Out There in the Dark

013: The Art Life and Death of David Lynch

With the passing of David Lynch we mourn the loss of a true artist and spiritual guide. Anyone familiar with Lynch, the man and his work, knew him to be a study in the paradoxical.  His All-American "boy next door" character and rural common sense, always sat oddly beside the nightmare cinematic worlds he created.  Mel Brooks, who hired him to direct The Elephant Man, called him "Jimmy Stewart from Mars".  For all the debate around auteurism, Lynch was the quintessential auteur. His films, from Eraserhead, through to the brilliant third season of Twin Peaks, are ireplicable, as influential as he has been, there is no equivalent visionary in today's cinematic landscape. Blending elements of surrealism, film noir, german expressionism, horror and soap opera, Lynch's oeuvre stands as a coherent, if highly symbolic, statement on darkness and light, good and evil, memory and fantasy.  In this sense, Lynch was more than just a great film director, his life and work are a model of the "art life", wherein one dedicates themselves fully to the serious pursuit of art as a way to excavate the hidden, often horrific,  realities behind the facades of the seemingly banal everyday.  Join Azed and Tom as they pay tribute to one of the greatest artists of our lifetime. 

012: Giallo: Horror Italian Style!

Just in time for the holidays, OTD presents Giallo! What could be more appropriate at this festive time than gorgeously designed, sexually perverse murder mysteries with a dash of the supernatural? Alright! This was supposed to be a Halloween release but Azed was too busy with his charity work and Tom is extremely limited in many ways. Instead of the usual Xmas cinema fare, We suggest a horror filled holiday this year, filled with movies like Deep Red and Suspiria by Dario Argento, Blood and Black Lace by Mario Bava and round off your yuletide celebrations with Don't Torture a Duckling by Lucio Fulci. Azed and Tom aslo pay tribute to the much loved Terri Garr.  So light a fire, get out the Bailey's and enjoy the lurid parade of serial killers and child torturers! Merry Xmas to all the OTD cinema nerds out there in the dark!

011: Once Loved Movies, Now Not So Much!

At one point in the 70's everyone was wearing clogs and in the 80's, we were handing out Best Picture awards to movies like, Driving Miss Daisy and calling it a sign of progress.  So it's a good idea to check in with your once loved cultural artifacts to make sure you aren't still listening to Jesus Jones or defending Dan Brown books . In that vein, Tom and Azed discuss two movies they both used to really like and now feel a bit less enthusiastic about. Oddly, and completely randomly, both of us chose movies by Kubrick: Lolita (1962) and The Shining (1980).  We discuss the difficulty in translating good books to film, the limits of interpretation, and Kubrick's pattern of focusing on what has been called "the banality of evil".  Tom also gives us an update on some of his favourite screenings at this years TIFF. 

010: Recently Watched Movies

As the world continues to spiral down into increasing idiocy, cruelty and destructiveness, Azed and Tom are both using cinema to cope.  In this episode, we discuss some more recent releases including: Richard Linklater's Hit Man,  Alex Garland's Civil War and George Miller's Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.   Despite increasing corpulence and hair loss, we are not the new Siskel & Ebert,. We employ no thumbs up, thumbs down metric based on nothing more than personal taste, rather we focus on how cinema continues to embody the concerns and anxieties of our current time, both consciously and unconsciously.  These recent releases are concerned with how tribal populism insists that citizens define themselves within very narrow and easily recognizable identities.  Indeed, Hit Man seems very aware of the concept of self-creation as a political act.  Cinema may be a coping mechanism and an escape from the harsh realities of everyday life, but as we discuss in this episode, it can also serve to elucidate and clarify our current fears, anxieties and ideological blindspots.  We also pay tribute to a great Canadian actor, Donald Sutherland, who passed away last month.

009: In Praise of the Character Actor

After a short hiatus, Azed & Tom return for this very special epsiode dedicated to the often overlooked character actor. Although a somewhat vague label the character actor is usually understood to be a film or television performer who specializes in portraying unique, offbeat, colorful characters in supporting roles.  While leading actors receive most, if not all, of the accolades for a film or series' success, it is often the character actors who steal the show and add texture and depth to otherwise pretty standard material. 
In this episode, we list off some of our favourite character actors and some key performances that have become iconic.  A few of the actors we discuss here; Jennifer Coolidge, Harry Dean Stanton, Madeline Khan, Andre Braugher, Jason Robards, Terri Garr and more.  
 

