Gerald Sim Interview: Part I

Gerald Sim is a graduate student in film studies at the University of Iowa and an instructor who has taught a course on the films of Woody Allen. Below is the transcript of Part I of our interview with him, which we had intended to play during last week's podcast.

AK: When you were putting together your syllabus for "The Films of Woody Allen," which films were the no-brainers? Which did you feel were absolutely essential?

GS: One of the earlier comedies, and "Annie Hall" had to be on there... one of the Bergman-esque films [such as "Interiors"], "Crimes and Misdemeanors," the musical ("Everyone Says I Love You")...

AK: Why the musical?

GS: Because it’s different -- and the critical question in class was, well, how different? Eventually, as I was putting together my own thoughts on what his films are about, I came up with a narrative and that narrative necessitated the inclusion of things like "Manhattan" and "Alice" and eventually "Sweet and Lowdown" (1999), which I think brings to a conclusion a lot of the questions he raised in his earlier films in the 70s.

SH: In earlier Woody Allen films, the character played by Allen is pre-occupied by death. Do his recent films, the comedies, reflect a retreat from that subject as Allen himself gets closer to death?

GS: No, I don't think so. The death you refer to is not just physical death, but really the winding down of life, the death of art, the death of physical existence -- which for him constitutes life. My argument is that he eventually resolves it (the question of death, in all its forms) with "Sweet and Lowdown," and after "Sweet and Lowdown" he starts on new avenues of inquiry. The question of death comes from a lot of places. It comes from psychoanalysis, from being Jewish, from being a comedian; to be a good comedian, you have to be dark.

So when Sean Penn smashes his guitar at the end of "Sweet and Lowdown," that's the death of everything, really. [There's] the ambiguity at the ending of "Manhattan," for example, when he is rejected by this pure figure (Mariel Hemingway), who is represented in different films by different women. In "Sweet and Lowdown," when he is turned down by Samantha Morton, he decides, well, that's the end of everything. When Penn's character smashes the guitar, it's really a form of suicide, in my mind.

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Polling Place Closed

Our thanks to the handful of people who had voted in the recent Cinecast Poll -- all positive too! -- but the free poll tool was causing popups on the site and has been removed. Sorry about that.

Check back later today for Part I of our Woody Allen interview with Gerald Sim.

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Top 5 Archive

A permanent link to our Top 5 List Archive can now be found in the right rail.

Update: In conjunction with "Sin City," this weekend's top 5 will be our favorite innovative films (i.e. movies that are visually stunning, clearly doing something new/different...)

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Do You Like Us? Do You Really Like Us?

If you have an extra second or two, please vote in our latest Cinecast poll on the right. We're four podcasts in and trying to get a feel for whether the show is headed in the right direction -- as we think and hope it is. Plus, Sam and I are both exceptionally needy people who require constant reinforcement.

Check back later today or Thursday morning for Part I of our interview with Woody Allen aficionado Gerald Sim.

Also, we'd love to hear any suggestions you have for this week's Top 5. With "Sin City" on tap, something to do with comic books would make sense. But with our limited knowledge of this genre, we're afraid our lists would be pretty predictable -- "Spider-Man 2," "Ghost World," etc... Email us at cinecast@cinecastshow.com

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Cinecast #4 - Woody & Woody

This week on Cinecast, a review of Woody Allen's latest "Melinda & Melinda." The film, Allen's 34th as writer and director, is a narrative experiment that tries to resolve an age-old debate: is life comic or tragic? Allen doesn't really come up with any answers, but there is a refreshing intellectual energy to the movie that should please fans of his older -- better -- films. All that, plus this week's Top 5 -- our lists of the best Woody Allen movies of all-time.

We had promised an interview with Allen "expert" Gerald Sim from the University of Iowa, but due to some audio issues -- (hey, it was our first stab with the phone tap) -- we weren't able to include it in the podcast. Please look for a transcript of the interview here later this week. Our thanks and apologies to Gerald.



Cinecast #4
:30-12:21 - Review: "Melinda and Melinda"
12:22-23:15 - Top 5 Woody Allen Films

Do you have some thoughts on Woody you'd like to share with us? Or a top 5 list of your own? Send us an e-mail at cinecast@cinecastshow.com. Or give us a call at 206-203-CINE and leave a voice message.

Music courtesy of Age of the Rifle.

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Slight Delay

Due to some technical difficulties, Cinecast #4 will not be posted now until Tuesday morning. Thanks for your patience!

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Next Show...

Cinecast #4 will feature lots of talk about the films of Woody Allen, including our review of Allen's newest film, "Melinda and Melinda." Also, we'll have a conversation with University of Iowa graduate student in film studies and Allen "expert" Gerald Sim ... and count down this week's Top 5 list -- the best Woody Allen movies of all-time. (He's made one a year for more than 30 years, so it's harder than you'd think.)

