Hell Is For Hyphenates Lee Zachariah

Nicole Holofcener joins us to talk the films of Hal Ashby!

Writer, director and Academy Award nominee Nicole Holofcener (Please Give, Enough Said, The Land of Steady Habits) joins Hell Is For Hyphenates to dive into the filmography of Hal Ashby.

Ashby is one of the most distinctive filmmakers of 1970s New Hollywood cinema, directing stone-cold classic such as Harold and Maude (1971), The Last Detail (1973), Shampoo (1975), Coming Home (1978), and Being There (1979). He was a counter-culture voice whose best work still feels relevant today. But what was it about his work that was so audacious and affecting?

We talk the films of Martin Scorsese!

Rochelle and Lee are joined by original co-host Paul Anthony Nelson to talk about some big news regarding the future of the show.

They then dive into what is without a doubt the biggest episode of Hyphenates to date, as they look back at the films of the great filmmaker of the American New Wave, Martin Scorsese (08:35). Does Scorsese really lay a claim to the title of Greatest Of All Time? To figure it out, they’re joined by a swathe of alumni from the show’s past, who each pick a favourite film, scene, or moment to talk about.

Ozploitation legend Brian Trenchard-Smith and Dark Horizons editor Garth Franklin kick things off by talking about Scorsese’s preoccupation with moral dilemmas, and his filmmaking pragmatism (16:27).

Critic Alexandrea Heller-Nicholas looks back at his early short film The Big Shave (19:52).

Actor Perri Cummings and filmmaker David Caesar talk Mean Streets (27:03).

Filmmaker and lecturer George Viscas discusses the realism and roots of Scorsese’s gangland fixation (31:57).

Actor Pollyanna McIntosh talks Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (35:10).

Actor Cate Wolfe, film critic Ian Barr, writer Josh Nelson, and screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker talk the seminal Taxi Driver (43:19).

Critic Glenn Dunks and film programmer Eloise Ross discuss New York, New York (54:50).

Filmmaker Briony Kidd examines Scorsese’s work as the producer of other director’s films (59:30).

Director Rohan Spong, comedian Chris Taylor, and critic Simon Miraudo look at The King of Comedy (1:08:39).

Film critic Scott Weinberg talks After Hours (1:20:34).

Journalist Guy Davis, director Kriv Stenders, and film critic Drew McWeeny look at the controversial The Last Temptation of Christ (1:25:42).

Critic Jeremy Smith looks at the difficulties and rehabilitation of Scorsese’s 1980s period (1:32:17).

Actor Rhys Muldoon discusses Scorsese’s cameo in After Hours (1:38:27).

Film critic Richard Gray and filmmaker Abe Forsythe pay tribute to the performances of Martin’s mother, Catherine Scorsese (1:40:10).

Filmmaker Jon Hewitt, comedian Chris Taylor, presenter Marc Fennell, and critic Zak Hepburn look at Scorsese’s obsession with food and garlic slicing (1:44:52).

Critic Blake Howard praises the closeups of Goodfellas (1:55:29).

Writer Emma Westwood looks at the impact of Goodfellas and Cape Fear (1:59:12).

Former Hi4H co-host So Mayer and author Mel Campbell discuss The Age of Innocence (2:07:07).

Critic Anthony Morris and exhibition registrar Sarah Caldwell talk Casino (2:13:58).

Writer Shannon Marinko salutes Scorsese’s long-time collaborator, editor Thelma Schoonmaker (2:20:15).

Filmmaker Rhys Graham discusses Scorsese’s seminal documentary series My Voyage to Italy (2:25:22).

Film reporter Alicia Malone and critic Hayley Inch pay tribute to Scorsese’s film preservation and restoration work (2:30:05).

Filmmaker Tim Egan looks at Scorsese’s concert film Shine a Light (2:37:20).

Festival programmer Thomas Caldwell and film critic Drew McWeeny talk Kundun (2:40:14).

Film critic Sarah Ward discusses Bringing Out the Dead (2:48:19).

Critic Stephen A Russell talks The Aviator (2:51:41).

Author Maria Lewis discusses being won over by Boardwalk Empire (2:55:17).

Entertainment reporter Giles Hardie talks The Audition (2:59:17).

Filmmaker Jennifer Reeder discusses The Departed (3:03:39).

Critics Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and Tom Clift talk Shutter Island (3:06:35).

Festival director Cerise Howard talks Hugo (3:12:12).

Comedian Tegan Higginbotham and director Brian Trenchard-Smith discuss The Wolf of Wall Street (3:21:08).

