Afleveringen
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Our Latin American journey leaves the South American mainland behind this week, and dips into Caribbean cinema with a 2007 film from the Dominican Republic, YUNIOL. After some reviews, we talk about class differences, telling multiple stories, and how this is not an ‘uneven’ film.
Recent Media
ALL OR NOTHING: TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS (2021): Rob Worsoff, Kyle Dubas, Will Arnett
STRANGER THINGS S4 (2022): Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Winona RyderRecommendations
HEROES (2007–09): Tim Kring, Jack Coleman, Hayden Panettiere
SHARKTOPUS VS. PTERACUDA (2014): Kevin O’Neill, Robert Carradine, Katie Savoy
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017): Jon Watts, Tom Holland, Michael Keaton
BLINDSPOTTING (2018): Carlos López Estrada, Daveed Diggs, Rafael CasalFootnotes
[where this film comes from, Part 1] www.barcelo.com/pinandtravel/en/from-the-godfather-to-jurassic-park-the-best-dominican-cinema [where this film comes from, Part 2] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dominican_Republic_films [what this film could have been] www.tasteofcinema.com/2016/15-poetic-films-about-mundane-subjects [our episode about the film to which we compared this one] www.kaiju.fm/prestige/5-04-city-of-god-2002-corrupt-space [finally: yes this is about the UK, but it’s still a good article!] aaronguthrie.medium.com/the-representation-of-class-in-contemporary-british-film-and-tv-afc5882dd7d3
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The most recent film on our Latin American odyssey is the Venezuelan MY STRAIGHT SON (2012). After reviews — some more fervent than others — we talk about drama, found families, and whether or not we might have a Eurocentric view of this film’s politics.
Recent Media
GOLDENEYE (1995): Martin Campbell, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean
REACHER (2022–): Lee Child, Nick Santora, Alan RitchsonRecommendations
THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (2012): Stephen Chbosky, Logan Lernan, Emma Watson
BEAUTIFUL THING (1996): Jonathan Harvey, Hettie MacDonald, Linda Henry
[Sam’s last-minute, unexpected recommendation] THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (2004): Walter Salles, Ernesto Guevara, Gael Garcia Bernal
THE LARAMIE PROJECT (2000): Moisés Kaufman, Leigh Fondakowski, Stephen BelberFootnotes
www.jstor.org/stable/26384822 (JSTOR subscription needed) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telenovela www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-catharsis-definition en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_as_Folk_(British_TV_series) www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/g9621178/best-gay-lgbt-films
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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After something of a hiatus: we’re back! With the award-winning 2015 Colombian film EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT. After some reviews, we dive in with a reference to Rob’s favourite theatrical director, as well as exploring why it’s good that this film was made and how it might be important that some people don’t get on board with it.
Recent Media
THE HARDER THEY FALL (2021): Jeymes Samuel, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz
ENCANTO (2021): Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Stephanie Beatriz
THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS (2021): Lana Wachowski, Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss
TITANE (2021): Julia Ducorneau, Vincent Lindon, Agathe Rousselle
TICK, TICK…BOOM! (2021): Lin-Manuel Miranda, Andrew Garfield, Alexandra Shipp
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021): Jon Watts, Tom Holland, Zendaya
THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE (2021): Richard Osman
The Jack Reacher Book Series (1997—): Lee Child, Andrew ChildRecommendations
THE MOTORCYCLES DIARIES (2004): Walter Salles, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara, Gael García Bernal
NARCOS: MEXICO (2018–21): Carlo Bernard, Chris Brancato, Michael Peña
A FIELD IN ENGLAND (2013): Ben Wheatley, Julian Barratt, Peter Ferdinando
SORCERER (1977): William Friedkin, Georges Arnaud, Roy ScheiderFootnotes
Firstly, this is what we seem to be talking about a fair bit this episode: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_revisionism. As Rob mentions at the start, this film is two different versions of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey. Here’s the obligatory Brecht link: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bertolt-Brecht. It’s interesting that IMDB actually have this as a tag: https://www.imdb.com/search/keyword/?keywords=in-medias-res. This reviewer seems to have similar thoughts to Sam about the film: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/embrace-of-the-serpent-2016. Finally, here’s a link to our FIELD IN ENGLAND episode, for more on a film like this one in several ways: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454/episodes/a-field-in-england-and-psyched-29626170. -
Another Small Batch episode, looking at the the 2021 horror film, Titane
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The next stop on our journey through Latin America is 2005’s MADEINUSA. After some reviews, we talk about how this film is itself a disturbing experience for the viewers, to what extent it presents the main character as a ‘femme fatale', and why it works as a complete disruption of the ‘white saviour’ myth.