Due to the Easter holiday, this week's show won't be posted until late Monday evening. If you've seen "Melinda" and have any thoughts you'd like to share, send an e-mail to cinecast@cinecastshow.com or give us a call at 206-203-2463.

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We've Moved!

Hopefully you've found us here at our new home: http://www.cinecastshow.com. Please bookmark the new site.

As Promised

A Top 5 "favorite horror movies" list from someone who can actually name five favorite horror movies (unlike Adam and I). Thanks to Kevin Clarke in Chicago.

In no particular order...

Spider Baby (1964, Jack Hill)
Day of the Dead (1985, George Romero)
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979, Werner Herzog)
The Wasp Woman (1959, Roger Corman)
Dementia 13 (1963, Francis Ford Coppola)

Yes, that Francis Ford Coppola.

Also. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956, Don Siegal) and What Ever Happened To Baby Jane (1962, Robert Aldrich).

Cinecast Top 5 - Week 3

After reviewing two disappointing sequels in the first three weeks of the show, Adam and I decided it was as good a time as any to assemble a list of the five greatest movie sequels...and five of the worst. For our top 5 best sequels, Adam and I chose films that met - or exceeded - the greatest challenges of any sequel: relevancy and originality. For the five most disappointing sequels, we chose not just "bad sequels" (of which there are too many to name), but films which did a spectacular disservice to the original, iconic films that preceded them. As always, we encourage you to send your own Top 5 lists to cinecast@gmail.com.

Top 5 Sequels

5. The Bourne Supremacy (2002, Paul Greengrass)
4. The Empire Strikes Back (1980, Irvin Kershner)
3. Before Sunset (2004, Richard Linklater)
2. Kill Bill 2 (2004, Quentin Tarantino)
1. The Godfather, Part II (1974, Francis Ford Coppola)

Top 5 Most Disappointing Sequels

5. Sam: Batman Returns (1992, Tim Burton) / Adam: Hannibal (2001, Ridley Scott)
4. Sam: Be Cool (2005, F. Gary Gray) / Adam: Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999, Jay Roach)
3. Star Wars, Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999, George Lucas)
2. The Matrix Reloaded (2003, Wachowski Brothers)
1. The Godfather, Part III (1990, Francis Ford Coppola)

Cinecast #3 - Recommendations

In addition to taking a look at one high-profile film each week (which, in thin times like these sometimes means choosing the lesser of two evils), Adam and I want Cinecast to be a platform for sharing the things we do like. After last week's show, we posted "Recommendations," which included "In America" as an alternative to the film we reviewed -- and didn't like -- "Millions."

Coming up with a recommendation for this week proved a bit more difficult. Rather than recommend "The Exorcist" or "Rosemary's Baby" as an alternative to "The Ring Two" -- which is a little like recommending "Citizen Kane" as an alternative to Vin Diesel's "The Pacifier" (kind of obvious, and not very helpful) -- we're assembling a list of great and overlooked horror films with the help of some friends. We'll post that soon. In the meantime, send your recommendations to cinecast@gmail.com.

Something we do like. Naomi Watts in...
Mulholland Drive. Originally filmed as a television pilot -- then re-shot and re-edited as a feature film by director David Lynch when ABC rejected it -- "Mulholland Drive" is far more disturbing than (and equally as confounding as) "The Ring Two," and features Watts in a dual-role that Adam and I agree is among the best performances by an actress in the last several years.

Also. On Thursday, we'll post the Top 5 from last week's show: the official Cinecast list of Top 5 Sequels and Top 5 Most Disappointing Sequels in movie history. It will be worth checking out if for no other reason that to see how Adam and I interpret "movie history" as "last 25 years."

Random Thoughts

"You know, '80s movies could go one of four ways: enjoyably bad at the time, wildly entertaining now; enjoyable at the time, enjoyably bad now; bad at the time, worse now; fantastic at the time, just as good now. And here's my point: I think 'Weird Science' is in the last category. In fact, I'm almost positive." - ESPN.com's Bill Simmons

(In my best drunk Anthony Michael Hall voice) That's the truth, baby ... that's the clean truth.

* Cross "Sunset Boulevard" off the list of movies I'm embarrassed to admit I've never seen. Watched it last night. It's basically "Double Indemnity" but centered around Hollywood instead of insurance fraud. Who wouldn't love that? Best dialogue:

Norma: Salome - what a woman! What a part! The princess in love with a Holy Man. She dances the Dance of the Seven Veils. He rejects her, so she demands his head on a golden tray, kissing his cold, dead lips.
Joe: They'll love it in Pomona.

