The Matineecast

Runtime

53 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction

3:16 Know Your Enemy with guest Kate Armstrong

20:31 The New Slang : THE WEDDING BANQUET

Links Mentioned on Episode 347:

Matineecast 340 where we talk about another recent remake, NOSFERATU

My blindspot post on Luis Buñuel’s BELLE DE JOUR

Kate’s BlueSky can be found here. The Matinee’s BlueSky can be found here and Letterboxd can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!

Runtime

57 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction

4:31 The New Slang : THE BALLAD OF WILLIS ISLAND with guest Heidy Morales

39:40 The Other Side: Heidy and Ryan talk further reading after James Griffiths’ new film

Links Mentioned on Episode 346:

Matineecast 308 where Kurt and I talked about PAST LIVES

Matineecast 99 where Corey Atad and I talked about THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN

The soundtrack for THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN:

Heidy can be followed at:

TikTok :: BlueSky :: Letterboxd :: YouTube :: Instagram

The Matinee’s BlueSky can be found here and Letterboxd can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!

Runtime

97 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction

3:35 Know Your Enemy with guest Kurt Halfyard

31:46 The New Slang: BLACK BAG

78:018 The Other Side: Kurt and Ryan talk further reading after Steven Soderbergh’s new film

Thoughts from Your Host

A Question for You, Dear Listeners –

In the middle of this episode, we touch on the nature of spoilers – specifically how it affects the people who listen to this show.

You see, over the lifespan of this show we have generally tried to keep our conversations spoiler-free as a way to maximize engagement. It’s not that I believe that giving details away will actual ruin one’s experience with a film, so much as it is a feeling that there is much more to talk about when it comes to movies than who-did-what-to-who.

Discussing themes, sharing personal experiences, bringing personal perspectives – these are the conversational points I find more interesting, and perhaps why you choose this show to tune into.

However –

This assumes that people listen to shows where they haven’t seen the film yet – which may or may not be the case. While I like to believe that people listen to us talk about a film they haven’t seen yet and use it as a spark to track it down, I know from personal experience that many of you might watch a movie one evening and then pick through my feed to see if it’s a film we did a show on (“…what did Ryan think of this?…)

So if you don’t mind, get in touch and let me know how you watch-and-listen:

Are you the sort to listen to us talk about a film you haven’t seen yet – or do you come back and join us after you have watched for yourself?

Thanks in advance!

Links Mentioned on Episode 345:

Matineecast 267 where Kurt and I talked about THE GREEN KNIGHT

“Things in Life” scene in CHUNGKING EXPRESS

My Blindspot post after my first time watching THE THING

Kurt has two Instagrams that you can follow here and here. The Matinee’s BlueSky can be found here and Letterboxd can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!

Runtime

83 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction

2:43 Know Your Enemy with guest Ruby Dhillon

18:56 The New Slang: MICKEY 17

50:09 The Other Side: Ruby and Ryan talk further reading after Bong Joon Ho’s new film

Thoughts from Your Host

In the introduction to this episode, I mention how spring is such a mixed-bag when it comes to film.

I thought about it a little more though, and I’ truly grateful for spring. After all, in recent years spring has given us CHALLENGERS, CIVIL WAR, CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, EX-MACHINA, FIRST COW, GET OUT, HEREDITARY, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, A QUIET PLACE, THE RIDER, SHIVA BABY, and US…to name but a few.

Long live Spring.

Links Mentioned on Episode 325:

Matineecast 323 where Bob Turnbull an I discussed PERFECT DAYS

Matineecast 281 where Ruby and I discussed TURNING RED

Matineecast 325 where Ruby and I discussed CHALLENGERS

Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!

Runtime

83 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction

3:05 Know Your Enemy with guest Robyn Bahr

20:39 The New Slang: I’M STILL HERE

52:02 Spoiler Section

67:12 The Other Side: Robyn and Ryan talk further reading after Walter Salles’ new film

Thoughts from your host…

Welcome to the morning-after and one of the weirdest bits of Oscar kismet this podcast has ever stumbled into.

Over the last twenty years or so, with the filmmaking guilds growing in prominence, it’s become easier and easier to predict Oscar wins by the time we get to the big night. Even if – like me – you don’t do well with your Oscar ballot, by the time the ceremony arrives there are generally no surprises.

Until there are – and that’s where this episode becomes relevant.

EMILIA PÉREZ came into the night both with momentum (14 nominations), and losing steam (critical reaction to the film, bad PR around one of its stars). As the night starts to play out, awards start to come its way in the form of Best Supporting Actress and Best Song. Reading the tea leaves, a win for Best International Film still seemed very much in the bag.

…and then Penélope Cruz calls up I’M STILL HERE.

Not the deepest of shocks considering that it, too, was up for Best Picture (usually an indicator of good Best International award odds), but when one compares its three nominations to the fourteen EMILIA PÉREZ scored…this is undoubtedly an upset.

