Author: ccradio

Reel 20: Depression Comedies

We’ve heard any number of film scholars suggest that the films of the Depression Era were meant to be escapist entertainment, and that’s why screwball comedies and lavish musicals really took off during that period. People were having miserable lives, and for a couple of hours they could get away from all that.

1941’s Sullivan’s Travels essentially comes around to that point of view, but it takes pretty much the entire film to get there. Nevertheless, Preston Sturges has given us a fun bit of a romp…until it’s not. But even the point after the film takes a hard turn has some comedic moments in it.

We’re also spending some time on the Coen Brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, from 2000. It’s also set during the Great Depression and it takes a very different look at that time while still providing a ton of entertainment. And while both films have wildly divergent approaches to that period—which could easily be attributed to the distance provided by time itself—there are many, many things which the two films have in common. In fact, we’d venture to suggest that we only barely scratched that particular surface, despite this being a rather long episode.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: In our next episode we look in on the lives of ex-spies and the things they do to keep busy. In that spirit we have 1998’s Ronin and Duplicity, from 2009.

Reel 19: War is Absurd

Sean went to Boston to visit family. I went to Nashville for a podcasting conference. He and I have had a hectic couple of weeks. But we’re back and better than ever, baby, as we take on a pair of comedies that outline just how insane war can be.

Our first entry is 1933’s Duck Soup, directed by Leo McCarey and starring The Marx Brothers. This was the last film in which Zeppo appeared, and also their last for Paramount Pictures. It not only pokes fun at various forms of nationalism, but the relatively small things that can lead a country into war.

From there we move on to 1970 and Mike Nichols’ Catch-22, starring Alan Arkin and a huge cast of (mostly) newcomers. The viewpoint here is just how out-of-control things can get once you’re in the thick of it, to the point of American planes bombing their own airbase because that’s how the deal went down.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

Our next two films take place during the Great Depression, but fortunately they’re not designed to drag you down into a depression of your own. We’re looking at 1941’s Sullivan’s Travels, directed by Preston Sturges. It’s a comedy that takes a weird turn early on. We’re also checking out O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the 2000 entry by the Coen Brothers. It may or may not be a lift from Homer’s Odyssey. (Spoiler: it is.)

Reel 18: It’s How You Play the Game

This episode nearly didn’t make it to you, several times. The universe may have been conspiring against us. And that’s a shame because this is one over-stuffed show.

In this episode we take on 1988’s Bull Durham, written and directed by Ron Shelton. Shelton’s experience as a ballplayer shows in the minute details he presents to the viewer.

After that, we move on to Without Limits, directed by Robert Towne. It relates the story of Stever Prefontaine, a phenomenal track star of the early 1970s. In both of these films, there’s a philosophy of sports that informs the way the character/subjects behave, and we explore both of them pretty deeply.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

Next time around, we look at a couple of films that play up the more absurd side of war via comedy and satire. So if you enjoy seeing the films before we chat, you’re looking for Duck Soup, the 1933 film starring the Marx Brothers, and Catch-22, the 1970 film starring Alan Arkin which is designed to confuse as much as amuse you.

Reel 17: Foreign Exchange, Part 4

Sean and Claude close out their series on foreign films and their English-language remakes with this look at another Akira Kurosawa movie, Yojimbo (1961), and its English remake, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), directed by Sergio Leone.

It’s pretty clear that Kurosawa has grown since 1954’s Seven Samurai, and we talk a little more about how Kurosawa and Hollywood managed to affect and inform each other’s work.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: In Reel 18 we look at a pair of sports movies, but not the usual “underdog team makes good” kind of sports movies. First up is Bull Durham (1988), followed by Without Limits (1998). And if you think these two films can’t be any different, think again.

Reel 16: Foreign Exchange, Part 3

For this episode you’re going to need a lot of popcorn, movie fans, because this is an overstuffed show where we discuss a couple of very long movies. Combined, they’re clocking in at over five hours and change.

First up is the 1954 film Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa. It’s a favorite of both Sean and Claude, and pretty much anyone else who happens to be somebody. Seven Samurai‘s influence can be seen in many, many films, from the basic plot structure to the snumerous character tropes that are seen. 

Seven Samurai was so popular, in fact, that numerous people wanted to make an American version of it, and in 1960 The Magnificent Seven was made and released, with John Sturges at the helm. It’s worth noting here (because we didn’t mention it in the show) that The Magnificent Seven is one of those films that didn’t do very well, either with the critics or the box office, but it grew in stature over the years because of its star power and the soundtrack, and ultimately people came to respect the scriptwriting as well. 

These are two fantastic films that, despite their length, don’t waste a single frame of film and are well worth your time investment. 

COMING ATTRACTIONS: We close out this series with another Kurosawa film, Yojimbo, which became Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars.

Reel 15: Foreign Exchange, Part 2

Our look at non-English language films and their English counterparts continues. First up is our review of the film Infernal Affairs (2002), co-directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. Then we turn our attention to its American cousin, The Departed, the 2006 film directed by Martin Scorsese.

