Reel Talk (For Real)

Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos

This episode was recorded earlier this year in March. As we both have been going through major life transitions, we had put recording and editing on hold for a few months. We realize that these consistent delays in releasing our episodes have been too frequent and prolonged that it's no longer funny to jest about this in our episode description (or maybe it still is a little funny...) but trust us, we are now back (for real). We have a real conversation about Yorgos Lanthimos' vibrant and outlandish 2023 feature Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Ramy Youssef, Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo and Christopher Abbott. We discuss the wonderfully eccentric humor of the screenplay and the controversial creative decisions that came along with it. We also, rather enthusiastically, defend a more dignified and dare we say more accurate feminist reading of the film against the less generous critics and detractors. As with the movie itself, this recording was clearly a fun time: you're never too old to laugh at juvenile quips and observations.

Past Lives... or Eight Thousand Layers of In-yeon Across Eight Thousand Lifetimes

We're really bad at getting these episodes out in a timely manner huh... but better late than never! We have a real conversation about Celine Song's 2023 indie hit Past Lives, featuring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo and John Magaro. How fateful it is that the both of us are situated in New York and Korea - just like the protagonist Nora and her childhood sweetheart, Haesung. Unlike them, however, we don't struggle with the interpersonal tensions of an ill-fated, cosmically destined romantic relationship that is never to be. We discuss the intricacies of the premise and touch on the nuances of how language is used in the film, as well as some of Eun Sol's gripe with Greta Lee's Korean. Will you be rooting for it at The Oscars this Sunday? We reveal our thoughts and impressions about the film, and our takes on whether or not it is deserving of the Academy Award.

Joyland (2022) by Saim Sadiq

We have a real conversation about an underrated gem from 2022: Joyland, by Pakistani screenwriter and director Saim Sadiq. We discuss the writer-director's deft filmmaking in realizing the tensions and misfortunes of a patriarchal society. We also point out the jarring developments in the story, admonishing the infuriating decisions of all the repressed male characters. When we go on tangents in our conversation, we celebrate Salina's purchase of her first car. *This episode was recorded on August 6, 2023.

David Fincher's The Killer

Three years since his last feature film release, David Fincher returns with a technically impressive and highly entertaining installment to his "broken-and-disturbed-characters-searching-for-meaning" series of movies with The Killer, featuring Michael Fassbender, Charles Parnell and Tilda Swinton. We brazenly discuss the appeal of Fassbender's hypnotic voice as the narrator and briefly delve into an exchange about what makes a film art. There will, of course, be critical comparisons with John Wick and what distinguishes Fincher's craft from more mind-numbing and high production action movies, but don't let that deter you from listening to our conversation if you are, by chance, a John Wick fan.

Killers of the Flower Moon

We have a real conversation about Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated 2023 film, Killers of the Flower Moon, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons. We discuss the film's narrative depiction of a highly charged historical moment in American history, recalling details and images of scenes from the movie that left a lasting impression on us. We also consider the "love story" that is the underlying beat of the movie, reproaching Marty for his classic sleight of hand of subverting viewer expectations with the slow evolution of his morally grey and corrupt characters.