2019's Joker, which gave the iconic supervillain an all-purpose mental health disorder, a tragic origin story, and a name - Arthur Fleck - was never meant to have a sequel. But it made a billion dollars, so Joker: Folie à Deux is here. And, being a jukebox musical based primarily on show tunes from the mid-20th century canon, we ask who it's for. The first film took risks in eschewing so many trappings of the comic book genre; did the filmmakers hope that their audience would respond similarly to further experimentation? Or is it a means of punishing an audience they attracted but loathe?

If the film hates its audience... well, so does Mike, which might explain why he got on with it. José, on the other hand, liked the first film, and is happy to see more of Joaquin Phoenix and hear those classic songs. Joker: Folie à Deux is far from a great film, not that close to a good film, and doesn't have much of interest or intelligence to say about its themes - but it's fascinating that it exists.

Recorded on 7th October 2024.

429 - Joker: Folie à Deux

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/10/16/pofcrit-podcast-2024-rowan-abbott-on-eo-jerzy-skolimowski-2022/
In this podcast, we talk about the 2022 Jerzy Skolimowski film, EO. The film is a sweeping picaresque narrative following the tumultuous life of a former circus donkey named EO, who is set free into rural Poland, a place that can’t seem to decide what purpose a donkey still has for humans. This wholly unique film is a landmark in animal representation on screen, being one of the most successful fiction films to feature an animal protagonist that isn’t anthropomorphized. We talk about the implications of this form of animal representation, and how the film achieves its goal of putting us in the shoes - or hooves - of a donkey. '

POFCRIT 2024: Rowan Abbott on EO (Jerzy Skolimowski, 2022)

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/10/21/pofcrit-podcast-2024-fiola-odusote-on-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-daniel-scheinert-daniel-kwan-2022/
The POFCRIT Podcast 2024 returns with Fiola Odusote on EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan, 2022) . The action-filled dramedy follows a high-strung Chinese woman called Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) who owns a struggling laundromat. When Evelyn is tasked with saving the multiverse she is quick to answer the call, not knowing the journey she’s about to embark on will cause her to reckon with her familial relationships and ultimately repair them. The film tackles the themes of family, immigration, choice and generational trauma, with the multiverse being used as a vehicle to explore these themes through a sci-fi lens. EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, despite its absurdist elements, is grounded by the mother-daughter story at the heart of the film. The grounded story when mixed with the impeccable performances by the talented cast makes it easy to see why the film racked up so many awards. All this, and much more, is discussed in the podcast below:

Fiola Mixdown Odusote on EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE (Daniel Scheinert, Daniel Kwan, 2022)

This podcast delves into Sam Raimi’s return to Superhero Cinema: Marvel’s ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’. 




Combining the classic horror elements of Raimi’s 1981 cult favourite ‘The Evil Dead’ with his more modern Spiderman trilogy offering, this Marvel film follows Doctor Strange in his second solo movie as Strange tries to prevent the multiverse-shattering dark magic created by the vengeful Wanda Maximoff. We discuss the disjunctions present within the film produced by the Marvel/Raimi divide - how much of the film can be viewed as an auteur product separate from the Marvel franchise?

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Meg Tebbutt on Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (SAm Raimi, 2022)

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/10/28/the-gus-van-sant-podcast-no-4-lisa-purse-on-even-cowgirls-get-the-blues-1993/
Lisa Purse on EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES (Gus Van Sant, 1993)

I was truly delighted when Lisa Purse agreed to talk to me about EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES. Lisa is a Professor of Film Studies at Reading University, one of the most brilliant scholars on action movies, and a nuanced thinker on questions of mediations, conflicts, identities. I wanted to have her on the podcast because I thought she might expand my thinking on EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES, and she did. In the podcast we discuss seeing the film when it was first released, seeing it now, and explore the hows and whys of changing responses. We note the context of ‘New Queer Cinema’ and the different kinds of experiments that were then taking place. EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES  is a film that refuses seriousness and we speculate that maybe neither of us was then in a place where we could recognise the value of that. We discuss how the film continues Van Sant’s interest in ‘The Road’, and discuss movement and flow, as rhythm, narrative device, formal strategy, and condensed ideation. Is it a film that’s trying to do much? B. Ruby Rich wrote on how the film contains references to forms of collective action. Is it more of its time than we first realised? We discuss the film as a form of active allyship that is not to be sneezed at, and note the hostility of its initial reception, refencing B. Ruby Rich’s contention that with this film Van Sant fell into the category of a female director (at least for some) and therefore got treated as one.

The Gus Van Sant Podcast 2: Lisa Purse on EVEN COWGIRLS GET THE BLUES (1993)

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/10/30/eva-de-matos-on-bend-it-like-beckham
The podcast explores how Bend it Like Beckham humorously and poignantly explores themes of identity, tradition, gender, sexuality, multiculturalism and Britishness.

