Trylove

In a body of work that defined a subgenre, Satoshi Kon’s PAPRIKA is something like a culmination. His final feature film realizes some of his longest-brewing concepts (identity, community, connection, division, reality, fiction) so well that it leaves others feeling somewhat unfulfilled – like the director’s own career after his death at just 46 years old.

As certified Konheads, we discuss PAPRIKA’s trippy aesthetics, conflation of the digital world with the subconscious, the film’s problematic aspects and author self-insertion, and where the various subplots do (and don’t) serve the movie’s larger thesis.

Links:

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “Parade” by Susumi Hirasawa from the PAPRIKA soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 166: PAPRIKA (2006)

4:31 - The episode actually starts

6:17 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

8:51 - PAPRIKA’s conflation of the internet, reality, animation, and dreams

20:16 - Kon’s ideas in context of his oeuvre

24:37 - Problems with the 90-minute format

32:55 - Chiba, Paprika, and knowing the self

38:49 - Authorial intent and problematic writing

49:29 - A little bit of dunking on INCEPTION (2010)

55:37 - Final thoughts (music, Konakawa’s detective story, etc.)

1:15:24 - Cody’s Noteys (Fuck/Marry/Kill This Movie)

Featuring special guest Finn Odum (https://twitter.com/Finnematic)!

DIABOLIQUE’s gothic vibes, feminist undertones, iconic imagery, and twist ending are all great ways to remember this psycho-sexual-horror-noir classic. A husband’s murder by his wife and mistress goes off the rails, sending the killers spinning looking for an explanation when the body goes missing after the deed’s been done. The twisting tale that follows calls into question nearly everyone’s motives, leading to one of the best-remembered twist endings Hitchcock never directed.

With Minneapolis writer and Trylon-teer Finn Odum, we remember it through its characters (both on-screen and off) and all the ways we wish this story would’ve ended.

Links:

Follow Finn on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Finnematic and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/finnofthedead/

- Finn’s cinema blog, Finnematic: http://finnematic.blogspot.com/

- “The Other Clouzot: Vera Clouzot’s Impact on LES DIABOLIQUES” by Finn Odum at Perisphere, the Trylon blog: https://www.perisphere.org/2022/03/12/the-other-clouzot-vera-clouzots-impact-on-les-diaboliques/

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: Title Theme by Georges Van Parys from the DIABOLIQUE soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 165: DIABOLIQUE (1955) with Finn Odum

5:11 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

8:14 - Finn’s thoughts

11:54 - Jason’s thoughts

14:28 - Cody’s thoughts

17:37 - Harry’s thoughts

22:55 - Aaron’s thoughts

27:15 - Vera Clouzot is indestructible ruins

32:59 - Paul Meurisse as Michel Delasalle

36:42 - The endings we would’ve written

51:06 - Final thoughts

1:00:27 - Cody’s Noteys (Trylibs: Spooky Crime)

Featuring special guest Seth Zarate (https://twitter.com/snzarate)!

When three homeless people – aging dad Gin, trans self-exile Hana, and confused young Miyuki – discover an abandoned baby in the trash on Christmas, the stage is set to reunite the child with its real parents. Before that, however, the unlikely family learns more about each other through their threatened attempts to care for the child, including run-ins with gangs, meeting other colorful characters of the Tokyo streets, and even a miracle or two.

Other Satoshi Kon films have more spectacular premises than TOKYO GODFATHERS, but it doesn’t feel like it’s missing anything. In this episode, we talk about what makes this movie equally as viable as PERFECT BLUE (1997) or PAPRIKA (2006), even if it doesn’t have the same flash.

Follow Seth on Twitter at https://twitter.com/snzarate and on Letterboxd at https://letterboxd.com/snzarate

Links:

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "Tokyo Godfathers" by Suzuki Keiichi from the TOKYO GODFATHERS soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 164: TOKYO GODFATHERS (2003) with Seth Zarate

2:26 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

3:22 - Seth’s thoughts

5:13 - Jason’s thoughts

11:20 - Cody’s thoughts

18:29 - Harry’s thoughts

26:40 - The complications that arise from character focus

36:43 - The communities of the streets of Tokyo

41:57 - The assumptions characters make about themselves

56:37 - Why is this considered a more disposable Kon film?

1:00:45 - Kon ranked on Letterboxd

1:06:09 - How the godfathers talk to each other

1:19:23 - Cody’s Noteys (Fairly TryParents)

“Theft is good, actually.” – Cody

FILIBUS is a 1915 Italian silent film directed by Mario Roncoroni and written by Giovanni Bertinetti. It features Valeria Creti as Baroness Troixmonde and the titular Filibus, an Italian sky pirate and infamous burglar. In an attempt to cast off suspicion after her recent heist of the International Bank, the baroness enters a competition to find the culprit and frame investigating detective Kutt-Hendy (played by Giovanni Spano) himself as Filibus. The film follows the pirate’s exploits staging new crimes to pin on the detective while disguised as a young nobleman, using her wits and various gadgets to maintain stay just one step ahead of the investigator – all while courting his sister Leonora (played by Cristina Ruspoli) in disguise.

