Deep Cut: A Film Podcast

Wilson comes on the podcast to talk about all the films he saw at the 49th edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Come listen to us talk about the newest films from around the world, including Wang Bing’s Youth Trilogy, Lav Diaz’s Phantosmia, Andrea Arnold’s Bird, and many more. Join our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:03:17 Festival as a whole00:08:44 Baby00:10:25 Youth Trilogy00:15:47 Bel Ami00:17:50 Drug War00:20:09 Bird00:21:54 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre00:24:46 Man’s Castle00:27:58 Việt and Nam 00:31:24 Yalla Parkour00:36:09 Harvest00:38:55 Never Too Late00:40:04 Fire of Wind00:42:15 To Kill a Mongolian Horse00:44:10 Santosh00:45:41 I’m Still Here00:49:21 Bona00:53:08 Dreams (Sex Love)00:56:40 Misericordia00:58:38 The Botanist01:00:17 Seeds 01:02:05 Blue Sun Palace 01:04:58 On Becoming a Guinea Fowl01:06:22 Separated 01:09:04 Phantosmia 01:13:15 Outro

Released as an exclusive Patreon post at the end of 2024, we’re now releasing this video podcast to publicly to commemorate ONE HUNDRED EPISODES! What a milestone. See you at 1000!  The summer of 2024 saw Ben, Wilson, and Eli all together in the same place for the first time in six years! To mark the momentous reunion, we recorded a special video episode. It's time to go all the way back to the start by revisiting the work of the podcast's first director, Hirokazu Kore-eda, with 2008's Still Walking. Learn about our history together, hear our musings on the complications of family, and watch as Wilson gets six pounds of blueberries.LinksBen’s video essay on Still WalkingWe’re still walking over at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps00:00:00 Intro00:05:50 Plot summary00:07:25 General thoughts00:14:10 Gifting interlude00:24:53 Still Walking continued00:27:43 Story and characters00:37:01 Deliberate cinematography, use of space00:42:36 Food00:47:43 Non-judgmental filmmaking00:50:23 Melodrama?00:52:22 Yoshio scene00:54:15 Atsushi01:01:06 Blue Light Yokohama01:04:35 Tokyo Sonata comparisons01:06:10 Stealthy emotional narratives01:12:02 What does Kore-eda not show us?01:16:58 Best food, best outfit01:19:57 Closing thoughts01:25:29 Longest outro ever

We’re back in West Wallaby Street to discuss the latest adventure in the Wallace and Gromit universe: Vengeance Most Fowl, directed by Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham! This time around, Wilson finally feels seen as the film tackles the inequality in the Wallace and Gromit relationship head-on. Ben argues that the film functions as a surprisingly relevant anti-AI fable and Eli explains a joke that has been decades in the making. CHICKEN run to our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:03:05 General reactions00:11:34 The Wallace and Gromit relationship00:12:53 Favorite joke00:14:47 Themes of the film00:19:08 Feathers McGraw00:20:21 Technology and CGI use00:23:00 Visual gags vs word play00:24:58 Future prospects00:27:04 Genres00:29:18 Favorite sequences00:32:00 The pace of humor00:35:19 Young and old audiences00:38:48 Dog talk00:39:49 Outro

Director Andrew Ahn is back for a three-peat with his new film The Wedding Banquet, a re-imagining of Ang Lee’s 1993 classic. We chat with Ahn about his updates to the original to capture the new nuances of queer lives today, get behind the scenes tidbits of his time working with his incredible AAvengers cast, and see how the original and his remake have shaped him on a personal level. The Wedding Banquet is currently premiering in the United States, get tickets in the cinema! Get married at our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:00:00:00 Intro00:02:13 Film Synopsis00:03:00 General Reactions (spoiler-free)00:05:42 Spoiler warning (for both films)00:06:21 Interview begins00:12:45 Reimagining The Wedding Banquet00:13:38 Ahn's first encounter with the original00:15:19 Adapting with James Schamus00:17:14 Ahn's updates to the original00:23:05 Stylistic shifts00:26:13 New concerns for an evolving queer audience00:27:48 The films’ endings00:33:07 New families00:34:06 The original being more subversive00:36:00 Watching Ahn's version before Ang's00:36:54 Connection between Ahn's features00:38:40 Giving actors their due00:41:29 Casting the ensemble00:46:32 Good acting vs most acting00:48:54 Directing a scene00:52:01 Editing00:53:41 Modern gay rom coms00:55:28 Landscape and location00:58:44 Coincidences01:01:49 Has Ang Lee seen the remake?01:03:19 Eat Drink Man Woman Sidebar01:05:36 Cinematography01:08:34 Favorite moment on set01:11:23 Artmaking as personal diary01:15:36 The artwork in the film01:16:19 Directing Youn Yuh-jung01:18:09 Good filmmaking01:19:58 Wrap-up

