Analysis

Analysis: The Opening Sequence of When Harry Met Sally

MikeDawson — Wed, 18 May 2011 01:38:55 -0700

We begin with a summary of scenes four to twelve of When Harry Met Sally (1989), written by Nora Ephron and directed by Rob Reiner: Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) have just met through a mutual friend and in this sequence they travel together to New York in a car while getting to know each other. Even though it’s not one scene but a sequence, we’ll treat it as one continuous event.

Analysis: The Opening Sequence of When Harry Met Sally - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Tue, 17 May 2011 23:30:24 -0700

Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally (1989) written by Nora Ephron, is generally considered one of the best romantic comedies of all time. Its opening sequence is something special as it perfectly foreshadows what is to come and sets the stage for the conflict between the two protagonists.

Written by Margit Keerdo. Additions written by Mike Dawson. Presented by Mike Dawson.

Analysis: The Films of Anh Hung Tran

MikeDawson — Wed, 11 May 2011 02:50:51 -0700

Anh Hung Tran is possibly the most schismatic filmmaker working today; the likes of Michael Haneke and Bela Tarr have remained rigidly faithful to the same visual, authorial and directorial principles throughout their careers; the likes of Michael Winterbottom and Hirokazu Koreeda vary their tone and content wildly from film to film - Tran is different. He oscillates between tenderly constructed, gentle female centric relationship dramas and brutally violent, bullishly male centric crime thrillers.

Analysis: The Films of Anh Hung Tran - Part Two - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Tue, 10 May 2011 23:30:24 -0700

Part Two of Two. Anh Hung Tran is one the greatest directors working today, in this episode of Left Field Cinema we examine his two latest films which move away from Tran's native Vietnam. Starting with cacophonic masterpiece I Come with the Rain (2008) then moving onto his adaptation of Haruki Murakami's Norwegian Wood (2010).

Written and presented by Mike Dawson. Additions written by Wilson McLachlan.

Analysis: The Films of Anh Hung Tran - Part One - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Wed, 04 May 2011 04:30:24 -0700

Part One of Two. Anh Hung Tran is one the greatest directors working today, in this episode of Left Field Cinema we examine his first three films also known as "The Vietnam Trilogy". Starting with his debut The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), his work improved with the violent crime thriller Cyclo (1995) and he became a master of the medium with At the Height of Summer (2000).

Written and presented by Mike Dawson. Additions written by Wilson McLachlan.

Analysis: Ghost Busters – Family Fantasy or Adult Comedy?

MikeDawson — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 01:11:13 -0700

One of the most commercially successful comedies of all time - a break in rule that the bigger the budget the smaller the laughs. Ivan Reitman’s Ghost Busters (1984), a tale of three parapsychologists becoming professional supernatural exterminators in contemporary New York only to be thwarted by an over zealous environment agency bureaucrat and an ancient maniacal spectra known as Goza, achieved its spectacular box office return by appealing to both children and adults alike.

Analysis: Ghostbusters - A Family Fantasy or Adult Comedy? - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 23:30:24 -0700

It's a tale of a director and two writers. Director Ivan Reitman wanted to produce a family oriented film, screenwriters Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis appear to be aiming for an older crow. But who won the battle?

Written and presented by Mike Dawson.

Analysis: The Politics of Wild River and Elia Kazan

MikeDawson — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 03:58:34 -0700

In 1952 Elia Kazan presented testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. This single event came to define his career. His films from this event and those prior to it, are seen through a prism of political ideology that may or may not have been relevant to each particular piece of work. It is simply impossible to discuss Kazan without drawing reference to this dark chapter in America’s history.

Analysis: Wild River and the Politics of Elia Kazan - Podcast

Left_Field_Cinema — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:30:24 -0700

Elia Kazan's testimony before the HUAC in 1952 was the defining event of Kazan's career. From this point on his politics and sense of personal morality have been questioned by many in Hollywood and his actions have never been fully forgiven. But Kazan's films show a far more complex and nuanced sense of politics, sometimes standing in direct opposition to his reputation - particularly in the case of Wild River (1960)

Written by Wilson McLachlan and Mike Dawson. Presented by Mike Dawson.

Analysis: The Romanian New Wave

MikeDawson — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 05:46:59 -0700

Part One - Introduction

Over the past seven years, something extraordinary has been happening in Romania. This south-eastern European nation on the Black Sea, which only twenty-two years ago suffered through a bloody revolution ending close to half a century of communist rule; has been swept up by a confluence of like-minded, frighteningly talented and vibrant directors, writers and actors.