Saturday, October 7, 2023
Thursday, October 5, 2023
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
The Essential Films Podcast Episode #59: THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
We're back! After an unplanned hiatus, we are back on your podcast app of choice. On this week's adventure Adolfo and Mark discuss John Ford's THE GRAPES OF WRATH.
On Today's Show:
- Mark’s Hollywood Journey
- Mark wins an Oscar!
- Walt Disney Archives
- How to properly hold an Oscar
- The glory days of VHS
- “A Very Special Epsidoe”
- The heaviness of The Grapes of Wrath
- Watching the movie instead of reading the book for school
- The differences between the movie and the novel
- Quick turnaround from the novel’s publishing to the release of the film
- Very socialist messaging, which is odd in the times of communist scapegoating
- The Great Henry Fonda
- “Just following orders”
- Tom’s family thinking he broke out of jail
- Heartbreaking shots
- Grandpa’s medicine
- Holding out hope for meager rewards
- The brotherhood of the working class
- Giving Grandma the Weekend at Bernie’s treatment
- The dwindling of the family
- Movie is clearly pro-Union
- The Company Store scam
- Tom’s sense of dignity, duty and self respect won’t allow him to be bullied
- The government working camp is good for them, but it only lasts temporarily
- Tom’s sacrifice for his family and following his calling to do good
- Is tom a christ figure?
- “We’re the people”
- The power of the work and anti corporation - basically tenets of communism
- Grapes of Wrath was woke before woke was a thing
- Grapes of Wrath’s Academy Award nominations and wins, stealing the Best Director from Hitchcock who never got an Oscar
- An inspirational but depressing movie
- Will AFI update their lists?
Films Referenced:
- Rebecca (1940)
- The Philadelphia Story (1940)
- The Ten Commandments (1956)
- White Wilderness (1958)
- Some Like it Hot (1959)
- The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
- The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
- On Golden Pond (1981)
- ET: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
- Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Punky Brewster (TV Series, 1984-1988)
- Diff'rent Strokes (TV Series, 1978-1986)
- Full House (TV Series, 1987-1995)
- Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990)
- Dinosaurs (TV Series, 1991-1994)
- Boy Meets World (1993-2000)
- Kill Bill: Vol 1 (2003)
- Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
- Beau Is Afraid (2023)
Links:
Substack: adolfoacosta.substack.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adolfojacosta
Website: essentialfilmspodcast.com
Sunday, September 24, 2023
Les Diaboliques (1955)
LES DIABOLIQUES
1955 • Henri-Georges Clouzot
Screenplay: Henri-Georges Clouzot, Jérôme Géronimi based on the novel by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac
Starring: Simone Signoret, Michel Serrault, Vera Clouzot
It's always the ones who know how that get drowned. The ones who can't, don't go near the pool.
Henri-Georges Clouzot's psychological thriller Les Diaboliques is one of the finest works of horror ever captured. He accomplished this without monsters. Without aliens. Even without ax-wielding psychopaths. Clouzot uses mood, lighting, and brooding cinematography to capture the terror. Two women, equally spurned by a chauvinist school headmaster, conspire to kill the man that's making their lives hell. But after the murder goes down, the real nightmare begins. The next day the body disappears and neither conspirator knows what happened. Was he still alive? Did they not kill him properly? Or, even more terrifying... is there something supernatural at work here? Clouzot doesn't let up the suspense until the very last frames of the film, ultimately climaxing in quite simply the best twist endings of all time.
The story, written also by Clouzot, has a perfectly structured three-act arc. Act I sets up the characters, the location, and the murder. Michel Delassalle is the headmaster, a cruel chauvinist pig. He does not hide the fact that he has a mistress from his wife. Too bad he treats his mistress the same way he treats his wife: like garbage. After both women join forces to kill him, they drown him in the school's dirty swimming pool. Act II starts the mystery. The next day the pool is drained to the horror of both women, however, no body is found. The killers are shocked, but continue their duties at the school as normal. That is, however, until there are multiple sightings of the headmaster on campus. The killers (or are they?) slowly start to lose their minds as the mystery deepens. Act III is the terrifying conclusion, which will not be spoiled here. The resolution to the unbearable suspense is highly satisfying.
The formula for this film has often been imitated, but no film has ever surpassed it. This is a French production, so for English speakers, there are subtitles. What's amazing is that the film's visual language is universal. Clouzot's direction, combined with Armand Thirard's cinematography, does all the talking. It is beautifully shot; the black and white works perfectly to set the mood and accentuate the dark corners of this world.
Last but not least, the acting is top quality. Véra Clouzot, the director's wife, played the schoolmaster's wife while Simone Signoret played the mistress. The acting weight of the movie rests on both their shoulders as they have to do the majority of the heavy lifting. And they both hold up their end of the bargain. Clouzot plays the demure shrinking violet pushed to the edge of murder. Signoret's mistress is the femme fatale who plots the grisly event. Once the mystery sets in, the two women go slowly insane, paranoid, irrational, and increasingly terrified. Both actresses do an exceptional job of conveying the madness of the two killers.
Simply put Les Diaboliques is a brilliant piece of horror.
Die, darling! Die and do it quickly!
Friday, September 22, 2023
Saturday, December 24, 2022
The Essential Films Podcast Episode #58: A CHRISTMAS CAROL @ THE MOVIES!
Are you the podcast whose coming was foretold to me? On today's podcast adventure, Adolfo and Mark play Podcast Hosts of Christmas Past as they look at the long history of screen adaptations of Charles Dickens' immortal classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL! Movies discussed include: A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938), SCROOGE (1951), SCROOGE (1970), SCROOGED (1988), THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992) and many more!
Saturday, November 19, 2022
The Essential Films Podcast Episode #56: FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
EPISODE DESCRIPTION
On today's podcast adventure, Adolfo and Mark return to discuss the 1953 Academy Award winning FROM HERE TO ETERNITY!
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Disney's CRUELLA [2021] *First Time Watching* reaction & commentary
"I draw the line at CGI dogs."
On today's adventure, join me as I watch Disney's CRUELLA.
LINKS:
Website: www.essentialfilmspodcast.com
Podcast: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/es...
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Letterboxd Profile: [list of Movies watched]
https://letterboxd.com/adolfojacosta/...
Social Media
Twitter: @EssentialFilms
https://www.facebook.com/TheEssential...
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 17 U.S.C. § 106 and 17 U.S.C. § 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
Wednesday, May 11, 2022
Marvel's BLACK WIDOW *First Time Watching (Sorta)* reaction & commentary
I fell asleep the first time I watched Black Widow. Will I make it through this time?
LINKS:
Website: www.essentialfilmspodcast.com
Podcast: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/es...
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Letterboxd Profile: [list of Movies watched]
https://letterboxd.com/adolfojacosta/...
Social Media
Twitter: @EssentialFilms
https://www.facebook.com/TheEssential...
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 17 U.S.C. § 106 and 17 U.S.C. § 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
Revisiting STAR WARS THE LAST JEDI *Is It really THAT bad* reaction & co...
May the 4th be with you! I go back and re-visit STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI! Is it really THAT bad? Spoiler: It's not.
LINKS:
Website: www.essentialfilmspodcast.com
Podcast: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/es...
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...
Letterboxd Profile: [list of Movies watched]
https://letterboxd.com/adolfojacosta/...
Social Media
Twitter: @EssentialFilms
https://www.facebook.com/TheEssential...
*Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 17 U.S.C. § 106 and 17 U.S.C. § 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.
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