Welcome to Six Damn Fine Degrees. These instalments will be inspired by the idea of six degrees of separation in the loosest sense. The only rule: it connects – in some way – to the previous instalment. So come join us on our weekly foray into interconnectedness.
When looking at the vast filmography of family Disney films there is undoubtedly a top tier. The likes of Mary Poppins, Frozen or Cinderella. These are the iconic movies that helped define Disney as a brand globally. The songs have entered the popular culture, while images from these films have been marketed so aggressively they probably have more widespread recognition that most trademarks.
Join us every week for a trip into the weird and wonderful world of trailers. Whether it’s the first teaser for the latest instalment in your favourite franchise, an obscure preview for a strange indie darling, whether it’s good, bad, ugly or just plain weird – your favourite pop culture baristas are there to tell you what they think.
Synchronization is a tricky little bugger, isn’t it? First off, there is always something that gets lost in translation; many fine points of the original language always go out the window. Take any film in an unknown language: do you opt for the subtitles, or do you press the button that puts foreign words in the mouths of the cast? I mostly go for subtitles, because even if I don’t understand Toshiro Mifune’s precise words, I want to hear his drawls, his mutterings and his shouts. I want to be there when he finally tips over the edge and goes berserk, even if that does not involve much dialogue – either grunts and shouts, or total silence. Him unsheathing his sword is just not enough.
Late last year, the BFI ran a series of Powell and Pressburger films, which sadly I missed, living in the wrong country altogether (for BFI series, that is) – but it made me aware of their 1945 romance I Know Where I’m Going!, which was released on the Criterion Collection as one of their very earliest films: it’s the 94th release in the series, which by now contains more than 1200 titles. More than just being another Criterion release from a pair of filmmakers whose work I’ve liked a lot in the past, I Know Where I’m Going! is set in the Hebrides, so as a fan of Criterion, the Archers and Scotland, I didn’t have to think long and hard about getting the disk.
Join us every week for a trip into the weird and wonderful world of trailers. Whether it’s the first teaser for the latest instalment in your favourite franchise, an obscure preview for a strange indie darling, whether it’s good, bad, ugly or just plain weird – your favourite pop culture baristas are there to tell you what they think.
We’ve got a special treat for our April espresso podcast: say hello to Marcy Goldberg, Swiss-Canadian film historian, lecturer and media consultant. Marcy recently talked to the London-based author, critic and podcaster Anna Bogutskaya at a panel discussion organised by the Filmpodium Zürich. The Filmpodium is currently running a series of films in connection with Bogutskaya’s first book, Unlikeable Female Characters: The Women Pop Culture Wants You to Hate (published in 2023). For our podcast, Marcy joins Julie and Matt to talk about Bogutskaya’s book, and about the women in film and TV that are scorned by some, celebrated by others, for being unapologetically angry, horny, ambitious, and sometimes downright crazy and/or murderous. What makes a female character unlikeable? Why are women judged differently for actions and attitudes that men are allowed to get away with? And what does this say about cinema and about our culture?
Welcome to Six Damn Fine Degrees. These instalments will be inspired by the idea of six degrees of separation in the loosest sense. The only rule: it connects – in some way – to the previous instalment. So come join us on our weekly foray into interconnectedness.
Even though these days I’m much more about film and TV, there was a time when literature came first for me. I studied English and American Literatures (as it was called at the time), and later I taught the subject. I had much more time – and, frankly, energy – to read a lot… and even better, while working at uni I was paid to read. And teach, do research, supervise and counsel students, do some admin, assist the professor who was supervising my PhD thesis. I didn’t love every single one of those tasks, certainly – but still, it was a very good time for someone who loved books.
It’s also during that time that I started to get into drama in earnest. Our department had a fairly active drama community, and while I never felt 100% comfortable being on stage myself, this is where I discovered how much I enjoy directing. Sadly, that’s something that didn’t survive my move into other professions: like so many, I had a choice between staying in academia, which would have come at a personal price I wasn’t willing to pay, or leaving and doing other kinds of work, and it’s the latter that won out. I miss a lot about my years working at university (and this site and our podcast are to some extent my way of making up for what I left behind), but I never regret the choice itself.
Join us every week for a trip into the weird and wonderful world of trailers. Whether it’s the first teaser for the latest instalment in your favourite franchise, an obscure preview for a strange indie darling, whether it’s good, bad, ugly or just plain weird – your favourite pop culture baristas are there to tell you what they think.
The pod must flow: Julie and Alan are back to talk about Dune: Part 2, and they’re once again joined by friend of the show Daniel Thron, one of the hosts of the Martini Giant podcast… and one of the people who worked on the visual effects for Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s iconic sci-fi novel. Did our intrepid three enjoy Part 2 as much as they did the first part? Did Villeneuve & Co deliver on the promises of the 2021 film? What are the choices Denis Villeneuve and his collaborators made in bringing this complex, much-beloved book to the screen? What was changed, and to what effect? How damn cool was the worm riding when the film finally got to it? (Spoiler: Very damn cool.) And where does Dune: Part 2 place its characters for the likely third film, based on Herbert’s sequel Dune Messiah?
P.S.: If, like us, you’re a fan of Dan Thron and his thoughts on film, make sure to check out these earlier episodes featuring him:
Welcome to Six Damn Fine Degrees. These instalments will be inspired by the idea of six degrees of separation in the loosest sense. The only rule: it connects – in some way – to the previous instalment. So come join us on our weekly foray into interconnectedness.
~ There are answers to everything. There were answers everywhere you looked…
In Act 2, Scene 2 of Hamlet, two courtiers appear in order to gain the Prince’s confidence and to spy on him. Our “much changed” Prince appears to have gone bonkers, and the two old friends are to find out what afflicts him. The King can barely tell them apart and the Queen steps in to correct him.
A Damn Fine Cup of Culture 