This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, Vince and JD are off and filling in this week is Tim Costa from the First Time Watchers podcast. God help us all. No, seriously, he was great and we appreciate his help as he and Brendan discuss Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron. The fellas also discuss the new original film from Netflix, The Incredible Jessica James.
We joke about Tim often, especially given his feelings about Brendan, but we do appreciate him filling in this week. He was a great guest and he restrained himself enough for the conversation to be quite excellent. So thanks for that Tim.
On that note, have fun listening to this week’s Extra Film segment and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!
We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.
To hear this Extra Film episode and everything else we do, download our apps on the Amazon Market for Android and the Podcast Box app on IOS devices. The mobile app covers all of our main shows, bonus podcast’s and everything else relating to the InSession Film Podcast. Thanks for your wonderful support and listening to our show. It means the world to us!
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Director: Nikolaj Arcel Writers: Akiva Goldsman (screenplay), Jeff Pinkner (screenplay) Stars: Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor, Jackie Earle Haley
Synopsis: The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.
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Steadfast has been the titular structure, the nexus of time and space, to readers of writer Stephen King’s seven-part, near 4,000-page book series. As turning over parchment (or swiping, if on e-readers) is increasingly becoming an elitist activity, it is just a matter of time before Hollywood elects itself to visualize King’s “magnum-opus” words. Took 10 years and many hands, but it happened. Relief is yet in sight, however, when friends who adore the series all brand it with depressing phrases – “unfilmable,” “no particular genre,” “hard to describe,” “where to begin” and so on – wondering if the brains translating it for moviegoers will be on the same level of creative drunkenness as The King.
Unfortunately, and dishearteningly, Sony Pictures’ The Dark Tower is dry.
After Babylon A.D., this is the second time that a runtime of 90 minutes ruins the world of a promising fantasy material. No matter how skilled one is, that much time is never sufficient to cover Mid-World, a sprawling and distinct setting where the futuristic, Wild West and mystical coexist. Or anything, really. Eleven-year-old “Keystone Earth”-ling Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) has a lot of short, frenetic dreams – about Mid-World, tower-protecting Gunslinger Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), a hellish dimension and tower-destroyer Walter/Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) – but after he has awakened the film seems to be stuck on fast-forwarding. It benefits Jake, however, in the sense that his journey to stop the tower from falling and evil invading is never a drag. On the other hand, Roland, the last of his kind who witness the face of his father (Dennis Haysbert) advancing toward death due to Walter, The Dark Tower gifts him with the timeless mantra of Sweet Brown. He seems to be just there to accompany Jake.
In the film, Jake gets the VIP treatment, having a strong enough “shine” (or telepathy – maybe, the film doesn’t confirm) that can pierce dimensions and vanquish an utterly superfluous House Demon. Such is also the source (another maybe) that can be used to bring down the tower via a Death Star-esque ray in one hit, rather than having the fake-skin cronies to abduct a lot of kids and use a number of them when it is demolition time. How can a child’s mind, per the title cards, be weaponized? No clue. How is Walter connected to the evil dimension? Unknown. Still, it is great to see Walter delivered the line “You are the full package, as advertised” to Jake with as much happiness as owning a Lincoln. Or cooking chicken.
We never see the final product, but The Dark Tower’s big bad has the potential to be a suave, GQ-ready and inter-dimensional all-star chef. There is a lot of pleasing hilarity in the film, most of which comes from McConaughey’s deft balancing between playful and ominous, commanding a person to “hate,” “stop breathing” or “kill” with a seductive twist. The Texan actor is a great foil for Elba, who – as usual – dominates the screen with just his stern presence or, surprisingly, magical deadpan delivery. Roland, despite the pain and shaken faith, has a heart, and the actor brings the warmth forward with his eyes. Having this quality duo around is vital to compensate Taylor’s performance, which is OK but gets really constrained at key moments.
As for the fantastical beats, they strive to be small in a world that King has made colossal. Action sequences are tightly staged and framed, and the less CGI employed the better they are. A recent revisit of A Royal Affair shows director Nikolaj Arcel being much more comfortable around character-driven moments, as is his regular d.o.p. Rasmus Videbæk, but since they are already flawed here, accepting the chases, gunplay and fisticuffs for what they are can still leave a substantial void. Hunting down references to King’s other writings may alleviate that. Somewhat. Try this game with alcohol, maybe?
Come to think of it, the personal teetotal status may have to be broken due to three revelations linking The Dark Tower to the RoboCop remake. This will be another occasion where Sony Pictures lets down an acclaimed foreign filmmaker with post-production decisions, extinguishes the possibility of diversity in casting due to underwhelming project and dents the talented Jackie Earle Haley’s career. So much security was courted to ignite the long-dormant project, but it couldn’t even prevent the tower – at least its big-screen version – from following the ways of Babel.
