Sacred Cinema
By 2XXFM - Sacred Cinema
Sacred CinemaJan 16, 2022
Avenging the Feminine - 'Lady Snowblood' (1973) d. Toshiya Fujita, 'Irreversible' (2002) d. Gaspar Noé & 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga' (2024) d. George Miller
What effect does vengeance have on feminine purity? Are avengers ever assaultive themselves? Is revenge the only response to injustice? With the release of 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga', this week's episode examines three films in which feminine characters are avenged.
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Clingers - 'Play Misty for Me' (1971) d. Clint Eastwood, 'The Cable Guy' (1996) d. Ben Stiller & 'The Piano Teacher' (2001) d. Michael Haneke
What should we be cautious of when it comes to clingyness? Are there ever broader sociocultural elements at play when someone gets clingy? Is there ever a lot at stake when someone gets clingy? As the television program 'Baby Reindeer' continues to permeate the culture, this week's episode looks at three films depicting 'clingyness'.
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Private Investigators - 'The Long Goodbye' (1973) d. Robert Altman, 'Ace Ventura: Pet Detective' (1994) d. Tom Shadyac & 'I Heart Huckabees' (2004) d. David O. Russell
In what ways is privacy appealing? At what point does coolness verge into eccentricity? How is the avoidance of philosophical dogma paradoxical? In this week's episode we contemplate the extent to which privacy, as a symbol of pure independence, can assist in our search for truth.
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Side-Switchers - 'The Bridges of Madison County' (1995) d. Clint Eastwood, 'Match Point' (2005) d. Woody Allen, 'Challengers' (2024) d. Luca Guadagnino
Can cheating be romantic? Is the fate of cheaters determined by justice or luck? Does cheating reveal anything useful about those it victimises? Building on previous episodes on infidelity, this week's episode looks at the borders, divides and connections that are illuminated in films about disloyal lovers.
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Shooting Violence - 'Peeping Tom' (1960) d. Michael Powell, 'Nightcrawler' (2014) d. Dan Gilroy & 'Civil War' (2024) d. Alex Garland
Is voyeurism of the violent a sickness? How might modern society encourage psychotic behaviour? What role might emotion play in the face of conflict? Following some related conversations in recent weeks, this week's episode focuses on three depictions of capturing violence on camera.
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Bohemian Triangles - 'Jules and Jim' (1962) d. François Truffaut, 'The Dreamers' (2003) d. Bernardo Bertolucci & 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' (2008) d. Woody Allen
Can the thirst for the alternative devolve into chaos? Do we ever search too far inward for bohemian values? Is there an ideal time to depart from the unconventional? Building on a brief discussion from last week, this week's episode examines the curious reoccurrence of bohemian culture being explored on screen through 'triangular' character dynamics.
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All Roads Lead to Rome - 'Rome, Open City' (1945) d. Roberto Rossellini, 'La Dolce Vita' (1960) d. Federico Fellini & 'Il Divo' (2008) d. Paolo Sorrentino
What is the fate of a once great empire after it has comprehensively fallen? How do we find our bearings in places filled with all walks of life? From where is modern political power sourced? In focusing on films set in Rome, this week's episode considers the history of Western civilisation and contemplates whether it is underpinned by any timeless values.
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Vengeful Street Fighters - 'Old Boy' (2003) d. Park Chan-wook, 'John Wick' (2014) d. Chad Stahelski & David Leitch & 'Monkey Man' (2024) d. Dev Patel
What happens in the aftermath of our misdeeds? Do we ever have a right to revenge? How can the interconnectedness of the powerless form the roots of revolution? Focusing on street-level vigilantes, this week's episode examines how the revenge tragedy has evolved in recent decades.
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Missing Persons - 'The Vanishing' (1988) d. George Sluizer, 'Prisoners' (2013) d. Denis Villeneuve & 'The Sweet East' (2023) d. Sean Price Williams
What might a lack of closure make us do to ourselves? What might a lack of closure make us do to others? What are the dangers of a society floundering in an odyssey of aimlessness? Extending beyond a similar recent conversation about cinematic depictions of kidnappers, this week's episode focuses on the symbolism of missing people.