FILIBUS is often cited as an early pioneer of feminist fiction as well as queer representation, cross-dressing, genderfluidity, and science fiction. It played at the Trylon and was accompanied by a live score by pianist Katie Condon and was shown with the assistance of the University of Minnesota’s Imagine Fund as part of the Twin Cities Silent Film Project.

Links:

- “Filibus (Re)Introduces Us to the Wild, Weird Women of 1910s Cinema” by Daniel Lawrence Aufmann for Perisphere, the Trylon blog: https://www.perisphere.org/2022/01/23/filibus-reintroduces-us-to-the-wild-weird-women-of-1910s-cinema/

- Buy tickets to “Elegy for a Master: Late Kurosawa” (February 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/elegy-for-a-master-late-kurosawa/

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music by Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra and Donald Sosin from the FILIBUS rerelease trailer.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 158: FILIBUS (1915)

2:14 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary (under exclusive license from AG Enterprises, LLC)

4:12 - Jason’s thoughts

8:54 - Cody’s thoughts

13:49 - Harry’s thoughts

19:16 - How foregrounding makes FILIBUS more fun

28:39 - What it’s like to see (scare quotes) “contemporary” themes in a century-old movie

33:07 - Staging and framing 1910s Italy

38:56 - Final thoughts

45:48 - Cody’s Noteys (Song Line or Tagline?)

Cody’s away, so we spend like 10 minutes talking about video games at the top of this episode.

The last of Kurosawa’s samurai epics, RAN recontextualizes King Lear, widening the scope of Shakespeare’s text to show the effect of karma on the world, not just its tragic players. In this episode, we discuss what it’s like to know this is one of the greatest films ever made while also knowing it’s not the best Kurosawa movie; the personality of the spaces in RAN and other Kurosawa classics; and how the women of RAN are built to embody the karmic imbalance of Hidetora’s lifelong warmongering.

Links:

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "Hell's Picture Scroll" by Toru Takemitsu from the RAN soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 163: RAN (1985)

0:45 - #EldenRingChat

4:36 - #PokémonChat

8:18 - The episode actually starts

10:13 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

12:41 - Jason’s thoughts

18:57 - Harry’s thoughts

27:35 - Aaron’s thoughts

34:22 - The changing scope of the movie, ensemble, and its story

45:11 - The controlled, chaotic, mesmerizing beauty of the burning castle scene

51:26 - Physicality and location

58:13 - Lady Sué

1:02:11 - Lady Kaede

Featuring special guest Natalie Marlin (https://twitter.com/NataliesNotInIt)!

THE THIRD MAN is often cited as one of the greatest movies of all time, an expressionist noir that mixes style, form, and zeitgeist to paint postwar Vienna with sharp chiaroscuro that spotlights wanton interventionist masculinity and hides sinister motivations in the shadows. It is also an incredibly entertaining watch today, which makes its twists and turns fun to follow some 70 years after its release.

With Natalie, we search the nooks and crannies of this classic tale with a take that considers the men at the center of the story, the place that plays stage to their game of cat and mouse, and the people who wish to call it home again.

Find more of Natalie’s work here:

- https://twitter.com/NataliesNotInIt

- “Ranking Every Animal Collective Album” at Paste: https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/animal-collective/albums-ranked-time-skiffs/

- Indieheads Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/indieheads-podcast/id963583140

Links:

- Buy tickets to “Carol Reed: The Odd Man Out” (February 2022 at the Trylon): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/carol-reed-the-odd-man-out/

- Buy tickets to “Elegy for a Master: Late Kurosawa” (February 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/elegy-for-a-master-late-kurosawa/

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "The Third Man" theme by Anton Karas from the THE THIRD MAN soundtrack.

Listening note: Live audio from the Trylon lobby. With masks on. Socially distanced. Great conversation, suboptimal audio quality.

The Trylon is hosting a showcase of 8 animated short films, all on 16mm film, on March 3. We sat down with Trylon film programmer John Moret and asked about their plans for showing more 16mm, where he got all this weird stuff, and whether or not becoming a registered film archive is right for the Trylon.

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Links:

- Buy tickets to the 16mm Experimental Animation Showcase (March 3, 2022, at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/film/16mm-experimental-animation-showcase/

- Buy tickets to “Elegy for a Master: Late Kurosawa” (February 2022): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/elegy-for-a-master-late-kurosawa/

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Featuring special guest Peter Hogenson (https://twitter.com/phogenson)!

Kurosawa’s KAGEMUSHA – “shadow warrior” – is more than a tale of double identity. It’s an examination of the politics of identity, who we become when we assume social positions, and the absurdities of class, all with a distinctly Kurosawa touch.

For this episode, we’re joined by filmmaker Peter Hogenson, whose experience with the craft of filmmaking has given him a whole new appreciation for its grandiosity, believability, and heart. He even helped us play one of the most insidious, devilish editions of Cody’s Noteys to date, so stick around for the fun!