For those that keep up with my monthly posts may have noticed that July’s was absent. This is not because July had nothing to talk about, but was due to simple negligence on my part. In fact, it was a regrettable negligence. Many of you fine moviegoers will agree that the month of July was a monster; the trilogy closing War for the Planet of the Apes, Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic Dunkirk, David Lowery’s hauntingly beautiful A Ghost Story, the innocent fun of Spider-Man: Homecoming, Kumail Nanjiani’s culturally significant The Big Sick, need I say more? To call these films great summer entertainments is a disservice; these are works that we’ll more than likely still be talking about come year’s end, whether Nolan has a chance at finally earning a Best Directing Oscar, or if the Academy will be ready to honor Andy Serkis in some way or another, or if I see a movie that makes me cry harder than A Ghost Story.
Can August live up to July’s trend of high standards? I guess that depends on where you look.
Following the heels of Dunkirk, August sees another commercial depiction of a powerful historical event; Kathryn Bigelow reunites with writer Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty) to dramatize the 1967 civil rights riots in Detroit. Already garnering high praise, could this be yet another big summer release gearing for a hard hitting Oscar campaign? If the early buzz is any indication, a betting man would be stupid to bet against that.
After Detroit, however, commercial entertainment becomes a bit tricky. While the return of Steven Soderbergh with Logan Lucky is guaranteed to garner excitement (who doesn’t want to see Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and a barely unrecognizable Daniel Craig in a NASCAR heist flick), is anyone really excited for The Dark Tower? How about Annabelle: Creation (despite positive early buzz)? This is where knowing where to look becomes important; more specifically, it’s the indie circuit once again (what else is new).
Already a Sundance darling, Taylor Sheridan’s (writer of Sicario and Hell or High Water) directorial debut Wind River sees Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner amidst a hellish murder mystery within the snowy plains of Wyoming. And if that isn’t enough to satisfy your love for Elizabeth Olsen (you love her, trust me), how about seeing her team up with Aubrey Plaza in yet another Sundance hit with Ingrid Goes West? A very different film than Wind River, but perhaps a riot nonetheless. And already generating an incredible amount of buzz, Kogonada’s debut dramedy Columbus brings together John Cho and young beauty Haley Lu Richardson for a series of familial hardships set in Columbus, Indiana.
Wait, there’s more? After its critical success at Cannes, A24’s crime drama Good Time will begin its limited run this month, which already has Robert Pattinson joining the Oscar race (he’s a great actor, folks). As we continue to look, to those that were big fans of Short Term 12 (I’ll be one to raise my hand here), Brie Larson reunites with writer/director Dustin Daniel Cretton for The Glass Castle, the true story about Jeanette Walls who was raised by a dysfunctional family of nonconformist adventurers; the film also stars Naomi Watts and Woody Harrelson (okay, now you’re excited). And how about another round of your favorite snarky improvisers touring Europe? Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon return for The Trip to Spain which is slated for a limited release this month.
The indie circuit will more than likely save the month of August, closing a rather hit-or-miss summer with enough hits to go out on a high note. Now we have September to look forward to, the autumn version of the January wasteland; it’ll be a problem if September’s only good release is the 40th Anniversary of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Here’s hoping a killer clown and some British spies are worth the wait.
Summary of films to look out for this August:Detroit, Logan Lucky, Wind River, Ingrid Goes West, Columbus, The Glass Castle, Good Time, The Trip to Spain.
Detroit is one of those films that we’ve been anticipating for some time. The last time that Kathryn Bigelow graced our presence was with Zero Dark Thirty back in 2012, just before we launched InSession Film. In fact, it was one of the films that year that provoked us to start this little venture of ours, that’s how much we loved that film. We are big fans of Bigelow overall and have been waiting patiently for her next film so we could talk about her on the show. Not only does Detroit give us our Bigelow fix, but also our Mark Boal fix. Before their collaboration on Zero Dark Thirty, the two of them created this little film that won an award or two called The Hurt Locker. I heard it was pretty good. So to see them back together again for Detroit is pretty exciting.
Speaking subjectively, I’m also excited for Detroit because it’s an important event that doesn’t get talked about enough. Being from Michigan, I remember vividly hearing about this in school, but as I got older it became apparent that it wasn’t quite as known everywhere. Perhaps I’m speaking myopically, but in my experience, it seems to be an event that fell through the cracks compared to some of the more well known events of the late 1960’s. Either way, the “Algiers Motel Incident” is a story that unfortunately feels as appropriate today as it was in 1967. In the hands of someone like Bigelow, I fully expect that the film to be viscerally gripping, and for some, it will probably be emotionally overwhelming.