Update from Sam: Managed to knock 1.5 movies off my own "embarrassed" list. "Bonnie & Clyde" and John Cassavetes' "Faces." The Cassavetes wasn't on my official list, but the fact that I hadn't seen any of his films was really bothering me. I liked "Bonnie & Clyde" a lot, but it occasionally felt as if it were trying to figure itself out ... and I'm not even going to get into how I think Faye Dunaway is one of the most overrated actresses in film history. Adam and I are going to fight about that later.

But "Faces" -- Cassavetes' 1968 film about a middle-aged couple whose marriage is experiencing a rapid meltdown -- was incredible. I felt like I was watching an Actor's Studio master class with the greatest unknown actors of the 20th century. Not that Seymour Cassel and Gena Rowlands are unknown, exactly, but ... you get my point. If you love great acting, check it out.

Cinecast #3 - Samara Always Rings Twice

In our third podcast, we review "The Ring Two," Hideo Nakata's punishing allegory about motherly love and child abandonment. The original "Ring" at least had an intriguing storyline; the sequel just has Naomi Watts and David Dorfman delivering another effectively creepy performance as her son. Plus, we consider the critical response to Danny Boyle's "Millions" and reveal our definitive lists of the Top 5 Sequels and Top 5 Most Disappointing Sequels ever made.



Cinecast #3
0-14:11 - Review: "The Ring Two"
14:32-19:16 - "Millions" response, listener top 5's
19:30-31:35 - Top 5 Sequels, Most Disappointing Sequels

Music courtesy of Age of the Rifle.

Slight Change(s)

Film critic Christopher Kelly will not be able to join us this weekend, but look for him to talk with us on an upcoming show ... Also, following extensive negotiations and much back-and-forth bickering, we've agreed on two "official" top 5 lists this week: the Top 5 Sequels and Top 5 Most Disappointing Sequels ever made. (No individual lists this time.) As always, your suggestions are welcome.

Next Show...

Sam and I will review "The Ring Two," discuss the critical response to "Millions," share some listener feedback AND -- hopefully -- have a phone conversation with Ft. Worth Star-Telegram film critic Christopher Kelly. His review of "The Ring Two" is currently available on the Star-Telegram site (free registration required). Based on the teaser, looks like he hated it. I'm holding off on reading any reviews until Sam and I see the film tonight.

Of course, we'll also have a Top 5. This week's countdown will cover -- what else! -- sequels. We'll deliver the definitive Cinecast list of the Best Sequels and then reveal our individual lists of the Most Disappointing Sequels. We'll record the podcast Sunday afternoon, so check back that evening for the show.

Please send us your best sequels list to be included in the show. Use the Comments tool, send us an email, OR why not try out our Feedback line at 206-203-2463? Leave us a message and we'll play it during the podcast.

Recommendations

Check back Friday morning for a complete rundown of what's coming up on this weekend's show.

With all due respect to the majority of gainfully employed film critics (and I do mean this sincerely), who usually have no choice but to dish out a star rating to accompany their reviews, Sam and I can't get excited about assigning some kind of grade to the films we discuss. If we can help steer you away from a mediocre film, or help nudge you to a film that warrants your attention, that's great. But ideally our discussion would produce at least one halfway cogent, provocative point to merit a listen -- even if you never intend to see the movie in question. Whether or not we succeed in pulling this off on a consistent basis (or ever, for that matter) is for you to decide.

All of that said, I thought we could provide you with some alternatives that are worth viewing (or reading) as a follow-up to those films that we felt came up short -- unfortunately, like both of the films we have reviewed so far.

In our discussion of "Millions," we referenced a handful of other similar or connected works that are more deserving of your time:



In America: Jim Sheridan's autobiographical account of an Irish couple and their two daughters trying to start over in 1980s New York City following a family tragedy. Told from the perspective of sisters Christy and Ariel, "In America" is a perfect example of style in the service of substance, unlike "Millions," which uses style to compensate for its lack of substance. A truly magical movie.

Bloody Sunday: Under used as the father in "Millions," John Nesbitt stars in this dramatization of the titular event in which British soldiers killed 13 unarmed Irish civilians during a 1972 demonstration. From director Paul Greengrass, who brought his cinema verite style to "The Bourne Supremacy" two years later.

Also worth checking out: About a Boy, starring Hugh Grant, based on Nick Hornby's 1998 novel. Read my original review here ... and the book How to Be Good, also by Hornby. Not as good as "About a Boy" or "High Fidelity," but it covers the same terrain as "Millions" while maintaining a healthy dose of cynicism and humor.

The Upside of The Ring

There isn't a clear choice for which film deserves our attention this weekend. The big opening is "The Ring Two," of course, but "The Upside of Anger" with Joan Allen and Kevin Costner is also playing in Chicago.

Sam leans toward "Upside" while I lean toward "The Ring," if for no other reason than it is the "bigger" movie. Hmm... Joan Allen vs. Naomi Watts? It's closer than you might think.