We can’t believe it’s finally here! After much anticipation, we finally have creepers on screen, A Minecraft Movie, starring Jason Mamoa and Jack Black is easily the movie blockbuster release of the year— wait wait waitSorry, this is actually about the Robert Pattinson starring movie in which he plays the dual roles of Bruce Wayne / The Batman— wait wait waitSorry, this episode is about the other big Robert Pattinson blockbuster Mickey 17. We return for another hit of the Bong (Joon Ho) but some of us are not vibing! Ben and Eli take turns using the film, the script, the cinematography, and the direction as punching bags. Wilson is left to fight for his life (and the lives of Mickey 1-18). Who will come out on top? Is this movie worth watching? Listen to find out. Creep up on our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comLinks:Deep Cut 012. Bong Joon-ho: Parasite & MotherGQ: Robert Pattinson and Bong Joon Ho on Mickey 17Timestamps:(00:00) Intro(03:10) General Reactions(10:50) Plot Summary(11:40) Spoilers from here / Bong Career Moves(14:10) Theme / Reflecting Current Moment(19:40) Movie Enjoyability VS Thematic Coherence(22:55) Performances(25:30) Voiceover / First Act Problems(27:50) Narrative Drive / Goals / Stakes(33:29) Bong Humor(34:45) Bong Sci-Fi(36:35) Cinematography(39:29) International Cast(42:38) Voiceover(44:32) Wilson's Enjoyments(47:30) Outro

Do you know how much of A Real Pain it is to keep the years straight with us straddling three different global release windows? We do! We got Caught by the Tides and are a little late with this one but nevertheless, join our Conclave for the fifth (!) time as we huddle around the Ghostlight to talk about the films of the last year! We cover award-winning films (Anora, The Brutalist, No Other Land), notable blockbusters (Dune: Part Two, Wicked), blitz through some honorable Challengers to our top picks, and then Look Back on our personal top fives. You know podcast favorite Luca Guadagnino is going to feature in Wilson’s favorite films… but how Queer will it be?? If you’re A Different Man, you’ll have different faves, so enter our Red Rooms and tell us your favorite 2024 films on our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comLinks:Ben’s 2024 ListEli’s 2024 ListWilson’s 2024 ListTimestamps:(00:00:00) Intro(00:03:21) 2024 in general(00:17:06) Obligatory mentions(00:17:28) Anora (dir. Sean Baker)(00:22:55) Conclave (dir. Edward Berger)(00:25:14) The Brutalist (dir. Brady Corbet)(00:33:53) Nickel Boys (dir. Ramell Ross)(00:36:53) Hit Man (dir. Richard Linklater)(00:39:45) All We Imagine as Light (dir. Payal Kapadia)(00:43:02) Flow (dir. Gints Zilbalodis) (00:46:14) Emilia Perez (dir. Jacques Audiard)(00:50:29) Sing Sing (dir. Greg Kwedar)(00:52:01) The Substance (dir. Coralie Fargeat)(00:55:26) Wicked (dir. Jon M. Chu)(00:59:09) Deep Cut Coverage of 2024(00:59:20) All Shall Be Well (dir. Ray Yeung)(01:00:19) The People's Joker (dir. Vera Drew)(01:02:37) Happyend (dir. Neo Sora)(01:05:13) Deep Cut Upkeeps of 2024(01:08:55) Honorable mentions(01:08:57) Megalopolis (dir. Francis Ford Coppola)(01:12:43) Trap (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)(01:14:13) An Unfinished Film (dir. Lou Ye)(01:14:26) The Monk and the Gun (dir. Pawo Choyning Dorji)(01:16:02) Hard Truths (dir. Mike Leigh)(01:17:41) Not Friends (dir. Atta Hemwadee)(01:19:08) Fly Me to the Moon (dir. Sasha Chuk)(01:20:38) Black Box Diaries (dir. Shiori Ito)(01:24:06) A Traveler's Needs / By the Stream (dir. Hong Sang-soo)(01:25:56) Look Back (dir. Kiyotaka Oshiyama)(01:27:34) The Room Next Door (dir. Pedro Almodovar)(01:30:10) Didi (dir. Sean Wang)(01:31:22) Last Summer (dir. Catherine Breillat)(01:32:33) Hundreds of Beavers (dir. Mike Cheslik)(01:33:43) The Diarrhea Brothers Save the Day (dir. Joel Haver)(01:35:09) Rap World (dir. Conner O'Malley)(01:37:11) Janet Planet (dir. Annie Baker)(01:38:43) Ben’s #5(01:41:06) SKIP ELI'S BIT!!(01:42:19) Wilson's #5(01:46:33) Eli's #5(01:50:14) Ben's #4(01:52:54) Wilson's #4(02:00:50) Eli's #4(02:01:47) Ben's #3(02:03:16) Wilson's #3(02:08:22) Eli's #3(02:12:30) Ben and Wilson's #2(02:23:46) Eli's #2(02:27:19) Ben's #1(02:31:50) Wilson's #1(02:38:39) Eli and ???'s #1(02:43:34) Upcoming from Deep Cut(02:46:32) Outro