Additionally to all of that, Detroit stars John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Jason Mitchell, Jacob Latimore, Jack Reynor and Will Poulter among others. The cast here is really quite great overall and I look forward to seeing how this young cast gels here.
I’m also very intrigued by what James Newton Howard brings to this film musically. Newton Howard is a composer that – for me – has been able to render some really moving scores that simultaneously incorporate elements of visceral tension, something that would be appropriate here. This story also has a harrowing nature to it and I think he could capture that well too based on his previous work, in particular his work with M. Night Shyamalan.
There is a lot to look forward to with Detroit. It won’t be an easy watch nor a fun one, but the film will hopefully pack a wallop in terms of significance. In that regard, I can’t wait to see what Bigelow and Boal have stirred up here. What about you? Are you excited for Detroit?
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Here’s what else is coming to theaters this weekend:
The Dark Tower Kidnap Wind River (limited) An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (expanding)
For my latest guest appearance, I joined Jay over at The Lambcast, alongside Simon Appleton and Richard Kirkham, to talk about Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. We had a really great time and a fun discussion on both the film and the historical context of what happened at Dunkirk.
This week for our poll, inspired by the new film Detroit, we’re talking about Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal – the director and writer of Detroit. Of course, this is the third collaboration between Bigelow and Boal, coming off the heels of Zero Dark Thirty and The Hurt Locker. So it felt appropriate to pin those two films up against each other. Of the two, which film do you prefer?
Director: Matthew Heineman Stars: Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi, Hamoud, Hassan
Synopsis: A documentary that follows the efforts of “Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently,” a handful of anonymous activists who banded together after their homeland was taken over by ISIS in 2014.
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This astonishing new documentary from the team behind 2015’s Cartel Land owes much to that earlier film. Though its myriad cast and infernal setting stand as bold silhouettes atop the ramparts, it’s the film’s cinematic scope that peers out, conspicuous in its self-awareness. Cartel Land leaped into a topic oft-explored by feature-length – to say nothing of Breaking Bad – incursions into the US-Mexico drug war (Sicario, Narco Cultura). City of Ghosts has no such touchstone. Raqqa’s rubble-strewn streets may recall prime-time news reportage, but its thriller narrative expunges all doubt this story belongs anywhere but in the theatre.
This deeply personal account follows anonymous activist group “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” (RBSS), from its reactionary inception as ISIL Wahhabism takes hold in the city, to eventual flight to western Europe. There is no three act structure here; no big pay-off nor grand resolution. Indeed, City of Ghosts’ parting gift is quite literally delivered in the maternity ward, the most silver of linings in a sunless sky. Bookended by an award ceremony at which RBSS are being honored, one journalist remarks, “So serious, my friend.” Outwardly concealed by the glamour of the occasion, the broiling discomfort is evident. Acknowledged these men ought to be, but through the prism of western opulence, at once jarring and antithetic, the lack of empathy is accentuated.
There is no sanitized footage here. As we alternate between the recent past and present, we do also the dolly-less photography of Heineman and primitive mobile phone mp4s of Raqqa’s horrors. Seamless intercutting only adds to the immersion, all-but removing entirely the safe detachment in which we might find refuge with our activists. We are invited to public executions without the cautionary warnings we might expect and, in one shocking sequence, witness a son recounting his father’s murder on a laptop, our eyes darting between LCD display and viewer as we struggle to reconcile the world in which these young men have grown, with our own. Therein lies the masterstroke of this documentary: for all its depictions of a world with which we may think we’ve an objective, if tenuous grasp, City of Ghosts injects humanity. In spades. Punctuated by an urgent score and brief moments of communal mirth, the sterile, Syrian shaped bubble with which we’re familiar is burst. Like Cartel Land and Escape Fire before it, the application of “characters” in whose shoes we can trudge for ninety minutes adds colour to a black-and-white album.
With Alex Gibney (Zero Days, Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief) on board as executive producer I sincerely hope City of Ghosts reaches its deserved audience. A limited theatrical release may mean a reliance on word-of-mouth advertising to find a home, with Amazon having secured worldwide rights for its distribution, including its Prime Video platform. And find it you must, for City of Ghosts is proof that simply pointing a camera in the right direction makes for the most engaging drama.
