Picturehouse Blog
Featuring exclusive film previews, interviews and much more, this is the place for anyone slightly obsessed with cinema.
Featuring exclusive film previews, interviews and much more, this is the place for anyone slightly obsessed with cinema.
04 Jun 21
After (another) brief hiatus, we're thrilled to bring you a new episode of our podcast; The Love Of Cinema.
Hosted by Picturehouse's very own Sam Clements, The Love Of Cinema podcast goes deep on the best new releases, with a little help from some of our favourite film critics, plenty of special guests, and you, the audience!
This week, we're joined by guest film critics Rhianna Dhillon and James King to discuss A Quiet Place Part II, Supernova, The Reason I Jump and In The Heights.
James also talks to The Reason I Jump director Jerry Rothwell.
Interview with Jerry Rothwell, director of The Reason I Jump
Hello, I'm Sam Clements and welcome to The Love Of Cinema, a Picturehouse podcast. So we're back! Once again. Odd saying those words because last autumn we actually relaunched the show. The cinemas were reopened for a couple of months, really. And then things started to wind down again as various restrictions came into play. So, so yeah, we made a big song and dance about relaunching our podcast in late September. And in hindsight, maybe not the best time to relaunch it. But we didn't know! We thought we would stay open. We weren't to know. Anyway, this is a much, much anticipated, very long awaited second episode of The Love Of Cinema. And we're so excited to be back not only in podcast form, but also in cinema form. And it's been such a thrill to go to the cinemas, to see you! To see the audiences. Anyway, I need to tell you about this podcast. So for the June edition of The Love Of Cinema, I am thrilled to be joined by film critics Rhianna Dhillon and James King. Two of my favourite radio voices, podcast hosts, writers, presenters, Rianna and James have joined us to discuss just a handful of the cinematic highlights for June. There's loads of films out in June but we don't have enough time on the podcast to talk about them all. We've just picked a few of our personal favourites to discuss. So on the show, you will hear Rianna and James talk about A Quiet Place Part Two, Supernova, In the Heights, and we have an interview with the director of a brand new documentary called The Reason I Jump. Director Jerry Rothwell was kind enough to stop by and talk to James about his movie. So that's all coming up. But right now we've got James and we've got Rianna talking about A Quiet Place 2 and Supernova.
There are people out there. People worth saving.
It's not just A Quiet Place 2, is it? It's A Quiet Place Part 2, there's probably a reason for that. I suppose the reason is that it follows directly on from the first one.
Yes, it doesn't feel like it's kind of spinning off. Yeah, it is, isn't it?
So the first thing I wrote down is, if you haven't seen the first one, or if it's been a while, since you've seen the first one, it's worth either watching it for the first time or rewatching it, I would say, because you're really thrust straight back into that world without 'previously on A Quiet Place'. You know, you're kind of back. And I suppose it was meant to come out a year ago as well. So it would have been even fresher in people's minds then. But a year later, there's the chance that you might have perhaps forgotten bits about what happened in the previous film. I had. I mean, you piece them together, it's not the end of the world. But was that a similar thing for you?
Actually, because I didn't really watch it recently, but it was still really, really clear in my mind because it was such a sort of graphic film at the time. And they do give you all these little hints and nudges along the way. So of course the film starts almost with a prequel to A Quiet Place. So we see how everything happened in the immediate moments as these monsters fall to earth. And that means that we see John Krasinski again, and what's really clever is, literally the opening shot is like a sort of deserted town. And so you think, 'Okay, this is a continuation'. And actually, it's because everyone's at a local baseball game or something. Which, I do, I really like that, [you] can see it was really clever and sweet. And then, so we get a bit of John. And then as we go through the film, we kind of are reminded. You know, we have the nail in the step, which...
I hadn't forgotten the nail. I was never gonna forget the nail.
