Wind, Reel, & Print

Dogville (2003)

EPISODE 042: META MOVIES
 
After a short trip to the scenic American town of “Dogville”, WR&P cohosts Ryan and Kevin report back with glowing reviews. Delivering on the Lars von Trier promise, this 2003 Nicole Kidman-led experimental drama explores Brechtian approaches to narrative and nihilistic ruminations on the Land of the Free. Kevin points a finger at Ryan.

Fruitvale Station (2013)

EPISODE 041: BAY AREA FLICKS
 
WR&P embarks on another stay-cation as Ryan quizzes Kevin on the local impact of Ryan Coogler’s directorial feature debut “Fruitvale Station”. Released in 2013 with the support of Sundance, this quaint little picture quietly attains the booming voice of the Bay Area. Through its social realist aesthetic and dedication to Oakland faces and places, Coogler’s “Fruitvale Station” pinpoints a grander American narrative of black existence disrupted by the perils of police brutality.

Waterworld (1995)

EPISODE 040: WEIRD @ WR&P
 
Despite landing one of the lowest marks in Wind Reel & Print history, Kevin Costner’s 1995 star vehicle “Waterworld” buoys as an intriguing Hollywood blockbuster with …so much… potential. This unabashed “Mad Max” ripoff is clearly missing the George Miller spark, perfectly executing fantastical dystopian possibilities while operating with a completely deflated screenplay. Ryan and Kevin thus open dialogue on ways to improve story and character while fortifying thematic elements.

There Will Be Blood (2007)

EPISODE 039: FOUNDATIONAL FILMS
 
Ryan sends the derrick back into the well as he recalls memories formed around Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2007 Oscar-darling “There Will Be Blood”. Armed with the Daniel Plainview ‘stache, the WR&P co-host still finds reverence in the film’s portrayal of toxic masculinity, its discussion of proto-American capitalism, and how this all ties into the work of Upton Sinclair.

“Wading in the Water”

EPISODE 038: LETTERBOXD TOP 250 SHUFFLE
 
Featuring: Sansho the Bailiff (1954), Andrei Rublev (1966), Central Station (1998), Eureka (2000)
 
On this week’s episode of Wind Reel & Print’s Letterboxd Top 250 Shuffle, cohosts Ryan and Kevin pull out the Bingo sheets as they prepare to define what it means to be a Top 250 film. Examines the human condition through personal trauma? Check! Includes overly mature children protagonists alongside emotionally stunted adults? Check! Elevates the cinematic medium through intentional artistic choices? Check! Cinema as a religious experience? BINGO!! This particular collection of films shatters all expectations of what cinema has to offer and sends our cohosts deeper into the ocean.

Kathryn Bigelow

EPISODE 037: LESSONS IN FILM HISTORY (DIRECTORS)
 
Featuring: The Loveless (1981), Point Break (1991), Detroit (2017)
 
As a quasi-response to “Nashville”, this week’s WR&P podcast episode centers director Kathryn Bigelow and a trio of titles spanning her entire filmmaking career so far. Bigelow’s knack for rugged masculinity and right-leaning political views challenges the ways we consider gender and patriotism when it comes to discussing American filmmakers. In the post-”Hurt Locker” portion of her filmography, Bigelow settles firmly into the calling card of American mythology, or what Ryan describes as “bizarro Robert Altman”.

Vampire Movies

EPISODE 036: LESSONS IN FILM HISTORY (GENRE)
 
Featuring: Dracula (1931), The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Interview with a Vampire (1994), What We Do in the Shadows? (2014)
 
WR&P co-hosts Ryan and Kevin define the narrative and aesthetic parameters of the “Vampire Movie” by examining four films which cover nearly a century of blood-sucking cinema. With a meta-text predating movies themselves, the vampire archetype and its accompanying narrative encasement creates an iconography which can endure remakes, parodies, satires, and revivals. From Transylvania to New Zealand, the vampire myth continues to travel far and wide to frighten imaginations everywhere.

“50 Ways to Watch a Movie”

EPISODE 035: FILM THEORY DISCUSSIONS
 
What does it mean to watch a movie? Are you watching for the plot or the aesthetics? Are you looking to be entertained or emotionally stirred? Do you want to be able to think about it or do you just want to turn your brain off? These are all important questions to ask when you step into the proverbial theater. WR&P cohosts Ryan and Kevin take the time to consider what they prioritize when they watch a movie.

Mumblecore

EPISODE 034: LESSONS IN FILM HISTORY (FILM MOVEMENTS)
 
Featuring: Funny Ha Ha (2002), The Puffy Chair (2005), Mutual Appreciation (2005), Nights and Weekends (2007)
 
Ryan and Kevin explore the Mount Rushmore of Mumblecore by focusing on films by Greta Gerwig, Andrew Bujalski, the Duplass Brothers, and Joe Swanberg. Though the label is often loathed by the filmmakers who made these movies, mumblecore remains one of the formative film movements within digital filmmaking. Born in the forethought of the 2008 housing crisis alongside the advent of consumer-grade digital cameras, this minimalist New Wave-esque approach to low-to-no budget filmmaking represents an important stepping stone between reality television and online exhibitors such as YouTube and Netflix.

Just Like Heaven (2005)

EPISODE 033: BAY AREA FLICKS
 
As a personal recommendation, Kevin introduces 2005’s “Just Like Heaven” as a San Francisco-based Bay Area movie. Featuring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo and directed by supernatural rom-com expert Mark Waters, this mid-2000s relic leaves whispers of screwball and mumblecore character types within what Ryan describes as “elevated Hallmark”. The discussion soon deviates into a formulation of rewatching movies and finding appreciation in films you used to watch during childhood.