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Accidental Love Bots - 'Metropolis' (1927) d. Fritz Lang, 'Her' (2013) d. Spike Jonze & 'Robot Dreams' (2023) d. Pablo Berger
How do humans differ from machines? Can love emerge out of banality? Can a standard-issue humanoid assert individuality? Focusing on three cinematic instances in which a protagonist is romantically involved with a robot, this week's episode contemplates the impact of love in the changing technological landscape.
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Monsters in the Forest - 'Predator' (1987) d. John McTiernan, 'Monsters' (2010) d. Gareth Edwards & 'Monster' (2023) d. Kore-eda Hirokazu
How can we overcome a fear of the wilderness? How clearly can we understand the 'other'? How clearly do we understand reality? Focusing on three films that depict forest-dwelling monsters (of various kinds), this week's episode explores the fate of humanity in a mysterious and opaque world.
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Kidnapped - 'The Searchers' (1956) d. John Ford, 'Funny Games' (1997/2007) d. Michael Haneke & 'Gone Baby Gone' (2007) d. Ben Affleck
Do we ever lose hope in getting back those we have lost? How easily can our attention be kidnapped from us? Can the false imprisonment of a person have a net benefit for society at large? In exploring the metaphorical nature of kidnapping, this week's episode examines cinema's changing attitude toward the over-use of power.
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Heroes in the Sand - 'Lawrence of Arabia' (1962) d. David Lean, 'Black Hawk Down' (2001) d. Ridley Scott & 'Dune: Part Two' (2024) d. Denis Villeneuve
Are human beings capable of biblical-level leadership? Is our thirst for compassionate global influence inevitable? What are some of the contemporary constraints on leadership? Focusing on films depicting desert warfare, this week's episode examines the concept of leadership against a backdrop of scarcity and volatility.
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Limited Resources - 'Modern Times' (1936) d. Charles Chaplin, 'Cléo from 5 to 7' (1962) d. Agnès Varda & 'Perfect Days' (2023) d. Wim Wenders
Is the fate of the impoverished fixed? Does anyone have it all? How can we find the infinite in the finite? In focusing on three distinct cinematic depictions of scarcity, this week's episode seeks to identify the circumstances in which we might feel content with just enough.
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Cooks and Cannibals - 'Babette's Feast' (1987) d. Gabriel Axel, 'The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover' (1989) d. Peter Greenaway & 'The Taste of Things' (2023) d. Anh Hung Tran
In what ways can we be nourished by the foreign? Can encountering high culture ever reveal our brutish side? How delicate is the balance between admiring and owning? In exploring three cinematic depictions of food, this week's episode contemplates the ways in which people give themselves to and take a piece of others.
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Suffocating Authority - 'Rope' (1948) d. Alfred Hitchcock, 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' (1975) d. Milos Forman & 'The Iron Claw' (2023) d. Sean Durkin
How successful are elevated individuals at imposing their own will on the masses? How can the powerful control others through seemingly benevolent means? Can we ever transform relationships based on dominance into relationships based on fraternity? This week's episode explores the symbolism of suffocation, contemplating whether authority figures can simultaneously suffocate and be suffocated.
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Fictitious Figures - 'Meet John Doe' (1941) d. Frank Capra, 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' (1999) d. Anthony Minghella & 'American Fiction' (2023) d. Cord Jefferson
How do we view manufactured and real heroes differently? In what sense is the creation of an ideal self destructive? Do we ever overlook past facts in creating modern fictions? Building off past discussions about projected versions of the self, this week's episode attempts to explore the human act of creating fictional characters.
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Mundane Malevolence - 'Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles' (1975) d. Chantal Akerman, 'Little Children' (2006) d. Todd Field & 'The Zone of Interest' (2023) d. Jonathan Glazer
How vulnerable are we to becoming entranced by the mundane? How sensitive are we to injustice in our ordinary lives? What does the permitting of evil look like in the everyday? This week's episode contrasts three cinematic depictions of immorality being woven through seemingly boring and banal circumstances.
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Under the Wing - 'The Last Detail' (1973) d. Hal Ashby, 'Malcolm' (1986) d. Nadia Tass & 'The Holdovers' (2023) d. Alexander Payne
Can we be free without the presence of external control? Is there more than one set of rules under which we can play? Can imprisonment ever be the means through which we liberate ourselves? Focusing on three cinematic mentor-mentee relationships, this week's episode contemplates whether the pursuit of freedom demands some degree of oppressive control.