Next Up
The next film in our Latin American Odyssey is Colombia’s EL PASEO (2010).Recent Media
MIDNIGHT MASS (2021): Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford
SQUID GAME (2021): Hwang Dong-hyuk, Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-sooRecommendations
LA MALA EDUCACIÓN (2004): Pedro Almodóvar, Gael Garcia Bernal, Fele Martínez
HIGH NOON (1952): Fred Zinnemann, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly
THE PURGE (SERIES, 2013–21): James DeMonaco, Ethan Hawke, Lena Headey
THE WICKER MAN (1973): Robin Hardy, Edward Woodward, Britt EklandFootnotes
Rob mentions a few cinematic touchstones for some of the visual stylings of this film: kabuki (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki), the morality play (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality_play), and anime (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anime). Some of this film’s ideas are also reminiscent of the film noir (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_noir), particularly at the end. This is an interesting analysis of ‘white saviour’ films: movies.mxdwn.com/feature/a-critical-analysis-of-white-savior-films-and-why-you-should-avoid-them. Finally, Rob mentioned tourism, in the context both of this film and of CITY OF GOD; this is a useful article about this, focused on the film’s geographical setting: barbieri.wordpress.ncsu.edu/files/2020/07/2020_Peru_SusTmo.pdf.Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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The title for this episode comes from something Rob says towards the end of this chat, which I think sums up this film brilliantly. After reviews (spoilers: we loved it), we talk about a number of things to do with the incredible artifice of this film, and its brutality, and (strangely enough) its use of architecture.
Next Up
Our next Latin American film is the Peruvian drama MADEINUSA, from 2005.Recent Media
MONEY HEIST (2017–21): Álex Pina, Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte
MALIBU HIGH (1979): Irvin Berwick, Jill Lansing, Stuart Taylor
BLACK WIDOW (2021): Cate Shortland, Scarlett Johansson, Florence PughRecommendations
THE CONSTANT GARDENER (2005): Fernando Meirelles, Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz
THE NEON DEMON (2016): Nicolas Winding Refn, Elle Fanning, Christina Hendricks
PREDATORS (2010): Nimród Antal, Adrien Brody, Topher Grace
ROMEO + JULIET (1996): William Shakespeare, Baz Luhrmann, Leonardo DiCaprioFootnotes
Firstly, find out more about Rio favelas here: catcomm.org/favela-facts. Sam mentions how touristy Rio’s favelas have become in the last 30 or so years; this site shows you what he means: www.daytours4u.com/en/travel-guide/rdj4u/favela-tourism. Roger Ebert wasn't always on the money, but this is a pretty good review of the ‘churn[ing…] furious energy’ of the film: /www.rogerebert.com/reviews/city-of-god-2003. And this is another good review about the story-telling genius at the heart of this movie: www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2004/06/the-movie-review-city-of-god/69527. Finally, this is a great piece (not only because the articles at Wallpaper are often very well-written) about architecture in film: www.wallpaper.com/architecture/architecture-in-film-through-the-decades.Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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Our film this week is the slacker comedy/drama 25 WATTS, from Uruguay. Post-reviews, we talk about movies with which this shares obvious roots, as well as how this captures the experiences of disenfranchised youth, and some borderline-colonial-tourist-y speculation about why this was such an important touchstone in Uruguayan film.