No, which they cleverly avoid. And then of course, you have the grave of the little boy, at least the moment where he was snatched by the monster from the first film. So we go back to that cross. So we have little reminders, I think yet it's always great to see the first film again, just to remind yourself, but it's not a film I think will leave people's memories that quickly because it was so brilliant and so fun. And I think this continues so well in that vein, didn't you?
Yeah, I mean, John Krasinski, I just want to call him Krasinski because I feel like he's my mate, and you'd do that to him. I don't know him. But John Krasinski, he's just got such a grip of tension, building tension. There's this great bit towards the finale really of the film–
Avoid spoilers, please.
Yeah, it's absolutely avoiding the, avoiding spoilers, but there are three storylines kind of going on at the same time and the way they cut between them. So there's Evelyn, Emily Blunt's character, at a chemist kind of grabbing supplies, an abandoned chemist. And there's Emmett, which is Cillian Murphy, a new character, and Reagan who's Evelyn's daughter. They're out in the boat. And then there's Marcus who's Evelyn son and her baby who are in hiding. And there are at least three things happening at the same time. And the action cuts between each one. And it's just, I mean, 'edge of your seat' is such a cliche, but I mean, I wrote down two words: 'butt clencher. I really was just. I'm just sat there so tensed up. Just gripping everything, and "what is going to happen next?"
I know, because all bets are off, aren't they?
Yeah. And the way that he plays that out as a director and the editor as well. I mean, props to the editor. To just play along, and play that out, is just brilliant. It just, it's like a conductor. And you're just conducting the orchestra. And the audience just sat there in the palm of your hand just going, "we are totally your puppets". We will do whatever you want.
Absolutely. We will be manipulated in any way because he did. You know, I cried in about, like, I think the first 10, 15 minutes. And it was the first day that I put on makeup to go out, you know, we saw this in a proper cinema. I was so excited. And I was like, 'don't cry because all your mascara will run'. And it's been so long since I've even felt that emotion. You know, I haven't had mascara on in a year! So that in itself was quite special. And what I really loved about this was having Millicent Simmons taking a much bigger role. So, she is a deaf actress playing a deaf character. And she is so much, she kind of, she steps into John Krasinski's role from the first film, she's the hero of this. And so it was really fantastic that they played to their strengths, because I think she was so standout. And we just wanted a bit more of her. And so they were like, 'right, we'll give you more of her'. And she's an excellent actress. And they play on that whole idea of sound so, so cleverly, where everything mutes when we are hearing things from her perspective. And I chose that moment, as you noticed, to go for a wee, and came back at the most silent moment in the entire film, and I was just quite trying to creep up the side. And then suddenly, the noise all came rushing back and I nearly fell down the stairs was shock. It just- it's so visceral, this film. There's a section in the middle which I felt really didn't need, and it sort of dipped a little bit for me there, where they introduce a bunch of new characters.
Oh yeah.
I think the intimacy of A Quiet Place is what makes it so special. So we didn't really need these almost, like, zombified extras. That didn't really make sense to me. But otherwise, I just think you're absolutely right. The direction and the acting is exactly what I'd want from a kind of blockbuster horror,
And we get Cillian Murphy this time round! Sometimes it actually feels like a Cillian Murphy movie really, doesn't it? There are moments where he is the lead, actually. And definitely grizzled. Embittered. I wrote down 'Beardy, grungy and barely recognisable'. He's still got the twinkly eyes. That's how you know that it's Cillian.
You can't lose those, can you? You're right.
It's a different kind of role for him.
Although, 28 Days Later, I think it was, there was a little bit of a throwback to that.
I think so, yeah.
But it was, he was in a very different role, I suppose, wasn't he? He wasn't the sort of naive one [he is] in that.
Those moments that were so famous in 28 Days Later of just abandoned London, I love the similar moments in this of abandoned America. Just really bleak. Obviously, it's tragic. It's horrifying, but it also has a sort of beauty about it as well. And then some people have said, 'well, the sequel is just rehashing some of the things were in the first movies, perhaps not as adventurous'. And I don't think that's a complete lie. But at the same time there, the differences are subtle, like you said, with Reagan taking on a lead, more of a lead role. And with Cillian Murphy taking on a lead role. Those are subtle differences. And it would be wrong if it just went in a completely different direction. It needs to continue the mood and the atmosphere, because it's continuing the story. But there are definite points of difference compared to the first one.
