Cinema In Context

Bong Joon-ho directed films. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss Bong Joon-ho's films Parasite and Snowpiercer. We begin by discussing Parasite, particularly its status as the winner of the 2019 Palm d'Or and the way an audience should come into the watching of the film, mainly with no spoilers. We compare Parasite to the work of Tarantino, particularly Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood and Inglourious Basterds, and how the both directors are working within the realms of building tension and paying it off. Our discussion then moves to Snowpiercer, and its balance of reality and heightened-reality. We compare the film to the work of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, particularly Alien: Resurrection, Delicatessen, City of Lost Children and Micmacs, and the work of Terry Gilliam. We then talk about the themes of class explored in both films, how heavy-handed that exploration is and how the films bring about questions of the morality of class systems.

Cinema experiences, the world over. Sarah Watt, William Chen and Jeremy Downing discuss the various films and cinema experiences from their trips around the world. Sarah opens the discussion by outlining her trip around Europe. She mentions La Dolce Vita, Drive and Avengers: Endgame. She talked about multiple masterclasses, including with steadicam inventor Garrett Brown, one with Rutger Hauer, another with Joe Dante and later with Francis Ford Coppola. William then shared about his trip to the United States, highlighting Los Angeles and its focus on cinema. He watched Toy Story, Story 2 and Toy Story 3 on the plane, which guides the discussion for a while. We chat about Thor: Ragnarok, Eagle vs Shark, The Breaker Upperers, No. 2 and Whale Rider. William then chats about Hobbs & Shaw, as well as the Fast & Furious connections. We talk about the jarring feeling of hearing the New Zealand accent in big budget films, like Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, Aquaman and in Hobbs & Shaw. This moves into

Toy Story 4. Jeremy Downing and William Chen have separate conversations in different parts of the world. The first is with Georgie Swan and the second is with Jon Portinga. The first conversation is lead by Jeremy, talking with Georgie Swan, during a conference focused on Indigenous Education, hosted in Auckland, New Zealand. The discussion begins about the first three Toy Story films and what they mean to both Georgie and Jeremy, specially around the social conscience of Pixar films. They then talk about the place of Toy Story 4 in the series and the overall arc of the characters, as well as how the films are able to connect to children and adults. Talk then moves into the themes, around the ideas of where toys go to die and the idea of brokenness. Conversation then focuses on the role Woody plays in the film, with the ensemble taking more of a back seat. The second conversation is lead by William, talking with Jon Portinga, at a cafe called Sara's Table, in Duluth, USA. Discussion between William and Jo

The X-Men universe. Special guests Sinead Fitzgerald and Adam Spedding join Jeremy Downing and William Chen to discuss X-Men, Dark Phoenix and all the X-Men films in between. Discussion starts with ripping into Dark Phoenix and discussing how the original X-Men film established the world. We then work our way through the other X-Men films, starting with X-Men: Days of Future Past and the moving through X-Men: First Class, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Wolverine, Logan, X-Men: Apocalypse, X2, X-Men: The Last Stand, Deadpool and Deadpool 2. We talk about the ageing of various characters in the films, including the CGI de-ageing processes of the new Marvel films and how many characters don't seem to age in the X-Men timeline. We talk about how the series and the genre has developed over the past twenty years, and what that might mean for the X-Men in the future. We discuss the various fantastic opening sequences and it being one of the strongest aspects of the films.

