Erick Zonca's Julia (2008) is an excellent pastiche of the thrillers directed by John Cassavetes. Tilda Swinton provides a memorable performance in the titular role of Julia - the constantly dissembling alcoholic.
Written and presented by Mike Dawson.
Contemporary Obscurity: Father of My Children?
21 Jul 2010 @ 12:00 pm
Actor turned writer director Mia Hansen-Løve's second feature film Father of My Children? (Le père de mes enfants) is an excellent example of a two-act film. Written and presented by Mike Dawson.
Analysis: The ‘burbs - An Inditement or a Celebration of Suberban Paranoia and Moral Panic?
14 Jul 2010 @ 12:00 pm
Joe Dante's The 'burbs (1989) is an succinct demonstration of how every single element of a film is of the utmost importance and how floundering on a single component can completely destroy a movie's moral balance sheet.
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno (L'enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot) catalogues the events that led to the collapse of possibly the greatest film never made. Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea's 2009 documentary serves as a cautionary tale for filmmakers everywhere.
Three reviews by three writers of three films in this the fourth edition of the Left Field Cinema Listener Reviews. This week we examine Greg Mottola's Adventureland (2009), Peter Doctor, David Silverman and Lee Unkrich's Monster's Inc (2001) and Eric Rohmer's The Green Ray (1986).
Presented by Mike Dawson. Written by Andrew Patterson, Andrew Beech Jones and Wilson McLachlan.
Guilty Pleasures: The Long Kiss Goodnight
23 Jun 2010 @ 12:00 pm
Renny Harlin may have directed The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) but this action-comedy thriller is most definitely writer Shane Black's film.
Written and presented by Mike Dawson.
World Cinema Masterpiece: Dersu Uzala
16 Jun 2010 @ 12:00 pm
Akira Kurosawa is widely considered a titan of world cinema, this episode examines his career through six decades with numerous outstanding classics to his name. Dersu Uzala (1975) represents a departure in setting for the Japanese director to the mysterious Russian wilderness.
Written and presented by Mike Dawson.
Hidden Classics: Room at the Top
9 Jun 2010 @ 12:00 pm
At the start of the British New Wave (AKA: The Angry Young Men) came one of the best British films of that era. Jack Clayton's Room at the Top (1959) is a gritty uncompromising slice of northern life which made Oscar history in several categories but has since been overlooked.
Written and presented by Mike Dawson.
Theodoros Angelopoulos: The Beekeeper
2 Jun 2010 @ 12:00 pm
In 1986 Angelopoulos moved away from the cinematic symphonies he is well known for and attempted a chamber piece. The resulting film was one of his most flawed if intriguing productions - The Beekeeper (O melissokomos).
Presented by Mike Dawson. Written by Mike Dawson and Stephen Souter.
World Cinema Masterpiece: Tropical Malady
26 May 2010 @ 12:00 pm
Tropical Malady (Sud pralad) represents Apichatpong Weerasethakul's third feature film as director and confirms him as an outstanding directorial talent on the world stage and one of the finest contemporary filmmakers. This episode also features a look back at the career of Weerasethakul.