You know, a very wise man once said, "We will not starve for lack of wonder. But from lack of wonder."
So next up it's Supernova. And I mean, Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth helming a film. I'm already in. I was like, 'Yeah, I'm absolutely there.' These are two fantastic actors. I would never have necessarily put them together. And it works so, so well, I think. What did you think?
Oh, definitely. So, such an intimate film, isn't it? Such a delicate film, almost to the point of slowness. You absolutely have to be in the right frame of mind for this film. In the right mood for a small, sometimes quite claustrophobic, and largely two hander actually. It's that. There are some supporting characters but it's very much focused on on the leading two.
Yeah,
So you have to be in the right state of mind for that. Having said all of that, there are still some lighter moments. The storyline obviously is about someone with dementia and that dementia getting a lot worse, that's Stanley Tucci. So it's not a laugh riot, but I think there are some little magical moments in there that, I mean... Stanley Tucci's character himself is funny.
Yeah.
When he's arguing with his Sat Nav and things like that, it's just really funny. You know, he's really witty.
Calling it 'Maggie Thatcher'.
Exactly. And I don't think this was meant to be funny. But I just found it really charming that, seeing Colin Firth driving around in a motorhome.
Yes! Oh absolutely, that is funny, because that's, we've been so conditioned to think of him as one particular role, perhaps. And I was thinking back to some of the stuff that he's done recently, like, you know, Kingsman, and Secret Garden, 1917, Mamma Mia 2, this felt like, just a much more comfortable role for him. Or maybe I was more comfortable watching him in it, because he just, it just felt so natural. And the chemistry between the two of them was just kind of like, you know, you absolutely believe that they'd been married for 30 years. And I think just seeing how pedantic they were with each other, and how fastidious each of them were, was just incredibly accurate of these, you know, two older, quite fussy men who are very successful in their own fields, very middle class lives as well, to have this sort of bombshell dropped on them, they both react in exactly the way that you think. It's very, it's sort of very recognisable, but it's so beautifully written that, you know, I think it could be quite an alienating film, in some ways, and it never is. And I think that's because they managed to keep these very human emotions. In a very British way, as well. There's definitely a lot of repression in there. And there's this one line in it that I think it was like, "You sit there doing nothing propping up the whole world."
Ooh, that's good.
And I just love that line. It's such a brilliant line, because I think it resonates with all of us, because if you are very much in love, and you can look at your partner, and I think you think that about them, it's like they are your whole world and that that line just captured that whole film for me.
My favourite line was - and this was the one that probably made me blub - "You're not supposed to mourn someone when they're still alive." I mean, come on, that is an absolute blinder of a line. And that's part of what the story is about. Obviously, it's this road movie with them two driving in their, in their motorhome to to the Lake District with one of them getting progressively, you know, more ill. But it's also a look at what happens in a relationship when...it's probably been balanced, actually, but 50/50 for most of their relationship together. But then what happens if one person becomes helpless? What is the effect on the relationship? And what if one person wants to carry on and be optimistic and look forward to things, and the other one just wants to give up. And obviously, these are huge questions, and it will affect people differently. But just that idea of seeing someone slip away in front of you. They are still alive, but they're not the same person that you know. That, I mean, it's just heartbreaking to watch.
It is a devastating line.
My only complaint is that...it's only 94 minutes long this film, they probably reiterate that a couple of times too much, I would say. But generally speaking, it is beautifully balanced.
