You Gotta Act

We're back! Film critic and friend Charles Bramesco joins Manuela to talk about the inspiring and mind-boggling talent of Nicolas Cage, who since the 80s has been bringing his maximalist acting style to shake up Hollywood. They discuss in particular Martin Scorsese's BRINGING OUT THE DEAD, John Woo's FACE/OFF and Panos Cosmatos's MANDY, and how each of these films reveals a different register for Cage to inhabit and reinvent.

Follow Charles on twitter @intothecrevasse! And find his book on vampire movies here: https://www.amazon.com/Vampire-Movies-Close-Ups-Book-2/dp/0008329273/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Filmmaker Charles Newland talks with Manuela about Harvey Keitel, the unsung hero of '70s American cinema but also a still curious and fascinating actor today. From his start in Martin Scorsese's feature debut WHO'S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR in 1967, Keitel has brought his sensitivity and his name to the first films of many directors that have since become legendary. Charles and Manuela discuss such debuts as Ridley Scott's fascinatingly strange film THE DUELLISTS, Paul Schrader's BLUE COLLAR, James Toback's disturbing FINGERS, as well as Quentin Tarantino's RESERVOIR DOGS, which Keitel also helped produce. With his ability to make his tormented characters somewhat likeable, Keitel established himself as a uniquely sensitive actor, working with boundary-pushing directors such as Jane Campion (THE PIANO) or Abel Ferrara (BAD LIEUTENANT). 

PS: This conversation was recorded a couple of days before the passing of Yaphet Kotto, who appeared in BLUE COLLAR as Smokey as well as many other films. This episode is dedicated to his memory. 

Follow Charles on Instagram @charlesnewland

Find Charles' film work on his website https://notownfilms.com/ 

Acquisitions manager at Picturehouse Entertainment here in the UK, Paul Ridd is also Manuela's friend of many years and an avid DVD and Blu-Ray collector. In this episode, he chose to talk about the one and only Tom Cruise – one of the last true movie stars, and a unique one. From playing ambitious and illustrious young men in films like Scorsese's THE COLOR OF MONEY, Cruise went on to strategically undermine that image with more vulnerable roles as in BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY, only to better build his image as an invincible, transcendent movie icon in action films like the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise. Paul describes what he enjoys so much in Cruise's intense acting style and in his career choices, and sings the praises of Cameron Crowe's eye-opening film VANILLA SKY.

In this special episode, Julian Palmer, the man behind the great video essay channel The Discarded Image, joins Manuela to celebrate their shared birthdays on January 29th and their shared passion for Brian De Palma by talking about his 1984 film about acting, BODY DOUBLE! They discuss De Palma's artificiality, his reverence to Hitchcock and Godard, his ingenious casting of Craig Wasson in the lead role, his use of women in his films, and why BODY DOUBLE is Manuela's favourite movie.

Follow The Discarded Image at https://www.youtube.com/c/TheDiscardedImageChannel

Film critic Elena Lazic returns on the show to talk about Robert Pattinson. From his noticeable turn in HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE and, obviously, TWILIGHT, R Patz has continued to surprise audiences by playing with and against both his anxiety and his natural charm. Elena argues that his strength is in his desire to always plays weirdos and to work with visionary directors, such as Claire Denis in HIGH LIFE, or the Safdie brothers in GOOD TIME.

French film critic (at Libération and elsewhere) and festival programmer (including at the Semaine de la Critique, part of the Cannes Film Festival) Léo Soesanto talks to Manuela about Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung – a true transnational star who left her mark on arthouse cinema as well as on more mainstream movies. They discuss how she's often been willing to reveal her real self in her films, playing herself as well as her characters in both CENTER STAGE and IRMA VEP, and how iconic her performance (and her dresses) in Wong Kar-wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE has become. Léo also shares his insight about cinephilia in France and how the Cannes Film Festival functions, and together they struggle to recall English expressions and occasionally break into French for your auditory pleasure.