Peter’s “Life Underground: an LGBTQ film set in WW1 trenches” is currently in production. Find more information about it at https://twitter.com/LU_FilmUK and https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/phogenson/life-underground-an-lgbtq-film-set-in-ww1-trenches

Find more of Peter’s work here:

http://www.peterhogenson.com/

https://www.instagram.com/phogenson/

https://twitter.com/phogenson

Links:

- Buy tickets to “Elegy for a Master: Late Kurosawa” (February 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/elegy-for-a-master-late-kurosawa/

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: "Finale" by Shin'ichirō Ikebe from the KAGEMUSHA soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 160: KAGEMUSHA (1980)

4:33 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

7:31 - Peter’s thoughts

9:45 - Jason’s thoughts

11:44 - Cody’s thoughts

15:31 - Harry’s thoughts

19:22 - Aaron’s thoughts

21:57 - KAGEMUSHA as the ‘fullest expression’ of Kurosawa’s work

29:32 - The thief as a lens for critique

35:25 - The importance of aesthetic throughout KAGEMUSHA

42:16 - The believability of KAGEMUSHA’s dreamlike historical fiction

50:23 - Peter’s WWI film

54:33 - The things that stun a filmmaker about KAGEMUSHA

1:09:27 - Cody’s Noteys (Kag-arage Sale)

Content warning: This episode contains a brief discussion of attempted suicide.

Coming later in Kurosawa’s career and after his storytelling was thought to have gone out of vogue, DERSU UZALA is a comment on man’s relationship with nature, himself, and the world around him. Based on a Russian memoir and shot on 70mm, it’s a beautiful example of the humanist narratives for which Kurosawa became known and a stunning exhibition of the world’s natural splendor – both within and without the people who seek to know it.

Links:

- Buy tickets to “Elegy for a Master: Late Kurosawa” (February 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/elegy-for-a-master-late-kurosawa/

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

- Buy tickets to “Ishirô Honda’s Godzilla” (May 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/ishiro-hondas-godzilla/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music: “The Eagle’s Song II” by Isaac Schwartz from the DERSU UZALA soundtrack.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 159: DERSU UZALA (1975)

03:27 - The Patented Capitan Summary

5:52 - Jason’s thoughts

12:27 - Cody’s thoughts

18:51 - Harry’s thoughts

28:30 - Aaron’s thoughts

33:49 - The perspective we’re given as audience

38:33 - The Chinese man in the woods and the limits of empathy

49:46 - The effect of aging on self-determination

54:56 - The marriage of theme and form in DERSU UZALA

1:03:00 - Final thoughts

1:11:15 - Cody’s Noteys (Trylibs: Homies’ Adventure)

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” PURPLE NOON conducts itself naturally as it winds along the Italian coastline and within the exploits of the titular Tom Ripley, a low-class jack-of-all-trades tasked with fetching the tactless dauphin Mr. Philippe Greenleaf. Greenleaf, made from money he didn’t earn, has the life Tom wants. Not just the money: The existence. The status. The stature. The lack of burden. The life.

Tom’s plot to assume and absorb Greenleaf’s very being starts with murder and only gets more sordid from there. In this episode, we discuss how Tom’s own aspirations square against his violent behavior toward the bourgeoisie, how the movie contrasts Tom to his environment, and what it takes to live the good life – even when it’s not yours.

Links:

- “Purple Noon: A superior take on The Talented Mr. Ripley” by Wendy Lesser for Library of America https://www.loa.org/news-and-views/1182-_purple-noon_-a-superior-take-on-_the-talented-mr-ripley_

- Buy tickets to “Anime’s Great Genius: Satoshi Kon” (March 2022 at the Trylon Cinema): https://www.trylon.org/films/category/animes-great-genius-satoshi-kon/

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trylovepodcast and email us at [email protected] to get in touch! Buy tickets and support the Trylon at https://www.trylon.org/.

Theme: "Raindrops" by Huma-Huma/"No Smoking" PSA by John Waters. Outro music by Nino Rota from PURPLE NOON.

Timestamps

0:00 - Episode 157: PURPLE NOON (1960)

2:28 - Three years of Trylove

3:04 - SATOSHI KON AT THE TRYLON THIS IS NOT A DRILL 🚨🚨🚨

7:37 - The Patented Aaron Grossman Summary

9:24 - Jason’s thoughts

14:12 - Cody’s thoughts

19:02 - Harry’s thoughts

25:30 - Aaron’s thoughts

30:23 - Status, wealth, and entitlement, and what Tom Ripley really wants

36:07 - Truths hidden and revealed by people’s faces

39:30 - How the film sharpens its view of Tom over the course of the movie

47:40 - Marge

48:58 - The market scene: “Smile and be a villain”

54:08 - Final thoughts

1:01:27 - Cody’s Noteys: Color Me Trylove (color-themed movie trivia)