Author: ccradio

Short Subject: Recent Changes at Turner Classic Movies

In this mini-episode recorded on June 27, Sean and Claude talk about the recent staffing changes over at Turner Classic Movies and the impact it’s having on people, not only the viewers but the people who are so intimately involved with the medium, such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Listen in, and worry along with us.

Incidentally, some sharp-eyed viewers (me among them) noticed that the TCM hosts have stopped doing commentary after the films, and took that as a bad sign. Fortunately  the complaints were heard, and the “outros” will return. Because of the long lead time from production to airing, Ben Mankiewicz will be back in September, and Dave Karger and Alicia Malone will return to outros in October.

Reel 56: Only Connect

See? Weren’t you promised an episode with this title a while back? We do the fan service pretty well, methinks. (Also, I don’t have an especially good reason for it, but I kind of like the artwork on this episode.)

This time around, “Only Connect” is a rather ironic title, because the films we’re looking at deal with many, many missed connections between people and events.

In the first film, Exotica (1994), Atom Egoyan takes us through a pair of parallel stories, plus a third storyline that actually manages to tie the other two together, even though (spoiler) it’s not concurrent with the other two. In this case the connections are there and it’s up to the viewer to pick up the breadcrumbs left behind.

After the intermission, we’re going to Turkey to see The Edge of Heaven, a 2007 Turkish-German drama written and directed by Fatih Akın. This one will have you confused at first. Then, as the various pieces come together, you’ll get frustrated. But ultimately you’ll settle in and accept the way events worked out. (I think; that’s how it worked out for me, anyway.)


COMING ATTRACTIONS:

Put on your rented tuxedo, because we’re going to a couple of weddings. First, from 2001, it’s Monsoon Wedding, an Indian comedy-drama directed by Mira Nair. Although it takes place in India, you’ll recognize most of the drama that happens when extended families find themselves in one place.

From there we’re off to Denmark and 2007’s After the Wedding, a 2006 Danish-Swedish drama directed by Susanne Bier. It’s a complex story about people with complex motivations, and the people affected by them.

 

Reel 55: Another Brick in the Berlin Wall

Or, “Sean Gives Me Hell For Writing Another T00-Clever Title.”

Our tour Around the World in Twenty Films lands us in Germany this time around, and we begin with  The Lives of Others, a 2006 drama which is set in Communist East Germany in (go figure) 1984. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck wrote and makes his directorial debut with this film. Sebastian Koch plays an East German playwright who winds up under government scrutiny not because of his political views, but because his girlfriend doesn’t want to date the Minister of Culture. There are lots of twist and turns in this film, and a couple of surprises besides, but while the ending has a little bit of a bleak feel, there’s also a lot of hope attached to it.

From there we move on to The Baader-Meinhof Complex, from 2008. This film, directed by Uli Edel, takes us on a ten-year journey as we follow the true-story activities of a terrorist group that had the political world of West Germany tied up in knots. As the group goes from simply causing damage to intentionally killing people, the pressure ratchets up to break the back of this group. Do they succeed? Go watch the film, or read a book. (You know there’s an expectation that you’ve seen the film before listening to the episode, right?) (Not that it matters, who are we to tell you what to do?) (Either way, we won’t tell.)

Our deep-dive into this film will settle a few mysteries except for the title. So be prepared to live with that.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

In Episode 56 we begin studying films from different countries rather than looking at same-nation pairs. We start with Exotica, a 1994 Canadian film written and directed by Atom Egoyan, and then we check out The Edge of Paradise, a German-Turkish film from 2007 with a non-linear storyline. Don’t worry; you’ll be able to follow it just fine.

Reel 54: Les Crimes Français

We continue our trip Around the World in Twenty Films with a stopover in France, and a look at a couple of crime dramas, told largely from the criminals’ point of view.

In Part One we’re reviewing Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (À bout de souffle). This 1960 film stars Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg. Belmondo is a petty criminal who’s graduated to cold-blooded murder. Seberg is his old girlfriend, in whose apartment he’s hiding. The ending to the film is something that’s been debated for years. Do we solve the mystery? Of course not; who are we? However, we do provide some additional information that either seals the deal…or it further muddies the water. We’ll leave that part to you.

From Breathless we make a ten-year jump to 1970’s Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle). No, we don’t know why most people refer to one film by its English title and the other by its French title. Just go with it. This epic-length film, directed by Jean-Pierre Melville, stars Alain Delon. He and a host of other big-name French actors carry us through a complicated caper to steal jewelry.

Now, in Breathless the ending was (in our opinion) inevitable, but if you haven’t seen Le Cercle Rouge, it’s probably fair to say that you will be on the edge of your seat up until the ending, because everyone’s motivations are suspect. Also, you should see it before listening to the episode, because by now you should know that we are all about the spoilers.


COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

We reach the halfway mark with our world tour as we go to Germany. The films we’re screening show different ways that the Germans confront their past. First up is The Lives of Others, a 2006 drama that takes place on the other side of the Berlin wall. Then we move forward two years to review The Baader Meinhof Complex. You may have heard of the Baader Meinhof Phenomenon, which oddly enough is only loosely related to this film.

Reel 53: Only Disconnect

Sean and I individually thought for a long time about what a good title for this episode might be. We’d informally called it “Personalities,” but that was too bland. We kicked around “Mind F**ks” but we like being family-friendly, mostly. There were a few others, and as publication time approached, I was afraid we weren’t going to come up with anything we liked.

I don’t know if I like “Only Disconnect,” to be honest, but it was simultaneously a little bit clever and tied in well with an upcoming episode, which is titled “Only Connect”. And I think it does work with this episode’s films.

We have a couple of films this time around wherein characters’ personalities change in surprising ways. And the way they ultimately behave as a result of those changes comes as a surprise (we think) in both films.

First, we examine Ingmar Bergman’s Persona from 1966. Persona stars Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullmann as a nurse and her patient. They find themselves isolated at a beach house for several weeks. It’s meant to be therapeutic, but what that means becomes murkier as the film progresses.

From there we go to 1970 and Performance, written by Donald Cammell and directed by Cammell and Nicolas Roeg. It stars James Fox and Mick Jagger in his film debut (though Ned Kelly was released first), along with Anita Pallenberg and Michèle Breton as a foursome who find themselves in a world of drugs and sex and shattered minds. I guarantee that you will not see the last 15 minutes of this film coming, so even more than usual we should warn you to see this one before listening to the episode, but beware: it’s not for the squeamish. And we should note that while we don’t use explicit language during this episode, we do discuss some rather mature themes throughout.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

In Episode 54 we go to France and review two movies that have crime at their center. From 1960, it’s Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless, followed by Le Cercle Rouge, from 1970 and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. We spend perhaps more time than necessary musing on the ending to Breathless. Come join us in the confusion.

Reel 52: South American Way

¡Hola, amigos! Welcome to Reel 52, wherein we take our tour Around the World in 20 films down to South America!

In Part 1, we’re in an unnamed South American country that’s totally not Uruguay, in the 1972 film State of Siege, directed by Costa-Gavras. It’s a film where you (mostly) know the ending right from the jump. However, you still find yourself rooting for a different outcome throughout. And despite the film’s not committing to a location, this is in fact based on a true story.

Part 2 brings us to Chile and the film The Secret in Their Eyes, a 2009 film directed by Juan José Campanella. It’s a haunting story about a haunted man and a many-years-old mystery. Ricardo Darin and Soledad Villamil star as a star-crossed couple (back in the day) who are brought back together by a new clue in case. It’s got an ending that will both surprise and horrify you. And yet, the breadcrumbs were there for you to find all along.


COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

Next time around, we’ve got a couple of films that play with the characters’ minds and their personalities. And by the end, yours might be affected as well. From 1966, it’s Ingmar Bergman’s Persona. Then, from 1970 it’s Performance, directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg. It was actually produced in 1968 but Warner Brothers got a little nervous about the content.

Reel 51: Alfonso Cuaron’s Mexico

It’s not going out on a limb to say that Alfonso Cuarón has directed a wide variety of films. From the sex comedy Sólo con tu pareja to the near-future Children of Men (which we discuss in Episode 11), to the pure fantasy of the third film in the Harry Potter series, to the films we discuss in this episode, it’s pretty much impossible to point to a specific genre of film, or even a specific quirk of his films that allow you to say “And that’s what makes it a Cuarón film.” He just can’t be pinned down.

And yet, so much of what he does is just so good, it kind of makes you a little crazy. But it also means that when he makes these epic-length films, you don’t mind it, because you want to stay in that world as long as possible.

So Sean and Claude start with Y Tu Mama Tambien, which genre-wise lands somewhere between sex comedy and coming-of-age film. In this 2001 film, two teenagers take a road trip to a nearly-fictional beach (if you’ve seen the film, you understand what’s meant by that) with an older, attractive, married woman. It’s all kinds of fun and all kinds of horny, and what ultimately happens is guaranteed to be surprising in some areas and not at all surprising in others.

From there we jump to 2018 and a film called Roma, shot largely on location in Mexico City. It’s a period piece that centers on perhaps one of the most mundane characters in the film, and yet you can’t help but love her, and the people around her. Most of them, anyway.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

We continue journeying south, clear down to South America, for a couple of films with very different storylines and viewpoints. We’ll begin with State of Siege, from 1972 and directed by Costa-Gavras. It’s a story about political upheaval in a largely-unnamed country. From there we move on to The Secret in Their Eyes, the story of an ongoing murder mystery that’s partly told in flashback. You should definitely see this film before listening to the episode, because the ending isn’t a big twist, but it will definitely shock you.