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Motherhood Now - 'The End We Start From' (2023) d. Mahalia Belo, 'Poor Things' (2023) d. Yorgos Lanthimos & 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023) d. Hayao Miyazaki
What does motherhood feel like on both the personal and global level? How should we view the power to give life? Is our mother a fixed thing? Focusing on three new releases, this week's episode contemplates the various ways in which the maternal is currently being depicted in contemporary cinema.
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Fight For Your Life - 'A Matter of Life and Death' (1946) d. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 'A Hidden Life' (2019) d. Terrence Malick & 'One Life' (2023) d. James Hawes
Is it difficult to choose a life path? Is it harder to live out the life we choose? Why should we endure through relatively insignificant acts of sacrifice? Focusing on three films about WWII, this week's episode contemplates the ways in which the threat of conflict affects our sense of mortality.
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Salvation by Sedation - 'Life is Beautiful' (1997) d. Roberto Benigni, 'Shutter Island' (2010) d. Martin Scorsese & 'Leave the World Behind' (2023) d. Sam Esmail
How are the horrors of reality communicated to the vulnerable? How do we escape from the aspects of ourselves that we want to ignore? Is anyone actually stopping the problems the rest of us cannot bare to confront? This week's episode examines how and why we often soften the darker aspects of existence for both the sake of others and ourselves.
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2023: A Year in Review
In the final episode of Sacred Cinema for 2023 we're taking a look at your favourite films of the year and what they can tell us about human history's most recent chapter.
Home for the Holidays (Early Release) - 'It's a Wonderful Life' (1946) d. Frank Capra, 'Black Christmas' (1974) d. Bob Clark & 'Home Alone' (1990) d. Chris Columbus
How can we affect the world from home? Is the home easy to defend? How is the home like a battleground? Christmas has come early, as we release this year's Christmas-themed episode a few sleeps before Tim Allen's arrival!
Also, be sure to let us know your favourite films of 2023! Either access the link below (if listening on Spotify) or email us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com
Requesting Your Favourite Films of 2023
Please let us know what your favourite film of the year was via either:
-the poll below (if listening on Spotify)
-emailing us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com
Many thanks!
Final Solutions - 'Toy Story' (1995) d. John Lasseter, 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009) d. Quentin Tarantino, 'How to Have Sex' (2023) d. Molly Manning Walker
How does history unfold? How do certain states of affairs become commonsensical? How should we prescribe new social norms? Drawing on some key philosophical ideas posited by Hegel and Gramsci, this week's episode contemplates the tension between a fixed and a fluid sense of history.
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Delayed Anonymous Romance - 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin' (2005) d. Judd Apatow, 'Last Tango in Paris' (1972) d. Bernardo Bertolucci & 'Fallen Leaves' (2023) d. Aki Kaurismäki
Is it ever desirable to delay romantic gratification? Is it ever desirable to completely avoid serious romance? How can discipline both help and hinder romance? Focusing on an interesting interplay between two seemingly unrelated concepts, this week's episode contemplates how delayed gratification and anonymity affect our romantic relationships.
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Napoleonic Weakness - 'Napoleon Dynamite' (2004) d. Jared Hess, 'Napoleon' (2023) d. Ridley Scott & 'A Streetcar Named Desire' (1951) d. Elia Kazan
What do we traditionally envision when we think about weakness in a man? Do the most powerful men have weaknesses? Who suffers when men can't control their weaknesses? This week's episode examines three distinct cinematic references to Napoleon Bonaparte in order to illuminate potentially forgotten forms of masculine weakness.
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Eat the Rich - 'Delicatessen' (1991) d. Marc Caro & Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 'The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie' (1972) d. Luis Buñuel & 'Saltburn' (2023) d. Emerald Fennell
What is our natural response to greed and gluttony? Why does affluence frustrate us in the real world? Who is responsible for our constant hunger for more? This week's episode looks at films in which motifs of food and consumption are used to explore exploitation, affluence and the consolidation of power.
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Ends of Eras - 'Falling Down' (1993) d. Joel Schumacher, 'Anatomy of a Fall' (2023) d. Justine Triet & 'The Last Emperor' (1987) d. Bernardo Bertolucci
How quickly can things fall to pieces? How easy is it to dissect a tragedy in its aftermath? Do new eras always improve on the failures of past eras? This week's episode builds on last week's discussions about the the relationship between the past and present by exploring how individuals, relationships and political entities experience their own ends.
