Talking Images

No Barbie?! No Oppenheimer?! So, what the hell did we pick? Listen in as Chris, Sol, and Tom reveal their top 10 favourite films of 2023.

Let us know how much you agree/disagree, or if we put you on the path of some hidden gems, on ICMForum.com.

Has Pixar lost the magic they once had? And if so, how did it all go so, so wrong? Can we blame it on Disney? Join us as superfans and nay-sayers clash over the past, present, and future of Pixar Animation.

Can we name a single original film from the last 10 years? Can you?! Listen in and find out as we somehow end up bickering over whether originality even exists.

We will also try to pinpoint the most original films of all time, and discuss whether or not originality truly matters. That is, if originality exists at all, as Sol doesn't really seem to think so.

Do we want to oppress you and decide what you can and cannot watch? Listen in to find out!

Is Hiroshi Teshigahara on the shortlist of the greatest Japanese directors of all-time? Sol certainly thinks so, yet Chris will admit he has none of the master's films in his own top 1,000 - much to Sol's despair.

There's no denying that Teshigahara made one of the biggest Japanese classics in his trippy Woman in the Dunes, but what of his other films?

Why are so many of them struggling with distribution, and are they worth seeking out?

In this episode, we will go through each of his 7 features, as well as his lauded documentary, Antonio Gaudi, and answer that very question.

Timestamps:

• Intro: 00:00:00
• Why Sol Thinks Teshigahara is an All-Time Great: 02:32
• Woman in the Dunes: 00:08:33
• Pitfall: 00:20:36
• The Face of Another: 00:31:10
• Man Without a Map: 00:46:31
• Summer Soldiers: 00:53.31
• Antonio Gaudi: 01:02:26
• Rikyu: 01:11:38
• Go-Hime: 01:18:26

Who's the biggest cinephile? Find out as we play Cinephile: A Card Game in our Season 4 finale.

We also have the audacity to invent a new rule we think improves the game.

Happy new year!

Was Sean Connery the best Bond? Apparently not! At least according to our panel.

Join us as we rank the actors who played the iconic superspy, talk about our favourite and least favourite films from the franchise, and give our opinions on who should step into the tuxedo next.

The last question took a bit of a turn as we all seemed to want it to be Pierce Brosnan ... as he is now, in his 70s, and doing an old-Bond film ala Logan. Are we high, or is that a genuinely good idea?

Oh, and would Bond being gay make things interesting? Sol really seems to think so.

Timestamps:

• Intro & Secret Panel: 00:00:00
• Best Bond: 00:10:00
• Worst Bond: 00:25:00
• Best Bond Films: 00:38:29
• Worst Bond Films: 00:52:19
• Best Bond Songs: 01:03:05
• No Time to Die: 01:08:34
• Where Should The Franchise Go Next: 01:19:30
• Should James Bond Be a Gay Black Woman?: 01:23:08
• Who Should Play Bond Next: 01:27:49

Watching the Moral Tales Cycle is witnessing a great director be born, experiment and find his voice, but how good is Eric Rohmer's most famous cycle? Do the early no-budget films hurt it, and how do we deal with the generally loathsome, holier-than-thou mortalising male leads looking to have little adventures?

We will also address why on earth Rohmer chose to pill a George Lucas before George Lucas by making the 4th film of the cycle before the 3rd, discuss where to start and how well the series actually works as a single entity with a clear progression from story to story.

The iCMForum's 7th annual film festival is here! For the last year, 8 programmers have worked tirelessly, combing over underseen films to find the true top-of-the-crop most film fans missed.

In this episode, 4 of these 8 programmers present the 10 films on the main slate, ranging from comedies to anime, drama and even what can only be described as a "remix" film.

They will also shout out their favourite films and slates from the rest of the program, which should have something for everyone, including horror and arthouse lovers.

Join us as we dive into the nightmarish and surreal worlds of Polish master director Wojciech Has.

Our main focus will be on his three arguably most acclaimed films:

• The Noose (1958)
• The Saragossa Manuscript (1965)
• The Hourglass Sanatorium (1973)

We will take them on in chronological order, and with this track his journey from what could still be recognized as the real world, with nightmarish touches, to increasingly surreal fairytales and odysseys.

