Broken English Films

Hugo and Bola discuss how the movie theatre going experience has been going and do we want to see "Tenet" in theatres again... Have you guys gone in to watch? 

The two talk about the recreation of "Utopia" from its British show to an Amazon Prime original and how titles and shows in the same language should/shouldn't necessarily need an American remake if they're in the same language. Hugo and Bola also debate foreign films being remade and whether that's from inspiration or a lack of original creativity.

They touch on the remakes of "The Office" and "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" as well as Hugo's lack of love for hand-held shots versus Bola's love of them. We also touch on Criterion and of course we have to talk about Netflix. Because everyone does.

Stay tuned for Broken English Films productions coming before the year's end.

Hugo and Bola discuss underrated movies, particularly because Bola's disappointed more people didn't gravitate towards the epic Denis Villeneuve's "Blade Runner 2049" and the two elaborate on what quantifies an underrated movie. Is it public reception or box office dollars? What is actually a movie flop? Hugo again cites "Stardust" as an underrated movie that should have been more successful.

Are opinions subjective or are those apart from Bola's and Hugo's simply wrong? "Constantine," "Road House," cult films and more.

They also discuss the possibilities of film financing nowadays versus yesteryear, in part inspired by Oliver Stone's recently released memoir "Chasing The Light."

Stay tuned for Broken English Film productions coming fall 2020 and beyond.

Hugo goes off on a rant praising actors who take their craft seriously and slamming those that come unprepared. Bola, a more seasoned actor, responds from the actor's perspective. They also attribute the same responsibilities to directors and other crew members that are either unprepared or don't know what they want. Essentially, listening to this podcast is listening to filmmakers complain, which may well be your thing today. Hopefully.

They also discuss the recently released Pandemic production guide released to help Jurassic Park World: Dominion get underway again, shooting in England and the similar efforts being made where they're based in British Columbia.

Stay tuned for Broken English Film productions coming before the year's end.

In this week's podcast Hugo and Bola discuss the fact that Warner Brothers have been relentless in wanting to release "Tenet" and have finally done so in the UK soon it'll be in North America too. AMC Theatres are selling tickets for 15 cents to lure people back in. 2020 tickets at 1920 prices? "Mulan" is coming to video-on-demand via Disney+ for $30. Is it worth it?

They also speak about how bad 2018's "The Predator" was including set insights.

The siblings that wrote and directed the films, The Wachowskis, revealed "The Matrix" was originally conceived as a gender allegory with an identity message revolving around the pills.

Neither are overly familiar, but they speak about John Wick's sequels and David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive" (surprisingly not available on Netflix Canada, Amazon Prime video Canada or Canada's Google Play store at the time of publishing this), Paul Thomas Anderson and how underrated Michael Mann is.

Yes, we're talking again about COVID-19 and its impact on the film industry. "Tenet" being delayed. "The Jesus Rolls" Sang-ho Yeon's "Peninsula" and its box office success .

Hugo and Bola discuss (prior to the actual confirmation that "Tenet" has been indefinitely delayed) the likelihood and prospect of "Tenet" being delayed and how the movie watching experience is on hold. We also touch on the recent success of Sang-ho Yeon's "Peninsula," the follow up to the hugely successful Korean zombie thriller/horror "Train To Busan." As well as the disappointing "The Big Lebowski" spin-off, "The Jesus Rolls."

They also discuss the thrill and fun of renting from physical stores when shops like "Blockbuster video" existed. 

Hugo remembers and reminisces over perusing titles and links it to the experience in browsing albums, whereas Bola didn't quite get into that aspect of physical media  in the same manner. 

Surprisingly Broken English Films productions are busy despite COVID.

Tom Cruise gets a COVID pass? Apparently. Hugo and Bola discuss the UK allowing A-list actors, crew and their entourage being allowed easier access to the UK without quarantining like every other American entering the country. The justifications behind that ruling and whether it makes sense or not.

They also discuss the deluded passions and insanity of rabid fans when it comes to the art they love, in particular referencing a voice actress that has received threats on her life because of the character she voices in "The Last of Us Part II." We touch upon the disappointments that "Game of Thrones" brought and briefly on how great "Homeland" is.