Yeah. It's also, it is, visually very cinematic, they go on these meandering drives around the countryside. And actually, you know, it's not- you don't need these scenes. But if you're going to watch it at the cinema, they really add to it. These beautiful green rolling hills. And I think there is so much joy when they meet up with their relatives. So obviously, the joy is there because you know that they know that this man is dying, and they're just thrilled to see them after presumably quite a long time. But then for us, in this situation of not having seen our friends and family for so long, and also haven't been able to go on these sorts of travels, seeing these rolling hills, seeing people hugging each other, that definitely had, I don't know, an extra element of emotion for me. It was really kind of beautiful and gorgeous. I don't know about you. I wondered if this could also work as a short film. I know exactly what you mean about them sort of reiterating the same point. It does happen. I think it works really beautifully as a long film, but the way that they have these conversations have so much impact in such a short amount of time that it could have worked quite well as a short as well.
Yeah, definitely. If it was a book, it would be a novella.
A novella. Yeah. 100%.
I always just love to say the word 'novella'.
Super-novella.
Oh, very good. Oh, come on. We've got to end on that.
So there we go! A Quiet Place Part 2 is in cinemas right now, and Supernova opens on the 25th of June. And now, we're joined by director Jerry Rothwell, who is going to be talking to James King about his brand new documentary, The Reason I Jump.
Can you imagine how your life would be if you couldn't say what you wanted?
Thank you, Jerry. Lovely to speak to you.
Right, yeah, lovely to be here.
Let's talk awards first, because I see that you have won an awful lot of awards in your time for this movie, as well others, for The Reason I Jump as well as for your other ones. Are there any particular awards or one singular awards that have an extra special meaning for you?
Oh, god, awards are a strange thing. I think there's probably too many. There's too many awards out there in the world generally. So I guess for me that the one I kind of most like is...I got an RTS about five years ago, maybe 10 years ago, for 'Best Self Shooting Director'. That's, that's nice, because it's actually sort of pressing the button as well as sort of thinking about stuff. Although I've pretty much stopped self shooting now. It's a matter of pride. As I did once win an award for it.
As soon as you win the award, you think 'I've done that?'
Yeah, exactly.
Got the t-shirt, won the awards. Now I'm gonna move on. So, The Reason I Jump is based on the book, the Naoki Higashida book, published in Japan in 2007, then we had the English translation coming out six years later, which wasn't without controversy, I think we can probably discuss that a little bit later on. But tell me about the book in case people haven't read it and why you wanted to be involved with making it into a film.
Okay, so the book is structured around 58 questions that this 12 year old boy in a Tokyo suburb feels needs to be answered about autism, things that maybe people have asked him or he feels people feel about him. And he writes answers to them based on his own experience. And they're questions like, you know, why, 'why do you jump?' 'Why don't you look at me when you're talking to me?' 'Why do you like things that spin?' Those kinds of questions. And Naoki wrote the answers using a letter board. Naoki is a non-speaking autistic boy. And he pointed to letters on a cardboard letter board in order to spell out sentences. And that makes up the kind of text of this book. I think he's pretty clear in the book that he's speaking for himself. He's talking about his own experiences. He's not generalising about autism, but it's also the kind of writing of a 12 year old. So he's also in a process, I think, of coming to understand who he is, and going from the beginning of the book, sort of almost asking, you know, 'why have I been born?' through to the end of the book, being proud of who he is and of his autism and seeing it sort of inseparable from his identity and something that he wouldn't want to change. So I guess it was that kind of arc that's implicit in the way he answers these questions that got me interested in it. And the book, also, I think, immerses you in a kind of very different sensory world, it makes you understand autism as, in part, a response to a sensory experience of the world. So the things that Naoki is asked, which are often focused on his behaviour, 'why is his behaviour different?', often his answers are about how he sees and experiences the world differently and why that then leads to things that he does. And I felt that there was a way that that was maybe uniquely given to kind of cinema you know, that we could use the tools of cinema to do the same job as this book does that through sounds and pitches,
Let's talk technical issues now. Achieving the right visuals, achieving the right audio to compliment the stories. Immersive is a word I think we overuse, but it feels absolutely right in this case, because you're not always using conventional visuals or conventional sounds.
