Explore every episode of the podcast Groovy Movies
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action Women, schwing (Point Break, American Psycho, Wayne’s World) | 05 Sep 2024 | 00:57:01 | |
This week on our season finale we look at three box office and critical successes which you might not know were directed by women. In the hot seat is Kathryn Bigelow’s Point Break, Penelope Spheeris’ Wayne’s World and Mary Harron’s American Psycho. We also almost (but not quite) dodge the Blake Lively controversy and talk about the films we’re looking forward to this autumn. See you for season 5! ----------- | |||
| Sad girls on holiday (Lost in Translation, Swimming Pool, Shirley Valentine) | 22 Aug 2024 | 00:51:34 | |
Between the weather and the state of the world, it’s been a pretty sad summer, so we’re sticking with that theme as we look at some of the best sad girls on film holiday. We discuss Charlotte Rampling in Francois Ozon’s Swimming Pool, Scarlett Johansson in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (and Bill Murray too) and Pauline Collins as Lewis Gilbert’s Shirley Valentine. ----------- | |||
| Civil War: Will A24's big budget gamble pay off? | 18 Apr 2024 | 00:40:24 | |
Last week A24’s Civil War was released and we have mixed feelings about it. Will their biggest-budget movie to date prove itself at the box office? And is a movie about war and an American fascist leader really what we want to see right now? ----------- | |||
| The Top 5 Party Scenes in Cinema | 04 Apr 2024 | 01:05:01 | |
It takes skill to capture the effortless spontaneity of a really good party scene. Relatively few nail it but when they do, they really do. This week we compile our top 5 party scenes; from teenage house parties to rave afters, with a surreal French restaurant jamboree sandwiched in the middle. ----------- | |||
| Baby Face: Pre-Code Horniness and the Original Sugar Baby | 21 Mar 2024 | 00:58:36 | |
We’re going back to the horniest years in Hollywood history for another scandalous pre-coder; Baby Face, the 1933 movie that was so shocking it solidified cinema’s censorship for the next 30 years. Watch it for free here.
You Must Remember This’ episode on Will Hays and “Pre-Code” Hollywood Wes Anderson Talks Early Hollywood Censorship in ‘TCM Picks’ Video for Barbara Stanwyck’s ‘Baby Face’ by Etan Vlessing for The Hollywood Reporter How the Catholic Church censored Hollywood's Golden Age by Vox on YouTube Baby Face: The End Of The Pre-Code Era by Paul J. Bradley for Classic Film Journal Remembering Hollywood's Hays Code, 40 Years On by Bob Mondello for NPR ‘Tracing Hollywood’s Legacy of Self-Censorship through a Comparative Analysis of the Film Baby Face (1933) in its Censored and Uncensored Forms’ by Morgan B. Lockhart From femme fatale to cattle rancher: how Barbara Stanwyck bucked convention by Pamela Hutchinson for The Guardian Barbara Stanwyck: 10 essential films by Lynsey Ford for BFI Barbara Stanwyck’s NY Times obituary Film Pharmacy Old Boy (2004) dir. by Park Chan-wook Killer Joe (2012) dir. by William Friedkin ----------- | |||
| *Teaser* Next week's episode and an announcement | 14 Mar 2024 | 00:00:47 | |
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| Dune: Part Two (spoiler-free!) | 07 Mar 2024 | 00:42:41 | |
It’s been out for a week but we’re not taking any chances. Here is our painstakingly spoiler-free discussion of Dune: Part Two, plus our thoughts on Madame Web and a sexy addition to the Film Pharmacy. ----------- | |||
| The Groovies: Awards Season Special 2024 | 29 Feb 2024 | 00:57:15 | |
We're back with series 4 and ahead of the Oscars next weekend, we bring you a roundup of everything you need to know about this awards season. We discuss Oppenheimer's dominance, the Barbie controversy and where The Zone of Interest sits on the Salo to Up unsettling scale. ----------- | |||
| Bridget Jones's Diary: The definitive New Year heroine? (and what to watch in 2024) | 28 Dec 2023 | 01:03:37 | |
It’s the end of the year and also our series finale so we're bringing both to a close with a deeply intellectual discussion on the ultimate New Years movie, Bridget Jones’s Diary. Plus, in anticipation of awards season, we list the films we’re most excited to see over the next couple of months. ----------- | |||
| Rebel without a Claus: The Groovy Movies Xmas-travaganza | 13 Dec 2023 | 00:50:50 | |
For our penultimate episode of the series we’re going recommendation-heavy and spoiler-free, with our top picks of festive films, hitting every point on the Grinch-to-Elf Christmas spirit scale. ----------- | |||