…and this is where my guest Robyn and I come in. We sat down to talk about this film last week, and even say once or twice during the episode that we don’t know what’s going to happen on Oscar night. And here we are for you this morning, armed and ready to talk about one of the biggest surprises of the night!

I’m grateful that Oscar voters nudged me towards this gem by nominating it for Best Actress and Best Picture (categories where I try to see everything), and doubly grateful that more people might track it down now that it has a win to its name.

Without giving away a lot of what we are about to talk about, the film is beautiful…so please do give it a look when you can, and please do enjoy this conversation about last nights winner for Best International Film.

Links Mentioned on Episode 343:

The misleading trailer for PRESENCE:

Matineecast 330 where Robyn and I spoke about THELMA

Matineecast 341 where Marya and I spoke about this year’s Oscar nominees

The Very Special Episodes podcast – E.T. and Me

Robyn’s THR piece about this years films featuring women reclaiming their sexuality

Robyn’s Letterboxd can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!

Runtime

61 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction with guest Andrew James

3:35 The New Slang: PRESENCE

36:25 Spoiler Section

45:21 The Other Side: Andrew and Ryan talk further reading after Steven Soderbergh’s new film

Thoughts from your host…

Greetings from Hoth!

After what had generally been a very clear and mild winter, my fair city was absolutely blanketed in snow this weekend, with around seven inches having fallen between Friday and now!

It’s left my normally-bustling neighbourhood hushed and barren. It’s made it so that any glance out the window requires a squint. And it has left a lot of us seeking refuge in the warmth of our homes. Appropriately enough – as I mention in the intro of the episode – it’s Family Day in Canada today, and the weather has kept many of us entrenched in-place with our families.

So with a holiday to enjoy and shovelling to do, we keep things quick this week…a one hour affair, which is unusual considering how much my guest and I usually talk!

Pour the coffee, pull on the wool socks, get cozy and join us.

Links Mentioned on Episode 342:

The misleading trailer for PRESENCE:

Matineecast 279 where Andrew and I spoke about Soderbergh’s KIMI

Matineecast 183 where Andrew and I spoke about Soderbergh’s LOGAN LUCKY

Matineecast 217 where Brian J Roan and I spoke about Soderbergh’s HIGH FLYING BIRD

Andrew’s Letterboxd can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!

Runtime

131 minutes

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction and welcome guest Marya E. Gates. (0:00)
2. Rundown of the nominees for adapted and original screenplay (3:27)
3. Rundown of the nominees for Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor, Actress, and Actor (20:46)
4. Rundown of the nominees for Best Direction and Best Picture (1:04:41)
5. Omissions and trends (1:44:55)

Thoughts from your host…

We begin this episode by remembering a legend that we just lost – rembering him by way of his portrayal of another legend in a film by yet another legend. Our world is going to keep spinning, but it will be a lot less weird…and for that we are all lesser.

As always, this is a long episode so I will keep my notes short and sweet.

It’s kinda funny, because this year has such a small class of contenders, and yet Marya and I find a lot to talk about in regards to the films and artists that are in-contention. I guess that’s what happens when you go back a ways with a guest.

The great thing is that we are just over a month away from Oscar night and I have no real clue what film is going to walk away with the big prize. Things will likely be clearer by the time we get to March 2nd, but at the moment, it certainly makes for a great discussion.

Get comfy and thanks for joining us for another year.

Links from the show:

Marya’s book – “Cinema Her Way” – which you can order straight from the publisher or anywhere fine books are sold. My copy is on pre-order with Queen Books

Marya’s Ebert.com interview with THE SUBSTANCE director Coralie Fargeat

Matineecast 335 where we talked about ANORA

Thanks for tuning into episode three-hundred-forty-one.

Marya’s Bluesky feed can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening.

Enjoy!

Runtime

77 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction

2:52 Know Your Enemy with Guest – Lindsay Traves

25:18 The New Slang: NOSFERATU

59:17 The Other Side: Lindsay and Ryan talk further reading after Robert Eggers’ film

Thoughts from your host…

I don’t do resolutions, exactly – but when a new year arrives I try to think about things I want to do more and less of. For example, last year was about “less stuff” and “more experiences”. I’m happy to say that it went well overall

One of my “less” categories this year has been “less screen time”.

There’s a few reasons for this. One reason is because, as I say in the intro of this week’s episode, times are shitty. No matter whether you move from one platform to another, or curate your feed to remove the negativity, the shittiness has a way of finding you. So, why not change the channel?

This is not to put my head in the sand and pretend that not looking at what’s happening will make it go away…but more to do with managing my own outrage and anxiety. We used to stare at the car wreck as we drove past slowly in the opposite lane…now it sorta feels like we are pulling over, taking photos, shaking our heads and mumbling with other people who pulled over too. It becomes draining.

Another reason is just to be more present and do one thing at a time. It feels like many of us (myself included) are second-screening more and more lately. Why? Are we not interested in the primary thing we are doing? Is the secondary thing that much more interesting?