We’ve finally done it: all seven Edward Yang films discussed on Deep Cut. The only podcast to give Edward Yang the time and space he deserves as one of the all time greatest directors (and Wilson’s favorite director)!We end our coverage on Yang with what is considered to be his magnum opus, 1991’s A Brighter Summer Day, an intimate epic of teenage angst, romance, and rebellion that also captures Taiwan in a specific era of political and social turbulence with incredible detail. Together, we discuss ABSD’s unique visual palette compared to Yang’s other non-period work, and go in depth into its thematic concerns regarding Taiwan on a scale both personal and national. Wilson highlights the virtuosic blocking in large crowd scenes, Eli makes a case for proper education as the salve for social ills, and Ben asks, can a film be “too perfect”?Are you lonesome? Join our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comLinks:BFI: Edward Yang interview by Tony RaynsCriterion: Interview with screenwriter Hung HungCriterion: Chang Chen on ABSDTimestamps:(00:00) Intro(17:57) Synopsis and background(25:16) Directorial style(32:09) Subjectivity and Chang Chen’s performance(39:14) Misogyny and control(47:07) Ming’s characterization(52:48) Historical context(55:35) Tribalism and nihilism(59:53) “Novelistic”(01:04:57) Si’r as spectator(01:07:39) What is the movie about?(01:13:26) Education(01:18:54) Individual vs societal responsibility(01:23:09) Gang violence(01:30:41) Blocking(01:34:56) The film studio(01:42:39) The Little Park Boys(01:48:07) Favorite moments(01:52:14) “Perfect” films(01:55:11) Scale(01:58:10) Yang series wrap-up

We’re thrilled to be joined by Natalie Ng, a huge Edward Yang fan and friend of the podcast, to dive into Yang’s feature debut, That Day, On The Beach! Natalie, who works at the Asian Film Archive, tells us about AFA’s recent Edward Yang retrospective (complete with a physical exhibition) and shares her deep love for Yang’s work.Together, we explore the film’s place in Yang’s filmography, its inventive narrative structure, and how it set the stage for his later masterpieces. Natalie highlights the agency of female characters in the film, while Ben argues that De-wei should have been hotter. Wilson leads us in discussing Christopher Doyle’s first feature work as a cinematographer and the stylistic choices of the film, and we very importantly discuss Sylvia Chang’s iconic perm, and whether girlbossing is an ideal ending for Yang’s female characters.Links:Natalie’s Letterboxd review on That Day, On The BeachFollow Natalie on X (@schatzepages), Letterboxd (@wednesdaydreams), and read her writing on filmedinether.com.That Day, On Our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:(00:00) Intro(11:17) General Reactions(25:18) Natalie’s personal reaction to the film(29:47) Melodrama and female agency(34:35) Edward Yang’s “Women without men” + Digression into other Yang films(41:49) Ending of That Day(45:47) Qing-qing and Jia-sen’s roles in the story(50:52) Jia-li’s love interests(54:40) Tone and filmic style(01:02:55) Other films That Day relates to(01:07:15) Babies(01:10:32) The Perm and costumes(01:15:04) Yang’s early fascination with women’s stories(01:21:36) Wrap-up

We prepare for Edward Yang’s game of Mahjong and all we’re looking for is a fourth player (you!). The last of his works to get restored, and possibly his most cynical film, we find much to discuss with A Confucian Confusion’s evil twin in Yang’s filmography. Ben explores Yang’s depiction of sexual relationships, Eli expounds on Yang’s fascination with intergenerational misunderstandings, Wilson compares its heightened depiction of violence, and finally we answer the question… why’s it called Mahjong?Join our gang at FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.comTimestamps:(00:00) Intro(02:29) General Reactions(08:35) Plot Summary; why’s it called mahjong?(12:10) Transactional relationships, East and West(16:07) Sex work(24:00) Narrative and thematic construction(31:30) Intergenerational misunderstanding(36:48) Violence(41:55) Romance and ending(54:45) Outro

Girl, so Confucian. We sit down to unpack Edward Yang’s dark horse masterpiece, 1994’s A Confucian Confusion. Eli talks about his first time watching this zany comedy and how it reminded him of a lot of college friend groups. Wilson explains why he thinks this is Yang’s true deep cut film, and doubles down on the film’s belief on ‘emotional work’. Ben discusses how Yang injects A Confucian Confusion with an easy relatability and argues that this is a great starting point to Yang’s filmography. Is this a comedy of errors, a biting critique of modern society, or both? Join us as we unravel the layers of Yang’s underappreciated classic. When Cinema Reflects the Times: Hou Hsiao Hsien and Edward Yang (1993) (Dir: Hirokazu Koreeda) Feel your way into our FREE patreon, discord server, and our socials @ www.deepcutpod.com Timestamps (00:00) Intro (04:43) General reactions (11:57) Plot summary and context (15:51) Character discussion (30:30) Themes discussion: capitalism and emotion (43:00) Behind the scenes documentary with Hou (48:33) More character discussion (55:00) Ending of the film (58:50) Yang’s career