Both beginnings and endings of relationships can make for great movies; both MALCOM & MARIE and BEFORE SUNRISE mine that territory. Mansi Tiwari joins me to talk about whether we think these movies (will) stand the test of time.

In MALCOLM & MARIE, the titular couple has a fight to end all fights over the course of a night. But why does it feel more like two twitter threads have become sentient rather than two actual people barrelling towards a reckoning?

BEFORE SUNRISE shows us, what life was like before the pandemic, when we could still meet random strangers in a foreign city. Mansi and I talk about the authenticity of the main characters and how your own age influences how you relate to them.

THE WHITE TIGER tells the story of an ambitious Indian driver who tries to claw his way from the bottom of class system, if not to the top, at least to a higher rung on the ladder. Alan Mattli and I discuss the sense of inevitable doom hanging over the story and the possible resemblance to the gangster stories of Martin Scorsese.

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY shows the dehumanising effect of the English class system and how it leads to the abdication of personal responsibility for political and moral decisions. And we can’t get over how Anthony Hopkins does so much by doing nothing.

As we review PIECES OF A WOMAN and JERRY MAGUIRE, the unbelievable happens: Astrit Abazi and I feel the same about not one, but two films. Must be that new 2021 spirit.

PIECES OF A WOMAN is a Netflix drama about the loss of a new-born and how it impacts the parents, played by Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBoeuf. A distant drama that is not for the faint of heart.

JERRY MAGUIRE tells the story of the titular sports agent and what feels like his ongoing quest to hit rock bottom by trying to do the right thing. We talk about Tom Cruise’s slightly sociopathic grin and the racial politics of the film.

In spite of closed cinemas around the globe, many fascinating films have been released in 2020, so we discuss our favourites in the final podcast of this year.

UNCUT GEMS (02:27): Alan Mattli explains why this extremely stressful tale of a huckster (his word) trying to make it big in New York’s diamond district is one he can rewatch endlessly.

LITTLE WOMEN (15:47): Olivia Tjon-A-Meeuw gushes about this adaptation of the classic novel and its entirely uncynical worldview. (Even though marriage is an economic proposition.)

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS (34:16): Astrit Abazi tells us why he would never break up with this film, in spite of, or perhaps, because we are not entirely sure what it is about.

In this episode we discuss an animation double bill: WOLFWALKERS and WALTZ WITH BASHIR. I am joined by regular contributor Mansi Tiwari.

WOLFWAKERS is a beautiful hand-drawn 2D animation that retells an Irish myth, grounded in historical events. We discuss the effects of shifting perspectives, just how scary the wolves are and whether Mebh’s animated hair is up there with Merida’s and Moana’s.

WALTZ WITH BASHIR is an unusual choice for an animation, as it is a documentary. Mansi and I try to figure out the advantage of this medium for an exploration of trauma and the collective nature of memory, as the director Ari Folman tries to remember what atrocities he might have committed during the 1982 Lebanon war.

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The short stories we talk about are Tim O’Brien’s THE THINGS THEY CARRIED, who writes about his experiences during the Vietnam War.

The other films by studio Cartoon Saloon, the makers of WOLFWALKERS, are THE SECRET OF KELLS, SONG OF THE SEA and BREADWINNER.

The pandemic has forced us to make a detour, so Astrit Abazi and I talk about GREENLAND. Luckily, our gem remains THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT.

If an algorithm put together a disaster movie, GREENLAND would probably be the result. We discuss the inherent stressfulness of apocalyptic movies and the unnecessary use of golden hour light. Astrit also admits the movie almost made him throw up.

THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT is an action film with zero regard for the laws of physics, but who even cares when the one-liners are flying. But there is also a touching vulnerability peeking out between the outrunning of explosions. Shane Black has done it again! (In 1996).

In this episode I am joined by Alan Mattli to discuss two films about rural America: HILLBILLY ELEGY and HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING.

An adaptation of the best-selling memoir, HILLBILLY ELEGY tells the story of an Ohio family struggling with poverty and the opioid crisis. Alan apologies for choosing the film that he dubs "Acting: The Movie", but is it really that bad?

HALE COUNTY THIS MORNING, THIS EVENING is an experiential documentary about an African American community in Alabama. Both Alan and I have seen the film twice now and it has changed how we feel about it(hint: positively).

It's the 21st century against the 18th century, as the Netflix algorithm goes up against Jane Austen, as Mansi and I discuss HOLIDATE and LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP (which is based on a 1794 novella, hence 18th century, dont @ me ;).

HOLIDATE invokes the awesome powers of romcoms but isn't really genre savvy. On top of that the gender politics are highly questionable. But maybe we laughed after all?

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP is the perfect combination of Jane Austen's wit and Whit Stillman's ear for dialogue. Never have we laughed so hard about peas.

Environmental pollution by big companies is an ongoing problem. But there are always those who fight for people in need, and occasionally, Hollywood makes films about them. Astrit Abazi joins me to talk about two such movies: DARK WATERS and ERIN BROCKOVICH.

In DARK WATERS Mark Ruffalo dims his charisma to play a lawyer, who usually works for big chemical companies, but now decides to change sides. Grey, cold and utterly horrifying are only some of the words to describe this Todd Haynes film.

ERIN BROCKOVICH was an awards darling at the turn of the millennium, but does Steven Soderbergh’s film still hold up? Was Julia Roberts' Oscar deserved? Unsurprisingly, Astrit and I once again have differing opinions on that.

In this episode I'm joined by Alan Mattli as we discuss one very verbose and one very quiet film: THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 and DAS CABINET DES DR. CALIGARI.

THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 is the second film by director Aaron Sorkin, who brings his typical penchant for talking to the table in this court room drama. We discuss whether Sorkin’s approach works for a film of this nature and what the politics of the movie are.

DAS CABINET DES DR. CALIGARI is a central piece of German Expressionism, so I have Alan explain to me what that is. He also tells me what keeps him coming back to this film about a homicidal showman, who uses a sleepwalker as his instrument of murder -- he's seen it five times already!

Watch the film on Youtube:

With German intertitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpF4MoeeBVI

With English intertitles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP0KB2XC29o

The book about German expressionism and its thematic connection to Nazism is called FROM CALIGARI TO HITLER: A PSYCHOLOGICAL HISTORY OF THE GERMAN FILM by Siegfried Kracauer.

There is a film called FFROM CALIGARI TO HITLER: GERMAN CINEMA IN THE AGE OF THE MASSES by director Rüdiger Suchsland, which is based on the book.