Episode 123: The Folly of Ambition [Interstellar; Leviathan; Human Capital]
It’s Episode 123 of In the Mood for Podcast, a British-based film podcast hosted by Calum Reed of Ultimate Addict and Pete Sheppard of In the Mood for Blog.
This week we’re joined once again by Irini M., who brings us news from her home country’s Thessaloniki Film Festival in a notably more concise fashion than September’s Venice round-up. She also joins in our discussion of some interesting recent events, which includes some rare exciting news involving David O. Russell, and the bizarre spectrum of films vying for this year’s Animated Feature Oscar. We discuss two Foreign Language Oscar contenders, as Paolo Virzi’s “Human Capital” enlivens the middle-class misery of bourgeois Italy and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Leviathan” documents the coastal conflicts of rural Russia, before giving ambition a dressing down, as Christopher Nolan’s epic “Interstellar” comes to town. We reveal whether the cinematic influences used in the film are a blessing or curse, and whether Nolan’s scope and logic holds up under scrutiny. Elsewhere, we recount a horror show from Venice which saw Pete become a gay advocate, a mistaken text briefly convinced Cal that his niece was a child genius, while Keira Knightley’s recent quest to boost female self-image has us rather baffled.
- Darren Aronofsky to head the jury at next year’s Berlin Film Festival
- David O. Russell’s long-delayed “Nailed” re-titled as “Love in Politics” and scheduled for release in the UK
- Animated Feature Oscar qualifying list is announced
- European Film Award nominations are announced
[3:05 – 20:55]
[21:00 – 34:45]
Reviews of:
- Leviathan
- Human Capital
[43:25 – 1:01:30]
Closing Segment: Our take on Christopher Nolan’s space-set epic “Interstellar,” and discussing cine-literate films, with comment on “Allegro,” “Kill Bill,” and “Once Upon a Time in the West”!
[1:01:35 – 1:28:40]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: Adam and the Ants, “Prince Charming”
Episode 95: The Pullitzer Puzzle [Locke; The Love Punch; Cannes Lineup]
Episode 95: The Pullitzer Puzzle
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It’s Episode 95 of In the Mood for Podcast, a British-based film podcast hosted by Calum Reed of Ultimate Addict and Pete Sheppard of In the Mood for Blog.
This week we welcome Irini M back to the podcast to help us discuss the much-anticipated lineup of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, featuring the upcoming works of David Cronenberg, Mike Leigh, and many more European auteurs, some of which fill us with dread. We’re reviewing the Miranda Otto-led lesbian drama “Reaching for the Moon,” British heist comedy “The Love Punch,” and Tom Hardy’s one-man show “Locke,” which divided the camp in its depiction of drama and geography. Cal’s review of psychological horror film “Magic Magic” gets hijacked by Pete’s rant about a certain Pullitzer Prize winner, while Irini had a bone to pick with him about his “failure to understand” the point of Xavier Dolan’s latest delight. There are predictably many digressions, concerning Mr. Potato Head’s liberal use of his lips, Tom Hardy’s neglect of his razor, and Faye Dunaway’s fear of apostrophes, as well as a shocking Hathaway Protocol. It’s a week of regrets, as Irini’s belief in her own festival foresight lost her a fair bit of cash, while Naomi Watts finally bit the bullet and admitted that “Diana” wasn’t all that. Who knew?
Opening Segment: Discussing the recently announced line-up for this year’s Cannes Film Festival, featuring anticipation of films by David Cronenberg, Xavier Dolan, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and Andrey Zvyagintsev!
[3:50 – 26:55]
Preconception Corner
- Reaching for the Moon
- The Love Punch
- Magic Magic
[36:00 – 1:00:25]
Closing Segment: Our take on Steven Knight’s “Locke,” and random asides involving Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway!
[1:00:30 – 1:17:05]
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: Radiohead, “Jigsaw Falling Into Place”
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