This week on Episode 232 of the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by A Ghost Story and the way it uses time to tell its story, we felt compelled to talk about our favorite movies that feature time as a major element. This doesn’t necessarily mean “time travel” per se, although that could be a component, but there are several ways to utilize time in films. In fact, there are a few filmmakers that have made a career in exploring this, such as Christopher Nolan (as we talked about last week on the show) and Richard Linklater, for example. Hopefully our lists convey this and how time can be emulated in various ways.
On that note, what movies would make your list? Here are the one’s that made ours:
**Please keep in mind that we each had different criteria for our selections**
JD
1) Boyhood
2) Letter from an Unknown Woman
3) About Time
Brendan
1) Synecdoche, New York
2) Up
3) Cleo from 5 to 7
Honorable Mentions (Combined) Tree of Life, Citizen Kane, Inception, Dunkirk, Momento, Arrival, Midnight in Paris, Looper, Back to the Future, Primer, The Mirror, Pulp Fiction, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Locke, Victoria, 127 Hours, United 93, Bambi, Run Lola Run, 500 Days of Summer, X-Men: Days of Future Past, 12 Monkeys, Edge of Tomorrow, Groundhog Day, Zero Dark Thirty, Goodfellas, Hugo, Pather Panchali,Before Trilogy
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. If you’re a fan of Nolan like we are, this list was pretty difficult to narrow down. There are so many great scenes that reflect his directing style, depending on what speaks to you the most. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
This week’s episode is brought to you by the InSession Film Store! Get your IF t-shirt today!
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we get ghostly as we discuss David Lowrey’s new film A Ghost Story, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. We also discuss our Top 3 movies about time and we continue our Satyajit Ray Movie Series by concluding the Apu Trilogy with a review of Apur Sansar.
Hopefully this comes through in our discussion, but A Ghost Story truly is a unique experience that is unlike anything you’ll see this year. We can’t urge you enough to see it as soon as you can. Also, this week’s show is slightly bittersweet in the sense that we wrap up the Apu Trilogy, a series of films that we have really enjoyed talking about. However, there is more Satyajit Ray to come in the next few weeks!
On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
– Movie Review: A Ghost Story (5:02) Grades
JD: A
Brendan: A+
– Top 3 Movies About Time (36:06)
Inspired by the way A Ghost Story uses time to tell its story, we felt compelled to talk about our favorite movies that feature time as a major element. This doesn’t necessarily mean “time travel” per se, although that could be a component, but there are several ways to utilize time in films. In fact, there are a few filmmakers that have made a career in exploring this, such as Christopher Nolan (as we talked about last week on the show) and Richard Linklater, for example. Hopefully our lists convey this and how time can be emulated in various ways. That said, what would be your top 3?
Main Review: Detroit
Top 3: TBD
Satyajit Ray Movie Series: The Music Room
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This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, we discuss Luc Besson’s high-budget independent film Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, as well as the latest original film from Netflix To the Bone.
Fair warning; there is a lot of Ethan Hawke love on this week’s show. We may have found our new favorite Ethan Hawke, and his name is Jolly the Pimp. What do we have to do to get a whole movie with that character? If Valerian gave us anything, it was arguably the best two minutes of cinema we’ve seen all year.
On that note, have fun listening to this week’s Extra Film segment and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!
– Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Movie Review (13:22) Grades
JD: B-
Vince: D
– To the Bone Movie Review (50:13) Grades
Brendan: C
Vince: C
We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.
To hear this Extra Film episode and everything else we do, download our apps on the Amazon Market for Android and the Podcast Box app on IOS devices. The mobile app covers all of our main shows, bonus podcast’s and everything else relating to the InSession Film Podcast. Thanks for your wonderful support and listening to our show. It means the world to us!
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Director: David Leitch Writers: Kurt Johnstad (screenplay), Antony Johnston (based on the Oni Press graphic novel series The Coldest City written by) Stars: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman
Synopsis: An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents.
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Most will no doubt (and rightfully) take home the film’s wondrous stairwell sequence, but the one that resonates personally is when MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) uses a garden hose to whip, strangle and bungee her way out of German police’s arms, rounding things out with a brief fisticuff downstairs. In every swing, she looks runway-ready, showcasing a bruise-inducing form of voguing while George Michael’s Father Figure caresses eardrums. Aside from again stoking the hyper-stylized pulpy fire driving Atomic Blonde, the tune’s cheekiness also reaffirms Lorraine’s rightful credentials to call everybody else her bitch. And, lo, that is gravelly uttered at one point during the later will-be-classic fight.
As long as Lorraine keeps kicking and punching, the film remains an ally to the audience.