A Song of Ice and Fire. Special guests Sarah Cullen, Jeremy Foster, Katy Roose, Phoebe Shum and Rewa Worley join Jeremy Downing and William Chen to discuss the HBO television series Game of Thrones. We start by focusing on whether people were satisfied or dissatisfied by the series finale and unpacking why. We then move into discussing specific character arcs, starting with a general discussion of Daenerys Targaryen and whether the creators succeeded with her arc or it was a fail. We then present our favourite character arcs, starting with Sansa Stark, then moving through to Podrick Payne, Arya Stark, Joffrey Baratheon, Samwell Tarly, Jon Stark, Brienne of Tarth, Jaime Lannister, Theon Greyjoy, with a quick dig at Euron Greyjoy, finishing with a discussion about Davos Seaworth. We end by quickly going through our biggest shock or win moments, starting with Jon killing Daenerys, the death of Lady Mormont, Jon parrying the white walker's sword attack at Hardhome, Bron shooting the fire arrow into the ship of w

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller films. Special Guest Katy Roose joins Jeremy Downing and William Chen to discuss two films produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Discussion starts with looking into Lord and Miller's work being focused on what things aren't, and subverting expectations. We jump into a chat about Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, specifically focusing on the character of Sam Sparks. This leads into a talk about the meta-quality of The Lego Movie 2, particularly the layering of themes, storytelling and ideas, specifically Toxic Masculinity. We look at the wider oeuvre of Lord and Miller, talking about 21 Jump Street, 22 Jump Street and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. We talk about the songs and credit sequences in both films. The discussion returns to the themes of gender in The Lego Movie 2, through the characters of Lucy, Emit and rex Dangervest. William then goes into an incredible rant about the themes in ch

Post Oscars discussion. Special Guest Phoebe Shum joins Jeremy Downing and William Chen to discuss the 2019 Academy Awards. Our discussion touches on the selected films this year in contrast to previous years. We mention The Shape of Water, Moonlight and La La Land. We talk about the lead up to the ceremony, with the suggestions around the "Popular Oscar" category and shifting certain awards to the ad breaks, and the outcome of not having a dedicated host. We unpack the Best Picture winner and nominees, starting by discussing Green Book, then moving into a discussion around Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman and Roma. Our discussion about Roma focuses on the Netflix presence in the cinema landscape, how watching on a smaller screen affects the Roma viewing experience and how streaming services will affect enjoyment of cinema moving forward. We talk about the varying degrees of quality in Bohemian Rhapsody. We discuss the Best Animated Feature winner and nominees, focusing on Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Isle

James Cameron Science Fiction. Special Guest Sinead Fitzgerald joins Jeremy Downing and William Chen to discuss two films written by James Cameron: his 2009 Box Office breaking Avatar and his most recent script Alita: Battle Angel. Discussion starts with looking into Cameron's career, including his multiple cinematic hits and even his work in theme park rides. We then get into talking about Avatar, the world building, the special effects and the soundtrack. The use of 3D in films comes into our discussion, specifically about the representation of flight of screen, through Avatar, How To Train Your Dragon and Gravity. Our chat then moves to Alita: Battle Angel, the predicability of the story and the strength of the action. Our discussion then moves onto the career of Robert Rodriguez, and his strength and weaknesses.

M. Night Shyamalan films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing, Doug Dillaman and William Chen discuss two M. Night Shyamalan films: his 2008 clunker The Happening and his most recent film Glass. Discussion starts with a discussion about Glass and looking at its connections to Unbreakable and Split. The chat then moves onto The Happening and covers some of the many pitfalls of the film. The conversation then explores the history of Shyamalan's career and the placement of his films in the wider cinema landscape.

Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss their top films of the year. This year, they have split their top films into five categories: Biggest Surprise, Biggest Disappointment, Most Anticipated (still come to come out, at the time of recording), Wildcard, and Film of the Year. Biggest Surprise: William: Annihilation Sarah: Filmworker Jeremy: Avengers: Infinity War Biggest Disappointment: Sarah: BlacKkKlansman William: Hereditary Jeremy: Incredibles 2 Most Anticipated (still to come out, at the time of recording): Jeremy: Roma William: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Sarah: The Children Act Wildcard: William: Teen Titans Go! To The Movies Sarah: Upgrade Jeremy: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle Runner-ups to Film of the Year: Sarah: A Quiet Place, Phantom Thread, McQueen William: Isle of Dogs, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, First Reformed, Paddington 2 Jeremy: Annihilation, Isle of Dogs, A Quiet Place Film of the Year: Sarah: Mission: Impossible - Fallout William: Sorry To Bother You Jeremy: A