Next Up
The next film on our cinematic journey through Latin America is the 2002 film CITY OF GOD.Recent Media
KATE (2021): Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Miku Martineau
GODZILLA VS. KONG (2021): Adam Wingard, Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown
SHIN GODZILLA (2016): Hideaki Anno, Shinji Higuchi, Hiroki HasegawaRecommendations
THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER (2010): David Robert Mitchell, Claire Sloma, Marlon Morton
waydowntown (2000): Gary Burns, Fab Filippo, Don McKellar
CLERKS (1994): Kevin Smith, Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson
SHE’S GOTTA HAVE IT (1986): Spike Lee, Tracy Camilla Johns, Tommy Redmond HicksFootnotes
Firstly, it would be remiss of me not to include a reference to our CLERKS episode, from way back in the mists of time (remember how the world was, before COVID and Trump and Brexit? Ahhh…): www.kaiju.fm/prestige/clerks-slacker-cinema. For more on the cinema of Uruguay, see here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_of_Uruguay. If you’re a fan of 25 WATTS, why not try one of these: www.guruguay.com/5-uruguayan-films. Given our discussion of nationality, and why this might be a particularly ‘Uruguayan’ film, this is a good book (for the whole of this mini-season, in fact): books.google.co.uk/books/about/Latin_American_Cinema.html?id=MB-hBAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y. Finally, I know it’s a comedy, not a drama, so doesn’t meet Rob’s criteria for authentic youth/university life on screen, but here’s a nice little summary of what made FRESH MEAT a good — and, it turns out, poignant — bit of tv: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/28/fresh-meat-farewell-good-luck-in-the-real-world-its-terrible-out-there.Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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After something of a hiatus from the main feed, this week the band is back together with our look at (the most recent, Rob) THE ACCUSED. We talk about how this film undercuts expectations, what it has to say about the experiences of children as opposed to adults, and the in some ways chilling ending of the movie.
Next Up
The next film on our Latin American road trip is 2001’s 25 WATTS from Uruguay.Recent Media
EMPIRE RECORDS (1995): Allan Moyle, Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield
THE SUICIDE SQUAD (2021): James Gunn, Margot Robbie, Idris ElbaRecommendations
THE ACCUSED (1988): Jonathan Kaplan, Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster
THE ACCUSED (1949): William Dieterle, June Truesdell, Loretta Young
THE REVENANT (2015): Alejandro Iñárritu, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy
STAGED (2020–21): Simon Evans, Michael Sheen, David TennantFootnotes
Normal footnote service will resume next time: I hurt my hand this morning, and typing’s painful; I could leave it to Rob, but who knows what this section would look like then...Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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Another Small Batch, this week talking about FREE GUY and the return to the cinema!
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Another Small Batch episode, looking at the cinematic twins of White House Down and Olympus Has Fallen
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The first of our brand new Small Batch episodes, this week looking at the Pirates Of The Caribbean, all the from The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003) all the way to Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017).
As with the smaller shows, also smaller show notes, so enjoy!
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We launch into Season 5 (FIVE!!! madness, I tell you) and our ‘world tour’ with a film from the country at the southernmost tip of the Americas, Chile, and Pablo Larraín’s 2019 film EMA. After expressing awe at the visuals of the film and the impact that it had on us as viewers, we discuss the idea of new growth (‘seeds’ to be sown after fire, in a central metaphor of the film), the plan that Ema has, and how underestimating this is something that is not only done by Gael Garcia Bernal’s character, but by many (male) members of the audience.