008: Oscars 2024 Review

The Academy Awards are a reliable exercise in celebrating some of the worst tendencies in modern, capitalist society.  A bunch of privileged, back slapping industry folks handing out trophies to each other is perhaps the height of egotistical "cringe", but still we watch them. Often, with the same passion as one might watch, say a "Real Housewives" or a "Big Brother", essentially, a hate watch. Azed and Tom weigh in on this year's Oscars which, surprisingly, was not as awful as expected. The movies up for best picture were all coherent and highlighted the power of good cinema to reach a wide audience.  The show itself, usually an over the top mixture of boredom and extreme embarrassment, actually had some heartfelt and understated moments.  No Will Smith assaults either!
Best Picture noms: OPPENHEIMER:  Christopher Nolan, AMERICAN FICTION:Cord Jefferson, ANATOMY OF A FALL:Justine Triet, BARBIE: Greta Gerwig, THE HOLDOVERS: Alexander Payne, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON: Martin Scorsese, MAESTRO: Bradley Cooper, POOR THINGS: Yorgos Lanthimos, THE ZONE OF INTEREST: Jonathan Glazer
 
 
 
 

007: Scorsese/Killers of the Flower Moon

In this episode, Azed & Tom delve into the captivating world of acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese and the resounding critical acclaim surrounding his latest masterpiece, "Killers of the Flower Moon." In this episode, we explore the widespread praise and recognition that this film has garnered, exploring its profound impact on both critics and audiences.
"Killers of the Flower Moon" has captivated viewers and critics alike, provoking widespread acclaim for its compelling storytelling, breathtaking cinematography, and outstanding performances. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and the wonderful Lily Gladstone, the film transports audiences to the 1920s, immersing them in the chilling true story of the Osage Nation murders.
Critics have lauded Scorsese's impeccable direction, praising his ability to create an immersive and unsettling atmosphere. The film's evocative cinematography, helmed by acclaimed cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, captures the era's social and cultural context with stunning precision, enhancing the narrative's tense and mysterious elements.
Azed & Tom also take a deep dive into Scorsese's illustrious career, discussing his unique style, thematic preoccupations, and his knack for creating mesmerizing cinematic experiences.With a career spanning over five decades, Martin Scorsese has cemented himself as one of the most influential and celebrated directors in the history of cinema. Known for his visceral storytelling and impeccable attention to detail, Scorsese has crafted an impressive portfolio of timeless classics, including "Taxi Driver," "Goodfellas," and "Raging Bull".

006: Exorcist/ Friedkin

It's has been said that the 70's were the last golden age of cinema. it's hard to disagree when you realize how many auteurist directors that era birthed. A modest list would have to include; Scorsese, DePalma, Bogdanovich, Coppola, Lynch and William Friedkin.  Friedkin's career is an enigma. His third film The French Connection won multiple Oscars (Including Best director), catapulted him to fame. Friedkin's next film, The Exorcist remains one of the most frightening horror films ever made and one of the most financially successful movies of all time. At the top of his game and at the height of his power as a director, Friedkin released Sorcerer, which was a massive failure at the box office and with critics.  Although he made quite a few excellent movies after, it seems he never fully recovered from the consequences of "flying to close to the sun".  Friedkin passed away August 7, 2023.  In this episode, Azed and Tom discuss the odd career of William Friedkin and dive deep into his masterpiece; The Exorcist, a film that marked us both to become grown ass men who are shit scared of a little girl.

005: Criminally forgotten-Ganja & Hess

In a series we are calling Criminally Forgotten, we pluck out discarded, overlooked or misunderstood gems from the past.  In this episode, we unearth a relic from the archives, Bill Gunn's 1973 art/horror/vampire movie Ganja & Hess . Gunn, a literate, smart, cultured person who came from the Theatre and the literary arts was tasked with replicating the immense success of the iconic African-American vampire film, Blacula (1972).  What he produced instead was a complete departure from the tropes of the vampire genre, creating a meditative, artistic, dream like movie that utilizes what some critics have called, "Haptic visualization".  The writer Donato Totaro describes Haptic cinema as;
"... unlike Western ocularcentrism, which values sight as the greatest epistemological sense, intercultural cinema embraces the proximal senses (smell, taste, touch) as a means for embodying knowledge and cultivating memory” (Donato Totaro, Canadian Journal of Film Studies)
Ganja & Hess has been cited as an important film in the African-American canon, as it dispels stereotypes of Blaxploitation and African-American culture promoting an art house, experimental style more notable in Foreign cinema at the time.  Join Azed and Tom as they discuss this unique horror film...just in time for Halloween!!
"If Shaft is Barry White and Melvin Van Peebles’s Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song is the Sex Pistols, then Ganja & Hess is John Cage". Jaime N. Christley, Slant Magazine

OTD 004: Barbenheimer City!

The recent internet phenomenon of creating a portmanteau out of two blockbusters, Barbie (Greta Gerwig) and Oppenheimer (Christopher Nolan), marks a first in cinema history.  This is probably the first time the usual cage-match between competing films was usurped by a non-competitive organic marketing scheme.  Social media, usually  a cesspool of kindergarten style competitiveness, actually created an event that celebrated seeing both films.  it wasn't Barbie folks against Oppenheimer folks, but a call to action to see both films, one right after the other.  Marketing execs are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to replicate such a random movement that boosted both movies' box office performances.  Although the two films couldn't be more different in terms of tone, genre and style, nonetheless, there are fascinating similarities between Barbie and Oppenheimer, thematically they are oddly tied together. Azed & Tom discuss both movies, and argue that the third film that belongs in this group is Wes Anderson's Asteroid City, which shares a lot with both films.  Join us for this fascinating conversation about the way cultural anxieties are reflected in films regardless of genre.
NOTE: Everything goes really well until Azed tries to include Book Club: The Next Chapter in the club.  Azed loves any movies about saucy old ladies trying to get laid. Don't ask.