Wizarding World sequels. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the second Fantastic Beasts film, The Crimes of Grindelwald, and the third Harry Potter film, subtitles The Prisoner of Azkaban. Our discussion begins by discussing the Wizarding World logo and the franchise quality of these films, and then quickly develops into how the two stories are structured. We compare the casts in both films, and praise the commitment and calibre of the performances. The world-building is impressive in both films, with Prisoner of Azkaban changing the visual style of the films for the better and Fantastic Beasts potentially retreading ground. We spend a reasonable amount of time fanning out on the time travel in Prisoner of Azkaban. We then talk through the madness that is the final scenes and sequences of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and how the film needs an additional screenwriter. We celebrate the music in Prisoner of Azkaban and the brilliance of John Williams. We praise the Dementors in A

Diegetic musicals. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss A Star Is Born and Cabaret. We begin by discussing the prowess of both Lady Gaga and Liza Minelli in the opening of each film. We unpack the narrative structure of A Star Is Born, looking at the first and second half, and stylistic throw-backs to other directors, which include Richard Linklater and David O. Russell. We talk about the heightened nature of Cabaret, particularly the sharp cuts that add to the irony in the film, how ominous the film is, and how the film carefully develops character. Our discussion moves to talking about the music and performance in A Star Is Born, how they constructed the live scenes and its treatment of the different music styles. We talk about the artistic choices in Cabaret, with the Emcee being a personification of Berlin and capturing German Expressionism.

Culture clash wedding films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Crazy Rich Asians and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, two romantic comedies that have broken Box Office records. Our discussion begins with acknowledging that My Big Fat Greek Wedding has not aged very well, so we try and find redeemable qualities in the film. We burst out in outrage at the poor Health and Safety protocols of John Corbett's teacher character. As teachers, we were not amused. The film is not pretty to look at, with corny wipes, bland colour schemes and setups with limited depth. We compare My Big Fat Greek Wedding to another one-woman stage show adaptation, No. 2, and another stage to film adaptation, Mamma Mia! Our conversation then jumps into a discussion about Crazy Rich Asians, talking about the clear appeal the film has with audiences. We talk about the strength of the four main female actors, particularly Awkwafina and Michelle Yeoh. The film is beautiful to look at, particularly as an advertisement for holidays i

Tom Cruise action films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Mission: Impossible - Fallout and Top Gun. We jump straight into a discussion about the Mission: Impossible films, highlighting the strength of the director talent for each of the films, comparing it to the James Bond and Harry Potter films. Our chat then moves to Top Gun and how out of date the film feels in retrospect. Gender representation, hard-body masculinity and homoerotica is talked about in regards to Top Gun. We all agree that Tom Cruise is an impressive performer, both in terms of charisma and commitment. We talk about the strength of the other actors in Mission: Impossible - Fallout, except for Henry Cavill, which sparks a debate. We talk about the strength of certain characters and action sequences in Mission: Impossible - Fallout.

Action films in a building. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Die Hard and Skyscraper. We begin by comparing Skyscraper to other films, like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Galaxy Quest, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, MacGyver, and even the musical Annie. Dwayne Johnson does a great job as the "every man" action hero and Neve Campbell does a great job as his calm and collected wife. We then discuss whether Skyscraper was taking itself seriously or self-aware silly. Discussion then moves onto Die Hard and how fantastic the film is, tightly woven together like a puzzle. We then talk about experiential cinema experiences, watching Die Hard with themed food, secret cinema viewings of Blade Runner and promotional beach screenings of Jaws. We talk about Die Hard as a Christmas film, along with Batman Returns, Lethal Weapon and Gremlins. Alan Rickman is brilliant and we talk about his strengths, and how apart from his character, Bruce Willis's character and Sgt. Al Powell, the film is populated

