Deep Cut: A Film Podcast

Welcome to Wilson's summer film watching audio diary! Over the summer of 2022 each of us recorded little audio snippets  reviewing every film that we watched, and these are Wilson's! You can  listen to our combined discussion of our summer movie watching in our  roundup episode. We recommend you start there! Wanna tell us about the films you're watching? Come join our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ List of Films Discussed: 3/6 Pompo the Cinephile 3/6 Notting Hill 3/6 Escape Room: Tournament of Champions 1/7 You’ve Got Mail 1/7 Mass 1/7 Top Gun: Maverick 4/7 Elvis 5/7 RRR 7/7 Lost Highway 10/7 Project A: Part II 10/7 Ritual 11/7 Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 13/7 Sanjuro 14/7 Mad God 14/7 The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie 15/7 Fast & Feel Love 18/7 The Lost City 19/7 Goodbye, Dragon Inn 20/7 Fire of Love 21/7 Miami Vice 22/7 Nope 30/7 The Big Sleep 30/7 Full Alert 30/7 Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar 14/8 Good Luck to You, Leo Grande 19/8 In Another Country 22/8 The Adventures of Rosette 22/8 Keep Rolling 23/8 The Weaving of a Dream: Johnnie To’s Vision and Craft 23/8 Katatsumori 24/8 Broker 27/8 The Actress and the Poet 29/8 Funny Pages 30/8 Moments in a Stolen Dream 30/8 All About Love 30/8 Love Massacre

After a brief summer hiatus, the gang (and special guest Thanmye Lagudu) are back to discuss India’s biggest box office draw of the season, and the first part of Mani Ratnam’s magnum opus: Ponniyin Selvan: I. Our first Mani Ratnam Deep Cut Upkeep episode gets heated, and battle lines are drawn between hosts. Is this movie Ratnam’s bold execution of a timeless historical epic, or did Ratnam buckle under the weight of a massive budget, and a source material that seems to resist being adapted to the big screen? Find out in the episode!   Join the Church of Ratnam in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Thanmye on Letterboxd and Twitter.

How does the king of beeg cinema go small? Trick question, he don’t! Small in scope but still big on imagination, we’re (mostly) abuzz with praise for Wilson’s Deep Cut pick for Rajamouli, 2012’s Eega. Eli praises the positively fly performance of Sudeep, a villain you love to hate, Thanmye highlights Rajamouli’s overlooked talents as a director of comedy, and Wilson celebrates Rajamouli's maximalist imagination as well as his mastery of telling stories regarding fate/destiny. Ben assumes the villain mantle and questions if the film successfully blends violence, comedy and revenge: does it go too far or is Ben just bugging out? Spread your wings in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Thanmye on Twitter and Letterboxd.

Long live Deep Cut! The DC Trio welcomes back distinguished guest and friend Thanmye Lagudu to launch a discussion on the legendary Masala blockbuster director S. S. Rajamouli (of this year’s international hit, RRR). There’s no better a popular pick than the renowned historical fantasy duology, Baahubali: The Beginning and Baahubali: The Conclusion, based on the Sanskrit epic poem Mahabharata. In their epic conversation, Thanmye shares his deep connection to the movies of Rajamouli, Wilson breaks down what makes the action so spectacular, Ben notes the benefits of non-photorealistic CGI, and Eli explains how Rajamouli writes truly smart characters. Ultimately, Thanmye hopes for a new path forward in cinephilia that fully respects the depth and goals of Indian popular cinema. Fight alongside your best friends in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Deep Cut rounds out its study of Malian/Mauritanian master director Abderrahmane Sissako with his first two fiction features: Life on Earth (1998) and Waiting for Happiness (2002). The documentary-fiction hybrids provide an illuminating keystone in understanding Sissako’s later, more complex works. Wilson prefers the deep well of sadness in Waiting for Happiness, but Eli adores the celebratory simplicity of Life on Earth. Meanwhile, Ben reconsiders his approach to the wholly unique, unplaceable films of Sissako. Wait for a Life of Happiness on Earth in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Abderrahmane Sissako sets his late father’s backyard as a courtroom for the injustices of economic neocolonialism in his 2006 drama Bamako, our second of three forays into the work of the Malian/Mauritanian master director. In a work that inextricably binds the political and the personal, Wilson notes how Sissako creates a sense of place that makes an intellectual argument emotional and Eli suggests that the movie can be viewed as a testimonial. Meanwhile, Ben asks if a fiction narrative is the most cogent mode for Sissako’s argument. Tell it to the judge in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Deep Cut begins a special three-episode run on Malian/Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako with his poetic, vibrant tragedy Timbuktu (2014). Wilson contextualizes Sissako’s most well-known work within Sissako’s varied and inventive filmography, Ben considers the humanizing characterization of the film’s jihadist characters, and Eli breaks down one of his favorite shots in cinema history. Sissako is the first filmmaker born in Africa covered on the podcast, but tune in to find out why both Sissako and the DC Trio reject the notion of a singular “African Film” culture. Help shepherd the cattle in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Stock up on some rosé and lose the shirt because we're going to FIRE ISLAND, baby! We are so delighted and honored to have director Andrew Ahn (SPA NIGHT, DRIVEWAYS) back on the podcast to preview his upcoming feature FIRE ISLAND. Coming to Hulu on June 3. Andrew shares with us his experience directing a studio rom-com, fighting to keep the film’s gayness, collaborating with Joel Kim Booster (STAR and screenwriter), and MUNA’s cover of an iconic Britney song. SPOILERS incoming, so watch the film before taking a listen. Also, Andrew selects a FIRE ISLAND adjacent Deep Cut pick, Alice Wu’s brilliant SAVING FACE, another wonderful queer AsAm romantic comedy to chat about alongside his film. There's your perfect Pride month double bill. Andrew Ahn's Instagram, Twitter. (@andrewahnfilms) Fire Island Socials (@fireislandmovie): Instagram, Twitter, Facebook. Take a trip to our very own Pines (the Deep Cut Discord server) to talk more Fire Island! Find our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

We’re not on our Lonesome anymore with special guest and friend, Graham Brown. Graham is an Assistant Preservation Officer at the George Eastman Museum and he has graced the pod with his extensive knowledge on the process of film preservation. Join us as we learn about Lonesome’s film preservation journey, and discuss the first silent film (okay… part-talkie) featured on the podcast! Wilson celebrates the kinetic cinematography of Paul Fejos’ Lonesome (1928), Eli hones in on its innovations in synchronized sound, and Ben examines Fejos’ anthropological approach to his working-class characters. We’ll be loving you always in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Insider video on film preservation featuring Graham. View digitized films from the George Eastman Museum at: www.eastman.org  Get tickets to the The Nitrate Picture Show (June 2-6, 2022) at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, NY.

Welcome to 2046: a place that you can never leave, and an era in Wong Kar-wai’s filmography that will never return. Wilson opens up about how his Deep Cut Pick is a forlorn love letter to Hong Kong, his "city of heartbreak." Meanwhile, Eli shares the pop music playlist that Wilson made the DC trio, and Ben shocks them both with his opinion on what may be Wong's last great film. Tune in for the grand finale of Deep Cut’s epic, tender, four-part series on the world of Wong Kar-wai! Recapture lost memories in our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