Short Subject: Around the World in 20 Films

The next ten episodes are going to cover a variety of foreign films from all over the world. Sean went through a very meticulous process to curate this particular list, and in this mini-episode, we’re going to chat a little bit about what first got us interested in foreign films, and the criteria that he used to select these titles. 
Addendum: Sean noted on Facebook…
A couple of things I wish I had remembered for this introduction (although I think I talk about this in some of the subsequent episodes) – movies from other countries made an impact here starting after WWII because took on characters and subjects Hollywood under the Hays Code was unwilling or unable to touch (and treat those and other subjects in a more adult way than Hollywood was willing and/or able to do), and movies from other countries also appealed because they told their stories in a different way than Hollywood movies. Although the Hays Code is long gone, and American independent movies have picked up the slack somewhat, I still feel movies from other countries offer a fresh perspective on subjects, storytelling, and just a different perspective.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

We start our tour by going South of the Border, down Mexico way. We’ll be reviewing Y tu mamá también, a wild little coming of age road film from 2001. Then we’ll be looking at Roma, a story about the life of a housekeeper in Mexico City. Both of these films were directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who chose to release Roma only to Netflix to ensure the largest possible audience.

Reel 50: Inspired TV

Yow! We’ve made it to the 50-episode mark! Thanks so much for your support; we couldn’t have done it without you.

Today we’re looking at a pair of films that bear a very strong resemblance to a pair of television shows, but (on paper, at least) there’s no official connection between the two productions.

We start with 1953’s Stalag 17, directed and co-written by Billy Wilder. This film stars William Holden in an Oscar-winning performance. The film also stars Don Taylor, Robert Strauss, Harvey Lembeck, Peter Graves, Neville Brand, Richard Erdman, Michael Moore, Sig Ruman, and Otto Preminger. It’s worth noting that Strauss and Lembeck appeared in the original Broadway production.

Stalag 17 almost certainly inspired the 1965-71 CBS comedy Hogan’s Heroes, which was also set in a German POW camp and had several other elements in common. (Claude says during the episode that Hogan’s Heroes also took place in Stalag 17, but his memory failed him; Hogan’s Heroes was set in Stalag 13.)

From there  we jump forward, to 1992. Cameron Crowe’s Singles,  starring Bridget Fonda, Campbell Scott, Kyra Sedgwick, and Matt Dillon, among others.

Despite the film being about a half-dozen young adults making their way in the world, and most of them living in the same apartment building, this is not connected to the NBC  television series Friends, which is about a half-dozen young adults making their way in the world, most of whom live in the same apartment building. And Friends debuted nearly two years after Singles. However, it was green-lighted only a short time after Crowe turned down Warner Brothers’ offer to adapt Singles into a series. But you can be the judge of that one.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

Over the next several episodes we’ll be taking you around the world. And we start South of the Border, down Mexico way. We’ll be reviewing Y tu mamá también, a wild little coming of age road film from 2001. Then we’ll be looking at Roma, a story about the life of a housekeeper in Mexico City. Both of these films were directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who chose to release Roma only to Netflix to ensure the largest possible audience.

Reel 49: Female Thieves

First and foremost, Sean and Claude are celebrating their adjacent birthdays this week. That’s something that neither knew about the other until after they’d started on this project. So, Happy Birthdays to us!

Second, Claude really wanted to call this episode “Girls Kicking Ass,” but he chickened out and didn’t petition Sean to change it. So, “Female Thieves” it was and “Female Thieves” it remained. (Yes, we have used a few of his episode titles. Sean isn’t a total despot about these things.)

But the fact is, the girls do kick ass in these two films, and they don’t even bother taking names, ’cause that’s just going to slow them down in their pursuit of whatever they’re pursuing.

And while both of these films involve women and their capers, it’s interesting to see that they have vastly different approaches to them, based on circumstance and motivation.

To that end, we begin with 2000’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It’s directed by Ang Lee and stars Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh. This is a highly-stylized Wuxia film whose action sequences are simultaneously tough to believe and breathtakingly beautiful.

In Part Two we jump to 2018 and a film called Widows, directed by Steve McQueen. In this film, Viola Davis leads a group of women to steal $5 million, a big chunk of which is needed to pay off a local crime boss. It’s loosely based on a British TV series.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

In Episode 50(!), we look at a pair of films that somehow managed to inspire television shows, although you may not realize it at first. We’ll start with 1953’s Stalag 17, then move on to 1992 and a film called Singles. Based solely on the plotlines you may be able to guess which series they inspired.  However, you’re going to have a tough time drawing the line from A to B regarding plot points and characters.