Ocean's Eleven franchise films. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Ocean's Eight and Ocean's Eleven, starting with acknowledging that the two films are very similar. We talk about the strength of the cast in Ocean's Eight, especially with the film's focus on character. We talk about the cinematography in both films, with the strength of cinematography in Ocean's Eleven and the straightforward, functional camerawork in Ocean's Eight. We talk about the possible "coming out" of the characters in Ocean's Eight and other films, like Captain America: The Winter Soldier. We then talk about certain characters in both films who don't fully work as well rounded individuals, then also praising key performances. Our discussion then moves into a discussion about pace in both films. Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen and the original Ocean's 11 then become the focus of our discussion, talking about how all three are not as good as these two other films. Our conversation wraps up by touching on the gender pol

Social satire set in Japan. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Isle of Dogs and Battle Royale. Discussion starts by comparing Battle Royale to our teaching experience, to The Hunger Games and to the current popularity of Battle Royale genre computer games, like Fortnite. We shift discussion to Isle of Dogs and commend the beautiful imagery, the tonal darkness of the story and how that relates to our world, and the joy of some of the gags in the film. Both films introduce romance, with young people professing their love in Battle Royale and a handful of couplings in Isle of Dogs. Our discussion then moves into how America and American cinema intersects with these films, with an American character in Isle of Dogs, made by an American creative team, and then the commentary around American involvement in other countries in Battle Royale II. Our conversation wraps up by discussing youth and how they factor into both films.

Science Fiction thrillers. Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss A Quiet Place and Signs, two films with a lot of similarities, with the most obvious connections being that they are about small families surviving in the midst of an invasion by hostile creatures. We start by discussing the merits of A Quiet Place and the dated qualities of Signs. We discuss the history of cinema around the release of Signs and where M. Night Shyamalan's career headed. Discussion then moves into the merits of A Quiet Place, particularly the strength of the acting without spoken dialogue. Our discussion then goes back to M. Night Shyamalan's films and the atrociousness of The Happening, Split and Lady In The Water. For fear of bagging on Signs the whole time, we then move our discussion back to A Quiet Place and talk about its strong world-building, its ability to build a threatening alien presence, and the metaphor of the silence present in the film. We talk about the strength of the sound design in the film, incl

Super hero films. *SPOILER ALERT FOR MANY SUPERHERO FILMS* Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss Black Panther and any of the superhero films made in cinema history. We jump right into the discussion around black representation in Black Panther and if it does enough for representation. We compare representation of race with similar representation in Wonder Woman and District 9. We then talk about the cast in Black Panther, the strength of the talent on screen and the complexity of their characters. Black Panther is not only strong in its representation of people of colour, but also its representation of women. We then move on to comparing it to other superhero films, like X-Men, Batman, Batman Returns, Superman, Spider-Man, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Wolverine, Wonder Woman 2, Thor: Ragnarok, Flash Gordon, Chronicle, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Logan, Watchmen, The Incredibles, Man of Steel, Justice League,

Oscar Special 2018. Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films nominated for Academy Awards this year. Here are our picks: - Best Picture: Dunkirk - Actor in a Leading Role: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour - Actress in a Leading Role: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards outside Ebbing Missouri - Actor in a Supporting Role: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri - Actress in a Supporting Role: Allison Janney, I, Tonya - Animated Feature Film: Coco (2 votes) / Loving Vincent (1 vote) - Cinematography: Blade Runner (3 votes) / Dunkirk (1 vote) - Directing: The Shape of Water (3 votes) / Dunkirk (1 vote) - Adapted Screenplay: Call Me By Your Name - Original Screenplay: Get Out (2 votes) / Lady Bird (2 vote) / (Though it will likely be…) Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri We ran out of time to talk about the following categories, but here are our picks: - Costume Design: Phantom Thread - Film Editing: Dunkirk (2 votes) / Baby Driver (1 vote) / I, Tonya (1 vote) -