Episode 129: Flights of Fancy [Birdman; The Theory of Everything; Enemy]
Episode 129: Flights of Fancy
It’s Episode 129 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.
In this episode, we turn our attention to the awards race, as this week sees the release of two films vying for Oscars, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s meditation on the theatre, “Birdman,” and spirited Stephen Hawking drama “The Theory of Everything”. We also take the opportunity to discuss the Producers Guild Award nominations and the winners from the National Society of Film Critics’ annual round of voting, touching (lightly) upon a victory for Jean-Luc Godard, and speculating about the Oscar chances of Timothy Spall, Marion Cotillard, and Rene Russo among others. Elsewhere, Pete’s improvable opinion of Denis Villeneuve is tested when Jake Gyllenhaal takes on a double role in “Enemy” and last year’s Norwegian Foreign Language Oscar entry “Kon-Tiki” finally made British shores, while some disappointing controversy about the latest Nicholas Cage film, “Dying of the Light,” threatens to overshadow the review. Meanwhile, there’s news of upheaval for the Factor and Range, Cal’s latest reading material provides a window into the Best Picture Oscar race of 1967 and Rex Harrison’s bad behaviour, and Felicity Jones’ sixties attire may finally have won over her childhood cohort.
- Mark Schultz turns his back on “Foxcatcher”
- Producers Guild Award nominations are announced
- National Society of Film Critics winners
[2:40 – 14:45]
Preconception Corner
Reviews of:
- The Theory of Everything
- Kon-Tiki
- Dying of the Light
- Enemy
[26:00 – 1:03:10]
Closing Segment: Our take on Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman,” discussing the Best Picture race, and our favourite films about the theatre!
[1:03:15 – 1:22:45]
The Isaac Range
Outro Music: The National, “All the Wine”
Episode 61: Harsh Terrain [The Lone Ranger; The Canyons; From Up on Poppy Hill]
Episode 61: Harsh Terrain
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It’s Episode 61 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.
After Pete’s whirlwind trip to Croatia we unite for cinematic visits to canyons, hills, and valleys. The return of a flesh-baring Lindsay Lohan sets pulses racing, but the trashy politics and Hollywood commentary of “The Canyons” only works for one of us. Cal goes it alone for the latest Studio Ghibli offering “From Up on Poppy Hill,” before we dig into Disney’s big-budget “The Lone Ranger,” ending with a fierce takedown of attempts by its producer and stars to blame the film’s failure on critics. We have a ton of film news to chew up, as well as part two of our 2009 Venice retrospective, and digressions about Rosalind Russell, Sergio Leone, and Oscar’s Foreign Language Film category. Yes, again.
Opening Segment: Part two of our 2009 Venice retrospective, featuring discussion about [14:25 – 35:40]
Reviews of:
- The Canyons
- From Up on Poppy Hill
[42:40 – 1:02:35]
Closing Segment: Our take on Disney’s “The Lone Ranger,” and discussing whether the critics are at fault for its box-office failure and discussing memorable buddy/cop movies! [1:02:40 – 1:20:45]
The Watson Factor
The Poupaud Range
Outro Music: Foxes, “Youth”
In the Mood for Podcast 