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Been There, Done That - 'The Worst Person in the World' (2021) d. Joachim Trier, 'Passages' (2023) d. Ira Sachs & 'The Great Beauty' (2013) d. Paolo Sorrentino
Can we ever sympathise with those who abandon others? How does the constant pursuit of novelty bring about suffering? Can we simultaneously cherish and abandon the past? Focusing particularly on films depicting contemporary cosmopolitan culture, this week's episode explores the various effects of abandoning important people and parts of ourselves in search of a better future.
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Romantic - 'Bright Star' (2009) d. Jane Campion, 'Grizzly Man' (2005) d. Werner Herzog & ' Before Midnight' (2013) d. Richard Linklater
Are we capable of seeing beauty in everything? Can romanticising ever be dangerous? What is true love, if not pure and perfect? Following our recent conversations on relationships and companionship, this week's episode explores the various cultural attitudes and movements that have blossumed from the ancient concept of romance.
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Heroes of the Past - 'Killers of the Flower Moon' (2023) d. Martin Scorsese, 'Akira' (1988) d. Katsuhiro Otomo & 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1962) d. John Frankenheimer
Why do we often mistake villains for heroes? Can a person's heroism be determined by time? How do we often find our bearings in morally confused scenarios? In reflecting on current geopolitical events, this week's episode contemplates the relationship between time and heroism.
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Pair Bonding - 'Nebraska' (2013) d. Alexander Payne, 'Thelma & Louise' (1991) d. Ridley Scott & 'Before Sunset' (2004) d. Richard Linklater
How can we bond with someone who shows no interest in doing so? Can attempting to bond with others ever endanger us? Is bonding always a peaceful process? Building further on recent discussions about human interconnectedness, this week's episode focuses on connections specifically between two people.
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No Man Is an Island (LFF/Radiothon Special) - 'The Bikeriders' (2023) d. Jeff Nichols, 'Maestro' (2023) d. Bradley Cooper & 'The Killer' (2023) d. David Fincher
What are the temptations and limitations of 'the lone wolf' archetype? Can we ever have too many relationships? What does undesirable human interconnectedness look like in the 21st century? To celebrate the 2023 2XXFM Radiothon, we will be looking at three gala selections from this year's London Film Festival and focusing on a topical through-line that underpins them.
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Discussing Life - 'Naked' (1992) d. Mike Leigh, 'Before Sunrise' (1995) d. Richard Linklater & 'Mindwalk' (1990) d. Bernt Amadeus Capra
Can independent pontification be a zero-sum game? Can we bond over an openness to the unknown? What is the relationship between truth and the stance of the majority? This week's episode focuses on three cinematic explorations of verbal contemplation and considers the consequences of adding further perspectives.
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Realising the Fantasy - 'La La Land' (2016) d. Damien Chazelle
How much do we dream? How are our dreams constrained by reality? Can we value and respect our dreams in light of reality? Capping off this season before a few week's break, this week's episode explores competing ideas about fantasy and reality through the the lens of Damien Chazelle's 'La La Land'.
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Lost Love - 'Brief Encounter' (1945) d. David Lean, 'Past Lives' (2023) d. Celine Song & 'Casablanca' (1942) d. Michael Curtiz
Who is susceptible to lamenting lost love? How painful is it to accept that love is lost? Is there any way to find our bearings when navigating a world of endless romantic options? Focusing on three films centred on tragic love triangles, this week's episode explores how we grieve relationships that could have been.
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From Naught to Naughty - 'Talk to Me' (2022) d. Danny and Michael Philippou, 'Kids' (1995) d. Larry Clark & 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' (1982) d. Steven Spielberg
How does it feel to be young? Can we grow up too fast? Is it ever desirable for young people to rebel against their elders? This week's episode focuses on the risk-riddled aspects of growing up to question the line between healthy and unhealthy rule-breaking.
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Alien Encounters - 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977) d. Steven Spielberg, 'Godland' (2022) d. Hlynur Pálmason & 'Asteroid City' (2023) d. Wes Anderson
To what extent does the alien mesmerise us? How have we dealt with aliens thoughout history? What should be our default position when encountering the alien? In contemplating the symbolic value of alien encounters when depicted cinematically, this week's episode explores the ways in which we deal with the strange and mesmeric.
