Talkie Talk - Film Review Podcast

Talkie Talk is OFFICIALLY back with our first NEW episode of 2024. We discuss an obscure, straight to video follow-up to Hideaki Anno's fantastic anime series, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. We discuss the history of Nadia and the troubled production history behind this movie. We dig into this strange film to find its flaws, surprising virtues, and the potential political critique at its core. Next week, we will be discussing the END OF EVANGELION, one of our favorite movies, which just had its first U.S. theatrical release. Welcome back to Talkie Talk!

This week, we discuss BIRDMAN (2014) (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), starring former Batman star Michael Keaton as the titular character. What ability and limits does art have in the pursuit of depicting "Truth"? When does sincerity become pretentiousness? How does a film use the pseudo one-shot technique to its full potential? Why is Jim Carrey suddenly a philosopher now? Find out "the Truth" on this very artistically significant episode of Talkie Talk. NEXT WEEK - Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water: The Motion Picture.

This week we discuss the Korean smash hit, Oldboy. We chat about the unreliable narrator and debate our theories of what "really happened" in this movie. More importantly, we also talk about Mission Impossible: Fallout and its parallels with this movie.

With the Oscars just around the corner, we're taking a trip back to 2021 for a classic HOT TAKE from the Talkie Talk Administration. It's Talkie Talk vs. "The Critical Consensus", which baffles our hosts to no end. We really wanted to like this movie. Plus, we talk about large sea creatures, so there's a little something for everyone. Next week: OLDBOY (2003)

Is this movie really just Evangelion? Why is Kong superior to Godzilla on a philosophical level? What makes a blockbuster "good"? Let your minds expand with your favorite kaiju and Talkie Talk hosts.

This episode was originally recorded in the summer of 2021. But as we all know - Talkie Talk is timeless. Enjoy this Talkie Talk Vault Episode. More to come soon.

This week, we watch one of Nathan's favorite espionage movies, Mission: Impossible, starring the insane exploits of Tom Cruise, the stylized direction of Brian de Palma, and the punchy writing of Robert Towne. With so much talent at the helm, does this often overlooked film succeed? Find out on this IMPOSSIBLE episode of Talkie Talk.

This episode brought to you by David Lynch, a long-time fan (we assume) and future guest of the show (please?). We dive into two of Lynch's films - the heartfelt and career-making The Elephant Man (1980) and the bizarre, disturbing maze that is Lost Highway (1997). To help further our understanding of these films, we pepper the discussion with quotes from Lynch's book Catching the Big Fish. For real, David...please come on the show.

Next week we will transition to "season 3"; going forward we will only be watching one film a week. But don't despair, that means we can give it twice the amount of analytical brain power. Allegedly. First up is One Cut of The Dead (2017), a Japanese zombie movie that is best watched with as little prior knowledge as possible.

At three hours and forty-eight minutes, this week's movie is the longest movie we have ever watched. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) is David Lean's epic historical drama based on the life of T.E. Lawrence.

Is it worth the time commitment? The Academy Awards, the Library of Congress, and the AFI all seem to think so. But you don't have to take their word for it - just listen to this week's episode for our DEFINITIVE reviews of this sandy flick.

This week, another "Movies We've Seen Before but The Other Person Hasn't Seen that We've Wanted to Show Them for a While" special episode! We discuss two movies that have nothing in common except a cast of twelve characters: John Carpenter's cult classic sci-fi horror film, The Thing (1982), and Sidney Lumet's influential one-room legal drama, 12 Angry Men (1957).

Are video game cut-scenes lazy? Is it okay for 1950s actors to be bad at their job? Exactly how much coke did Stephen King snort? All will be revealed in this week's discussion of two horror flicks from two different eras: Sam Raimi's cult classic zombie movie, The Evil Dead (1981), and Charles Laughton's only film, The Night of the Hunter (1955). 

This week, a fiery discussion about Star Wars (yes, again) leads us into a discussion of two documentaries: Peter Jackson's colorized WWI documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old (2018), and Steven Soderbergh's archival film about the late and great monologuist Spalding Gray, And Everything Is Going Fine (2010). (CORRECTION: next week's movies are The Evil Dead and The Night of The Hunter)

Is Parasite Bong Joon-ho's first good movie? Is that question just clickbait? All this and more on this episode of Talkie Talk where we look at Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave (2013), an Academy Award Best Picture winner, and the aforementioned Bong Joon-ho's psychological thriller Mother (2009). For next week, we are watching two documentaries: Peter Jackson's colorized WW1 documentary They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) and Steven Soderbergh's documentary about the renowned monologuist Spalding Gray, And Everything is Going Fine (2010).

In this episode, we discuss subjective storytelling and Charlie Kaufman's book collection.

Next episode: 12 Years a Slave & Mother.

Stanley Kubrick vs. James Bond SMACKDOWN. Next week: I'm Thinking of Ending Things & Persepolis.

Join us as we kick off Season 2 of Talkie Talk with a special "Movies We've Already Seen but the Other Person Hasn't Seen Yet" episode.

Next episode: Casino Royale & Paths of Glory.

Apologies in advance to our huge Australian demographic. Next week: Annie Hall & Midnight in Paris.

This episode is very LATE and very LONG so you KNOW it's a great one. Next week: Mad Max & Bonnie and Clyde.

We still love you Tom Cruise, no matter what. Next week: Blade Runner & Once Upon a Time in The West.

Now with actually listenable audio quality! We'll do anything for our fans. Next week: Sin City & The Firm.

If you see this, Rian Johnson, give us a call. We just wanna talk, I promise. Next week: Honey Boy & Clue.

We discuss a ground-breaking, highly influential crime thriller...and Le Samouraï. Next week: Knives Out & Under the Silver Lake.

We try to discuss our weekly picks, but mainly end up yelling about The Rise of Skywalker. Next week: Chinatown and Le Samouraï.

We grapple with our weekly picks through the lens of bad Star Wars movies. Next week: The Platform & Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters.