Episodes
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In the second part of our seasonally titled "DESCENDING INTO DARKNESS", we take you on a trip into a very whimsical murder. A faux documentary crew who follow a serial killer as he maims, murders, assaults, and offends his way through Belgium.
The blackest of black comedies and not for the faint of heart, actors and principal crew Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel and Benoit Poelvoorde's MAN BITES DOG embodies the very meaning of a cult classic even if you don't (and really shouldn't) agree with the content. One thing that really isn't up for debate is it does give us one entirely unique thing...a better English title than the translated one.
We do wish you a good Holiday Season and an even happier New Year, however...we do want to invite you to DESCEND INTO THE DARKNESS WITH US ALL!
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Ho Ho Ho Ho-ello there!
It has come upon us once again: the Christmas season. And as was aforementioned, its getting darker. We must let you know that this was not planned... or our tolerance levels are so out of whack that we've blackened our souls and have detached ourselves from societal norms...
Annnnyyyywwwaaaayyyyyy, there's nothing more Christmas-sy than Lars Von Trier! And this film; starring Stellan Skarsgård and Emily Watson, in her first film role, lets us know that we're in for a rough ride for a good 2 hours and 40 mins. Thankfully, it's all set on an "unnamed Scottish Isle" where everyone's accents are all over the place, the sideburns are "pure 70s", the medical equipment looks outdated, and it's all brown. And that means we're in the past.
DESCEND INTO THE DARKNESS WITH US ALL!
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Missing episodes?
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Oh boy. Looks like we inadvertently put a bunch of sad (but good) films in a row to wrap up 2024. But honestly, it makes sense.
In David Attwood's film, based on the true story of the troubled homeless man called Stuart who meets a writer to detail the intricacies of his life, we are treated to another masterclass from Tom Hardy. In the final part of "Tomsgiving" bit of a tearjerker but it's a good tearjerker. Everyone likes a good cry. It's very therapeutic. Or something.
Anyway, get your tissues you fiends!
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Whit ye sayin'?! (We can't actually write what he says without getting reported).
Yeah, that's right, SIT DOWN! Charlie Bronson is here and he's looking to cause some trouble. We're doing something quite majestic this November. A veritable TOM'S -GIVING! We're doing a Tom Hardy double-bill!
We're starting with Nicholas Winding Refn's BRONSON, the "true-ish" story of Britain's Most Violent Prisoner. What we have come to discover is that this breaks the ratio from the 90+ films we've covered so far. This is not one to miss!
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Do you hear that? Do you hear that piercing scream in the darkness of the night? No, it's not Wilhelm. It's Belial! The freakishly deformed twin that is intent on murdering the very people that separated him from his loving brother Duane!
My goodness! We're so excited! It's finally here! In closing our Spooky Penis Month 2024, we're covering Henenlotter's BASKET CASE; the down-and-dirty video nasty that was inducted into the MOMA Collection for Film Preservation. This is one episode you do not want to miss. A celebration of Horror/Exploitation but also of the purest form that cinema can offer!
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It's that time again! Tis the season, many say! And no, it's October fool! Not Christmas! That's in December, duh!
I'm talking about "Spooky Penis Month!" What did you think I was talking about? No matter, we start this Halloween doubler with a real bang. A real bang of overly obsessive nuclear family perfection. All THE STEPFATHER wants is a family. A real family. A family that just "needs some order". "We need some order around here!" This is a horror film about a flannel shirt wearing dad (boomer) who obviously has had enough with the way things are done nowadays and played by the inimitable Terry O'Quinn, we see a man on a psychotic mission to attain that perfect family dynamic. But, as one might expect, that doesn't really come to pass.
Get ready for one of Laura's "some times" favourite films of all time!
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Welcome to another edition of "THE MOST LITERAL FILM TITLE EVER"! Yeah, it is really that literal. It happens one night in a bar called "Heaven". Watching this film, you'd think every chain bar/restaurant opens its doors to male strippers every weeknight but in Florida, that seems to be the case.
You'd never believe that the guy who made ROCKY 5 made this honestly... Oh, and THE KARATE KID. And THE KARATE KID PART II. Oh, and ROCKY, can't forget that one. Yeah, strap in, it's one weird and wild ride for all you John G. Avildsen fans.
