Scene and Heard

Jackie and Greg drive up to the seaside town of Bodega Bay for Alfred Hitchcock's THE BIRDS from 1963. Topics of discussion include Jackie's ornithophobia, Hitchcock's mastery of the medium, how it's influenced countless horror films over the years (including the zombie genre), and the abuse Tippi Hedren suffered at the hands of Hitchcock.

#185 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All...

Jackie and Greg traipse the eerie canals of Venice for Nicolas Roeg's DON'T LOOK NOW from 1973. Topics of discussion include Roeg's innovative editing, the infamous sex scene between Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland, Venice as a gothic hellscape, and why it remains a high-water mark for horror cinema.

#114 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi....

Jackie and Greg shed a solitary tear for Federico Fellini's NIGHTS OF CABIRIA from 1957. Topics of discussion include the wide-eyed central performance from Giulietta Masina, the film as a transitional work for Fellini, its episodic structure, and how it continues to ripple through the ensuing decades of cinema as a defining work.

The continuation of our "Personal Prints" series where Jackie and Greg venture off ...

Jackie and Greg hit the road for Barbara Loden's WANDA from 1970. Topics of discussion include its barebones production, Loden's inspiration for the film, Wanda as a passive character, and how it joins the ranks of great films made by one-off directors.

#48 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

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Jackie and Greg crank up "California Dreamin'" for Wong Kar Wai's CHUNGKING EXPRESS from 1994. Topics of discussion include the film's dual-story structure, its innovative use of music, Wong's kinetic visual style, and how it's one of the greatest lovesick movies ever made.

#88 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-s...

Jackie and Greg travel back to a post-Watts Riots Los Angeles for Charles Burnett's KILLER OF SHEEP from 1977. Topics of discussion include the film's low budget production, its document of a place and people, why it wasn't available for decades, and its dreamlike, half-remembered quality.

#43 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound...

Jackie and Greg take up housework for Bong Joon Ho's PARASITE from 2019. Topics of discussion include the inspirations for the film, Bong's mastery of the medium, how architecture plays a part in the story, and whether or not it will endure on the Sight & Sound list for decades to come.

#90 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/gre...

Jackie and Greg get out their easels and brushes for Céline Sciamma's PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE from 2019. Topics of discussion include the film's stature as an instant-classic, the rhythm of its editing, how sometimes less is more, and argue whether it should be on the Sight & Sound list or not.

#30 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-an...

Jackie and Greg sip tea for Jordan Peele's GET OUT from 2017. Topics of discussion include Peele's rich script, its cultural relevance, the casting of Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, and its inclusion in the arthouse horror renaissance.

#95 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

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Jackie and Greg run amok for Věra Chytilová's DAISIES from 1966. Topics of discussion include its playful construction, what it says about the time and place in which it was made, how that differs from what Chytilová intended, and why it's an enduring feminist classic.

#28 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

Jackie and Greg traipse through the jungle for Apichatpong Weerasethakul's TROPICAL MALADY from 2004. Topics of discussion include its style, elements of magical realism, slow cinema, and why Weerasethakul is a true original.

#95 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

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Jackie and Greg swelter in the summer heat for Spike Lee's DO THE RIGHT THING from 1989. Topics of discussion include its ensemble cast, Lee's prodigious talent, and why it's one of the best and most important films of the 20th century.

#24 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

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Jackie and Greg talk Ousmane Sembène's masterpiece of French-Senegalese cinema, BLACK GIRL from 1966. Topics of discussion include M’Bissine Thérèse Diop's performance, the film's stylistic influences, how it packs a lot into 59 minutes, and why it remains even more relevant today than when it was made.

#95 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/s...

Jackie and Greg wait for important test results for Agnès Varda's CLEO FROM 5 TO 7. Topics of discussion include Varda's style, how she compares to her Nouvelle Vague contemporaries, the film's mix of realism and fantasy, and its reverberating influence on cinema.

#14 on Sight & Sound's 2022 "The Greatest Films of All Time" list.  https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/greatest-films-all-time

Jackie and Greg start torrid affairs with ghosts to prep for Kenji Mizoguchi's UGETSU from 1953. Topics of discussion include the film as a tapestry of several short stories, Mizoguchi's unrelenting dourness, and how it ranks among the other jidaigeki films on the list.

#50 on Sight & Sound's 2012 "The 100 Greatest Films of All Time" list.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/polls/greatest-fi...

Jackie and Greg travel through time for Chris Marker's LA JETÉE from 1963. Topics of discussion include its undefinable mood, its stature as one of the most famous short films ever made, and why Marker was one of the most resourceful filmmakers of his generation.

#50 on Sight & Sound's 2012 "The 100 Greatest Films of All Time" list.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/polls/greatest-films-all-time...

Jackie and Greg don their champagne flutes and boxing gloves for Charlie Chaplin's CITY LIGHTS from 1931. Topics of discussion include the film's long shooting schedule, Chaplin's perfectionism, where it sits in his filmography, and whether it's his definitive film or not.

#50 on Sight & Sound's 2012 "The 100 Greatest Films of All Time" list.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/poll...

Jackie and Greg ascend Mount Rushmore for Alfred Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST from 1959. Topics of discussion include Hitchcock's controlled direction, the film as a series of set pieces, how its outlandishness is pitched just right, and why it's his horniest film.

#53 on Sight & Sound's 2012 "The 100 Greatest Films of All Time" list.
https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/polls/greatest-...

Jackie and Greg attempt to stomach Jean-Luc Godard's 4+ hour manifesto on cinema (and himself), HISTOIRE(S) DU CINÉMA from 1998. (T)opics (o)f (d)iscussi(o)n include the film's incoherence, Godard's pretentiousness, how there are a few nuggets of wisdom littered throughout, and why you should just watch Mark Cousins' THE STORY OF FILM: AN ODYSSEY (2011) instead.

#48 on Sight & Sound's 2012 "The...