Primal Screen

This week, presenter Flick Ford is joined by guests Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Will Cox, and Alice McShane to explore where the culinary and the cinematic collide. They sink their teeth into the desire, disgust and drama that food brings to the screen, from the questionable viscosity of Willy Wonka's chocolate river to the faux pas of snacking in the cinema.

Host Flick Ford brings Primal Screen out of the studio and into the Performance Space for this edition of RRR's beloved film and screen culture program.

She speaks with director, screenwriter, and cinematographer Warwick Thornton (Samson and Delilah, Sweet Country), filmmaker, producer and theatre director Nadia Tass (Malcolm, The Big Steal), and screenwriter & director Goran Stolevski (Housekeeping for Beginners, You Won't Be Alone, Of An Age).

Flick and her panelists sort through the complex and messy questions of what defines Australian cinema – from where we’ve come from, to where we’re heading – and how cinema can challenge myths of nationhood

Join host Flick Ford with reviewers Cerise Howard and Thomas Caldwell, as they chat to founder and artistic director of Hear My Eyes, Hayden Green, and guitarist Lachlan Stuckey from 5-piece band Surprise Chef. They delve into the collaborative inner workings of their reinterpretation of Australian film Wake in Fright (1971), to create a cinematic and musical reimagining. Flick, Cerise and Thomas also discuss their top film picks for this year's Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF).

Maudie Osborne fills in for Flick and she is joined by film buffs Anthony Carew and Will Cox to review Deadpool & Wolverine, Totem and LONGLEGS

Flick is joined by reviewers Cerise Howard, Programme Director of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and Writer, Chris Dite.

They shine a retro spotlight on SNOWPIERCER on its 10th anniversary, and S/HE IS NOT HER/E.

Flick Ford is joined by Jonathan Schuster (co-writer of recently released Australian movie The Emu War) and film programmer and reviewer Alice McShane.

Schuster provides extensive insight into the main aspects of The Emu War, especially its themes and plot.

McShane dives into her thoughts on some new releases, including the blockbuster of the moment Twisters, and Australian indie film Birdeater.

This week, Flick is joined by film buffs Maudie Osborne and Anthony Carew to review the latest from Jeff Nichols, who is also known for Take Shelter (2011) and Mud (2012).

The Bike Riders details the decade-long story of the Midwestern bike club, the Vandals. As an outsider, Kathy observes their transformation from a haven for misfits into a notorious crime gang. This evolving identity calls the club’s ideals into question, and young member Benny must choose between the allure of the Vandals and being with Kathy.

The Bike Riders (2024)

The team also goes on to review Yorgos Lanthimos’ new, witty triptych tale, Kinds of Kindness.

Teaming up again with Emma Stone after the recent release Poor Things (2023), and Efthymis Filippou, the screenwriter for his 2009 film Dogtooth, Lanthimos returns with more of his signature flavour of weird.

“This is a work of audacious originality, vicious humour and balls to the wall strangeness, giving the impression there are few places the director won’t go.” - David Rooney.

Kinds of Kindness (2024)

Primal Screen airs every week on Triple R at 7pm Mondays.

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This week in the studio, Jack Ralph and Kelsey Pettifer join Flick Ford in the 3RRR studio to delve into the subtle yet profound body of work created by Kelly Reichardt.

They discuss films such as First Cow (2019), the political thriller Night Moves (2013), and Wendy and Lucy (2008). The conversation covers Reichardt's challenges in getting her films made, her resistance to mainstream conventions, and her ability to develop indie films with strong casts delivering natural performances. They also explore the recurring actors and the themes that weave through each of her films.

The discussion features the 2016 film CERTAIN WOMEN, a triptych of stories centred on women leading local lives in middle America, based on the writing of Maile Meloy. The Guardian’s Wendy Ide describes Reichardt’s approach in Certain Women as going ‘beyond naturalism and landing somewhere between painful introversion and acute empathy.’

They also touch on Reichardt's 2022 film SHOWING UP, which follows Portland-based sculptor Lizzy as she prepares for an upcoming show. The film is celebrated by die-hard Reichardt fans for its strong adherence to the director’s signature anti-dramatic style. Showing Up presents an artist working in real-time, without her process being filtered through a romanticised lens, resulting in a very grumpy yet authentic Michelle Williams comedy-drama.

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Joining Flick in the studio are Vyshnavee Wijekumar and Thomas Caldwell, where they'll be reviewing two new releases hot off the metaphorical press. The first film they're be reviewing is THE PROMISED LAND, a Nordic Western set in 18th century Denmark.

Director Nikolaj Arcel collaborates once again with Mads Mikkelsen who plays Captain Ludvig Kahlen, an impoverished retired army captain with a dream of cultivating the uninhabitable Jutland moorlands.

THE PROMISED LAND, directed Nikolaj Arcel and stars Mads Mikkelsen.

Next up, Flick, Vysh and Thomas then discuss a Netflix documentary released this month (June 2024), about the history of Black Barbie dolls. The film highlights how children play and relate to their dolls, and examines how race and racism can be navigated through doll play.

BLACK BARBIE, directed by Lagueria Davis.

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Joining Flick in the studio is Thomas Caldwell, Artistic Director of the Children’s International Film Festival (CHIFF) and the wonderful Vyshnavee Wijekumar. They discuss the 2024 program, running from June 8th to July 7th, featuring a diverse selection of animated and live-action films from around the globe.

The team reviews "AM I OK?", starring Dakota Johnson as Lucy, a young professional in her early thirties grappling with her sexuality. NPR describes it as a “coming-out movie for adults,” exploring the complexities of female friendship.

AM I OKAY? Directored by Tig Notaro, Stephanie Allynne

Vysh then dives into all things "Bridgerton." The highly anticipated second installment of season 3 premiered on Netflix this Thursday. Overflowing with period drama, the series follows the Bridgerton family through each season of courtship, risking social ruin for the prize of love.

BRIDGERTON

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