Yeah, it felt to us that it shouldn't be about bringing kind of special effects imagery or, I don't know, very kind of abstracted sound design to it. But that we should start from the real world and for people's real experience of it. And I was really interested in working with sound artist Nick Ryan around this. He's someone who's done a lot of kind of sound work around different neurologies is of sound, I guess, for want of a better word. And he's synesthetic himself and synesthesia, which you know, there's sort of fusion of sound and image, it's something that is quite common in non-speaking autistic people. So I felt he could bring some personal experience of sound to this design. His first thought was, you know, why don't we do the film in 360? In Atmos. I hadn't really got any experience or understanding of Atmos and so I just went "Yes, sounds great", and then landed our sound recordist this task. You know, 'cause we're a really small crew, just a DOP and a sound recordist and a camera assistant who often wasn't in the room. But [we] handed our sound recordist Sarah [...] the job of recording like, constant 18 tracks of audio on three different recorders whilst, you know, running around observationally, which she managed incredibly, and we had all this phenomenal 360 degree sound from the locations that we found.
It's a mind-expanding experience for us to watch it, or for me to watch it. I remember when Joss is talking about the electricity generator, and he says 'it's like music' and you've already mentioned the wheels turning, like galaxies. It does...It opens my mind to seeing mundane things in a more beautiful was:
I think that's right. I mean, I think none of these experiences are alien to any of us. You know, I think that the writer, Donna Williams, who's an autistic writer, who wrote a book called Autism And Sensing, which was really important to me when kind of thinking about and researching the film, I think she says that, you know, all of these experiences are experiences that many of us may have. Perhaps in altered states, or when we're really tired, or when we're really focused or stressed on something. The difference with an autistic person might be that they live there all the time, as opposed to visiting it on occasion. So, you know, certainly when you're with Amrit in her room, in a Delhi block of flats, you know, 40 degree heat, and there's five different fans spinning, and we've kind of really gone to town, I suppose on using the sound of the fan, the flicker of lights it creates, the sense of air moving. You know, I think all of us can understand how when you're in a space, that space can kind of start to pulse with a certain rhythm. But most of the time, we're not attentive to it, you know. And so I think part of the job of the film is to make us attentive to these things that we don't usually pay attention to, or the neurotypical mind filters out.
Final question, let's just talk about the festivals that you've been to, because I see you went to Sundance with this film, and I think South by Southwest as well. How important is the festival circuit for a movie like this?
Yeah, it's really important. I mean, I think when you when you finish a film, I mean, it's important in from a maker's point of view, because you know, you finish a film and you kind of hate it like it's a brother that's betrayed you. It's just like this parade of errors, you know? So the festival screenings are the first time you really understand what, whether that what you've done kind of works with an audience. And so launching the film at Sundance was a fantastic opportunity for doing that. And a way of, yeah, understanding you know, how the film worked for people and also getting the word out there. You know, on the back of Sundance, obviously, there are then lots of festival requests. We decided to go down the route of a cinema release for the film.
Oh, it's so needed, though, isn't it for this? You absolutely want to see this on the big screen.
Didn't look like a great decision in kind of April, just after Coronavirus has shut down the world and every single cinema in it! But you know, and now, a year and a bit later, it's finally kind of making it into cinemas. And that's a really satisfying moment. Yeah.
Great. Thank you so much, Jerry.
Great. Thank you.
Thank you, Jerry Rothwell there, for joining us to talk about his new film in cinemas on the 18th of June. Also in cinemas on the 18th of June is the long awaited big screen adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda's In The Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu. Here's what Rhianna and James thought about the movie, along with a couple of current and upcoming releases that they'd like to recommend.
A dream isn't some sparkling diamond. There's no shortcuts. Sometimes it's rough...
Right. We move on to In the Heights. Music and lyrics by some bloke called Lin-Manuel Miranda. Never heard of him.
He sells drinks in the film.