| Napoleon: Are biopics bad for history? | 07 Dec 2023 | 00:51:14 | |
We couldn’t resist the controversy around Ridley Scott’s new movie, so this week we’re discussing Napoleon and wading into the debate about historical accuracy and film. But what do you think? Let us know on instagram - @groovymoviespod. ----------- | |||
| Saltburn: Are we really eating the rich? Ft. Culture Colander | 30 Nov 2023 | 01:11:26 | |
This week we are joined by Audra and Elisa from Culture Colander. They bring an American perspective to a very British class system as we dissect Emerald Fennell’s new film Saltburn, i.e. The Talented Mr Creepley. ----------- | |||
| Superior Sequels: What makes part 2 better than part 1? (Inside Out 2, The Terminator 2, The Godfather 2) | 12 Aug 2024 | 00:46:02 | |
From Dune 2 to Deadpool and Wolverine, there have been a surprising number of hit sequels this year. So this week we’re asking the question, what makes that cinematic blue moon of a part 2 that is better than part 1? ----------- | |||
| May December and the blacklist we want to be on | 23 Nov 2023 | 00:53:11 | |
Aesthetica short film festival, the Hollywood blacklist, and one of its scripts, Todd Haynes’ new movie May December, are all up for discussion this week. Expect sweeping generalisations about short films and a tabloid-esque compare-and-contrast between May December and the real-life scandal that inspired it. ----------- | |||
| Finding love in a dystopian place (Fingernails, The Lobster, Her) | 16 Nov 2023 | 00:45:10 | |
In honour of new release Fingernails, we talk dystopian romances: why they work, when they don’t, and which animal we’d like to be turned into if we didn’t find love. ----------- | |||
| Does size matter? The Gravity of the cinematic experience | 09 Nov 2023 | 00:46:39 | |
This week James drags us to the BFI IMAX for Gravity’s 10th year anniversary re-release, on a mission to prove that the cinematic experience is worth leaving the house for. ----------- | |||
| Is Killers of the Flower Moon worth the runtime? | 02 Nov 2023 | 00:41:38 | |
With DiCaprio and De Niro in fine gurning form and Thelma Schoonmaker on the edit, the gang’s back together for Martin Scorsese’s brand new film. But is it worth the 3hr26m runtime? For more, read Corinne Rice’s ‘8 Essential Films of the Native American Experience’ ----------- | |||
| Hex Appeal: Cinema’s Baddest Witches (Practical Magic, The Craft, The Witches of Eastwick) | 26 Oct 2023 | 01:06:24 | |
It’s that spooky time of year and Practical Magic’s 25th anniversary. So this week we take a whistlestop tour through witch movie history to our final destination: the 90s (cinema’s hexiest decade?). ----------- | |||
| It’s Taylor Swift’s Era and we’re just living in it (but do concert films work?) | 19 Oct 2023 | 01:02:59 | |
To any Swifties listening - hello, welcome. To any non-Swifties, please forgive us. We couldn’t resist discussing the music-movie partnership of an era. So this week we take the opportunity to ask the question: do concert films work? We, of course, dive into Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour but also compare it with another concert movie that is currently in cinemas: Stop Making Sense, A24’s re-release of the 1984 Talking Heads documentary. We also watched Amazing Grace, the long-lost Sydney Pollack film capturing the recording of Aretha Franklin’s gospel album of the same name. ----------- | |||
| Nostalgiaholics: Why were 90s filmmakers obsessed with the 70s? (Dazed and Confused, Almost Famous, Boogie Nights) | 05 Oct 2023 | 00:56:38 | |
It's the 30 year anniversary of Dazed and Confused (1993), Richard Linklater's ode to 70s adolescence. And he wasn't alone - many of the 90s greatest films were set in the last vinyl decade. Besides the dramatically pointy collars and avocado bathroom sets, what was the appeal? To answer the question, we take a closer look at Linklater's coming-of-age breakout hit, Cameron Crowe's career-defining Almost Famous (2000 - ok not quite 90s, but as good as) and our favourite Paul Thomas Anderson movie, Boogie Nights (1997). ----------- | |||
| Would you forget a past relationship if you could? (Past Lives, Sliding Doors, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) | 28 Sep 2023 | 00:50:32 | |
Inspired by new release Past Lives, this week we look at love stories about what could have been. We discusses the enduring influence of 90s clanger Sliding Doors and the indie classic, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. ----------- | |||
