Initial Thoughts Initial Thoughts

80 years ago today, Allied forces landed on the beaches at Normandy, in an operation we now call D-Day. Perhaps the most famous and respected depiction of that operation takes place in Steven Spielberg's 1998 war film Saving Private Ryan - and our hosts watched it this week.

They discuss how World War II tends to be depicted in film, how the film's acting affects its impact, where Spielberg soars and where he stalls, sentimentality vs. unsentimentally, and whether this really is the greatest Second World War film ever made.

Plus: saying the name of the movie in the movie... what to make of that?

Enjoy, and here's saluting the men who really did it.

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Music by White Bat Audio.

Phoebe and Nathaniel rev their engines and expect an epic as they return to George Miller's Wasteland... but what did they find when they got there? (31:44)

With Furiosa making headlines and proving historic (but not quite how many predicted), our hosts dive into a thorough and hard-driving discussion of the film's execution, its sociopolitical themes, Nathaniel's declaration about Revenge Films, and what a 'reverse blooper reel' is.

Witness!

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Music by White Bat Audio.

If we're gonna pod, we're gonna pod historic on the Fury Road.

WITNESS! Phoebe and Nathaniel rev their engines and take to the desert for George Miller's 2015 post-apocalyptic adventure starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Phoebe hasn't seen it and isn't so sure she'll enjoy the experience... listen in to hear her Initial Thoughts...

Enjoy!

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Music by White Bat Audio.

Thirty episodes in, time for an all-time classic. One of our hosts is passionately, quite openly an acolyte of this film, so the surprise element wasn't exactly front of our minds, but thankfully that didn't hinder discussion.

Jean-Pierre Melville's 1967 slice of hitman cinema has defined and redefined the crime genre for decades, and our hosts serenely gaze upon many elements of its power and legacy. Plus, Alain Delon's one-in-a-billion face must update a certain ongoing ranking... Enjoy!

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Find Nathaniel's Bright Wall/Dark Room piece on Le Samouraï and its connection to African-American iconoclasm and noir here: https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2020/09/04/black-side-of-noir/.

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Music by White Bat Audio.

It's a mega-episode, but worth every minute! First off, our intrepid filmgoers Nathaniel and Phoebe wrap their muscly arms around Rose Glass' new film in cinemas, Love Lies Bleeding - a neo-noir thriller that bears discussion. So much discussion in fact that Richard McIver joins in for the second half! (1:46:25)
This being Glass' second feature film, our hosts took the opportunity to play another Picture Pitcher as well (28:07), this time based on ten films that were prominent directors' sophomore efforts. It's a nail-biting game with some shocking moments as Phoebe and Nathaniel pitch, and Judge Richard judges. And boy oh boy, does he judge.
Listen in!
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Music by White Bat Audio.

In Everglade Studio finishes this weekend! Get your tickets if you haven't already. We thank everyone who came to see the show, and look forward to the next Black Bat Productions venture... and to round out our Everglade series, Phoebe and Nathaniel watch a 1974 film of which many of the characters in the play would have been aware... Chinatown.

Our hosts go on a real journey in this episode. For one of the most analyzed and revisited films of the 20th century, Phoebe and Nathaniel dig deep and discuss the textures and ramifications of both the film's internal story and its external place in the world. This film is not easy to talk about, and essential grounds for conversation piece as a result. Listen in.

Then get yourself a copy of the In Everglade Studio script from Methuen Drama / Bloomsbury Publishing! The run at The Hope Theatre has been acclaimed as an "enthralling," "thoroughly entertaining," "clever and creative" piece of theatre, featuring "excellent written and composed" songs and "smart, twisted, dark creative drama" (★★★★ - A Youngish Perspective, ★★★★ - Everything Theatre). The run concludes Saturday, the 4th of May.

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Episode music by White Bat Audio.