I think about it all, and I don’t like the feeling. So that’s where I’m at – more presence, less screens.

How’s about you, folks? Any “more” in 2025? Any “less”?

While you mull that over, join an old friend and I as we talk about an old story and get the new year started off right.

Links Mentioned on Episode 340:

Matineecast 231 with Lindsay where we reviewed JOKER

Matineecast 216 where we reviewed VELVET BUZZSAW

The Matinee’s BlueSky can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!

Runtime
133 minutes

Up for Discussion

1. Introduction with Hillary Butler, Jo Ryan, and Bob Turnbull
2, THE FIVES (3:02)
3. THE FOURS (15:49)
4. THE THREES (35:49)
5. THE TWOS (1:06:18)
6. THE ONES (1:31:20)

Thoughts from your host…

Last year at this time, I wondered if we were tasting the sweet before the bitter. Turns out, I was right.

The labour disruptions of 2023 (the strikes by WGA and SAG) meant that trips to the cinema this year was like panning for gold; a few shiny things, but a lot more mud.

The good news is that if one knows where to look, there are always lovely films to be found – so I’d never suggest that this was a bad year for film, just certainly not a great one.

On a personal note, the upside was that the world has done enough healing that many of my old rhythms are returning. While one doesn’t want to be reckless, there’s less anxiety about seeing people, gathering in larger groups, sitting in shared spaces and even travelling. I did all of that this year, and it helped me to appreciate more of what I was seeing on the screen.

It reminded me of a video clip I watched this month where Jason Segal was breaking down his time working on “How I Met Your Mother”. He spoke about how miserable he was at the end of its run because all he did was write-and-shoot tv and film for seven years, and didn’t take any time to actually live and gain the experiences needed to fuel the creativity.

So maybe that’s the thing with a down year – with less time spent in the dark; it allows us the time to live a little more. We gain the perspective, we connect with the people these stories reflect, and we recharge our audience battery and dive headlong into the next “great year” when it arrives.

On that note – the gang is all here, and we are ready to dig in.

We wander the dunes, we turn inside out, we spend a late night with the devil and see the TV glow.

We meet Maxxxine, Furiosa, and Anora.

We are wicked mean girls with long legs

And we are here to talk about it all. Grab a cookie, pour a glass of wine, and join us in our conclave while we work out what films this year stuck with us after all was said and done.

Hopefully this time next year, we’ll be talking about how the great films returned.

Quick note on the section about APRIL –

At that point of the discussion, we’d been talking for a while, and I didn’t articulate my thought properly. You’ll hear me say, in regards to a teenager terminating a pregnancy, “no one should have to go through that“.

To be clear: My belief is that this character – a minor, who is special needs, in no position to offer consent, and clearly has been sexually abused – they shouldn’t have to go through such an invasive and emotionally intense procedure…they should just be leading a normal, teenage girl life free of sexual abuse.

Further – it’s clear in the film, and it’s also my belief that terminating the pregnancy is the best choice for the girl, and that she/her mother should have the choice to make for themselves.

Links from The Show:

Matineecast 335 on ANORA

Matineecast 333 on THE SUBSTANCE

The song on the CHALLENGERS soundtrack that i want to be my “entrance music” – “Yeah x10” :

Trailer for Jo’s #2 film – the documentary “The Movie Man” :

Hillary’s Bluesky feed can be found here. Bob’s Bluesky feed can be found here. You can subscribe to the Matineecast via iTunes or RSS

Comments and feedback are welcome, and thank-you very much for listening and all the best for the new year!

Enjoy!

Runtime

57 minutes

Show Contents

0:00 Introduction

1:36 The New Slang: BLITZ with guest Odie Henderson

Thoughts from your host…

In my introduction of this episode, I mention how the holidays are about spending time with people you haven’t seen in a moment. As I sit here and write this, I’m coming down from spending a weekend catching-up with dear friends I hadn’t talked to in months

It’s a beautiful feeling … and all the same, one that’s bittersweet.

Why does it take a holiday for us to spend time with each-other? True that we’re busy, but how did we all get so busy that we couldn’t find a little bit more time for each-other?

I don’t want to sound disappointed or sad – every moment that I get to spend talking with anyone I care about is a moment well-spent. I guess I just wish sometimes that we didn;t have to wait for the holidays to share thoughts and feelings between sips of coffee.

Like I say – bittersweet, but then again, my favourite holiday songs and films all have a touch of sadness to cut the merriment.

Perhaps that’s just the nature of the holidays as we get older – and if that’s the case, I promise that I won’t linger on the bitter…and instead say how grateful I am for the sweet.

Links Mentioned on Episode 338:

Odie’s book, Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras published by Abrams

Odie’s review of Blitz at The Boston Globe (paysite)

Odie’s review of Small Axe: Lovers Rock

Ana Gasteyer’s holiday song that I reference in the intro

Odie’s BlueSky can be found here. Comments and feedback are welcome and thank you very much for listening. 

Enjoy!