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INSERT LATIN PHRASE TO EXPRESS HOW INTELLIGENT WE ARE!
This film is a bit of a treat, honestly. There's a lot to like here, the most of which is a Sean Connery really hammering it out of the park with a riveting performance to remind us of how much range he had. Yeah, this also has some rich cinematography, some impressive set design, and some stellar makeup that transforms Ron Perlman into a hunchback.
Yeah, we are congratulating this film a fair amount. But not of faith and religion (as we rip the idea apart for the better part of an hour).
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Ah, we're back. We're back in Scotland. I don't remember it being so "blue". Not only that, it's really dark, and moderately attractive men are acting like right twats to very attractive ladies. We're back on the "Ewan Train" with David Mackenzie's YOUNG ADAM. The "erotic" (?) drama about a bunch of folk on a barge and the lives Ewan McGregor's character basically ruins for the sake of creative inspiration. Yeah, doesn't make the most endearing of central characters but that's kinda the point. The one thing we did agree upon at least was the inclusion of custard. More custard, please! There's a bunch of sex in this but it's not as central as you'd think it would be. It just IS, so strap in, we've got a fair amount of stuff to talk about on this one.
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Like Schwarzenegger after him, he just needed to find the role he was born to play. Following the career track of Nicholas Roeg, we come to one of his seminal films, THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH.
It's a head-scratcher and we say that with an understanding of Roeg's work being a little disjointed and a heavy use of visual metaphors and match cutting BUT... It would have been nice to get a better through-line in the story. But no one hates this movie at OTB HQ, certainly not when Rip Torn is tearing through this sexy sci-fi circus like a Professor Lothario!
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At OTB HQ we're ALL business! But some times, just some times, we like to do a little bit in the name of PLEASURE.
Depending on who you speak to (particularly Laura) they will let you know that anything we do is for "pleasure" but before this analogy begins to lose its muster, let's look at the Ninja Thyberg's debut, PLEASURE, based on the short of the same name.
It's an in-depth, behind-the-curtain look at the American Adult Entertainment Industry, following a Swedish woman from a small town looking to become the next big porn star.
As you might expect, there's A LOT.
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Who thought putting criminals in space would be a great idea? I mean, if everyone was kind and everything was successful, would it make a great story? Who can tell but that's the basis of the Claire Denis film HIGH LIFE.
Starring Robert Pattison, Mia Goth, Juliette Binoche, André "3000" Benjamin, and Ewan Mitchell, we follow a doomed space mission to a Black Hole and the obvious antics that ensue from locking a bunch of criminals on a spaceship and expecting them to produce offspring. What could go wrong?
There's a bunch of fluids being slung around this vessel in scenes wetter than those in ALIEN where Harry Dean Stanton takes a shower in the cargo hold with his clothes on and every other scene where the Xenomorph shows up and it's drooling everywhere.
HIGH LIFE is considered a sci-fi horror as well just so you know. That's why I mention it.
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Ryan felt we needed to lighten things up and dive back into some digestible fluff that he could get into his snarling teeth. But kinda what we found was that he's been tamed slightly. No longer has the pretentiousness of cinema's past enveloped his dark soul now that he's found the work of Nick Hurran.
Yes. Nick. Oh, sweet Nick. This man knows what he's doing with this (one of his many "body swap" films in his filmography). This happens to be one of the better examples. Now, it's no BIG. It's no FREAKY FRIDAY. It's VIRTUAL SEXUALITY: the spunky British comedy with plenty of that late 90's style and lack of taste that the early 00's also brought.
But hey, it's nostalgia. You kinda had to be there.
(Also, Ryan remains unchanged.)
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That train keeps chugging and by pure accidental bliss, we have another film up here with some stark similarities!
Would I go on to say this film is "controversial"? Probably. We have some issues with it. As you'll gather, we don't talk about the film much but rather the way the film was made. There's some questionable behavior happening here, and we're not a podcast to let that slide. The two leads however, Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos are exceptional. Honestly, they knock this film out of the park with the rather mediocre material they are given. It's a disappointing shame as this was adapted from the equally exceptional graphic novel by Jul Maroh.