Next Up
The next film in our journey up through the continent is the Argentinian film from a year earlier, THE ACCUSED.Recent Media
THIS IS MY HOUSE (2021): Stacey Dooley
TIME (2021): Lewis Arnold, Jimmy McGovern, Sean Bean
FEAR STREET (2021): R.L. Stine, Leigh Janiak, Kiana Madeira
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 1/2 (2003/2006): Gore Verbinski, Ted Elliott, Johnny DeppRecommendations
AS IF (2001–04): John Duthie, Paul Chequer, Emily Corrie
HARD CANDY (2005): David Slade, Elliott Page, Patrick Wilson
THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES (2004): Walter Telles, Ernesto Guevara, Gael Garcia Bernal
Y TU MAMÁ TAMBIÉN (2001): Alfonso Cuarón, Maribel Verdú, Gael Garcia BernalFootnotes
Before we get into the serious footnotes, I just wanted to link to this review of Sam’s first choice of Recent Media this week, which is actually, bizarrely, quite good: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/mar/20/bbc-one-this-is-my-house-stacey-dooley. Onto the good stuff. Here’s our NEON DEMON episode, to link to a film mentioned early on this week: www.kaiju.fm/prestige/3-27-the-neon-demon-and-beauty-consumption, and here’s another one by the director Sam mentions at the start: www.kaiju.fm/prestige/3-17-21-grams-change-and-grief. There were some great reviews of this week’s film: www.smh.com.au/culture/movies/mesmerising-film-gives-us-a-vengeful-goddess-for-the-metoo-generation-20210511-p57qu9.html, www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nightlife/alex/13350302, and indeed anything on www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ema. Here’s more about the dance form that structures both Eta’s character and this film as a whole: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggaeton. And finally, one of the film’s emotional climaxes (ha, ha) deserves to be on this list: www.vulture.com/2014/12/30-most-important-sex-scenes-in-movie-history.html.Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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Some six years (not five, Rob! we’ve been doing this aaaaages) after our first episode — and fourteen years after the…’discussion’ that prompted us to start doing this podcast (eventually), we’re revisiting Zach Snyder’s 2007 epic 300. After we read through that fourteen-year-old transcript, we talk about how our views of the film have changed, its roots in Spartan propaganda, and the aesthetics of a piece that were very much of its time.
Next Up
Next, we begin Season 5 — watch this space!Recent Media
A QUIET PLACE (2018): John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds
BO BURNHAM: INSIDE (2021): Bo Burnham, Josh SeniorRecommendations
WONDER WOMAN (2017): Patty Jenkins, Gal Gadot, Chris Pine
STEVE JOBS (2015): Danny Boyle, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet
AUSTRALIA (2008): Baz Luhrmann, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman
KONG: SKULL ISLAND (2017): Jordan Vogt-Roberts, Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. JacksonFootnotesIf you’re not familiar with the battle on which this is based, then probably read up on that first, as this isn’t an incredibly historically accurate film: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Thermopylae. (Although, as Sam mentions, the history in the film is actually better than you might think, as explained here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07n8p9m.) For more on the sometimes unsavoury career of Frank Miller, author of the original, see here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miller_(comics). A few links for our 2007 selves: www.britannica.com/biography/Bertolt-Brecht, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book), www.jstor.org/stable/20455133 (on 300 and the ‘war on terror’; subscription needed). Finally, here’s that list of 2007 films, to highlight the point that 300 was unique (visually speaking, that’s quite an underwhelming top 10): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_in_film.
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The final film in our Disney-animation-and-remakes sub-season is the 2020 iteration of MULAN. After some reviews, we delve into discussions of Disney ‘humanisation’ (sometimes, you just want bad guys to be bad guys), the fact that this movie is aimed at a very different audience from the original, the changes that are made to make this more of a human film, and how honour and ch'i (two big concepts here) mean very different things for different (gendered) characters.