That's it. Yeah. Wow, he's had a hell of a few years, hasn't he? And deservedly so. I mean, I just think he's...his music and his, his words are, are stunning, whether that's in his stuff - Moana, he did, didn't he? He did, obviously, Hamilton as well. And one of the things I love about this film is the lyrics, because he's so great at telling a story. And this is a fairly loose story about several people in Washington Heights, New York, mainly Dominican people from there. Immigrants from the Dominican Republic. But he tells a story in the lyrics in it. That's, that's a difficult thing to do. Because sometimes if you're telling a story with lyrics and rhymes, it can often sound a bit clunky, but it just flows so easily, his storytelling. And of course, that's part of the success of Hamilton as well. You're telling a really complex story, historical, politics, and yet he does it effortlessly. Or it seems effortless. And that's certainly the case with In The Heights as well. The story that he tells through the songs does just feel so natural. There's an opening line, isn't there? 'The streets were made of music'. And it does just feel like the music is on those sidewalks. It's in all of the people, in all of the characters. There's just this rhythm, this very natural easy-going rhythm running through the whole movie. So I really like the geography of it. I like the way that it used those streets to, well, we meet the characters there, but also there's big song and dance numbers just literally on the streets of Washington Heights. Were you a fan?
Yeah, I absolutely loved this film. And I'm such a huge fan of Hamilton as well. I don't...you know, if you've sort of asked me a few years ago, I think I would have said like, 'I'm not, I don't love a traditional musical'. You know, like West Side Story is kind of my worst nightmare. And yet this, this kind, this almost reflected what I think it would have been to see West Side Story for the first time and being completely enamored by it.
Definitely comparisons, aren't there? To West Side Story.
Yeah, absolutely. And actually, I, I do, I do get this, and I love the ideas behind it, of like, a little dream. And that's the theme that kind of runs throughout, and it is quite disparate at points, and you kind of have to spend a bit of time pulling all these threads together to make it make sense and remember whose relationship is, you know, who's, etc. But actually, it's so joyful. And it's so of this community, and it's opening its doors and welcoming us in. It's a real love letter to so many different things. From anything and everything, to bodegas, to those very, very hot, sweaty, lidos, you know, they...
That's my favourite bit in the movie.
This fantastic sequence in the middle that's all in a swimming pool. And it's very, like Busby Berkeley. And you know, it's and it's so, so clever, because it's drawn, it's just building on so many different ideas of musicals and dance numbers and choreography and updating it all the time. It feels like it was definitely updated even from when Lin-Manuel Miranda wrote it however long ago, before, obviously, Hamilton. And then you have all these little easter eggs as well with Hamilton and you have Christopher Jackson, and you have the little Hamilton ringtone down the phone, so you can listen out and watch out for these as well. And it's very, very clever the way that he knows his audience very well.
And the audience are so excited about this. When I mentioned that I'd seen it, I had so many people get in touch asking me "What's it like? How is it?", and I said, "I've signed a non-disclosure agreement! I can't tell you!" But you know, there's, there's a huge amount of interest. And you could watch it and go, 'this feels so musical', because it is one of those musicals where people sing things that they would just speak in normal life, there aren't so many bits of dialogue, People are singing stuff. All the time. That puts some people off. It is very American, it is very New York. I mean, it feels quite alien to my own life. So you could watch it and think all of these things will put people off. But I think there is such a cult of Lin-Manuel Miranda and stuff that he's done...
Yeah.
...that actually that's not going to bother the fans.
No.
In any way. They're just gonna lap it up. Well, it's like I was saying earlier, it's very, feels very natural and casual, just the way that this music comes from the streets and comes from the characters. Perhaps that means it's not exactly heavy on tension or plot. There are a couple of plot points, one of the characters dies. And Nina, who's played by Leslie Grace who's great, her and her dad, the great Jimmy Smitts...
Ugh, love him.
But they fall out, you know, there's kind of a fall out there between them. And you think 'well, I mean, I suppose these are meant to be the kind of big plot moments', but they never really...I mean, it does meander. It never really felt like I was on the edge of my seat wondering what's gonna happen.