If you'd like to nudge us in a certain direction, please do so by using the Comments feature or sending us an email at cinecast@gmail.com.

[Update: After a lengthy fistfight -- one resembling the alley fight in John Carpenter's "They Live" -- Sam and I have settled on "The Ring Two."]

Cinecast Top 5 - Weeks 1 and 2

Finally. Something you can count on. Every week on Cinecast, Adam and I will count down a Top 5 SOMETHING. Top 5 lists for the first two episodes of Cinecast are listed below, in case you haven't listened to the shows yet. (Shame on you.) Eventually we'll have a permanent home for all of our Top 5's on this site. In the meantine, don't be shy. Make a list of your own. Post it in the Comments section or leave us a voicemail (see right). We'd love your feedback.

Top 5 Movies About Movies
Adam
5. Hearts of Darkness
4. Living in Oblivion
3. Day for Night
2. The Player
1. American Movie

Sam
5. The Aviator
4. CQ
3. Full Frontal
2. Get Shorty
1. Adaptation

Top 5 Movies We Can't Believe We've Never Seen
Adam
5. Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns (ANY of them)
4. Unforgiven
3. The Last Temptation of Christ
2. True Romance
1. Sunset Boulevard

Sam
5. The King of Comedy
4. The Hustler
3. Bonnie & Clyde
2. McCabe & Mrs. Miller
1. Wall Street

Cinecast #2 - Mo Money, Mo Problems

In our second podcast, Sam and I review Danny Boyle's sentimental new film "Millions" (opens in Chicago 3/18), about two precocious British lads who learn that money can't buy happiness after a bag full of cash falls from the sky and lands at their feet. The film features a standout performance from its young star Alex Etel, but crumbles in the last 20 minutes under the weight of its trite message. Plus, Sam lies to an Oscar winning screenwriter and we count down our lists of the top 5 movies we're embarrassed to admit we've never seen.



Cinecast #2
0-10:02 - Review: "Millions"
10:40-17:14 - A few final thoughts on "Be Cool," Sam's Alan Ball story and more
17:32-25:18 - Top 5 Movies We Can't Believe We've Never Seen

Music courtesy of Age of the Rifle.

Slight Change

Sam and I will record Cinecast #2 this Saturday (late afternoon) -- not Thursday night, as initially planned -- so check back that evening for the latest podcast. We're reviewing "Millions," which opens in limited release Friday. See below for more details.

Two notes: 1) For those of you overwhelmed by last week's 45 minute show, we're determined to keep this week's effort to 20. 2) A few people pointed out that Sam's voice was much harder to hear than mine during our first show. We forgot to get a windsock for Sam's mic, so he kept it off to the side a bit. Obviously it did make a noticeable difference. We've invested the $1.99 and Sam will be booming this weekend.

Next Show...

Change in plans from our tease at the end of podcast #1 -- Instead of "Off the Map," we'll review the new Danny Boyle film "Millions." From the Official Site: "Starting anew after the death of their mother, 9-year-old Anthony is ever practical, while his 7-year-old brother Damian uses imagination, fantasy, and faith to make sense of his confusing world. When a suitcase full of money falls out of the sky at Damian's feet, it sets the boys on the adventure of a lifetime that leads them to realize that true wealth has nothing to do with money."

Plus, we'll count down the Top 5 Movies We Can't Believe We've Never Seen. Please help us to feel less ashamed by emailing or calling the feedback line (see right) and answering this question: What one movie are you most embarrassed to admit you haven't seen?

What does this have to with "Millions" exactly? Well, nothing really -- except that I've never taken the time to actually watch Boyle's breakthrough film "Trainspotting" from start to finish. Will it make my Top 5? Check back Thursday night for all the podcasting fun.

Cinecast #1 - The Uncool

In our debut podcast, Sam and I count Cedric the Entertainer and The Rock among the few bright spots in "Be Cool," the disappointing follow-up to 1995's great "Get Shorty." John Travolta reprises his role as Chili Palmer, a loan shark turned movie producer turned music producer, and once again owns the role. But the film's crude humor and inane plot, combined with F. Gary Gray's inept direction, overshadow any of the talent on display. Plus, we discuss last weekend's Oscar winners and -- in honor of "Get Shorty" -- run down our Top 5 Movies About Movies.



Cinecast #1
0-15:36 - Review: "Be Cool"
15:50-26:40 - Oscar talk
26:50-42:38 - Top 5 Movies About Movies

Music courtesy of Age of the Rifle and Sunday Driver.

Please note that we originally envisioned a 20-30 minute show, not the 45 minute program we have managed to produce. While we don't expect to be so longwinded in subsequent shows, we'd love to hear any feedback you have on the show's length -- or any other comments for that matter.