| Love Triangles on Film: How (not) to throuple (Passages, Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona, Design For Living) | 21 Sep 2023 | 01:00:48 | |
We return to our favourite debate: monogamy vs. polyamory. This time with love triangles as the point of entry. Film Pharmacy ----------- | |||
| But when can we see Dune 2? Everything you need to know about the Hollywood Strikes | 13 Sep 2023 | 00:47:02 | |
This week we take a closer look at the writers and actors strikes and what the impact will be for film-making and cinemas. We also pick our must-see movies from the Venice Film Festival. ----------- | |||
| Fantastic Film Follies: How to finance a flop | 24 Jul 2024 | 00:59:07 | |
Why talk about good films when we could talk about spectacularly bad ones? This week we discuss four infamous films that left their directors and studios in financial and/or reputational ruin. On the chopping block is Francis Ford Coppola’s One From The Heart, Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, Elaine May’s Ishtar and, of course, Tom Hooper’s Cats. Enjoy. ----------- | |||
| James' Desert Island DVDs (The Empire Strikes Back, Singing in the Rain, Citizen Kane) | 07 Sep 2023 | 00:49:59 | |
This week on the podcast we’re trying our hand at the greatest radio format of all time. Lily does her best (very bad) Kirsty Young impression as James' delivers his top 3 Desert Island DVDs. He also, of course, details his preferred AV set-up for shipwrecked screenings - think monkeys in tuxedos. ----------- | |||
| Has the cult of director lost its power? (My Name is Alfred Hitchcock, North by Northwest, Inception, Reservoir Dogs) | 31 Aug 2023 | 01:00:26 | |
This week we're discussing directors who have achieved cult status: the ones you can recognise within 24 frames of a film - the Taratinos, the Hitchcocks and of course, the Nolans. We come up with rules for achieving cult of director status and question if superstar directors still have power in the era of streaming services. ----------- | |||
| The women behind Hollywood's top directors (Jaws, Raging Bull, Out of Sight) | 24 Aug 2023 | 01:04:37 | |
This week James tells the amazing story behind the rise of women editors in cinema and we take a closer look at three of the best: Verna Fields (Jaws), Thelma Schoonmaker (Raging Bull) and Anne V. Coates (Out of Sight). ----------- | |||
| Our Sizzling Summer Holiday Special: Viva L'Italia (Call Me By Your Name, Roman Holiday, The Great Beauty) | 10 Aug 2023 | 00:49:56 | |
The Great British Summer is letting us down so we’re escaping to Italy for a cinematic holiday special. Stops on the trip include Roman Holiday, Call Me By Your Name and The Great Beauty.
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| What makes a killer plot twist? (Psycho, Atonement, Parasite) | 03 Aug 2023 | 01:04:42 | |
This week we contemplate plot twists - what works, what doesn't work and the different purposes they can serve. And apologies, this week is spoiler heavy, so if you can, watch before listening: ----------- | |||
| Barbenheimer Special | 27 Jul 2023 | 00:58:02 | |
Here to ride the zeitgeist as far as it will go, we're kicking off series 3 with a Barbenheimer special, having seen both films at 8:15, 18:00, and 00:20 in the same day - please excuse our zombie-ish state of being. ----------- | |||
| Did cinema create the ‘It’ girl? (It, Mahogany, Factory Girl) | 01 Jun 2023 | 01:07:07 | |
Taking inspiration from this month's yesteryear issue of New York Magazine, for our final episode of the series, we look at cinema’s role in creating and cataloging the ‘It’ girl. ----------- | |||
| Do we prefer our main characters with side character energy? (Grease, Pulp Fiction, Fight Club) | 24 May 2023 | 00:42:08 | |
This week we consider unexpected main character-side character dynamics; the supporting parts that outshine the lead (Rizzo in Grease), characters that are both side and main at once (Pulp Fiction) and what it means when the side character was the protagonist the whole time (Fight Club). ----------- | |||
| Edith Head: The designer who dressed Hollywood's Golden Era (Breakfast at Tiffany's, To Catch a Thief, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) | 18 May 2023 | 00:52:11 | |
There was one woman who had more influence over the look and style of Hollywood’s Golden Age than anyone else: Edith Head. This week we take a closer look at some of our favourite designs from her huge (1000-film-strong) back catalogue and take pointers from one of her self-help style guides, How To Dress For Success. ----------- | |||