In this case the films aren’t clones of one another to the extent that we saw in the last episode, but the storylines remain quite close despite the big cultural jump from Hong Kong to Boston. But whether you watch it in English or in Chinese (or both—no reason not to watch both!), you’re in for a tension-filled good time.

COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time we get to Part 3 of this mini-series, as we look at The Seven Samurai (1954) and The Magnificent Seven (1960). Brace yourself, those are a couple of lengthy films, but well worth your time. And in-between Reels 15 and 16, there’ll be another bit of bonus audio as Claude takes some time to complain about the American educational system with regard to Arts programs.

Short Subject: an outtake from Reel 14

Hi there:

This is an outtake from our past episode that I (Claude) had to cut because the episode was running so long. But it was just amusing enough that I thought you’d find it fun. The only sad part is that you don’t get to see Sean’s face, looking for a way to respond to my weird little rant before he finally finds his answer. 

Stuff like this is why I think I may have adult ADHD, because he puts up with stuff like this more often than anyone should have to, without getting paid for it. 

Reel 14: Foreign Exchange, Part 1

As we noted last week, we’re accelerating the rate of episode releases for a couple of weeks to make up for the lengthy gap in our recent output.

This week is the first of a series of films in which we look at both the foreign original version and compare it to the American English edition. This week we’re looking at Abre los Ojos (“Open Your Eyes”) and Vanilla Sky.

Abre los Ojos is a 1997 film directed by Alejandro Amenábar, starring Eduardo Noriega and Penelope Cruz. Vanilla Sky is a 2001 remake directed by Cameron Crowe, and stars Tom Cruise and…suprise! Penelope Cruz again! Four stars and three of them pronounce their last names the same way. Not to mention that Vanilla Sky has Cameron Crowe and Cameron Diaz working together. So clearly the working environment for the latter film was a modern-day “Who’s on first?” routine.

At any rate, both of these films are so close to one another in plotline that Claude only had to write up one synopsis, which was a nice break for him. And in a few days we’re going to drop some bonus audio in which Claude throws a minor fit about certain streaming services. So you’ve got that to look forward to!

Finally, a little shout-out of thanks to Tina Cassano for her “backstage” help with getting us to understand some of the Spanish-based culture in Abre lo Ojos.

Reel 13: Love, Maybe

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Your podcatcher may have downloaded an episode with an audio problem in the second half of the show. If this is the case, you’ll need to delete and re-download the episode to hear it correctly. Apologies for the goof, and thanks for understanding.

So, where have we been?

Actually, it’s Claude’s fault that the episode is so late. What with school reopening, plus some personal drama coming from a couple of directions, it’s been a rough few weeks and apologies all around. To make up for it, Reel 14 will also be coming out in no more than a couple of days.

At any rate, this time around we’ve got a couple of wonderful, bittersweet films that explore relationships between a man and a woman that go deep enough that one could even use the word “love,” but which don’t take that one crucial step, each for their own reasons.

First one is Wong Kar-Wei’s 2000 film In the Mood for Love, which is set in 1962 Hong Kong and stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung as a couple who is convinced that their spouses are having an affair with one another. From there we move to a modern-day Tokyo, to see how Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray are handling things with each other, in 2003’s Lost in Translation, directed by Sofia Coppola. These characters are also separated physically and perhaps emotionally from their spouses, and isolated by their inability to speak the local language.

It’s worth noting (because we didn’t bring it up during this over-stuffed show) that both films end the same way: with the male lead whispering something we don’t hear. Go see the films if you haven’t already, then come back here and listen in, and see if you don’t agree with us.

Also, in the interest of full disclosure: Sean wants to note that when he worked in the video store many years ago (because, video store), Sofia Coppola was a customer in the store at least once that he knows of, but he’s pretty sure she didn’t bribe him to cover any of her films for this show.

Reel 12: Backstage Intrigue

It’s Women’s History Month!

And as our means of taking advantage of a remarkable coincidence, in today’s episode we’re looking at two films where the bulk of the primary cast is female. That said, the true theme this week is stories related to the theater. First, we’re looking at a favorite of the both of us, 1937’s Stage Door, starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers and Adolphe Menjou. After that we jump to 1950, where we learn All About Eve, along with the likes of Anne Baxter, Bette Davis and George Sanders being more George Sanders than in any other movie. 

The other thing they have in common is that Stage Door is the source of many peoples’ Hepburn impression, and Eve is the source of most peoples’ Davis impression. Settle in, it’s a long episode but the chat is a good, productive one!

COMING ATTRACTIONS: 

In Reel 13 we’ll be looking at In the Mood For Love and Lost In Translation, and no, the common thread isn’t that they’re both set in Asia. 

In the Mood For Love is available to stream via HBO Max and The Criterion Channel, but doesn’t appear to be rentable or purchasable for streaming, though DVD/Blu-Ray is an option.

Lost in Translation doesn’t appear to have any subscription-based streaming options, but can be rented or purchased through most streaming outlets. And discs are available as well.