I think you almost missed those beats where the interval would be or, you know, the kind of big 'okay, this is...' and then the summing up afterwards of what's just happened. And, you know, I think that would work really, really well on stage. I think what it does do is give us this little window into another culture. And I mean, like, in the way that Soul put kind of an emphasis on barbershops, for African American culture, and how, how important they are for just, you know, friends communicating with each other and hanging out. They kind of do this with nail salons, you know? In In The Heights. And so it kind of gives you these little moments, which you don't necessarily think of that might get overlooked in film usually, which I think was really, really nice, really clever.
That's what, and obviously Lin-Manuel Miranda has been incredibly significant in terms of bringing Latin-American culture to mainstream America, and around the country. But actually, Jon Chu, as well, the director, or Jon M. Chu. Listen, I'm not the greatest fan of his work. But if you look at Crazy Rich Asians and some of the other movies he's made, he did a Step Up movie as well. You know, he has always been...although I don't think any of those films I've been on the edge of my seat thinking, 'Wow, I can't imagine what's going to happen next'. He's not that filmmaker, but he is very good at diversity, at giving people a voice and that absolutely should be championed. This is by far the best thing he's done. I mean, it's a real achievement in direction.
The scale of it is absolutely phenomenal. And I think it will just be a real treat to see on the big screen for everybody.
So, what about other films that are still in cinemas? What d'you reckon Rhianna? What have you got for us?
I am so excited for everyone who is yet to see Sound Of Metal and who've waited to see it at the cinema, because I honestly think it is one of the best films for sound design I've seen. Ever, possibly. And to get that in that, you know, cinema surround sound, plus seeing Riz Ahmed's performance, he's so excellent in the film, and Darius Marder's direction is really really special. And I'm really glad people have waited to see this because it has been on streaming for a while. And I think that just shows how much of a need and want there is for cinemas. You know how, I don't know if you get this, keep getting asked, "Oh, you know is streaming killing cinemas?", etc. Like I think this film proves that absolutely it's not, because there is still so much need to go and see things and experience them in that really immersive way, which you just can't get at home. So for everyone who has yet to see it go and see Sound Of Metal on the big screen, you will not regret it.
I don't think you'll regret going to see The Father either, which is my choice. Another big awards favourites this season along with Sound Of Metal. In fact, won...I mean, that was a weird end to the Oscars, wasn't it?
Oh it was so strange, yeah.
...when Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor. I mean, I mean he's great in it. I don't begrudge him the award in any way. But it was a very strange ending to the ceremony. However, this kind of fits in with Supernova, which we've talked about today as well, because it's also a film about dementia in a slightly more blatant way, I suppose, but impossibly clever as well, because it's a film about perception and how Anthony Hopkins, the title character, is slowly losing his grip on perception as the illness gets worse. So it is, of course, harrowing, because that story is harrowing. But it is beautifully done and very cleverly done. We've had to wait quite a long time for this to come out. Normally your Oscar movies and your BAFTA movies are all out either by Christmas or certainly January, February. This one is really being held back. But, but it's absolutely worth seeing.
I think it's interesting that you've picked a film that is so kind of intricate in terms of production design, and I've picked a film that's so intricate in terms of sound design, I think these two films really demonstrate the importance of craft and celebrating different crafts as well as the performances.
When you watch The Father you will be...you will be looking...it's like one of those quizzes you get sometimes in newspapers where you have two pictures side by side, you have to work out what's missing. what's changed.
And it's quite a fun game to play. But it's very bleak in reality when you think actually that's his life.
Oh, absolutely.
But actually when you're watching it, you're like, "Has that vase moved? Or is that, that kitchen a different colour now? And was that door always there?"
It's all deliberate and it is all part of the...fun is perhaps the wrong word to use. But it is all part of the joy of watching that film, is that you are trying to work out what's going on in his head.
So obviously now cinemas have, fingers crossed, open properly. What are you looking forward to that's coming out this year?