| Our Favourite Comfort Films (The Big Short, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fall, The Mummy, Juno, Tea With Mussolini) | 13 May 2023 | 00:41:59 | |
James has been under the weather this week, so in the spirit of self-care, we’re discussing our favourite comfort films. ----------- | |||
| 1999: Cinema's best year, ever? | 11 Jul 2024 | 00:39:53 | |
You honestly wouldn’t believe how many great films came out in 1999. The Matrix, Fight Club, The Blair Witch Project, The Talented Mr Ripley, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Sixth Sense, Notting Hill, The Mummy, Cruel Intentions, 10 Things I Hate About You. We could go on… ----------- | |||
| From Dr Strangelove to Bond: The Genius of Ken Adam (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Moonraker, Barry Lyndon, Dr. Strangelove) | 04 May 2023 | 01:08:33 | |
This week we’re celebrating the genius of Ken Adam, the production designer behind cinema’s most iconic sets and the man who created the visual flare the Bond movies have become known for. ----------- | |||
| What turns a bad movie into a cult classic? (Howard The Duck, The Room, Mommie Dearest, North Sea Hijack) | 21 Apr 2023 | 01:08:00 | |
We’ve decided to do the unthinkable - willingly watch the worst films ever made (allegedly). The hit list includes Howard the Duck, Mommie Dearest and, of course, The Room, along with our own submission, the apex of Roger Moore’s career, North Sea Hijack, in an attempt to figure out what it takes to achieve cult bad status.
Howard the Duck (1986) dir. by William Huyck Mommie Dearest (1981) dir. by Frank Perry The Room (2003) dir. by Tommy Wiseau North Sea Hijack (1980) dir. by Andrew V. McLaglen A Howard the Duck explainer by Alex Abad-Santos for Vox Lea Thompson on Howard the Duck by Ryan Parker for The Hollywood Reporter Howard the Duck: An Oral History by Caseen Gaines for thedecider.com How George Lucas’ Howard the Duck movie made The Matrix possible by K. Thor Jensen Mommie Dearest at 40: the derided camp classic that deserves a closer look by Guy Lodge for The Guardian How ‘Mommie Dearest’ when from Oscar bait to cult classic by Luna Guthrie for collider.com The Room: how the worst movie ever became a Hollywood legend as bizarre as its creator by Aja Romano Lisa exits ‘The Room’ by EJ Dickson for theawl.com Tommy Wiseau breaks down a scene from The Disaster Artist ----------- | |||
| Fucking Bonkers French Films (Last Year at Marienbad, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, Celine & Julie Go Boating, Holy Motors) | 13 Apr 2023 | 01:04:33 | |
This week we get into that particular kind of surrealist madness only French cinema can capture. From the overwrought 60s stylisation of Last Year at Marienbad to modern masterpiece Holy Motors, care of 70s standouts Celine and Julie Go Boating and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie - if nothing else, we're giving tops marks for the titles.
Last Year at Marienbad (1961) dir. by Alain Resnais The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) dir. by Luis Bunuel Celine & Julie Go Boating (1974) dir. by Jacques Rivette Holy Motors (2012) dir. by Leos Carax Sources and resources: Film Art: An Introduction by David Bordwell and Kristen Thompson - the analysis that kickstarted James’ love of French Films - comes highly recommended Sacha Vierny (the cinematographer on Last Year at Marienbad)’s obituary by Michael Brooke Pauline Kael's review of Last Year at Marienbad Pauline Kael's review of the Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie The Triumph of ‘Céline and Julie Go Boating’ by Kristen Yoonsoo Kim for thenation.com Interview with Holy Motors director Leos Carax by Eric Kohn for IndieWire ----------- | |||
| What makes a film feel timeless? (Dune, Memento, Casablanca) | 06 Apr 2023 | 00:58:21 | |
This week we discuss timelessness. How certain films manage to capture that elusive quality, through the look, characterisation and storytelling. ----------- | |||
| Don’t watch the movie - watch the documentary about the movie (Hearts of Darkness, Jodorowsky's Dune, Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island Of Dr. Moreau) | 30 Mar 2023 | 00:49:45 | |