As well as "The Naked Director," "Athlete A" and "Unsolved Mysteries." We also speak about Bizzy Bone and Bone Thugs N' Harmony for a bit.

Oh, and Ghislaine Maxwell.

In this episode of the Broken English Films podcast, Hugo and Bola discuss the Cineplex/Cineworld issues with the rescinded takeover by Cineworld of Cineplex (for billions) cancelled during COVID due to their excessive debt. Why that makes sense and why it doesn't, plus whether there is still value in cinemas during this current time.

Also it's clear there are productions now underway and being prepped and planned. How do film and tv work in the COVID era?

We also touch upon how the movie "Castaway" still stands the test of time being watched by Hugo for the first time in 2020. Plus the prospect of a President Kanye West, how "great" that might be and Adam Sandler in "Uncut Gems."

Hugo and Bola debate the race question in movies and television in today's current climate. The removal of "Gone With The Wind" from streaming services, "30 Rock" and "Little Britain" having episodes or even the entire show retired and the retiring of Jenny Slate from "Big Mouth" portraying a young black girl and Mike Henry stepping down from his voice over role playing Cleveland Brown on "Family Guy" and the "Cleveland Show."

The two also discuss "Tenet" and "Mulan" and the idea that studios and cinemas are trying to open up and bring audiences back to theatres while COVID-19 still hasn't fully left.

We're easing into learning how to livestream our podcasts and broadcast the video versions remotely from one another. But we'll get there, we assure you. We hope. Or will. Um. Will.

We just discovered that another group are trying to launch a production company with the name Broken English, a name that we've had since 2008. Last we checked, unfortunately, it's 2020. Times may have changed in a lot of ways in the world, but I'm fairly certain that intellectual property and brand recognition haven't all that much in North America. Maybe I'm wrong. We certainly don't believe so.

It seems this other company are also unaware that we've been operating in French countries under the name "Les films d'Anglais Approximatif" and in Spanish countries under "Películas de Inglés Quebrado." Not too hard to do your research. Hugo and Bola discuss the notion the fact that they discovered the brand is being misappropriated as well as COVID-19's impact on the film industry and two recent hit documentaries, "The Last Dance" and "Filthy Rich."

Hugo and Bola discuss the "Cats" movie trailer and the negative responses surrounding both it and its subsequent reviews. They also talk about the merits of movie reviews and whether they're helpful to the audience or simply impinge upon an unfiltered impression of a film before you've even taken the time to watch it.

They also reflect on how hype impacts movies and in particular, "The Joker."

In this podcast Hugo discusses the Montréal based end of the world TV show, Ruptured. What inspired it, how long and where it was written and the history of the name Broken English/Broken English Films.

He also talks about Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" and Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story" as well as touching on Disney+ and Apple TV+. Also, apparently Martin Scorsese is meeting with Disney head Bob Iger in response to his comments about Marvel cinema. Hopefully Marty's bringing his heavies, he should know gangster meeting lore by now.

Bola and Hugo touch on the oddities with the Jeffrey Epstein "suicide" and Prince Andrew's responses as well as our views on what is now described as "cancel culture," its nuances and revisionist approaches to older television and cinema in the light of modern culture's evolution.

There's also some praise given by Bola about Vancouver's Eastside Culture Crawl, a mixture of art, film and sculpture put on every November in the city.

We also follow up on a previous discussion about reboots and remakes and why "Doctor Sleep," the new Terminator movie and the Charlie's Angels remake seem to have flopped. According to the movie's director, Elizabeth Banks, it's because males are unlikely to go see female led action films. Is that the case?

On the same day Evo Morales steps down as Bolivian president (or so we hope) amidst ongoing turmoil and protests in the country, we discuss what we think of "Parasite" or "Gisaengchung" by Bong Joon-Ho and sewn effects/layers in writing screenplays as well as a respective writer's forethought into a production's initial steps.

We also skate around discussing the Marvel Cinematic Universe, why some films that should become hits don't and more.