Primal Screen

This week, we're diving into three titles that, in their own unique ways, critique capitalist systems and corruption through humor and satire. Join Anthony Carew, Alice McShane, and Will Cox for their reviews of THE WHITE LOTUS, THE STUDIO and DEATH OF A UNICORN.

THE WHITE LOTUS has just aired its third season finale, and we have a lot to discuss. Set at the fictional high end resort The White Lotus, each season follows a group of wealthy holiday makers in increasingly luxurious locations, with one person going home in a body bag at the end of their stay.

THE STUDIO is the most recent prestige tv release from Apple Studios - and follows Seth Rogan's Matt Remick who has recently been promoted to run the fictional Continental Studios. Howver, his goal to produce films that are high in profit and high in artistic value proves a tall order.

DEATH OF A UNICORN follows a father and daughter after they accidentally hit and kill a unicorn on their way to a weekend retreat at the home of his millionaire pharmaceutical boss, who sees an opportunity to exploit the creature for profit, leading to a comedy horror that offers a gory, "eat the rich" satire of capitalism and greed.

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This week we reviewed three films that all opened in Australian cinemas last week, but otherwise have little else in common.

Our guest host Thomas Caldwell was joined by Silvi Vann-Wall and Vyshnavee Wijekumar.

They discuss Richard Gere’s reunion with American Gigolo writer and director Paul Schrader in Oh, Canada (also starring Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi); the first fully animated Looney Tunes feature film, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, showcasing magnificent craftsmanship in its 2D animation and hitting the nostalgic feels; and Kazuhiro Soda's observationist documentary The Cats of Gokogu Shrine, which reveals a community collectively caring for stray cats.

Incidentally, the theme for Primal Screen this week was volunteer-run organisations that make it possible to watch films on the big screen with an audience, that you otherwise mightn’t.

The small but mighty teams behind both Melbourne Women in Film Festival (MWFF) and the Melbourne Cinémathèque do extraordinary work to bring unique films to the cinema.

Our guest host Cerise Howard speaks with Sian Mitchell, Artistic Director of MWFF, about the festival’s mission to champion the work of Australian filmmakers and showcase stories about and by women and gender-diverse folk.

Cerise and Eloise Ross, both co-curators of the Melbourne Cinémathèque, also discuss the upcoming season “Out of the Past and Into Flares: Neo-Noir in ‘70s America”, which explores how America’s fractured psyche was reflected on screen during this vibrant and chaotic period. If you're wondering what the difference between "noir" and "neo-noir" is, you'd best listen back.

MWFF runs 20-24 March.

“Out of the Past and Into Flares: Neo-Noir in ‘70s America” runs 26 March-9 April.

Thanks to Karl Chapman for working the panel this week.

It’s Oscars fever in the studio this week! Even if you don’t have a medically certifiable diagnosis of fever, perhaps you have some milder symptoms still attributable to the 97th Academy Awards – it’s hard not to get a little lightheaded at Hollywood’s night of nights.

Anthony Carew jumps into the guest host chair this week with Thomas Caldwell and Vyshnavee Wijekumar, dissecting the highs and lows of this year’s Academy Awards before getting into the “real cinema”.

They review Mohammad Rasoulof’s devastating political thriller about a family’s disintegration, The Seed of the Sacred Fig; Walter Salles’ masterful historical drama based on a true story set against the backdrop of Brazil’s oppressive military dictatorship in the 1970s, I’m Still Here; and Mati Diop’s playful hybrid docu-fiction following 26 looted cultural objects from France back to Benin, Dahomey.

This week on Primal Screen, guest host Alice takes us through reviews of Andrea Arnold's stunning tribute to childhood in BIRD as well as THE LAST SHOWGIRL that holds what could be the performance of Pamela Anderson's career. We also hear from Rough Cut Films to discuss on their 'Summer Sacraments' event on March 1, presented alongside Static Vision Film Collective.

Included as well is the full interview interview with Charles Williams, director of the newly released prison thriller INSIDE, starring Guy Pierce and Cosmo Jarvis.

Tune in to Primal Screen on Monday nights from 7pm on @3rrr 102.7

This week on Primal Screen, guest host Will Cox is joined by Alex McShane to review Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy and Grand Tour.

