 100. Don't quote me, but I think Mark Maron said that. But what an episode 100 this is. 

We look at the seminal work of a visionary, David Lynch, who passed away earlier this year. Starring Kyle McLachlan, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, Dean Stockwell, and Dennis Hopper, this is the story about finding an ear and figuring out who it belongs to. And Frank, obviously. Beautiful, disgusting, violent Frank. 

Little did Laura and Ryan know that we recite Frank's lines more often than not in everyday life, which is probably why people may perceive our relationship as far from golden. But that's your fault; you have no sense of humor. Just shut up and listen to our podcast!

Starring Mark Rylance, Kerry Fox, and Timothy Spall, directed by Patrice Chéreau, this film is about the silent sexual encounters of two people amidst the lonely landscape of a dark-set urban London. This is quite a 'big' entry in the pantheon of our OTB legacy, and we take a slightly different tact with this one. It comes out that we quite like this one even if people don't. Isn't that the way it goes though?

This is episode 99 as well. That's kinda great, isn't it? Episode 100 is next up (obviously). 

Who'd have thought that answering a magazine advert to be a man's "wife" on an island, fending for yourself for an entire year, would be a terrible idea? They have to live off the land, free from outside influence, a true escape from the monotony of city life in London. We believe this feeling of "escape" is a very "Western" idealist concept. In that respect, it's a very throwaway idea. But these guys actually did it. And here's the end result.

Based on the true story of Lucy Irvine, who answered a magazine advert to spend one year on a secluded island with a man she had just met seems too wild to have happened. Starring Oliver Reed and Amanda Donohoe, directed by Nicholas Roeg, this film is a mixed experience, especially as rare as the film is to obtain in its original, legitimate release.

I hope that none of you have ever experienced the intrusion of some bad neighbors. Certainly not to the point that they force you to rent out your prospective second library and refurbish it to become a garish 1970s Post-Modern monstrosity.

This is the crux of the film CONVERSATION PIECE, written and directed by master filmmaker Luchino Visconti. It stars Burt Lancaster as the central character. This film is a real treat that is handled with finesse and grace. It's an anxiety-inducing mystery tale about loneliness, generational differences, and lamenting on your past.

Just remember, when all the dust settles, it all started because of a painting.

DA DUM DA DUM DA DUM! Heed the sound of the Valentine's drums for the ultimate date night movie!

Not really. We're slap bang in the middle of 16th Century Europe where violence and assault run rampant across these lawless lands. Mercenaries are storming castles and war is rife in the region. This is the landscape of Paul Verhoeven's fantasy/romance/drama: FLESH + BLOOD.

It's definitely an oddly placed film that's home is undetermined for an audience. Its lack of success when it was released is evidence of that. It's a bit messy. It's a bit uncomfortable. It's a bit uninspiring. If you remember anything from this mess, there are these four words: LIGHTNING STRIKE DOG COLLAR!

"Oh my God! You're the absolute worst for that!"

Yeah. Have you ever heard that before? Maybe a bit too much? Well, this film will test your moral compass (somewhat) into whether you think any of these people deserve that title. We don't believe so, by today's messy standards, when there is some true evil out there in the world presently but Joachim Trier's highly successful THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD that trail-blazed to the Oscars is upon us, and in your lug-holes.

So, sit back, feel therapeutic, and accept the inevitable. We're going deep, man.

What's cool, full of vibrant colors, gets pretty sexy but also is a bit annoying to the point where you question the integrity of the central relationship? That's probably Jim McBride's remake of the 1960 Nouvelle Vague classic À BOUT DE SOUFLE (in English): BREATHLESS.

You might have thought: the most stringent of cinephiles would not touch a remake of this film with the longest of barge poles! It's a classic for a reason; however, this modern, pop-culture-filled, punky injection of 80's Neo-Noir cinema is much better than you might think. It takes some swings and hits most of them if you can get past the fact that Richard Gere's central character is one of the most annoying criminals in existence.

Join us as we continue down an odyssey of appreciating Mr. Gere in all his fine glory from 1983.

A new year. A new us.

Well, not really. It's the same show basically, just a little older and tired. We're the podcast equivalent of just wanting to go to your bed and having a lie-down. Kinda like the old saps in this fourth (and final) mainline installment of the AMERICAN PIE film series (we're not counting all the straight-to-DVD films either).

This is AMERICAN REUNION! And we're back with this bunch of reprobates as they've hit full adulthood and struggling with the woes that come with that. Again, this is another excuse to see what nonsense Jim finds himself brutalizing his member over. It's hilarious.

Weren't the 90's awesome?

In the second part of our seasonally titled "DESCENDING INTO DARKNESS", we take you on a trip into a very whimsical murder. A faux documentary crew who follow a serial killer as he maims, murders, assaults, and offends his way through Belgium.

The blackest of black comedies and not for the faint of heart, actors and principal crew Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel and Benoit Poelvoorde's MAN BITES DOG embodies the very meaning of a cult classic even if you don't (and really shouldn't) agree with the content. One thing that really isn't up for debate is it does give us one entirely unique thing...a better English title than the translated one.

We do wish you a good Holiday Season and an even happier New Year, however...we do want to invite you to DESCEND INTO THE DARKNESS WITH US ALL!