Atomic Blonde, adapted from the graphic novel The Coldest City by Antony Johnston with illustrations from Sam Hart, is the second time screenwriter Kurt Johnstad has to deal with a lot of plot. As evident in Act of Valor, that is his Kryptonite. Regrettable, really, since the leaping of drawn panels and speech balloons onto the reel would have made a holy union with the storyline, which is nose-deep in arresting Cold War spy intrigue. It begins with the death of a fellow spy, Lorraine’s fling and also keeper of the “inches-away-from-being-called NOC” list that will expose every agent in the field. Less cliché yet equally devastating is the script’s double whammy that drains suspense, beginning with including another version of the list in the form of a Stasi defect (Eddie Marsan) and framing the narrative around an after-the-fact interrogation led by Lorraine’s superior (Toby Jones) and a CIA agent (John Goodman). As is the case with Marsan, Jones and Goodman are here as glorified – though admirably functioned – cameos.
The simple mission evolves into a mess, thematically and literally, when Lorraine is also tasked with finding a turncoat called Satchel who wants to claims the list together with the native-but-“feral” agent David Perceval (James McAvoy). After Split, it is declarable that the Scottish actor can make every persona he assumes a lovable one, even if it is of the despicable kind i.e. this drunkard-slash-horndog who has grown tired of directives and governments. No wonder he is in a party drowning in Public Enemy’s Fight the Power. To top it all off, novice French operative Delphine LaSalle (Sofia Boutella) is shadowing the two, trigger finger squarely on the camera’s shutter and beating heart for the titular character.
With these many gears in motion, we are meant to care for these characters – yes, beyond that girl-on-girl moment – but Atomic Blonde conversely has us dying for them to get hurt. We aren’t vile creatures (hopefully), there is just more effort is spent to orchestrate the brawls than anything else. And in that spirit, director David Leitch outdoes what he and stuntperson-turned-director pal Chad Stahelski did in John Wick, doling out even more hurt, complexity, realism and style – all without a shake in the framing or a rush in the cutting. At times, Atomic Blonde is like an ‘80s rocker’s lucid dream where everything aggressively bathes in hot neons and always with a spot-on tune in the background. 2017 being the year of best music moments in movies continues with Re-Flex’s The Politics of Dancing (for a dating scene), ‘Til Tuesday’s Voices Carry (during an interrogation), Pierre Schilling’s Major Tom (while fighting in a car), A Flock of Seagulls’ I Ran (while evading pursuers) and more to get toes tapping… before curling up completely when Lorraine receives other people’s knuckles.
Not a fantasy, however, is the “action icon” status Leitch gave to Keanu Reeves is now visible on Theron. After some bona-fide badassery shown in Mad Max: Fury Road and The Fate of the Furious, no further deliberations are necessary. Also found is a reason to retitle Atomic Blonde as “Wonder Woman from Nicolas Winding Refn” – a cool flame in an all-style, screw-substance yarn with an unforgettable first impression.
This weekend features one of our most anticipated films of the year in David Lowery’s A Ghost Story, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. Lowery’s directorial resume isn’t too dense as of yet, but it’s a pretty great start. Ain’t Them Body Saints – also starring Affleck and Mara – was the film in 2013 that launched Lowery into the spotlight a little bit. The success of that indie led him to Disney’s doorsteps where he was able to direct Pete’s Dragon, one of the more underrated films of last year. You may remember that it even made Brendan’s Top 10 of 2016. The film didn’t crack my Top 20, but that’s no slight against Pete’s Dragon, as I still really liked that film. And now here we are with A Ghost Story, and by all accounts so far, it’s one of the better indie films of the year so far.
Coming off the heels of 2016, which featured some incredible films about loss and grief (such as Affleck’s masterful Manchester by the Sea), its appears that Lowery’s latest will keep that snowball rolling. The one thing I’ve loved about all of Lowery’s films so far, is the emotional core that is at the center of his stories. He’s a director that firmly strives for character intimacy and so far he’s succeeded quite well. A Ghost Story is a film centered around loss and romance, which seems ripe for Lowery.
Additionally, it’s hard to not be excited for this film given its cast. Casey Affleck gave the most potent performance of last year in Manchester by the Sea, and while his presence in this film is remarkably different, I’m still excited to see what he brings here. Rooney Mara is cinematic beauty personified. I have no doubt that she will carry the film in great ways and I can’t wait to see how Affleck and Mara work together here. Ben Foster also has a role here, and I’m hoping for a more subdued Foster, something we don’t always see from him.