Next Up
The next episode is our 200th — stay tuned to find out what we have planned for this, which may be something of a retrospective.Recent Media
ARMY OF THE DEAD (2021): Zack Snyder, Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell
STEELERS: THE WORLD’S FIRST GAY RUGBY CLUB (2020): Eammon Ashton-Atkinson, Nic Evans, Simon Jones
PALM SPRINGS (2020): Max Barbakow, Andy Samberg, Cristin MiliotiRecommendations
ROGUE ONE (2016): Gareth Edwards, Felicity Jones, Diego Luna
BACK TO THE FUTURE, PART II (1989): Robert Zemeckis, Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd
2046 (2004): Wong Kar-wai, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Faye Wong
THE ASSASSIN (2015): Hou Hsiao-hsien, She Qi, Chang ChenFootnotes
To start with, almost in passing, Sam mentions the concept of magic(al) realism, when talking about the phoenix; more on that here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_realism. When Rob mentions the film’s Wuxia moments, there’s a throwback both to the genre and to some episodes of The Prestige discussing this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxia; particularly, www.kaiju.fm/prestige/the-assassin-and-cultural-tourism, www.kaiju.fm/prestige/4-05-come-drink-with-me-1966-and-war, and www.kaiju.fm/prestige/4-08-the-legend-of-drunken-master-1994-and-comedy-action. Next, I looked at the title of this article and thought ‘uh-oh, we missed something significantly wrong with this film’; no, it’s just a terrible take: www.sceneandheardnu.com/content/2020/9/18/mulan-is-bad-and-that-was-inevitable. (It’s here to remind us all that other opinions do exist, which is rather the point of film…) Finally, here’s more on the ‘life force’ we discuss a lot in this episode (spelled in any number of ways in the English transliteration): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qi.Next episode is our 200th, and we want your help! - https://www.notion.so/The-Prestige-200th-Episode-0556dca9b5ea4821807e524bfe3be263
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Our final Disney film is 1998’s MULAN. After some reviews, we talk about the ways in which this film starts from a position of naivety, but grows into a much more adult movie: which leaves us both intrigued as to what the reboot will be like.
Next Up
Next time, for the last time, we turn to the live-action version of a Disney animation, with the 2020 MULAN.Recent Media
SAFE (2012): Boaz Yakin, Jason Statham, Catherine Chan
NOMADLAND (2020): Chloé Zhao, Jessica Bruder, Frances McDormandRecommendations
JURASSIC PARK (1993): Stephen Spielberg, Sam Neill, Laura Dern
MARY POPPINS RETURNS (2018): P.L. Travers, Rob Marshall, Emily Blunt
STREET FIGHTER (1994): Steven E. de Souza, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia
ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011): Sarah Smith, Barry Cook, James McAvoy
MR ROBOT (2015–19): Sam Esmail, Rami Malek, Christian SlaterFootnotes
We start off (and end, actually) by talking about Disney sidekicks; this is a fun article, if only for nostalgic reasons, remembering all the films: www.buzzfeed.com/jamiespain/times-disney-sidekicks-were-terrible (While we’re on the subject of Disney sidekicks, I also quite enjoyed this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J46XJImeQbc). Rob goes all academic (oooh, get him) and talks about the Greek chorus, of which more here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_chorus. Here’s the promised link to Orientalism (from which this film is, refreshingly, remarkably free): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book). If like Sam — not Rob — you were a nerdy kid in the late 90s, you might remember this, around the time of MULAN: www.imdb.com/title/tt0188478 — not actually Shakespeare, but something even more academic……Here’s another reminder of one of the concepts Rob mentions towards the end of this episode: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey#:~:text=Summary%20%20%20%20Act%20%20%20,road%20back%20The%20resurrection%20Return%20wi%20...%20. Finally, as Rob says, neither of us are best placed to be authorities on the subject of Gender Studies; if you’re interested, here’s a short reading list to get you started: www.lse.ac.uk/gender/Studying-Gender-at-LSE/recommended-literature. -
This week, after some...reviews of Disney’s most recent take on THE LION KING, we talk about how colour and contrast can make or break a film, the importance of myth to the original movie, and what it means to consider style versus substance when the film is as hyperrealistic as this one.
Next UpThe final film in our Disney mini-season is 1998’s MULAN.
Recent Media
TED LASSO (2020–): Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudekis, Hannah Waddingham
PARKER (2013): Taylor Hackford, Jason Statham, Jennifer LopezRecommendations
SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (2018): Ron Howard, Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013): Steve McQueen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Kenneth WilliamsSWINGERS (1996): Doug Liman, Jon Favreau, Vince VaughnTHE AFRICAN LION (1955): James Algar, Winston HiblerFootnotesGiven that one of our opening topics was the use of colour in these films, there was surprisingly little from the former specialist in this area; this article redresses the balance somewhat: whatweknow.tinkertaylor.tv/post/102fg5e/what-is-colour-grading-in-film-and-why-is-it-so-important. Rob discusses the changes wrought on Scar’s ideology by these alterations in colour, and this is an interesting exploration of just what his intentions are: the-take.com/watch/in-the-lion-king-what-is-scars-political-ideology. We say a lot about the (admittedly stunning) VFX on this film, and you can see more here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5bTjenLGj0 and read more here: www.animationboss.net/the-lion-king-vfx. Finally, for more reliable lion facts than provided by Sam this week, see here: www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/african-lion.