This is mostly Ryan's opinion here, Laura thinks the film is pretty good despite our universal disapproval of the off-camera shenanigans. It's just the Director who needs to take a little look in the mirror honestly if any of these allegations are true. Let's hope not dude, because that's kinda messed up!
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June has rolled 'round and you know what that means?! It's Pride and we get to cover some LGBTQ+ films.
This time, we're dipping into Gay Cinema with one of the best examples of the category. Number 22 in the BFI best LGBT film of all time is Alain Guiraudie's STRANGER BY THE LAKE. A masterful and nuanced take on the mystery genre, this minimalist, intimate, and insular film focuses on the shenanigans of a popular cruising area by the lake and the craziness that ensues over a collection of days.
There's plenty to enjoy here as you will tell quite quickly, we didn't even note down time codes for this one; there's almost 90% un-coverage. It would be 100% if it weren't for shots like the car pulling into the parking lot and people talking (with their clothes on).
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You knew this day would come. It was inevitable. We're covering Jane Campion's THE PIANO.
How does Ryan feel about this one? This was the one film of the filmography that he remembered quite fondly but now, decades later and now a co-host of an alternative film review podcast, with an active dislike for the other films we have covered of this particular filmmaker, how will it fare? I guess you're going to have to find out if this classic and most revered film of the time passes that gauntlet. (Don't worry about Laura, she loves everything.)
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We sent out the call at the end of our A BIGGER SPLASH episode with CHALLENGERS releasing day. It may even be fate that willed us, catching an early preview screening the same week in an RPX ("shaky seats") theatre. There's nothing like a tennis movie in a vibrating seat with some phat, thumping base and Zendaya's moody staring. Along with a tonne of sweaty slow motion from the other stars Josh O'Conner and Mike Faist.
But honestly, if you've heard this film is good, they're wrong. It's great!
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What could be better? You have the sunshine. You have your lover. You have fresh fruits, food and a beautiful location for relaxation and isolation. But then your veracious and intrusive friend from your past phones up and barges into your life. We've all been there I guess. It starts out like fun then gets painfully annoying when that guy tries to steal away your girlfriend and his daughter just won't leave you alone.
In Luca Guadagnino's remake / adaption of the original book/film THE SWIMMING POOL (LA PISCINE) (1969) we see a bunch of equally beautiful people enacting this psychological dramatic piece.
In short, floatation devices were created for a reason.
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We are back and with something weird and beautiful!
Yeah, in our double dipping on the Yorgos-train, we find ourselves at the 2023 release of the multi-award winning POOR THINGS. This comedy/drama/fantasy film is something special. A feast for the eyes and an incredibly darkly comical tale of a woman brought back to life and given a second chance. Think FRANKENSTEIN, FRANKENHOOKER, FREAKY FRIDAY, and some other period piece that gives you a general idea that this is set some-time-when with a sprinkling of familiarity.
With an award-winning performance from it's central lead, Emma Stone and backed up by Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef, Jerrod Carmichael, and a scene stealing comedy great performance from Mark Ruffalo, this has to be seen to be experienced!
Don't let us hold you up! Bella Baxter is a Disney Princess, ya'll!
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This episode we look at the early filmography of Yorgos Lanthimos featuring DOGTOOTH! Famous for his more Western entries in his filmography, THE LOBSTER, THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER, THE FAVOURITE and his recent Oscar winner POOR THINGS, we go back to the seminal turning point in his career: DOGTOOTH.
He's been a prominent figure in Greek Cinema prior (part of the aptly put "Weird Wave") but it's fair to say that DOGTOOTH put him on the International map, nominated for a Best Foreign Feature Oscar in 2009. Doing so made this deeply darkly comic film (or horror, depending on your interpretation) available to a much wider audience at the time. And what a treat that is!
It's funny how films like this have the habit of taking us all to the place we tend to stray to; the darkest places our humor can go honestly. Certainly Josh (not to throw him under the bus). Be warned, there is a lot of sarcastic chatter about inter-familial relations for which we do not seriously condone. But as we say, if you're not laughing, you're crying.
Sit in your "sea", turn down the "pussy" and smell your "zombies", here we go!
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