We'll also try to unpack his symbolism, but most importantly, try to figure out whether he deserves to be in the Guinness World Records for most skulls on screen.

Timestamps:

• Intro: 00:00:00
• What Makes Has Special: 00:02:39
• The Noose: 00:10:35
• The Saragossa Manuscript: 00:28:31
• The Hourglass Sanatorium: 00:47:51
• Has' Other Films: 01:07:35
• Is Has an Auteur?: 01:15:23

Were Peeping Tom and Psycho the first two slashers? (Or, at least, the ultimate proto-slashers?). Which came closest to the genre we know and perhaps love today? Do both deserve to be called masterpieces? And why was one of them trashed to the point of utter destruction?

Peeping Tom and Psycho were released just two months apart, but their reception could not have been more different. Peeping Tom was trashed across British media and flopped so badly it destroyed the career of its director, the legendary Michael Powell. All goodwill was taken away. How could he have made something so despicable? It took decades before the film was rehabilitated.

Meanwhile, just some weeks later, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho was instantly praised as a masterpiece and became one of the biggest box office hits the year.

More than 60 years later, we measure the films up against each other, look at how similar and different they actually are, and try to decide which was the most groundbreaking, the scariest, the best shot and acted, and, of course, which is actually better.

Could it be true that Peeping Tom was just robbed by prudish British critics and is actually the better film?

When is a film just too long? Does the ideal runtime exist? Oh, and are films with run-on mainly victims of indulgent directors without good producers and editors to clean up their mess?

Listen in as we talk about the runtimes that make our skin crawl and how open we are to watching films over the 3, 4, and 5-hour mark. We will also reveal the big films we are avoiding due to the runtimes and, in an attempt to redeem ourselves, list our favourite long films.

Are we long film bigots? You tell us!

How spoiled have we become by Blu-rays and 4k? Are our old VHSs and DVDs trash now? How low can the image quality get before the viewing experience is damaged, and when do we say: Hell no, I'm not watching that!

In this episode, which somehow descends into death threats, Tom will admit that he refuses to watch a long list of Satyajit Ray films in their current condition, while Sol reveals he doesn't mind bad visuals as he watches a ton of films on his iPad.

We will also all admit to watching bad VHS transfers and corroded silent films on YouTube (YES, INCLUDING TOM).

Join us as we dissect just how important crisp visuals actually are, whether we can still stand DVD and VHS quality and reveal the worst-looking films we have ever sat through. We will also discuss whether less than crisp and even damaged visuals can be positive, with a brief look at Dogme 95 and Guy Maddin.

We also invite you to assess just how genuine Lauren's death threats are and if her potential victim has it coming.

We have gotten an experienced Quiz Master to test just how knowledgeable we actually are. Who will come out on top, who will be left embarrassed, and would you have done better?!

Is Beau is Afraid a daring surreal masterpiece or a complete mess? Will it usher in a series of auteur-driven art films, or be this generation's Heaven's Gate? Yes, could A24 actually end up reigning in the freedom of Ari Aster and up-and-coming directors because of just how badly Beau is Afraid bombed?! You are divided on this film. We are divided on this film. Let's talk it out.

We have never disagreed more about what the best films of the year were! Listen in to see which (if any) of us you agree with, as we unleash off-the-hip choices mixing literal toilet humour, big Hollywood prestige project and "challenging" arthouse picks.

How can it be that we "all" seem to hate beloved Turkish, Russian and Indian comedy classics and mega hits, despite their incredibly IMDb averages and striking vanguard?!

Is it because comedies just don't translate that well? Is it because we just don't have a sense of humour? Or: Is it because we have been brainwashed by the cultural dominance of the US, the UK and to a lesser extent France and Italy?

Yes, how do we actually feel about US and UK comedies? Do they translate everywhere? 

And how come the ratings for many of these Turkish, Russian and Indian films are so insane, towering over almost all beloved classics from other countries? Is something deceptive going on, or do they just strike a powerful nerve with the local population?