Lastly, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention the composer here, Daniel Hart. Hart is the composer that Lowery has used for each of his films so far, and he’s delivered some really powerful work. The scores for both Ain’t Them Body Saints and Pete’s Dragon were great, and terribly underrated. I’m expecting Hart’s score for A Ghost Story to be more visceral and meditative compared to something like Pete’s Dragon, but either way, it should be very effective.
What about you? Are you excited for A Ghost Story?
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Here’s what else is coming to theaters this weekend:
Atomic Blonde
The Emoji Movie Detroit (limited) An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (limited) Brigsby Bear (limited) The Incredible Jessica James (Netflix)
This week for our Episode 231 InSession Film Podcast: Bonus Content, Brendan gives us his thoughts on War for the Planet of the Apes after missing out on that discussion originally. Check it out!
We offer our bonus content for free, but we do encourage and appreciate a small donation of $0.99 as a way to help support the show. Click on the PayPal button below to donate and thanks so much for your support. You can also hear all of our Bonus Content via our mobile apps. See the information at the bottom of the post for more details.
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This week’s poll is inspired by David Lowery’s new film, A Ghost Story, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. It’s one of our most anticipated films of the year and it will be rolling out to more theaters this weekend. And while A Ghost Story may not be a “horror” film per se, it does feature a ghost as its core as the film deals with similar themes that ghosts tend to bring in film. With that in mind, what is the best ghost movie that you’ve seen?
This week on Episode 231 of the InSession Film Podcast, inspired by Christopher Nolan’s new film Dunkirk, we decided to talk about our favorite “Nolan-isms” – or the scenes the best reflect his directing style. Nolan has made some inventive films that are immersive in so many ways, especially as it relates to time, something he is obsessed with in his movies. The experiences he conjures may not be for everyone, but he certainly has distinctive qualities that make him a unique filmmaker today, and hopefully our lists represent that well.
On that note, what “Nolan-isms” would make your list? Here are the one’s that made ours:
**Please keep in mind that we each had different criteria for our selections**
JD
1) Ending Scene with Cobb – Inception
2) Docking Sequence – Interstellar
3) Interrogation Scene – The Dark Knight
Brendan
1) Leonard / Bed Scene – Momento
2) Cobb / Ariadne Elevator Scene – Inception
3) Docking Sequence – Interstellar
Honorable Mentions (Combined)
Cooper / Murph Embrace Before Mission – Interstellar
Cooper’s Catharsis – Interstellar
Angier Takes Bow Under Stage – The Prestige
Borden Sabotages Angier’s Transported Man Trick – The Prestige
Elevator Fight – Inception
Ferrior Glides Spitfire Onto Beach – Dunkirk
Car Chase – Batman Begins
Car Chase – The Dark Knight
Hopefully you guys enjoyed our lists and if you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. If you’re a fan of Nolan like we are, this list was pretty difficult to narrow down. There are so many great scenes that reflect his directing style, depending on what speaks to you the most. That being said, what would be your Top 3? Leave a comment in the comment section or email us at [email protected].
This week’s episode is brought to you by Hearts Want, a female produced romantic comedy. Check out their Kickstarter page today and let’s help get this film off the ground!
This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we discuss Christopher Nolan’s new film Dunkirk, starring the great Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance. We also talk about our favorite Nolan scenes and how that reflects his directing style overall. And finally, we continue our Satyajit Ray Movie Series with the 1956 film Aparajito.
A shout out to our good friend Dana Buckler, host of How Is This Movie podcast, who was supposed to join us on this episode. However, if you know Dana at all, you’ll know that he is notorious for having some crazy theater stories. Well, this weekend as Dana was prepping to join us for this show, he was able to add another story to that list. It’s pretty amazing, and you can hear the entire story on his most recent episode. At any rate, we had a lot of found discussing Dunkirk and the elements that make Nolan a fascinating director.
On that note, check out this week’s show and let us know what you think in the comment section. Thanks for listening and for supporting the InSession Film Podcast!
– Dunkirk Movie Review (5:43) Grades
JD: A+
Brendan: A
– Top 3 “Nolan-isms” (45:43)
Inspired by Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, we decided to talk about our favorite “Nolan-isms” – or the scenes the best reflect his directing style. Nolan has made some inventive films that are immersive in so many ways, especially as it relates to time, something he is obsessed with in his movies. The experiences he conjures may not be for everyone, but he certainly has distinctive qualities that make him a unique filmmaker today, and hopefully our lists represent that well. That said, what would be your top 3?
Main Review: Atomic Blonde or A Ghost Story
Top 3: TBD
Satyajit Ray Movie Series: Apur Sansar
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This week on the InSession Film Podcast: Extra Film segment, we discuss the romantic comedy The Big Sick, based off of the true story of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s real-life relationship. In anticipation for Dunkirk hitting theaters this weekend, we also talk about Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film, The Prestige.