Bend It Like Beckham follows Jess, a British Indian teenager who dreams of playing football despite her family’s traditional expectations. Set in a diasporic area of Asian immigrants and 2nd generation children the podcast discusses the associated inter-generational themes that permeate the film. The podcast also discusses the film’s specificity to 2003 and how the political climate may have influenced the film’s representation of multiculturalism.

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Eva de Matos on Bend It Like Beckham (Gurinder Chadha, 2004)

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/08/pofcrit-podcast-2024-ying-qi-on-tangled-nathan-greno-byron-howard-2011/
'In this episode, I’m diving into the world of Disney’s Tangled and exploring how it redefined what it means to be a princess, and the stereotypes that revolve around it. I’ll be talking about Rapunzel’s incredible agency, her journey from the tower to the floating lights, and how she takes charge of her own story—a big leap from
traditional princess roles. I also delve into the music that makes Tangled so unforgettable, and how it creates meaning and emotion. Join me as we unravel how Tangled brought a fresh, inspiring twist to the Disney princess legacy'.
Ying Qi

POFCRIT Podcast: Ying Qi on Tangled (Nathan Greno, Byron Howard; 2011)

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/08/the-gus-van-sant-podcast-5-richard-drew-on-to-die-for-1995/
I very much wanted to speak to the wonderful Richard Drew about TO DIE FOR (Gus Van Sant, 1995). Richard has a degree in Film and Literature so knows something about film, yet unusually for the guests on this podcast, he is not a Gus Van Sant fan. More importantly, Richard is a television producer, now based in Los Angeles, but who got his start on the ground floor of Reality TV in England and has worked on BIG BROTHER, SECOND SURVIVOR, FAME ACADEMY, and many more. He is now SVP of Development at Law and Crime Productions, specialising in True Crime Documentaries. His latest work, JAILBREAK: LOVE ON THE RUN is currently on Netlfix. All of this to say he is ideally suited to speak to the film's main themes.
In the podcast we discuss how TO DIE FOR draws on the talk show culture of the era (Oprah, Geraldo, Sally Jesse Raphael, Phil Donahue) as well as the rise of celebrity culture in print (PEOPLE, US) and Television (ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT). It’s a film that’s very much about not only a grasping for fame, but for television and televisual fame. We talk of the performances, the film’s form and structure, how it’s a story  complexly told but in a manner that’s experienced as simple and direct. All this and much more can be heard in the podcast above:

The Gus Van Sant Podcast 5A: Richard Drew on To Dies For (1995)

In this episode, we dive into Fallen Angels, one of Wong Kar Wai’s most visually stunning and emotionally layered films. Known for his distinct cinematic style, Wong blends fragmented storytelling with poetic visuals to explore themes of loneliness, alienation, and disconnection in Hong Kong’s urban landscape. The film’s fragmented narrative is complemented by Wong’s trademark use of disorienting camera movements, which heighten the emotional intensity and immerse viewers in the characters' internal worlds. Through his unique approach, Wong Kar Wai invites us to reflect on the complexities of human connection and the feeling of being lost in a modern, disconnected city.

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024 -- Yu Hua on Fallen Angels (Won Kar Wai, 1995)

https://notesonfilm1.com/2024/11/12/pofcrit-podcast-2024-lily-stripe-on-blue-lagoon-randal-klaiser-1980/
In this podcast we discuss the 1980 Randal Kleiser film, The Blue lagoon. It tells a coming-of-age story of two children shipwrecked on a tropical island, as they grow and develop into teenagers, and discover both themselves and the island. With beautiful sweeping landscapes and gorgeous young stars, it has all the attractions of a Hollywood film. However, its narrative is even more intriguing, both fascinating and bizarre in what it tries to tell, and the way the directors vision comes across. We talk about the frustrations of a story like this being told in a visual medium, and why it had the potential to break out of its western societal box, but failed to do so.

POFCRIT PODCAST 2024: Lily Stripe on Blue Lagoon (Randal Klaiser, 1980)

"I have this romantic idea of the movies as a conjunction of place, people and experiences, all different for each of us, a context in which individual and separate beings try to commune, where the individual experience overlaps with the communal and where that overlapping is demarcated by how we measure the differing responses between ourselves and the rest of the audience: do they laugh when we don’t (and what does that mean?); are they moved when we feel like laughing (and what does that say about me or the others) etc. The idea behind this podcast is to satiate the urge I sometimes have when I see a movie alone – to eavesdrop on what others say. What do they think? How does their experience compare to mine? Snippets are overhead as one leaves the cinema and are often food for thought. A longer snippet of such an experience is what I hope to provide: it’s two friends chatting immediately after a movie. It’s unrehearsed, meandering, slightly convoluted, certainly enthusiastic, and well informed, if not necessarily on all aspects a particular work gives rise to, certainly in terms of knowledge of cinema in general and considerable experience of watching different types of movies and watching movies in different types of ways. It’s not a review. It’s a conversation." - José Arroyo.

"I just like the sound of my own voice." - Michael Glass.

429 - Joker: Folie à Deux

Eavesdropping at the Movies

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