Sometimes the story about the making of the film is even better than the final product. This week we discuss four films, via the incredible documentaries about how they were (or in some cases, weren’t) made. Sources and resources: ‘This Documentary About Making ‘Apocalypse Now’ Is Almost Better Than the Film’ by Douglas Laman for collider.com For the backstory to Francis Ford Coppola’s first short films: ‘The early erotic movies of Francis Ford Coppola’ by Calum Russell for Far Out ‘Where to begin with Alejandro Jodorowsky’ by Matthew Thrift for BFI ‘Is Jodorowsky’s Dune the greatest film never made?’ by Nicholas Barber for BBC Culture ‘Alejandro Jodorowsky’s ‘Dune’ Was Never Made, but With A.I., We Get a Glimpse of His ‘Tron’ by Frank Pavich for The New York Times ----------- | |||
| Do blank cheques make good films? (Showgirls, Southland Tales, The Last Temptation of Christ) | 23 Mar 2023 | 01:05:25 | |
<<<spoiler alert>>> ----- The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) dir. by Martin Scorsese Showgirls (1995) dir. by Paul Verhoeven Southland Tales (2006) dir. by Richard Kelly You Don’t Nomi (2019) dir. by Jeffrey McHale One from the Heart (1982) dir. by Francis Ford Coppola Babylon (2022) dir. by Damien Chazelle Thelma & Louise (1991) dir. by Ridley Scott The Banger Sisters (2002) dir. by Bob Dolman Richard Kelly is working on a sequel to Southland Tales - Interview for Vanity Fair by Christopher Rosen. “God Bless Dwayne Johnson”: Richard Kelly on Southland Tales, 15 Years Later by Erik Luers for Filmmaker Magazine. ‘Southland Tales’ at 15: An Oral History of the Cannes Cut Nobody Saw Coming by Eric Kohn for IndieWire. The Last Temptation of Christ’ As a Testament to and an Exploration of Scorsese’s Own Faith by Koraljka Suton for cinephiliabeyond.org. Roger Ebert’s review of The Last Temptation of Christ. How Showgirls exposed the rot of our misogynistic culture by Hugh Montgomery for BBC. Is This The End of Netflix’s Blank Check Art House Films? by Anna Menta for decider.com. ----------- | |||
| Awards Season Special (part 2): The Best | 16 Mar 2023 | 01:11:41 | |
In part two we regroup to see how our Oscars predictions fared, discuss our favourites of the awards contenders and, of course, present the rest of the Groovies. ----------- | |||
| Awards Season Special (part 1): The Worst | 08 Mar 2023 | 01:13:52 | |
Kicking-off series 2 with part one of our Awards Season Special, a round-up of our least favourite of the awards contenders this year. Tensions rise in the fight for the bottom, Avatar v. Babylon - who will win? We also make predictions for this Sunday’s Oscars ceremony and award our very own gongs, The Groovies. ----------- | |||
| [GUESTS ON CULTURE COLANDER] The Whale, starring Brendan Fraser: "We didn't need fatness to tell this story" | 06 Mar 2023 | 01:33:23 | |
Audra and Elisa pair up with Lily and James from Groovy Movies podcast to dissect one of the most talked about films of the year, The Whale, which stars Brendan Fraser and is nominated for multiple Academy Awards. They chat about fat representation, the struggle of stage-to-film adaptations, voyeurism, and the different manifestations of trauma. This episode pairs best with following Aubrey Gordon, making British friends, and watching the Oscars.
Check out Culture Colander Keep the conversation going
Sources
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| Die Hard dir. by John McTiernan | 09 Dec 2022 | 00:41:12 | |
<<<Spoiler alert>>> Films and TV shows referenced:
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| One Take Movies: Are they a gimmick? | 27 Jun 2024 | 00:50:14 | |
From the famous speeding train of 1896 to the groundbreaking Russian Ark and iconic Berlin night-out-gone-wrong flick Victoria, this week we take you through the illustrious history of one-take movies - or should it be one-shot movies? ----------- | |||
| 2001: A Space Odyssey dir. by Stanley Kubrick | 01 Dec 2022 | 00:35:39 | |
<<<Spoiler alert>>> ----------- | |||
| Hunger dir. by Steve McQueen | 24 Nov 2022 | 00:27:31 | |
<<<Spoiler alert>>> Films and TV shows referenced: Thank you to Abby-Jo Sheldon for our logo. ----------- | |||
| Mustang dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven | 17 Nov 2022 | 00:32:51 | |
<<<Spoiler alert>>> Other sources: Editing and production by Lily Austin and James Brailsford, original theme music by James Brailsford. Thank you to Abby-Jo Sheldon for our logo. ----------- | |||
| Hero dir. by Zhang Yimou | 10 Nov 2022 | 00:31:37 | |
<<<Spoiler alert>>> Films referenced: Editing and production by Lily Austin and James Brailsford, original theme music by James Brailsford. ----------- | |||