Claire and Gavia review the much-hyped queer thriller Love Lies Bleeding, starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O'Brien. Plus, a multi-genre selection of highlights from this year's Glasgow Film Festival, including indie hits La Chimera and The Beast, and some excellent upcoming horror movies.
Read MoreClaire and Gavia dig into the blockbuster event of the year, discussing Dune: Part Two's astonishing production design and all-star cast, along with thornier topics like Dune's messy political worldbuilding and director Denis Villeneuve's adaptational changes to the original novel.
Read MoreClaire and Gavia discuss Steven Spielberg's acclaimed 2021 adaptation of West Side Story, a musical about two young lovers caught in a turf war between rival gangs. Among other topics we delve into Spielberg's unique technical expertise, West Side Story's complicated political legacy, the lost art of movie-musical filmmaking... and Claire's passionate love for Mike Faist, who earned widespread praise for playing the charismatic gang leader Riff.
Read MoreGavia and Steffan review the 2023 Doctor Who specials, discussing the return of David Tennant, Catherine Tate and showrunner Russell T. Davies, the arrival of Ncuti Gatwa as the wildly charismatic new Doctor, and various behind-the-scenes details involving the show's quasi-reboot status, creative direction, and new partnership with Disney.
Read MoreClaire and Gav review the beloved 1992 figure skating romcom The Cutting Edge, directed by Paul Michael Glaser (The Running Man) and written by Tony Gilroy (Andor, The Bourne Identity). Harking back to the spiky banter of the 1930s screwball era, sparks fly when a spoiled figure skater and a macho hockey player form an unlikely creative partnership.
Read MoreGavia and Steffan review the new Hunger Games prequel movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Among other topics, they delve into its unexpected narrative structure, its political worldbuilding, its relationship to the other Hunger Games movies, and the complicated task of creating a successful prequel.
Read MoreClaire and Gavia review Ira Sachs’ acclaimed new romantic drama Passages, starring Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw and Adele Exarchopoulos. Among other topics, this episode covers the film's refreshing attitude to queer identity, its best-of-the-year costume design, and its thoughtfully choreographed sex scenes.
Read MoreGavia and Steffan delve into the iconic 1973 horror movie The Exorcist, discussing its chaotic creative process with director William Friedkin, its lasting impact on the horror genre, and its fantastic craftsmanship as an example of gritty New Hollywood cinema.
Read MoreClaire and Gavia discuss the Pre-Code classic Shanghai Express (1932), starring Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong. Among other topics, this episode covers Dietrich’s tumultuous creative partnership with director Josef von Sternberg, Anna May Wong’s unique career, and the contrast between Pre-Code cinema and the more heavily censored output of the late 1930s and beyond.
Read MoreGavia and Steffan review the latest (and possibly greatest) Mission Impossible movie, covering the franchise's unique place in Hollywood cinema, Tom Cruise's complicated star power, Hayley Atwell's incredible charisma, and how the stunts draw inspiration from vintage slapstick comedy.
Read MoreGavia is joined by guest-host Claire Biddles to discuss Michael Haneke’s 2001 erotic psychodrama The Piano Teacher, starring Isabelle Huppert as a Viennese piano teacher who embarks on a toxic sadomasochistic affair with one of her students.
We delve into Huppert’s performance, the film’s costuming and music choices, the depiction of poorly-negotiated kink, and Haneke’s unique brand of intense drama.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia is joined by guest-host Claire Biddles to discuss Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed erotic psychodrama Eyes Wide Shut (1999), starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as Bill and Alice Hartford, a married couple in 1990s New York. After Alice reveals that she fantasized about having an affair, Bill embarks on a night of sexual experimentation.
Topics include Tom and Nicole's marriage and divergent acting styles, the film's subversion of erotic thriller expectations, its depiction of gender roles in a straight marriage, and its fascinating legacy within Kubrick's career.
Read MoreThis week, we discuss the influential 1966 Senegalese film "Black Girl," written and directed by Ousmane Sembene. The film follows a Senegalese young woman who works as a nanny for a white French family whose life turns into a nightmare when she accompanies them back to France and is forced to work as a maid.
Topics include the film's overt postcolonial politics, its thoughtful deployment of production design and costumes, its reception in the west, and more.
Read MoreThis week, we turn our attention to the original movie adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's classic WWI novel, "All Quiet on the Western Front," directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Lew Ayres in his first major role.
We compare Milestone's groundbreaking, early-sound era (1930)film to the remake currently nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, analyze the films' political intentions, praise Milestone's innovative filmmaking techniques, discuss the original film's complicated reception, and much more.
Read MoreIt's been a a few months since Todd Field's massively acclaimed film "TÁR" was released in America, but between its Oscar nominations — for Field, Cate Blanchett, Best Picture, and more — all the Lydia Tár memes, and the debates its ending continues to inspire, we figured there was no better time to discuss it than the present.
Read MoreJust as January comes to a close, Team Overinvested brings you our Best Films of 2022. Though we're posting this episode a little later than usual, we're as excited as ever to share our favorite films of last year, and hopefully introduce you all to some titles you haven't heard of or gotten a chance to see yet.
This year, our lists range from the big budget — "Top Gun: Maverick" — to the tiny indie — "Saint Omer" — and we've both included a documentary, too. Let us know what you think of our picks and what 2022 movies you loved!
Read MoreWe return to you after an unplanned break due to illness with a delayed episode on "Häxan," Benjamin Christiansen's groundbreaking 1922 docu-drama about the history of the persecution of witches (or "witches") — which also conveniently allowed him to depict sexually transgressive behavior that meant the film couldn't be shown in the United States for decades.
Read MoreThis week, Morgan and Gavia revisit legal thriller Michael Clayton, the 2007 Best Picture nominee written and directed by Tony Gilroy and starring George Clooney and Oscar-winner Tilda Swinton. They discuss the film's sharp characterization, its insightful commentary on corporate malfeasance, a career-best performance from George Clooney, and how the themes Gilroy explores here connect to his current work on Andor.
Read MoreThis week, Gavia and Morgan sing the praises of Andor, the new Star Wars television show masterminded by Tony Gilroy and starring Diego Luna as future rebel martyr Cassian Andor. Topics include the show's stark tonal and stylistic divergence from other Star Wars shows on Disney+, its complex ideas about empire and rebellion, a superlative cast led by Luna, and much more.
Read MoreGavia and Morgan return from a covid-induced hiatus with a dispatch from this year's New York and London film festivals. Gavia reports on some buzzy titles including "Decision to Leave" and "Triangle of Sadness," and Morgan gives a rave to her one festival movie of the year, France's Oscar submission "Saint Omer."
Read More