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Our film this week is the 1994 award-winning classic THE LION KING. After the usual reviews, we talk about Sam’s changing ideas about the film, how it may or may not be about the growth of a character, and what it says about the role of royal privilege (not, this week in particular, an entirely irrelevant topic!).
Next Up
It’s remake time! Next up is the 2019 version of the film.Recent Media
LINE OF DUTY (2012–): Jed Mercurio, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure
COLD LASAGNE HATE MYSELF 1999 (2020): James AcasterRecommendations
DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE (1995): John McTiernan, Jonathan Hensleigh, Bruce Willis
SISTER ACT (1992): Emile Ardolino, Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith
THE LION KING 1 1/2 (2004): Bradley Raymond, Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella
GODZILLA (1998): Roland Emmerich, Matthew Broderick, Jean RenoFootnotes
Firstly, here’s what Rob was saying about the film’s iconic status: www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-38312379. Rob mentions that there’s something of the morality play about what we see on screen; see here for more on this: www.britannica.com/art/morality-play-dramatic-genre. Sam refers to the etymology of the word ‘privilege’: www.etymonline.com/word/privilege. The writer of this piece is at least in agreement with Sam that the film is not based on Hamlet: www.fatherly.com/play/what-is-the-lion-king-based-on-the-answer-isnt-hamlet-shakespeare. The IMDB ‘trivia’ page for the film is a good read: www.imdb.com/title/tt0110357/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv. And finally, it wouldn’t be a 1990s Disney film without some racial controversy…: www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/12/14/676703629/swahili-speakers-horrified-by-disneys-trademark-of-hakuna-matata?t=1618171829034Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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This week’s offering is the re-make of ALADDIN. After…mixed reviews, we talk about the ‘clean’ visuals, what it feels Disney wants from a re-make, and how watching this involves something of the same pretence shown by the characters themselves.
Next Up
Our next Disney film is the 1994 original version of THE LION KING.Recent Media
THE BITTER TEA OF GENERAL YEN (1933): Frank Capra, Barbara Stanwyck, Nils Asther
INTERIOR DESIGN MASTERS WITH ALAN CARR (2021): Diccon Ramsay, Emma Taylor, Alan CarrRecommendations
TRON: LEGACY (2010): Joseph Kosinski, Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund
TERRA NOVA (2011): Kelly Marcel, Craig Silverstein, Jason O'Mara
MEN IN BLACK (1997): Barry Sonnenfeld, Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith
WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY (2017): Tommy Wirkola, Noomi Rapace, Glenn CloseFootnotes
Firstly, here’s a little reminder of the environment in which Rob’s ‘recent media’ film was made: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-Code_Hollywood. Onto our film of the week. Sam mentions a few of the film’s casting controversies, further explored here: deadline.com/2018/01/disney-aladdin-criticized-media-browning-up-1202237376 and here: www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/07/17/disney-aladdin-jasmine-naomi-scott_a_23034316. And this is a really comprehensive article on the confused/confusing cultural politics of the film: www.vox.com/2019/5/24/18635896/disney-live-action-aladdin-controversy-history (it also has a nod to Edward Said’s Orientalism, the ultimate text explaining many of the racial codings of cultural portrayals like this: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orientalism_(book)). Finally, it wouldn’t be an episode of The Prestige without a regular mention of Brecht! www.britannica.com/biography/Bertolt-Brecht. And when it comes to films-as-stage-plays, although slightly off-topic, this was an interesting list: www.metacritic.com/feature/best-and-worst-movies-based-on-plays-and-musicals?page=1 (I’m strangely intrigued by the SJP film at number 1…)Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454Follow Us - https://www.twitter.com/prestigepodcastFollow Sam - https://www.twitter.com/life_academicFollow Rob - https://www.twitter.com/kaijufmFind Our Complete Archive on Kaiju.FM - http://www.kaiju.fm/the-prestige/
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This time, our focus is on the 1992 Disney film ALADDIN. After some reviews, we discuss how this is a movie about people pretending to be something they’re not; we talk about what ‘diamond in the rough’ means (both to a 10-year-old Rob, and today); and we think about media depictions of class, from country-house dramas to inner-city soap operas.
