The Film Locker #12: Roman Polanski

Apologies for a another week with no content, but between Simon's French adventures, and my work launching a new website, it was a bad choice of week to close up shop on Series One.

However, I'm happy to report that we're signing off with a high note since episode 12 brought about some of the best conversation Simon and I have had all summer long. So without further ado, I give you the Series One Finale - The Roman Polanski episode with feature conversation on his 1975 classic, CHINATOWN.



If you've come with us this far, and enjoyed what we've offered up this summer, perhaps you'd be so kind as to spread the word. The Film Locker was designed as a capsule, so rather than finding out about a podcast and realizing that there are dozens or hundreds of back episodes to dig through, that a new listener could have something maleable...like being handed a twelve-episode HBO series on dvd.

(Not that we fancy ourselves akin to The Sopranos...though in our more deluded moments, we do tangent into Wire-like delusions of grandeur).

One last thing, this show has gone far better than we thought it might (we swore we'd have only two listeners)...so to everybody who gave us six minutes or six hours, thank you and check back now and then for news on series two.

As usual, it is already up on itunes and can be found easily on podomatic - so, please do try and write reviews and support us if you can! We have the ol' RSS feed and 2.0 RSS and, if you link in different ways, we also have it on Google and Yahoo

The Film Locker #11: Guillermo del Toro

A few apologies before getting to episode eleven. First and foremost for its late arrival, and then of course for the slight hiss that can be heard when Hatter is talking.

We should have everything sorted out for the final spin next week...but for now, here's the penultimate talk focusing on Guillermo del Toro and his masterpiece, PAN'S LABYRINTH



As usual, it is already up on itunes and can be found easily on podomatic - so, please do try and write reviews and support us if you can! We have the ol' RSS feed and 2.0 RSS and, if you link in different ways, we also have it on Google and Yahoo

"Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?" (Simon reviews TRAINSPOTTING)

Next up - the already discussed Trainspotting. I wrote this a while ago when I even managed to garner enough attention to have it put onto a different website too.

At the time of writing, the use of music was prevalent in my mind as the soundtrack was released across two volumes and I had managed to hunt down both volumes - all with brilliant tracks on (well... say 60% at least). My full analysis include connections to the music and drug-movies of the time too because, I believe, Trainspotting came at a point whereby this was the indie-filmmakign thing to do ... just ask Doug Liman and Tom Twyker...

"Based amongst the Edinburgh clubbing, drug scene, Boyle did state that he wanted the music to have a timeless quality to it - and so we have everything from Iggy Pop and Lou Reed through Pulp and Blur and out to Underworld and Leftfield spaning a time period from the 70's through to the 90's. A real fantastic selection of music. I could do a whole blog on the music alone. The use of Lust for Life by Iggy Pop is interesting as it is shown at start (Danny Boyles running-through-the-streets, fast-paced start ... we see it again in Slumdog Millionnaire, even Millions has the two kids running around the house being built around them during the opening credits) and also shown midway through, but with a different tone. What began as sneak-theives and petty-theft becomes, by the second time we see the same sequence with the same music, a sad situation, whereby we feel pity and hopelessness. They still can't kick the habit."

For the full review, click here

"I need to die misunderstood" (Simon reviews SHALLOW GRAVE)

So, in more depth, an analysis of Danny Boyle's feature debut. Way back before Ewan McGregor was a Jedi and before Christopher Eccleston was Doctor Who, they both appeared in this film and - influenced by the Coen's Blood Simple with a touch of Hitchcock's Psycho ...

"Its a bit strange because it destroys every ounce of good in each character - but they are a bit annoying anyway - but they become completely destroyed over the film. The first act sets all this up with chopping up the body finishing this section, the 'centre piece' is each character getting more a more confused (except Alex who just watches daytime TV and doesn't really give a shit) - David goes completely insane and begins to become a peeping-Norman Bates character. I reckon Psycho was an influence because, alongside the peeping holes thing, there is a shot which looks just like the Janet Leigh shot after the camera zooms out from the eye in the bathroom, post murder."

Just click here for the full analysis ...

FROM START TO FINISH (Simon reflect's on Danny Boyle's Back-Catalogue)

Well, if you haven't had enough after listening to the podcast, now is your chance to truly immerse yourself in what he has directed so far. I wrote this a little while back, so there is very little coverage on 127 Hours but this extensive coverage includes discussion on some of his lesser known films - Millions, Strumpet and Vacuuming Completely Naked in Paradise. It was broken into four sections -

Part 1: Shallow Grave through to A Life Less Ordinary

Part 2: A Life Less Ordinary to The Beach
Part 3: Strumpet to 28 Days Later...

Part 4: Millions to 127 Hours

Plenty more to come! So Check back during the week for more analysis and discussion!

The Film Locker #3: David Cronenberg and 'The Fly'

So, much love to our new listeners who have entered the competition and the writer-inners (email us!) and with two in the bag - a Woody Allen and a Martin Scorsese episode, we now move onto more obscene and obscure directors with David Cronenberg.

Our choice of film is The Fly. Hatter mentioned how, prior to our Woody Allen show, he had not seen Hannah and her Sisters, and the same is true of The Fly for me. In fact, in preparation I watched three Cronenberg films: The Fly, eXistenZ and Dead Ringers for the first time!

And, as usual, it is already up on itunes and can be found easily on podomatic - so, please do try and write reviews and support us if you can! We have the ol' RSS feed and 2.0 RSS and, if you link in different ways, we also have it on Google and Yahoo

The Film Locker #1: Martin Scorsese and 'Goodfellas'

For me, the primary purpose of blogging and podcasting is to learn and to improve on my film interest through writing, reflecting and discussing cinema with a broad range of like-minded people. The 'dream' of joining film journalism in a professional sense is something that I do intend to work towards and, moreso, to even break in Film Academia by writing about cinema.

These 12-episodes are part of one series focussing exclusively on directors - choosing one film to extrapolate (love that word) from. In some cases, these are directors that I know through and through, in other cases they are directors I have had to research - and this podcast is a great outlet to relay the knowledge I have learnt.

It's a big job and takes a while to prepare, record and edit - but so far, it has been worth it. By keeping it as a limited run, we can reflect and improve if we decide to continue...

It is already up on itunes and can be found easily on podomatic - so, please do try and write reviews and support us if you can! We have the ol' RSS feed and 2.0 RSS and, if you link in different ways, we also have it on Google and Yahoo

Here we go:

Series 1: Episode 1 - Martin Scorsese and 'Goodfellas'