We will also dive into the controversial decision by IMDb to actively remove the Turkish classic Hababam sinifi (1975) from their top 250, despite having an average rating of 9.2 and more than 40k voters, a decision that stands until this day. Is it pure Anglo-Saxon chauvinism or could there be something else to their decision?

Timestamps:

Intro: 00:00:00

Do Any of Us Believe Comedy is Universal: 00:04:20

Do we laugh easily? 00:07:44

Are US and UK Comedies Universal Due to Cultural Dominance?: 00:18:16

Will Anyone Defend Turkish Comedies: 00:27:48

How Bad Are the Soviet Comedies?: 00:44.24

Indian Comedies: 00:50:35

Was IMDb Right to Remove Hababam Sinifi from Their Top 250?: 01:03:19

Do Comedies Need to be Funny?: 01:10:25

Is it easy to rank your favourite directors? It can be a daunting task! How can we for instance even begin to compare directors who made 50+ films with directors who made 5? How do we compare studio directors to arthouse auteurs? Oh, and is it just a matter of how great the films are, or do we look for something else, such as personal style and artistic impact?

In this episode, we will look at the 4 most common ways of ranking directors:

• Average rating
• Number of favourites
• A personal/intuitive connection
• An assessment of their career and impact

Lean back as we try to poke holes in each other's systems, or perhaps even attempt to dismiss helpful systems altogether, and ponder the big questions related to what truly makes one director better than another.

Are any films more visually impressive and pioneering than Kalatozov's golden trio of late-life films, The Cranes Are Flying (1957), Letter Never Sent (1960) and Soy Cuba (1964). Thanks to the innovations of his brilliant cinematographer, Sergey Urusevskiy, the camera is simply ALIVE! 

The unbelievable long takes, trailing through all-consuming fires, moving through buildings and generally just feeling truly free, would likely need to be done

with CGI today, but here, they are done as is, on the ground, years before Godard or Truffaut debuted, and with far more prowess.

How was it possible?

Oh, and did Kalotozov invent the disaster movie genre in the process?

Listen in and feel free to leave your comments on ICMForum.com.

Timestamps:

Intro: 00:00

What Makes These 3 Films So Impressive: 00:01:51

The Cranes Are Flying: 00:06:15

Letter Never Sent: 00:35:10

Soy Cuba: 00:52:01

Quick notes on Kalatozov's Other Films: 1:12:34

Can watching too many films cause you to lose your love of cinema? Our surprise guest, who watches well over 100 films every month, says no.

The 80s was the decade Jean-Luc Godard was suddenly back on everybody's lips. He did talk shows in the US, huge stars were lining up to work with him, he pissed off the Catholic church, and perhaps more importantly for the fans, he made what he deemed his "2nd first film". Yes, critics called it a comeback with good reason.

It is insane to think that as the 80s rolled in, JLG had alienated both old friends and ardent fans. For more than a decade he had dedicated himself to political activism and essay films, and the people who cared about his new films, or were even aware he was making them, were dwindling. And then: It all changed.

In this episode, we look at 5 of his biggest and most acclaimed films of the 1980s, which you can jump to via the timestamps below, and try to explore what we love, like, and dislike with these films, not to mention who they are for.

Every Man For Himself: 00:09:32

Passion: 00:24:24

First Name: Carmen: 00: 34:44

Hail Mary: 00:52:24

A Surprise Bresson Takeover: 1:05:45

Detective: 1:09:14

JLGs Other 80s Films: 1:18:24

Yes, there is no denying that JLG's 80s work has a bit more of a niche following than his 60s films, but should you check them out, and if so, where should you start? Listen in and find out.

P.S. If you are interested in JLGs 70s work, we have an episode on these films already in our archive.

Are you prejudiced against shorts? You are not alone! From actively avoiding them to finding them unratable, to championing "separate but equal" rhetoric, the panelists of this episode are fired up with outrageous short film bigotry.

BUT: Can that change over the course of this episode?

Join us as we explore where we think shorts may fall ... short, whether they are even truly films, and if there are any shorts we love at all.

What, if anything makes them different from features, can they hold the same power and impact and are there some stories and concepts that are simply far more suited for a shorter running time?

The ending may surprise you, as we set aside our differences and explore what can actually be done to make shorts appeal to audiences again.

