The Filmlings

To kick off our new series about fairy tales in cinema, Alex and Jonathan do a deep dive into three adaptations of the story of Pinocchio: Pinocchio (1940), Pinocchio (2019), and Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022). We discuss the history of fairy tales, the variations of focus in each of these adaptations, and how fantasy is perceived and experienced through a variety of cinematic media. Skip to: (28:32) – Pinocchio (1940) (51:34) – Pinocchio (2019) (1:13:59) – Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (1:41:20) – Overall (1:49:54) – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) Beauty and the Beast (1991) Frozen (2013) For more information, visit the blog:https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2023/7/28/pinocchio Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

To wrap up our Westerns 101 series, Alex and Jonathan take a look at the current state of the western genre through Rango (2011), Slow West (2015), and Hell or High Water (2016). We talk about ways to take the tropes of an established genre and exaggerate them for comedic effect, how to take the setting of the west and present a story with modern sensibilities, and how the themes of the classic west can be transposed on the modern day. Skip to: (11:40) – Rango (35:00) – Slow West (51:03) – Hell or High Water (1:11:52) – Overall (1:25:14) – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions: After a break in June we'll be back in July with Pinocchio (1940) Pinocchio (2019) Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) For more information, visit the blog:https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2023/05/24/modern-west Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

A huge portion of the modern idea of what a western is can be traced back to an Italian director with an appreciation for samurai films, Sergio Leone. Today Alex and Jonathan look at his influence on the spaghetti western sub-genre with For a Few Dollars More (1965), Once Upon a Time in the West (1968), Duck, You Sucker! (1971). We discuss how Leone uses backstory and pacing to build tension, the specific tropes and identifiers of the spaghetti westerns, and the increasing scale of the themes that underlie the common elements. Skip to: (21:18) – For a Few Dollars More (47:21) – Once Upon a Time in the West (1:04:38) – Duck, You Sucker! (1:21:46) – Overall (1:40:48) – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions: Rango (2011) Slow West (2015) Hell or High Water (2016) For more information, visit the blog: https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2023/04/26/leone Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

As we continue our journey through the history of the western genre, Alex and Jonathan take a detour to Japan to discuss an era of chanbara (samurai) films that bridge the gap from classic westerns to spaghetti westerns. We're talking about Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954), Sanjuro (1962), The Sword of Doom (1966). We discuss the parallels between chanbara and western films, the ways samurai have been mythologized in similar ways to old west gunslingers, and the construction and deconstruction of the ideals of that mythology. Skip to: (10:01) – Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (34:05) – Sanjuro (58:45) – The Sword of Doom (1:18:04) – Overall (1:26:40) – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions For a Few Dollars More (1965) Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) Duck, You Sucker! (1971) For more information, visit the blog: ⁠https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2023/03/01/ford⁠ Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:⁠ https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF⁠

When discussing the history of the Western genre, there is no escaping the name or work of John Ford, so today Alex and Jonathan dive in to three of Ford's landmark films: My Darling Clementine (1946), The Searchers (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). We talk about the ways Western films elevate actual historical events to the level of mythology, the themes and tropes that are presented and deconstructed through Ford's films, and how Ford uses film to pull back the mythological curtain of his own early films in the genre. Skip to: (12:47) – My Darling Clementine (44:36) – The Searchers (1:04:27) – The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1:20:38) – Overall (1:30:56) – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions: Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) Sanjuro (1962) The Sword of Doom (1966) For more information, visit the blog:https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2023/03/01/ford Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion:https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

To kick off a new series of episodes that will give an overview of the history of the western genre, Alex and Jonathan start off by talking about three early western films from the pre-sound era: The Testing Block (1920), Sky High (1922), and The Iron Horse (1924). We discuss the development of both the themes and the action of the western genre, how the early westerns lacked many of the common tropes we expect in westerns today, and how John Ford set himself apart early as one of the great western directors. Skip to: (19:34) – The Testing Block (44:30) – Sky High (58:36) – The Iron Horse (1:25:26) – Overall (1:36:17) – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions: My Darling Clementine (1946) The Searchers (1956) The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) For more information, visit the blog: https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2023/02/01/silent-westerns Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

For the winter wrap-up episode to close out the year, Alex and Jonathan talk about four films that focus on the ways that people have to survive in freezing and desperate situations: Touching the Void (2003), The Grey (2011), Everest (2015), and Arctic (2018). We discuss ways to tell a true story through documentary and historical reenactment, as well as how fictional survival stories can use theme to varying degrees. Skip to: 9:32 – Touching the Void 27:52 – The Grey 39:29 – Everest 1:10:26 – Arctic 1:27:23 – Overall 1:34:07 – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions: Stay tuned for Season 7! For more information, visit the blog: https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2022/12/21/icepod Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The December Marquee: https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2022/11/30/december-22/ Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

From the very first photographs of motion, horses have been integrated with the cinema, so today Alex and Jonathan talk about different ways horses can be used to drive a story in The Black Stallion (1979), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), Seabiscuit (2003), and War Horse (2011). We discuss horses as both thematic metaphors and characterizations, what makes them so compelling to watch on film, and ultimately how horses reflect and amplify the virtues or vices of the human characters. Skip to: 13:42 – The Black Stallion 31:56 – Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron 50:12 – Seabiscuit (50:12) 1:10:39 – War Horse 1:29:27 – Overall 1:35:02 – Coming Attractions Coming Attractions: Touching the Void (2003) The Grey (2011) Everest (2015) Arctic (2018) For more information, visit the blog: https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2022/11/23/horses Join us on Discord for ongoing film discussion: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF Support the Show! Patreon: https://patreon.com/thefilmlings Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thefilmlings

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The November Marquee. Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF