Someone Else's Movie

Writer-directors Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, whose animated sci-fi comedy Lesbian Space Princess is in theaters now, step up for Raja Gosnell’s 2004 live-action sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed – which, your genial host Norm Wilner is surprised to discover, holds up pretty well two decades later.

Actor Guillaume Marbeck plays Jean-Luc Godard in Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, so he has a unique perspective on Godard’s revolutionary first feature Breathless – which, it just so happens, Nouvelle Vague is all about. Your genial host Norm Wilner cannot thank Winnie Wong enough for coming up with this concept.

Writer-director Bryn Chainey, whose eerie debut Rabbit Trap is ideal Halloween viewing, is here to talk about the Jonathan Miller’s 1968 BBC adaptation of M.R. James’ Whistle and I’ll Come to You, which launched a British tradition of televised ghost stories – and still holds a disquieting power. Your genial host Norm Wilner suggests you listen to this episode in a very dark room.

Bryan Fuller created the cult TV shows Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies and Hannibal, among others, and his delirious first feature Dust Bunny plays the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival this Thursday, October 23rd. And he’s here to explore Philip Kaufman’s brilliant reinterpretation of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Your genial host Norm Wilner has been waiting a long time for this one.

With his historical drama Vindication Swim rolling into US theaters this Friday, October 17th, writer-director Elliott Hasler is here to swash some buckles for Gore Verbinski’s 2003 blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl – the movie that made him want to be a filmmaker at the age of four. Really. Your genial host Norm Wilner has done the math on this.

Before he battles his way through the new Deathstalker this Friday, October 10th, action hero Daniel Bernhardt drops in to discuss how the Wachowskis’ action epic The Matrix blew his mind when he first saw in in 1999 – and how he ended up acting in at least one of the sequels. Your genial host Norm Wilner can’t believe no one’s brought this movie onto the podcast before.

Writer-director Jules Koostachin, whose new drama Angela’s Shadow premieres on Hollywood Suite today to mark Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is here to talk about how seeing Adrian Lyne’s blockbuster Flashdance as a kid in 1983 inspired her to tell her own stories. Your genial host Norm Wilner broke out the legwarmers for this.

To celebrate the Criterion Collection release of her subversive classic Born in Flames, writer-director Lizzie Borden is here to talk about Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. And yes, Wayne Wang and Lukas Dhont have already discussed Akerman’s feminist masterpiece, but Lizzie has a very different approach to the film. Your genial host Norm Wilner suggests you hear her out.

He’s on Broadway with his best pal Keanu Reeves in Waiting for Godot and his new movie Adulthood is in theaters today, but somehow actor and filmmaker Alex Winter carved out the time to talk about his abiding love for Los Olvidados, Luis Bunuel’s uncompromising 1951 drama about a child living in poverty in Mexico City. Your genial host Norm Wilner can’t believe this one came together.

Writer-director Sophy Romvari’s first feature Blue Heron has been picking up a lot of momentum on the festival circuit, and in honor of its TIFF screenings this week your genial host Norm Wilner thought you might want to hear her 2018 episode about the interweaving of personal, professional and global concerns in Kirsten Johnson’s masterful essay film Cameraperson.

Before his latest (and possibly weirdest) movie F*ck My Son! makes its world premiere in TIFF’s Midnight Madness program on Wednesday, writer-director Todd Rohal wants to discuss George Kuchar’s legendary underground short Hold Me While I’m Naked. Your genial host Norm Wilner never thought this one would come up.

With her new movie Nika and Madison making its world premiere at TIFF on Sunday, writer-director Eva Thomas is here to pay tribute to the tender soul and gigantic heart of Barry Jenkins’ 2016 Oscar-winner Moonlight. And your genial host Norm Wilner is so glad she did.

Before his first feature Little Lorraine has its world premiere at TIFF this Friday, writer-director Andy Hines stops by to celebrate Jonathan Glazer’s 2000 breakout Sexy Beast, still the only motion picture to make Ben Kingsley terrifying. Your genial host Norm Wilner made sure to even out his tan for this one.

Her new documentary Larry (they/them) is streaming free across Canada on CBC Gem, so director and editor Catherine Legault is here to discuss Zachary Heinzerling’s prizewinning 2013 doc Cutie and the Boxer, a study of the decades-long marriage of artists Ushio and Noriko Shinohara. Your genial host Norm Wilner is very happy to have gone into writing instead of painting.

Her unsettling first feature Inedia is now available on digital and on demand across Canada, so writer-director Liz Cairns is here to celebrate the fraught drama and boundless compassion of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Rosetta. Your genial host Norm Wilner regrets to report the Dardennes’ key concerns have only grown more relevant a quarter-century later.

With her new drama Sweet Angel Baby opening in select Canadian cities this Friday, August 15th, writer-director Melanie Oates is here to talk about the clarifying heartbreak of Derek Cianfrance’s shattering Blue Valentine. Your genial host Norm Wilner thinks Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams both deserved Oscar nominations, for what it’s worth.

With his delightful feature debut Sketch opening across the US and Canada tomorrow, writer-director Seth Worley gets geared up by dissecting the sci-fi surprises of Barry Sonnenfeld’s box-office champion Men in Black. Your genial host Norm Wilner thinks you should see Sketch with a crowd this weekend, by the way.

With her first feature Foreigner having its world premiere at Montreal’s Fantasia festival this week, director Ava Maria Safai is here to talk about Mohammad Rasoulof’s recent allegorical Iran drama The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Your genial host Norm Wilner is really excited to be digging into such a rich text.

Having just premiered their first feature Lucid at Montreal’s Fantasia festival, filmmakers Ramsey Fendall and Deanna Milligan dive into Daughters of Darkness, Harry Kumel’s 1971 cult classic about newlyweds who stumble into the clutches of a very aristocratic lady and her devoted companion. Your genial host Norm Wilner is delighted by the notion that Jeanne Dielman was once Elizabeth Bathory … and may still be.

With his new documentary Parade: Queer Acts of Love and Resistance streaming on NFB.ca and opening in Winnipeg on July 30th, filmmaker Noam Gonick takes a moment to celebrate Uli Edel’s 1989 adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr’s landmark novel Last Exit to Brooklyn. Your genial host Norm Wilner is always happy to help someone drag a great movie back into the world.