In this episode, we get personal as we discuss if any of us would be able to stand up to 11 angry jurors and hold our ground. Would we have the courage to stand alone, and would we be able to argue our case? 

Who would we have been in the juror room? Would we have changed our minds? Do we believe the accused is innocent? The answers may surprise you. 

We will also dive head first into how a film set almost exclusively in one room, with our protagonists sitting around a table, manages to be as powerful as it is, step out of its teleplay origins and become truly cinematic. 

Two of us are also fresh from viewing the 1954 original 1-hour teleplay and will dive into how they compare, how good this earlier version is, and even drag in the 1997 remake. 

Oh, and is the title at all honest? How many of these men are actually angry? 

Burkina Faso is one of the most respected cinema nations in Africa, mainly heralded for their films in the 80s, 90s and early 00s. In this episode, we go through the key films of the nation, explore the works of Idrissa Ouedraogo and Gaston Kaboré, and list our favourites.

We will also ask why everything suddenly went so quiet, look at the current state of Burkinabe cinema, and explore how European/Western funding and distribution may colour how we see the cinematic contributions from the country.

Is stress actually a good thing, an experience worth seeking out, even paying for? Our answer seems to be: YES! 

Join us as we explore the joys of stress and whether what we have lovingly dubbed the "Stresser" has been missing from our lives as a staple genre all these years. After all, the horror genre is huge. Fear sells! Why should stress be any different?

Doubling the Canon is one of the most established internet projects designed to expand the cinematic canon. 

In this episode, we are joined by Lee Price, the founder of the DtC project to discuss everything from its origins, how it differs from They Shoot Pictures Don't They, voting strategies and the elephant of the room: if DtC is in trouble now that TSPDT lists 2,000 films. 

Oh, and is the system flawed for favouring less-seen films?

Can smiles and nods make us cry? For decades Yasujiro Ozu pointed his camera towards Japanese society, exploring its facade and values with a subtly critical eye. Politeness is the rule, appearance is key and traditions must be followed - but is it right, and does it make our protagonists happy?

Behind the smiles, nods and politenesses we do time and time again see the heartbreak and sharp critique, and occasionally, from the mouth of children, harsh truths will be brought home.

In this episode, we are breaking down Ozu's 4 biggest films:

• I Was Born, but ... (1932)
• Late Spring (1949)
• Tokyo Story (1953)
• An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

Incredibly, these 4 films, his most acclaimed, take us from his breakthrough film until his very last, and allow us to explore his work in 4 different decades: the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.

We will also take a detour into [b]Early Summer[/b] (1951), to complete the Noriko trilogy, as well as a quick pit-stop at [b]Good Morning[/b] (1959), the colourful re-imagining of some of his ideas from I Was Born, But ...

We will trace the development of his style and how he became the Ozu we know and love, as well as highlight our favourites, talk through the heartbreaks and discuss why he affects us the way he does.

Special episode: RIP Michael Snow.

In this episode, we'll look back at his key experiments, discuss whether they actually work, explore why he is an important artist, and dive into his 7 biggest films.

We'll also make a case for why even those who disliked Wavelength and La region centrale should not bail on his later films, with Sol making one rather extraordinary claim, that 1 of Mr Snow's films is the best of its century.

Oh, and we'll also drive home the rarely-mentioned point that Michael Snow's films are filled with comedy and humour!

"Every few months someone will mention a film and I don't know what's going on and I feel like an old person!" - One of our hosts utter this about his awareness of hype, but are we all that immune?

Have you seen any film on the IMDb bottom 100? We have! In this episode, we explore why we go dumpster diving, and of course, the less extreme side of the same coin - why we watch films we know we probably won't like.   

You have done it too! Everyone has. There comes times, no matter how rare, that you sit down and tune into a film you just KNOW you won't like. Are you a masochist? Are we? Are we hoping to be proven wrong? Do we need to see bad cinema to know what good cinema is like? Follow along as we try to answer these and many more pressing questions, resulting in some of the most shocking revelations in Talking Images history: blood will be spilled.You have done it too! Everyone has. There comes times, no matter how rare, that you sit down and tune into a film you just KNOW you won't like. Are you a masochist? Are we? Are we hoping to be proven wrong? Do we need to see bad cinema to know what good cinema is like? Follow along as we try to answer these and many more pressing questions, resulting in some of the most shocking revelations in Talking Images history: blood will be spilled.