Actor Michael Ian Black and author Christos Tsiolkas talk Silence (3:25:43).

Rhys Graham joins us to talk the films of Krzystof Kieślowski!

Australian filmmaker Rhys Graham joins Rochelle and Lee as they look back at some of the key films of this month, including Claire Denis’s science fiction drama High Life (01:10), Jordan Peele’s modern horror Us (06:37), Karyn Kusama’s gritty crime saga Destroyer (11:33), and Tim Burton’s live-action remake Dumbo (19:17).

We then check back with our semi-regular mini-Hyphenate segment to look at every single film directed by legendary actor Charles Laughton. The legendary actor of stage and screen has one credit and one credit only as director: the noir thriller The Night of the Hunter (1955). It’s considered one of the greatest films of all time. How did Laughton get it so right on his one and only try? And why did he never direct again? (26:13)

Then, Rhys takes us through the works and career of his filmmaker of the month, Polish auteur Krzystof KieÅ›lowski. KieÅ›lowski is best known for The Double Life of Veronique (1991) and the Three Colours trilogy (1993-1994), but before he became a beloved icon of arthouse festivals, he was busy making documentaries, shorts, and features with a distinctly verité style, documenting life under Communist rule, and the corrosive effects of the autocratic state. So how did KieÅ›lowski go from these humble roots to being the poster child for elegant European cinema? (37:46)

David Caesar joins us to talk the films of Bruno Dumont!

Australian film and television director David Caesar joins Rochelle and Lee for a chat about some of the key new releases from this month, including Steven Soderbergh’s backroom NBA drama High Flying Bird (01:34), Mimi Leder’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex (09:50), Dan Gilroy’s high-art horror-drama Velvet Buzzsaw (17:07), and Barry Jenkins’s dramatic James Baldwin adaptation If Beale Street Could Talk (22:36).

Off the back of Steven Soderbergh’s comments on why making movies on your phone and releasing them onto Netflix may be the future of cinema for certain filmmakers, could this model be the very thing needed to inject life into the Australian film industry? (29:48)

Then, David takes us through the works of his filmmaker of the month, Bruno Dumont. Dumont is a divisive figure, whose films are loved and hated by audiences and critics alike. So how does a filmmaker go from making vérité films dripping with realism to high-concept farces, supernatural comedies, and medieval musicals with head-banging metal solos? We take a deep dive into this fascinating filmography to find out. (40:23)

Stephen A Russell joins us to talk the films of Xavier Dolan!

Critic and journalist Stephen A Russell joins Rochelle and Lee to chat about some of the key films from this month, including Disney’s sequel-to-a-classic Mary Poppins Returns (01:44), Paolo Sorrentino’s fictitious biopic Loro (07:59), M Night Shyamalan’s superheroic trilogy-capping Glass (13:58), and Aussie remake Storm Boy (21:32).

With the Academy Awards coming up, and the ceremony appearing to be undergoing a number of significant changes, it’s time to open everybody’s favourite can of worms: are we investing way too much in the Oscars, or are some of just cynical and dead inside? (26:21)

Then, Stephen takes us through the career of his filmmaker of the month, Xavier Dolan. At time of recording, the award-winning French-Canadian prodigy has released six feature films, filmed a further two, and is mere weeks away from turning 30. And in addition to writing and directing his films, he also appears in about half of them, every bit the artist in front of the camera as behind. So what is it about Dolan’s films that captivate so many of us? (35:33)

Cassandra Magrath joins us to talk the films of Lars Von Trier!

Actor and producer Cassandra Magrath (Wolf Creek, SeaChange, Wentworth) joins Rochelle and Lee to talk about some of the key films from the past month, including Alfonso Cuarón’s biographical drama Roma (01:30), Yorgos Lanthimos’s acerbic historical comedy The Favourite (4:21), Susanne Bier’s sensory apocalyptic thriller Bird Box (08:53), and Gaspar Noé’s dance-filled horror Climax (14:50).

They then compare their favourite films of 2018: how many crossovers and surprises lie within their lists? (23:03)

Then, Cassandra takes us through the works of her filmmaker of the month, Lars Von Trier. The Danish director is best known for brutal, challenging works like Breaking the Waves, Dancer in the Dark, Dogville, Antichrist, Melancholia and Nymphomaniac. He’s a controversial, divisive figure equally loved and hated by film fans across the world. So is Von Trier a provocateur who prefers shock tactics to sincerity, or a misunderstood maestro with something to say? (30:07)