American writer-director-actor Dustin Guy Defa (BAD FEVER, PERSON TO PERSON) talks with Manuela about Nicole Kidman – how she revealed her complexity first in Gus Van Sant's TO DIE FOR, then in Stanley Kubrick's EYES WIDE SHUT, and how she's continued to seek out challenging parts, such as her role in Jonathan Glazer's BIRTH. They also discuss how Hollywood has changed and keeps changing, and what a risky film truly is.

Writer-director Alex Ross Perry talks with Manuela about the literal genius that is Geena Davis, who from an unusual start with THE FLY followed up by EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY became an icon of 80s Hollywood cinema. They discuss how Davis' naturalness makes her a flexible, genre-hopping actor who can hold her own with all kinds of co-stars, from Jeff Goldblum to Bill Murray and Dustin Hoffman. Alex also answers questions from YGA patrons.

Screenwriter Daniel Waters talks to Manuela about Kristen Stewart – how her performance style subverts genres and gives the most fantastical scenes a sense of reality. From her beginnings as a child actor, Waters explains that she was always different and her stardom since the TWILIGHT saga is an unusual and fascinating one. He also shares insights about his own career and movies, including how he made Michelle Pfeiffer's character in BATMAN RETURNS into a genuinely interesting female protagonist, and what happened in the DEMOLITION MAN editing room...

Spooky season means spooky special episode! For the first (but probably not the last) time, Manuela got her sister Elena to come on the show to discuss her specialty: serial killer movies. Elena, also a film critic, explains how horror film performances are truly worthy of more analysis, and how the serial killer genre is a particularly fun place whereon can find actors pushing their boundaries and challenging the spectators' sense of morality. To illustrate, the sisters discuss Peter Lorre's moving turn in Fritz Lang's 1931 film M, Anthony Perkins' career-making work in Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1960 film PSYCHO, and Matt Dillon's hilarious and disturbing acting in Lars von Trier's 2018 masterpiece THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. Happy (and safe) Halloween! 

Producer, director and journalist Catherine Bray talks to Manuela about British actress Kathy Burke, who became a national institution thanks to her comedic work on British TV in the 90s and early 2000s, and also won a Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival for her turn in Gary Oldman's NIL BY MOUTH. Catherine talks about her own career, then discusses how Burke has been able to play a wide variety of characters by always coming at them from a place of compassion and creative freedom. It is Burke's refusal to fit into expectations that has made her an hilarious and iconic performer and personality.  

Follow Catherine on Twitter at @catherinebray.

Casting director and acting coach Jordan Beswick (who often works with YGA's first guest, Denis Ménochet) talks to Manuela about his first favourite actor, Montgomery Clift, and how his modern approach to acting changed the game forever. Monty's good looks were secondary to his talent for finding the honest truth in his characters, at a time when Hollywood wasn't yet obsessed with realism, as it would become with the founding of the Actors Studio. Jordan tells us about his own journey, starting out wanting to be an actor and discovering the pleasures of teaching, and shares his passion for Clift, going far beyond the gossip surrounding the actor's sexuality and tragic death to instead focus on his almost subtle yet groundbreaking talent.

Screenwriter, producer and director Larry Karaszewski talks with Manuela about John Cazale, the actor who sadly only appeared in 5 films but all of which were nominated for Best Picture. Larry discusses Cazale's ability to play characters who "no one" wants to play and make them both memorable and real – from Fredo in The Godfather to Stan in The Deer Hunter – and he also shares insights about his own journey through cinema with his writing partner Scott Alexander, penning acclaimed "anti-biopics" like Ed Wood, The People vs O.J. Simpson and Dolemite is My Name.

Nico Marzano, Head of Cinema at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and founder and curator of the Frames of Representation film festival, talks with Manuela about Italian actor Gian Maria Volonté - from his rise to international fame in Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns to his performances in Italian political cinema of the 1970s. As well as discussing Volonté's intense creative process and activism, Nico also shares his views on the political cinema of today.

Actor Denis Ménochet (Inglourious Basterds) talks with host Manuela Lazic about Joaquin Phoenix, discussing his performances in The Yards, The Master, up until Joker. Denis also shares his insights about how acting is like tennis, and what it really means to prepare for a role.