(well, ok ... not literally, but Adam's feelings will be hurt)

In this episode, we explore how Everything Everywhere All at Once was suddenly everything everywhere ... all at once.

Have you seen any of these? (ICMFFF2022 is here!)

Timestamps:

• Caught in the Net: 6.09 (Centerpiece)
• A White White Day: 16:12
• Adoration: 22:07
• Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes: 26:42
• Just Don't Think Scream: 30:31
• Mad God: 34:27
• New Order: 39:11
• The Crossing: 43:45
• The Long Walk: 46:57
• Straight Up: 53:59
• Highlights from the rest of the Festival: 1:03:35

In this episode Matthieu, Sol, Tom and Chris reveal their number 1 film favourite film of 2021 (and of course, it is 4 very different films).

Lean back as we take you through each of our personal top 10 lists from 2021, and this time with a rather shocking twist: There are absolutely no overlaps within our top 5s!

Once again we also went way overboard on length just because of how much we love these films (and again, the total lack of overlaps), so stay tuned for part 2.

Why does Sol hate the owners of IMDb? Does it hurt Letterboxd that many of the best features are behind a paywall? Oh, and to get back to the topic at hand: which of these two services is better?

Letterboxd and IMDb are like night and day. One is young, elegant and social, the other probably the most complete database of cinema that exists: so which of them wins? Which could we not live without, and where do they fall short?

And what about the other film websites out there like iCheckMovies, Criticker and Filmchart? Can any of them measure up and do any of them offer up something IMDb and Letterboxd can't provide?

In this episode, we sit down with Stephanie Pham, star, producer and co-owner of Art School Dropouts to talk about their style of low to zero budget filmmaking, as well as their secret upcoming VR feature.

The Straight Story is a film so straightforward that the fact that David Lynch is the man behind it feels almost surreal. In this episode, we dive into how and why the film engages and touches us as much as it does, ponder what made Lynch choose to pick this collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures to begin with, and marvel at just how wonderfully weird it is that this film, based on a real story, exists at all.

Hollywood loves to flex accents, some decent, some terrible. In this episode, we see if we are able to buy the illusion or if film after film has been destroyed by bad accents. 

We will also take a look at the far more extreme examples of films set in "foregnia", but with all the characters speaking in English with a twink of local accent to sell it all home. Does this work ... at all?!

Oh, and Ridley's Scott recent House of Gucci will keep popping out throughout as Matthieu is quite convinced Jared Leto is imitating Super Mario.

Do you agree with Sol that found footage is the worst thing to have ever happened to cinema? Join us to see if we can find hidden ground (did Sol like any found footage film?!) and explore the insane wave of Found Footage films starting with The Blair Witch Project. We'll explore everything from its very inception in the 1960s (yes, that's right!), why it took nearly 40 years to become a force to be reckoned with, and explore the rise, fall, best films and whether its moment is truly done.

How do Chinese blockbusters stand up against Hollywood blockbusters? In this episode, the gang dive into 4 of the biggest recent Chinese mega hits - each in a different instantly recognizable blockbuster genre - and give our verdicts.

So, what films are we looking at? (Timestamps)

The action sci-fi disaster film: The Wandering Earth - 13.03

The franchise starting buddy comedy: Detective Chinatown - 26.24

The "motivational" sports drama: Pegasus - 41.12

The most successful animated film in Chinese history: Ne zha - 54.30

Did we pick the wrong films? Are there better Chinese blockbusters we need to seek out ASAP? Go to ICMForum.com and let us know.

Welcome to the episode where Chris realizes he's the only Leos Carax fan in the podcast and even he found Annette thoroughly middling. Join us as we explore just how it let us down and debate the merits of artificiality, THAT puppet and much, much more.

And remember, if you disagree with us you can go to ICMForum.com and tell us just how wrong we are.

In this episode, we take a close look at the early films of Andrey Tarkovsky, from his early student efforts to his first passion project.

