Latest News and Reviews

UW Film Club Podcast #99: Mandy

“Your podcast exudes a cosmic darkness… do you see that?”

In this special extended-length episode, our host is joined by two Nicolas Cage scholars to discuss the legendary actor’s magnum opus — Panos Cosmatos’ 2018 psychedelic action-horror film, Mandy! We discuss the film’s themes of grief, revenge, drug use, masculine aggression and more– while gushing over Benjamin Loeb’s gorgeous digital cinematography, and Cosmatos’ rip-roaring action sequences. In the end, we also get to talk about how Mandy has influenced these two young filmmakers in their own budding ventures as actors/directors. Strap in — it’s a wild ride!

ON THIS EPISODE: Harrison Hall, Sam Neer, Rowan Tull

You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every week for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

UW Film Club Podcast #98: The Happiness of the Katakuris

“By order of Queen Elizabeth, listen to my podcast!”

In this episode, we sit down to discuss Takashi Miike’s 2001 film ‘The Happiness of the Katakuris’, a happy-go-lucky pop-rock musical about love, family, and suppressing the trauma that comes with serially burying dead bodies. We had lots of fun talking about Miike’s ‘elevated tackiness’ aesthetic, and the clash between the film’s various claymation sequences and its early-digital aesthetics. Listen in to hear us talk about this crazy, heartfelt cult classic!

ON THIS EPISODE: Harrison Hall, Kian Schmeer
You can find us on Facebook at /UWFilmClub, and on Twitter and Instagram @FilmClubUW. Make sure to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Google Play, and tune in every week for a new episode of the UW Film Club Podcast!

Review: ‘The Beekeeper’: Sweet as Honey

I put off writing about The Beekeeper for a while, mainly because I had a lot going on when I first saw it, but also because I wasn’t sure what I could say about it. Its tense, cleanly shot action had already received much praise; some thought the film’s story was too dumb, others rightly responded, “What’s wrong with that?” This is a film about a beekeeper who’s an ex-agent of a group called The Beekeepers, where characters make various and probably unnecessary comparisons and allusions to bees throughout. If you can’t get on board with that, then this isn’t for you.

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Review: ‘The Zone of Interest’: The Horror of Complacency

From the very first trailer, The Zone of Interest is instantly captivating. The blips of beautifully crafted shots mixed with the unnerving score interspersed with reviews expressing the film’s urgency.  The film is written and directed by Johnathan Glazer (Under the Skin, Sexy Beast and Birth) and is loosely adapted from the novel The Zone of Interest by Martin Amis. The film follows Nazi officer Rudolf Höss and his family as they live a shockingly normal life while sharing a wall with the concentration camp Auschwitz. The Zone of Interest makes us confront the unimaginable; forcing the viewer to grapple with the ability of human beings to ignore the unspeakable happening right in front of their eyes. 

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Review: ‘Miller’s Girl’ Leaves Much to be Desired

The decline of the erotic thriller has left audiences unfulfilled, bored, and frankly over sex in the movies. The unbridled ecstasy of 80s erotica is due for a renaissance, though we’re obviously nowhere near this. Some of us ache for more, and some of us are satisfied with none at all. Miller’s Girl, directed by Jade Halley Bartlett, teeters somewhere in the middle of this, resembling its passionate predecessors, but ultimately succumbing to mediocrity and missed opportunities.  

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Review: ‘The Iron Claw’: Sins of the Father

The story of the Von Erich family is one of triumph and tragedy. To many pro wrestling fans, they are considered royalty. From a young age director Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest) had an ambition to create a film detailing the family’s life. Not only were the Von Erichs renowned for their wrestling skills, they were also known for a string of familial tragedies. In his third feature film The Iron Claw, Durkin set out to tell their story.

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Review: ‘All of Us Strangers’: An Exploration of Love and Loss

Andrew Haigh paints a dreamlike picture in the emotional and beautiful All of Us Strangers. It is Haigh’s most emotional work to date exploring themes of love and loss through the lens of a quiet fantasy. Adam (Andrew Scott) and Harry (Paul Mescal) are the leading men who have a budding love, being the only two people living in a large London skyrise. The building is notably lonely and bare which seems to be something that Adam is used to since the death of his parents during his formative years. Harry provides solace for Adam as he explores what was lost during visits to his childhood home.

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Review: ‘Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire’: Zack Snyder Does It Again

Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon: Part One – A Child of Fire released on Netflix on December 15th, 2023, burdened with an overly-long title and an unfortunate lack of cohesive plot or characters. Rebel Moon represents Snyder’s long-awaited crack at a space opera, packed with sneering villains and epic CGI battles, endlessly hyped by Snyder’s fanbase, but ultimately doomed to be remembered as yet another generic, shallow, derivative, and utterly forgettable film.

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Review: The Latest Rendition of ‘The Color Purple’ Shines Bright

In The Color Purple, directed by Blitz Bazawule, audiences relive the tale of Celie as she navigates the numerous hardships in her life in this coming-of-age musical based on the 1982 novel of the same name by Alice Walker. The expository novel was released to critical acclaim for its striking look into the hardships faced by women and African Americans in the early 20th century and won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction in 1983. Walker’s work was also controversial having been banned, challenged, and censored numerous times across the country for its mature themes and depictions of violence. Nevertheless, this novel has integrated itself into the bookshelves of many around the world and there was roaring anticipation for the release of this year’s version based not just on the novel itself, but on the showstopping Broadway musical.

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Review: ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour’ is Sparkling, Don’t You Let it Go

Singer-songwriter Taylor Alison Swift is no doubt a global icon. Her rise to stardom has seen her constantly shifting her identity as a musician and as a celebrity. Bursting onto the music scene with her self-titled debut album, Taylor has grown from a teenage country singer to a woman confident in her talents and her voice. Never afraid to reinvent herself, never afraid to stand up for what she believes in, Taylor is more than a pop star, she is an inspiration for her millions of fans. 

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