This week’s show also features some fun trickery of its own, as one of us uses some slight of hand as it relates to our thoughts on The Prestige. It was a bit unexpected, but an interesting turn of sorts.
On that note, have fun listening to this week’s Extra Film segment and let us know what you think in the comment section below. Thanks for listening!
– The Big Sick Movie Review (6:51) Grades
JD:A-
Brendan: A-
– The Prestige Movie Review (36:51) Grades
JD:A
Brendan: A
We try to make this the best movie podcast we possibly can and we hope you enjoy them. Subscribe today on iTunes and Stitcher and please leave us a review on iTunes. You can also find us on Soundcloud, PlayerFM and TuneIn Radio as well. We really appreciate all your support of the InSession Film Podcast.
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Director: Christopher Nolan Writers: Christopher Nolan Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Aneurin Barnard, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance
Synopsis: Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
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War stories have an inherent weak link to them when told in these (mostly) peaceful times: All in the room will heed the gravity, horror, defeat and glory, but only the reciter can relate to the events that transpired. Mastery is required to lead those consuming the tale today into the hours no longer embraceable, to transport a soul of this moment to sites of conflict alive through memories and journals. Long has it been, 19 years to be exact, since filmdom accomplishes this feat with Saving Private Ryan; the wait for a comparable production withers in importance as time ticks on.
And then, Dunkirk arrives.
“We Surround You!” screamed the leaflets in the Nazis’ propaganda torrent drenching young soldier Tommy (newcomer Fionn Whitehead, graceful intensity) and his mates while pacing through the now-deserted town of Dunkirk. As with all films from Christopher Nolan, the peacefulness during the opening minutes are fleeting — deceiving, even — and momentarily some (literally) jolting shells from unknown directions are cutting down the squad. Before we realize it, our senses have been conditioned to wrap on-screen’s tumultuous 1940 as reality, futile in rejecting the pull of this hell of high water where hundred thousands are waiting to be delivered from a scenic kill box. “Bon voyage” is the film’s first line, an appropriate expression to send to Tommy and the other two leads who complete the script’s triptych structure: civilian skipper Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance, everyman again) and fighter pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy, masked again but extremely audible).
Again, with Nolan being Nolan, the stories aren’t conventionally told; the unfolding of “the mole” (Tommy), “the sea” (Mr. Dawson) and “the air” (Farrier) weaves, plays catchup and continues in unpredictable beats. That might sound needlessly complicated in telling a fact-based narrative, but this is how Dunkirk finds its stride. Despite the difference in duration for each person, per the helpful titles, time overall becomes deadly no matter which way the clock looming the beach is ticking. Should this omnipresent timer expires, bombs from above will plow up sand or down ships; if it goes on, the Fuhrer’s ground troops creep closer, and the 22 miles between here and home drift further. The purposeful-yet-expertly controlled jumbling also connects the markedly different settings and distances of the stories, to better reflect the scope and respect the diverse backgrounds who lent their efforts. This is not a dream, but apparent is a paradox where the more (seemingly) sprawling the film becomes, the more intimate it turns out to be. Perhaps the most thus far in the auteur’s career.
In return, Dunkirk becomes the best entry point to Nolan’s filmography — no need to rearrange events from back to forward (or vice versa?), convince the self that the late Robin Williams is villainous, see comic-book people, drown in illusions, figure out dream levels or comprehend dimensions. Even within these elaborations, there is a relatable emotional core. Now without it, the filmmaker is serving desolation and hope in their rawest forms.
Helping with linking every fiber of the viewer to the frontline, too, are Dunkirk’s strivings toward silent-film grounds. Planes wail, ships creak and people cry out in pain regularly in these waters, which in a well-equipped theater should quake hearts as much as Hans Zimmer’s ticking-timer score. The sounds, musical or ambience, are sparse in design, as if to not drown out some crucial character notes. Feel the pressure Tommy is under when his compassionate nature doesn’t sit well with a hot-headed fellow private (Harry Styles, believably selfish here). Sense the tug-of-war between responsibility as a citizen and that of a father in Mr. Dawson as he sails his son (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his son’s friend (Barry Keoghan) straight into a war zone. Be the passenger in Farrier’s fuel-thirsty Spitfire, enemies close on his tail. Together with Hoyte van Hoytema’s outrageously immersive photography, the elements of Nolan’s war are capable of haunting the subconscious and deserves a showing in the best format possible, if possible, in times of fleeting serenity or prolonged chaos. There is just as much impact in that shot of the Shivering Soldier (Cillian Murphy) forlornly sitting on a floating fragment of a ship’s stern as those nail-biting dogfights that Farrier will find himself in.
Regarding weakness, Dunkirk has just one that it can’t help but share with other war films: a Google search away from knowing the resolution. So be it — but don’t let that top search and highlighted YouTube video conclude your research into what is branded as a historical miracle, now also a marvel of both the genre and contemporary cinema.
Saving Private Ryan has finally found a friend.
Overall Grade: A+
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Hear our podcast review on Episode 231, coming soon.
Way back in January when we did our initial Most Anticipated films of 2017, I had Dunkirk in my Top 10, but it was more in the back half of my list. However, if I had seen the trailers for Dunkirk prior to making that list, there is no doubt it would have been my #1. Christopher Nolan’s latest film has me excited on levels that few films have matched over the last few years.
Subjectively speaking, most of my excitement comes down to two aspects of what we’ll see in Dunkirk. For one, I’m a big WWII air war aficionado. All I wanted to be growing up was an Air Force pilot, and most of that came from my fascination of world history, the innovations of aerial combat in WWII and the immensely gripping heroism that American and British pilots displayed with their feats during the campaign. It truly inspired me on deep levels. Secondly, Tom Hardy is my favorite actor working today. From Locke to Warrior to Mad Max: Fury Road to an Oscar nomination in The Revenant, everything he does is magnificent. And for Dunkirk, Nolan went out and combined those two passions of mine into one experience!!!!!!! In the film Hardy plays Farrier, an RAF pilot, who I’m guessing will fly either the Supermarine Spitfire or the Hawker Hurricane, the two most prominent British fighters of the time. Either way, the images of Hardy in the cockpit of one of those fighters gives me goosebumps.
On top of that, WWII dogfighting in cinema has been very hit or miss in terms of quality. Great films like Twelve O’Clock High, Midway, Tora! Tora! Tora! and Memphis Belle feature some excellent dogfighting sequences for their time. However, modern cinema and the technology of today has the ability to enhance dogfighting sequences by expanding outside the cockpit and showcasing the beautiful ballet that WWII pilots would have emulated, but we haven’t seen much of that sadly. Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor and the Japanese film The Eternal Zero are two of the best examples of exhilarating dogfighting sequences, but there’s not much else outside of that from a WWII film standpoint. Red Tails, as much as I adore that real-life story and those great heroes, featured some disappointing action sequences (for me) and the film overall I sadly found frustrating. All of that said, again in addition to Hardy and my WWII expertise, it looks like Dunkirk will finally rival Bay/modern cinema as the best film to feature WWII dogfighting. From the few shots we see in the trailer, it looks incredible. I’m not sure how much of it we’ll see in the film from an action standpoint – as I’m anticipating introspection and character to be a main focal point here – but I’m still through-the-roof excited for the few sequences that we will get in the film.
Another reason to be excited for Dunkirk is that it explores a critical event in world history that many people may not be familiar with overall. Dunkirk was a major turning point in the war, and if had gone another way, we would all be living in a different world today. The argument can be made that Dunkirk, along with D-Day and the Battle of Britain, are the three most vital moments of the war. So to see this event on screen is exciting from a historical learning standpoint, especially in the hands of a great filmmaker like Nolan.
Lastly, I’m also looking forward to Dunkirk because it will be scored by Hans Zimmer, who arguably does his best work when collaborating with Nolan. While I didn’t love Interstellar, Zimmer’s score for that is emotional and exhilarating. Equally his work on the Dark Knight films are instantly memorable and arguably some of the best from that genre. And don’t get me started on Zimmer’s work for Inception, perhaps my favorite score from him to date.
What about you though? Are you excited for Dunkirk like I am? Let us know.
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Here’s what else is coming to theaters this weekend:
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Girls Trip First Kill (limited) Landline (limited) Paris Can Wait (limited)
This weekend features the release of Christopher Nolan’s new film Dunkirk, a film that we are crazy excited for and cannot wait to discuss on the show. I’m in particularly excited because the air war of WWII is something that I’ve historically always been fascinated with, and that is a major part of the events that happened at Durnkirk. On top of that, Nolan cast Tom Hardy – perhaps my favorite actor working today – as a British pilot who helps dogfight the Luftwaffe in the film. He put two of my favorite things on the planet into one film! Fangirls may go crazy over Harry Styles in the film, while I will be busy losing it over Tom Hardy in a British Spitfire. Using that as inspiration for our poll this week, which WWII film features the best dogfighting – air to air combat – action scenes?