Next Up
Next time (sticking to the format!), our focus turns to the 2019 live-action remake of ALADDIN.Recent Media
THE DAWN WALL (2017): Josh Lowell, Peter Mortimer, Tommy Caldwell
FREE SOLO (2018): Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Alex Honnold
THE ROCK (1996): Michael Bay, Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018): Bob Persichetti, Stan Lee, Shameik MooreRecommendations
MOANA (2016): Ron Clements, Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson
AMADEUS (1984): Peter Shaffer, Milos Forman, F. Murray Abraham
TREASURE PLANET (2002): Ron Clements, Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Gordon-Levittt
GALAVANT (2015–16): Dan Fogelman, Joshua Sasse, Timothy OmundsonFootnotes
Here’s more about the Disney Renaissance, if like Sam (not Rob) you weren’t an aficionado: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Renaissance. When talking about the animation at the start of the film, Sam mentions STEAMBOAT WILLIE; if you don’t know about this Disney milestone, then this Wikipedia is worth reading: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie. As Rob makes the connection between the two films, I Googled ALADDIN + DEADPOOL, and there is actually a nice line in (slightly NSFW) t-shirts: www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/591238257328225429. While we’re on the subject of ‘I can show you the world’, this is hands down my favourite version of this song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8S1TxCihvk (I challenge you to watch past two minutes). Finally, here’s that famous ‘class’ sketch, illustrating some of the ideas we talk about this week: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppv97S3ih14.Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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This week our focus is he 2017 live-action version of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. After some…contrasting reviews, we talk about how this film is a lot darker and more serious than the original, how it has a lot more to it (both good and bad), and how it might be a different sort of fairy tale to the 1991 film.
Next Time
Next in line for our Disney focus is he 1992 version of ALADDIN.Recent Media
HORTON HEARS A WHO! (2008): Theodor Seuss Geisel, Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino
X-MEN: DARK PHOENIX (2019): Simon Kinberg, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender
SNOWPIERCER (2020–): Jacques Lob, Josh Friedman, Jennifer Connelly
THE TOWN (2010): Chuck Hogan, Ben Affleck, Rebecca HallRecommendations
COLOSSAL (2016): Nacho Vigalondo, Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudekis
FAST & FURIOUS 6 (2013): Justin Lin, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker
A LIFE LESS ORDINARY (1997): Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz
MR HOLMES (2015): Bill Condon, Mitch Cullin, Ian McKellenFootnotes
This is an interesting presentation on one of the ideas Rob mentions early on: prezi.com/tovwsqhae1zq/the-art-of-metacommentary. Here’s more about the character of LeFou (including his name): villains.fandom.com/wiki/LeFou. And here’s more on the openly gay take on this character, including a very interesting idea from the director himself about one possible allegorical interpretation of the film: people.com/movies/beauty-and-the-beast-disney-first-openly-gay-character-lefou. And here’s a good response from Josh Gad to some negative criticism of LeFou: edition.cnn.com/2017/03/07/movies/josh-gad-gay-beauty-and-the-beast-character/index.html. And the final line of this short piece is particularly good: www.vulture.com/2017/03/heres-the-exclusively-gay-moment-in-beauty-and-the-beast.html. (Can you tell I went down an ‘internet hole’ reading about LeFou’s modern incarnation??) Finally, Rob may not have especially warmed to the result, but this was a really interesting article about the CGI transformation of Dan Stevens: www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/beauty-and-the-best-movie-dan-stevens-special-effects.Find Us On Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/the-prestige-417454
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