Cinema In Context

Sarah Watt, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Captain Fantastic (2016) and A History of Violence (2005), two films that star Viggo Mortensen in unorthodox father roles. The discussion touches on the talents of Viggo Mortensen, the brilliant children actors in Captain Fantastic, what matters in raising children, the tension between discussing heavy issues and telling the audience what to think, David Cronenberg’s cinematic style, copycat musical scores, issues with temp track film scoring, the different music choices in Captain Fantastic, the struggle with sincerity in Captain Fantastic, the casting in both films, and the use of sex in film.

Sarah Watt, Max Tarrant, Jeremy Downing and William Chen discuss the films Ghostbusters (2016) and Ghostbusters (1984). The discussion touches on nostalgia, the strangeness of the original film, the baffling sexism the stars of the new film have been facing, the radicalisation of pop culture, Ghostbusters hate stepping into Gamer Gate territory, the new film’s meta quality of addressing the kick back towards the film, the logic of ghost busting, the influence of women collaborating in film, the over-analysis of female roles, who should feel entitled to ‘claim’ the film, and institutionalised sexism.

William Chen, Jeremy Downing and Max Tarrant discuss the films Independence Day (1996) and its sequel Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). We discuss nostalgia, fast food, over-the-top-ness, practical visual effects being more tangible that CGI, Roland Emmerich’s connection to Steven Spielberg, pacing, films both pre and post 9/11, international box office strategies, diversity and globalisation, and the future of blockbusters.

William Chen, Jeremy Downing, Max Tarrant and Sarah Watt discuss the films Tickled (2016) and Catfish (2010). Both films are documentaries and deal with online manipulation. The discussion touches on a number of topics, including: how film creates a sense of place; the universal struggle of bullying; how truth is created in documentary filmmaking; creating online personas with varying levels of resources; differences in class; tension in documentary; the desire to investigate the truth when you have been “duped”; “catfish” becoming a verb; what is morally okay to reveal in documentary filmmaking; how both films capture a sense of humanity; the various uses of a camera in a coffee cup; and the ethics of recording people without their knowledge.

William Chen, Jeremy Downing, Max Tarrant and Sarah Watt discuss the films Zootopia (2016) and The Lion King (1994). Both films were produced by Disney Animation Studios and deal with anthropomorphic characters. The discussion touches on the technology behind “world building” and animation, the history of Disney, story structure expectations, the trend of musical animation, the “milk toast” hero archetype, the urban landscape of modern animation cinema and the motivation of villains.

Jeremy Downing, Sarah Watt and Max Tarrant discuss the context around and connections between Lee Tamahori's films Mahana (2016) and Once Were Warriors (1994). The conversation touches on New Zealand cinema, depiction of Māori in film, strong female characters in film, the changing face of cinema and the careers of New Zealand directors.