I don't know, who...what kind of actors do I like, Rhianna?
[Laughs] I came on and I was like if 'If he doesn't mention Keanu Reeves, it'll be a miracle.'
Who would be a favourite? Oh, has Keanu got a new film this year? That's interesting.
Only just!
Oh, yes. Oh, yes, it is. Yeah, it's actually right at the end of this year. So we have got to wait a while as yet. But The Matrix 4 is coming out. And that, in a way, that's all I can say because we don't know anything about it. It's shrouded in secrecy. I know that Neil Patrick Harris is in it, which sounds amazing...
Fun.
...quite an unusual casting choice, but one I'm very excited by. And it's...I'm just intrigued. I didn't think we'd ever get another Matrix film. They seem to have their moment, and also end on, I would say, a bit of a low, because I don't think the third one, which was Matrix Revolutions, was particularly good. So I felt it was all done and dusted. But because of the Keanu-ssance and the resurgence of Keanu Reeves...
...which I think you're partly to blame for.
Yeah. Sorry about that. He's, he's, he's back doing it again. And because it's the same team on board, you know, I'm very excited by it. How about you?
I'm really, really excited for, and have been ever since this was announced, Edgar Wright's Last Night In Soho, because I am such a huge fan of Edgar Wright. And the fact that this is filmed in and around all the places that we go and see all of these films is really, really cool. So it's starring Anya Taylor Joy and Thomasin McKenzie and Matt Smith. But then it's also got that thing, kind of like he did in Hot Fuzz, where he's celebrating a whole nother generation of actors as well. These older actors like Terrence Stamp, Diana Rigg, I think in her last ever film role, and also the the Weasley twins, which, great. I mean, what a brilliant addition. So I think there is going to be so much to love about this. I think it's also a little bit timey-wimey, time travelling, which, of course.
Yeah, sci-fi. I read that recently and was surprised by that. And it wasn't what I was expecting.
No, me neither. But time travel films really do it for me. So I just think this is ticking every single one of my boxes and it's coming out I think in October, so. It kind of ends that drought.
Yes, we've had to wait a while for this one. This was definitely a casualty, wasn't it? Of the last year. So there's a lot of expectation for it.
James, you've always got a million things on the go. What's happening with you at the moment?
Thank you. Yeah, well, I'm at @jameskingmovies on Instagram and Twitter. On Radio 2. Yeah, a lot of things like...'The Greatest Songs of the 1990s, Channel Five, Friday night'.
I really love it when you pop on. It really makes my day. And then I always take pictures and then I never send them to you 'cause I always think it's a bit stalker-y. So I've just got loads of freeze frames of your face on my phone.
[Laughs] Thank you. That's so kind. How about you?
I am...well, I'm on with Lauren Laverne every Monday morning on 6 Music, you can catch me on Twitter at @rhiannadhillon. I'm also doing a podcast with BIFA at the moment called This Is My Cinema. So we're interviewing actors, directors and all sorts, along with Michael Leader, who does the Ghibliotech podcast. So yeah, that's a really nice little fun podcast, which is happening right now!
Well, there we go, that's the end of the podcast. And thank you so much for making it this far. Thank you for listening to the show. And I really hope you have enjoyed. It's been so nice to make the show again, and I hope you're enjoying being back at cinemas. This podcast was produced by Stripped Media, big thank you to Kobi over there for pulling everything together for this brand new episode. And we were joined by Rhianna Dhillon, James King, and director Jerry Rothwell. Thank you all for your contributions to this episode. I've been Sam Clements, and the show was edited by Maddy Searle – thank you so much, Maddy. It's been so nice working with you on this brand new episode. Well, there we go. Officially a wrap. That's the end of the podcast. We'll be back in July. Have a great June folks. See you soon.
Hosted by Picturehouse's very own Sam Clements, The Love Of Cinema podcast goes deep on the best new releases, with a little help from some of our favourite film critics, plenty of special guests, and you, the audience!
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Produced by Stripped Media.