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About Parents - 'About My Father' (2023) d. Laura Terruso, 'All About My Mother' (1999) d. Pedro Almodóvar & 'About Time' (2013) d. Richard Curtis
How do we feel about good fathers? How do we feel about mothers and matriarchy? Can our acceptance of time revitalise our appreciation for parenting? Acknowledging the impact titles have on the way we watch films, this week's episode explores the many dimensions of parenting.
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Iconic/Demonic - 'Mazey Day' (2023) d. Uta Briesewitz, 'Demon 79' (2023) d. Toby Haynes & 'Loch Henry' (2023) d. Sam Miller
How should we view the hidden lives of public icons? In what circumstances can we benefit from accessing our inner demons? How costly is the price of prominence? Focusing on three films from the recent season of Black Mirror, this week's episode explores the relationship between notoriety and inner demons.
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Barbenheimer (Special Early Episode) - 'Barbie' (2023) d. Greta Gerwig, 'Oppenheimer' (2023) d. Christopher Nolan & 'Melancholia' (2011) d. Lars von Trier
How do we suffer on the level of the individual? How do the grievances of the individual and the collective compare? What are the dangers of neglecting the individual? In this special early episode, we explore the Barbenheimer phenomenon and the insights it gives us into the current cultural climate.
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Politics on the Plain - 'Sweet Home Alabama' (2002) d. Andy Tennant, 'Alcarràs' (2022) d. Carla Simón & Sonia Castelo & 'Blazing Saddles' (1974) d. Mel Brooks
Is the countryside instinctively alluring? What are the political and economic grievances of the modern farmer? Should our conception of rural culture be static or ever-changing? With the release of 'Alcarràs', this week's episode focuses on the political philosophy of rural life through 3 distinct cinematic depictions.
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Phantasmic Figures - 'He's Just Not That Into You' (2009) d. Ken Kwapis, 'Run Rabbit Run' (2023) d. Daina Reid & 'Mr. Nobody' (2009) d. Jaco Van Dormael
How do we think of people when their true selves are unobservable? Is the projection of false identities onto others an inevitability? To what extent do people actually have multiple identities? Using a relatable romantic scenario as our springboard, this week's episode explores the ways in which we project imagined identities onto other people.
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Excavating Germans - 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' (2023) d. James Mangold, 'Blind Spot' (1981) d. Claudia von Alemann & 'The Tin Drum' (1979) d. Volker Schlöndorff
What is it dangerous for the past to re-surface? Do we ever feel obliged to pay tribute to those that are no longer with us? How should we conceive the past?
This week's episode uses the complex relationship Germany has with preserving its history as a lens through which we can search for an enlightening way to deal with the past.
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The Love Horse - 'American Pie' (1999) d. Paul Weitz & Chris Weitz, 'No Hard Feelings' (2023) d. Gene Stupnitsky & 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004) d. Michel Gondry
Can intimacy come before love? Do our circumstances ever force us to demand love? Can people explore the world without love? This week's episode examines the relationship between intimacy and love by analogising it to that between a horse and cart.
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Honour Thy Family - 'Omen' (2023) d. Baloji, 'You Hurt My Feelings' (2023) d. Nicole Holofcener & 'Ordinary People' (1980) d. Robert Redford
How strong are most family ties? Why might people refrain from being honest with their loved ones? Can we ever honour our families too much? In acknowledging the relationship between honour and honesty, this week's episode uncovers yet another complexity in the relations we have with the ones we love.
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The Multiverse, NY - 'Annie Hall' (1977) d. Woody Allen, 'Synecdoche, New York' (2008) d. Charlie Kaufman & 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' (2023) d. J. Dos Santos, K. Powers & J. K. Thompson
To what extent are the realms constructed by artists part of reality? How much artistic value does reality itself offer? Do archetypal and realist narratives make up for each other's shortcomings? Responding to recent trends in mainstream cinema, this week's episode examines three films set in New York to explore inter-dimensional storytelling.
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Trouble in Paradise - 'L'Avventura' (1960) d. Michelangelo Antonioni, 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall' (2008) d. Nicholas Stoller & 'Infinity Pool' (2023) d. Brandon Cronenberg
Does extreme comfort guarantee us healthy relationships? Are there different forms of human attraction that sit on a sliding scale? How do sex and companionship complement and combat one another? In contemplating the interplay between leisure and love, this week's episode examines three films in which relationship drama is set against a backdrop of decadence and relaxation.
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