Our favourite frazzled English woman is back for this Valentine’s Day-released rom-com. Renee Zellweger returns to the role of Bridget Jones, this time as a single mother of two facing the prospect of re-starting her love life. New love interests are played by Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor, as well as old flame Daniel Cleaver played by Hugh Grant. This is the fourth instalment of the series, and is based off Helen Fielder’s novels.

In contrast, Grand Tour is set in colonial-era South East Asia during the First World War. Stationed in Rangoon, British civil servant Edward miserably awaits the arrival of his fiancé Molly, until he decides to flee to Singapore. The resulting lover’s chase across the continent is a dreamy adventure, across jungles, over rivers, and through teeming cities. The film also incorporates hybrid-documentary elements and experimental tableaux, for which Miguel Gomes was awarded Best Director at Cannes last year.

Will also speaks with Associate Professor Stephen Gaunson from RMIT about Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Seven Samurai, screening in stunning 4K at the Capitol Theatre on Tuesday, February 25.

Plus, Spiro Economopoulos, Creative Director of the Europa! Europa Film Festival, joins the show to discuss this year’s program of arthouse European cinema, running from February 12 to March 12.

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On Primal Screen we review three films that have just hit cinemas!

THE BRUTALIST is the epic period drama following a visionary architectwho (Adrian Brody) has fled post-war Europe to America for the chance of a new life. Everything changes once he meets a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pierce) who commissions his work.

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN is the Bob Dylan musical biopic we’ve all been waiting for. Directed by James Mangold (WALK THE LINE) and Timothee Chalamet, the film has been topping the box office in Australia and around the world.

BABYGIRL, the steamy erotic thriller starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson, follows the consequences of when a high powered CEO puts everything on the line for a torrid affair with a much younger intern.

Flick Ford is joined by Thomas Caldwell and Cerise Howard to share thoughts and reviews for these three very different, yet equally compelling, new release films.

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For the first show of Primal Screen for 2025, Flick Ford is joined in the studio by Alice McShane and Anthony Carew to review NOSFERATU and ANORA. A remake of the iconic 1922 silent film, NOSFERATU follows the similar vampire tale of obsession, desire, and affliction. The gothic thriller is horror director David Eggers' follow up to such films as THE WITCH, THE LIGHTHOUSE and THE NORTHMAN. ANORA is the high drama high comedy story of a sex worker, named Anora, who finds herself in far too deep after she gets married to the son of a Russian oligarch. From indie director Sean Baker, this cinderella-tale turned crime thriller has generated a lot of hype - find out to see what Flick, Anthony and Alice think!

Primal Screen airs on Mondays from 7pm on Triple R Radio, 102.7 FM

We're celebrating the Melbourne Cinémathèque's 40th anniversary this week, with two of the pre-eminent film society's co-curators in the studio. Primal Screen favourite Cerise Howard and Associate Professor Adrian Danks (making his PS debut!) join Flick Ford to reflect on Melbourne Cinémathèque's vital contribution to cinema and to talk about their upcoming program on Australian documentary filmmaker Tom Zubrycki. A hugely important filmmaker in his own right, but also a key mentor and producer for many other Australian filmmakers that have followed. They also review Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland's latest film Green Border, a brutalising drama rooted in deep research that is so urgently of the moment, its potency is manifold. It tells the story of refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union court in a geopolitical crisis triggered by the Belarusian dictator Lukashenko.

Listen back for more on this discussion of how Zubrycki's and Holland's films remain committed to social justice, human rights and the ethics of filmmaking.

This week on Primal Screen, Flick Ford is joined by Alice McShane and Will Cox to discuss two wildly different films. Wicked offers a polished, mainstream iteration of a beloved musical, while The People’s Joker pushes the boundaries of intellectual property and the superhero genre in its DIY approach. Despite such different production context, the conversation explores how both films engage with themes of queerness whether subvert or overt, as well as girlhood, gender, and the femme. Come for succinct reviews of these two wildly different films, stay for an extended discussion of the musical genre on screen.

Tune in to Primal Screen on Triple R - Mondays from 7pm, 102.7FM