We will briefly touch on The Killers (1956) and There Will Be No Leave Today (1959) before we go into depth on his first three solo efforts, The Steamroller and the Violin (1961), Ivan's Childhood (1962) and Andrey Rublev (1966).

Yes, we will dissect their endings, but don't you worry, if you have not seen one of them there will be a clear spoiler warning allowing you to use the timestamps below to skip to the next film.

Timestamps:

00.00.00 - Intro

00.02.06 - Our views on the progression of Andrey Tarkovsky

00.06.56 - The Killers

00.10.11 - There Will Be No Leave Today

00.12.22 - The Steamroller and the Violin

00.33.29 - Ivan's Childhood

01.03.20 - Andrey Rublev

Are sequels almost exclusively soulless cash-ins we should not be excited about, or do many truly deliver? In this episode, we look at the sequels that, at least according to us, did the unthinkable in becoming even better than the first film! How do you feel about our choices?

It has been 10 years since Vertigo unseated Citizen Kane as the Greatest Films of All Time in Sight & Sounds once-in-a-decade poll of filmmakers, critics and academics. With the 2022 edition coming up, and the real possibility that Vertigo could be unseated, we ask the pressing question: Does Vertigo actually deserve to be number 1?

Note: Since recording this episode it has been revealed that the Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All-Time list will be revealed in their November issue, so we still have quite a few months of anticipation.

In our very first cross-over episode we are joined by (Dr.) David Hartley from the Autism Through Cinema podcast to discuss Hal Ashby's classic "Being There", starring Peter Sellers in a role generally read as being on the autism spectrum.

We'll explore why it makes some of us a little uncomfortable, whether the film mocks Peter Sellers' character or the, mostly, wealthy individuals he interacts with,  attempt to decipher the message, try our best to unpack that infamous ending - and just explore our general reactions.

We will also hear from David about what Being There gets right (if it is indeed about a neuro-divergent character), hear about the Autism Through Cinema project as a whole and why their podcast and why it is worth checking out.

Get ready for our possibly most controversial episode to date as we try to answer the hot topic issues of the art vs. artist debate.

We will explore just how much we can separate between the art and artist, and how knowledge from their life and possible misdeeds affect how we see their work.

You will get exclusive insights into our psyche and hear just who puts us off or make us feel uneasy. You will also discover which film Matthieu snuck into so that he would not give the director a cent of his own money.

The question of morality, both by those working with possibly immoral audiences, and even us, the audience that consumes their work, will be questioned!

HOWEVER: We will also flip the script we punch back against the set narrative and argue that knowledge of immorality can actually make the films more intriguing.

Listener discretion is advised.

Join in as Clem, Matthieu, Sol and Chris reveal their second and number one favourite films of 2017.

Are your favourites mentioned? What are the most glaring omissions? Will we convince you to watch some 2017 films you still haven't seen? Join in as Clem, Matthieu, Tom, Sol and Chris break down their favourite films of 2017. 

Get ready to jump more than 8,000 years into the future as Matthieu, Tom and Chris dive into one of 2021s most acclaimed blockbusters: Dune! 

Join us as we marvel at the set design, cringe at a few of the jokes and discuss what worked, what didn't and why. 

We will also explore Denis Villeneuve's rise as a sci-fi and blockbuster director, what his cold and meticulous style bring to blockbusters and whether or not Dune: Part II will deliver.

Oh, and yeah, as you might expect we can not stop ourselves from the obligatory comparisons to David Lynch's 1984 version. Will we stand tall and declare it as better? Listen in and find out!

In our first episode of season 3, Sol sits down with Like Dog director Randy Van Dyke and producer Kelly Faltis to discuss their recent horror movie LIke Dogs (2021) and their experience with making and distributing an indie horror film during the pandemic.

Van Dyke and Faltis will take you through everything from how the pandemic, restrictions and lockdowns affected their production, and how a very smart decision gave them more exposure than if they had been a little more trigger happy. 

They will also take you under the hood of how a film ends up on streaming services, including the more frustrating details of who actually gets royalties and how many are made in the current model - and of course they will discuss everything about the film itself.