Tilda Swinton – This Had Oscar Buzz

349 – The Deep End (with Bobby Finger!)

We’re thrilled to welcome back author and Who? Weekly co-host Bobby Finger this week to talk about a fun modest thriller that helped turn one of our favorites into an industry darling. In 2001, director duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel brought thriller adaptation The Deep End to Sundance starring queer art cinema icon Tilda Swinton. As a mother who goes to great lengths to protect her closeted teenage son who she suspects of murdering his older lover, Swinton is a revelation and perhaps gave the first signs that she was at home in traditional fare as she was in the avant garde.

This episode, we talk about our love for Swinton and she joins our Six Timers Club. We also talk about the wide-reaching but under-discussed filmography of McGehee/Siegel, Goran Visnjic’s moment in time, and Lake Tahoe as a thriller vibe.

Topics also include Joe’s ABC era, our favorite Tilda performances, and the 2001 Best Actress race.

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334 – The French Dispatch

We’ve got a new Wes Anderson movie on the horizon, so why not revisit one of his more divisive films: 2021’s The French Dispatch. The film features a bursting murderer’s row of cast members to fill out Anderson’s ode to journalism, a triptych of stories all set within the world of a fictional magazine. Originally promised for 2020’s Cannes Film Festival and delayed more than a year by COVID, the film arrived to American audiences and a growing faction of those growing restless with Anderson’s whole deal.

This episode, we talk about our growing appreciation for the film since release and Anderson’s “nesting doll” approach to storytelling. We also discuss Jeffrey Wright’s celebrated performance, Christoph Waltz’s cameo that lands him in our Six Timers Club, and Anderson’s Oscar history.

Topics also include the 2021 Production Design nominees, Anderson’s win for Live Action short, and the weird 2021 official Globes tweets.

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332 – Snowpiercer (with Bilge Ebiri!)

The beloved Bong Joon-ho is finally back in cinemas after his global success with Parasite, and to help us celebrate Mickey 17, we invited Vulture film critic Bilge Ebiri to discuss director Bong’s divisive Snowpiercer. Based on a French graphic novel, the film casts a global set of stars as the occupants of a train in the future whose segments are divided by class. The film was director Bong’s first foray into (mostly) English language filmmaking and became a cause célèbre for film critics and fans alike upon its delayed release.

This episode, we talk about the last gasp of Harvey Scissorhands that delayed its American release and the film’s place as one of the first examples of day-and-date release. We also talk about Tilda Swinton’s place in the supporting actress race, Chris Evans vs. Ryan Gosling, and the film’s vision in creating each of the train’s distinct sections.

Topics also include recent Sundance piracy, Netflix DVDs, and “babies taste best.”

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285 – A Bigger Splash

We’re stoked for Challengers this week, so naturally we’re talking about one of our favorites in the Luca Guadagnino resume, 2016’s underdiscussed and hot as hell A Bigger Splash. Premiering at the 2015 Venice Film Festival and playing internationally in 2015, but opening late spring 2016 in the States, A Bigger Splash is a rock-and-roll-inflected tale of sex and ego that loosely remakes La Piscine. With a foursome of stellar performances by Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Dakota Johnson, the film earned strong notices especially for Fiennes’ bawdy dance moves, but category confusion and the spring release hindered his chances.

This week, we talk about the film’s portrayal of desire and deception, and how slyly the film weaves in themes of morality. We also discuss Tilda’s vocal acting choice, Johnson’s career emerging from 50 Shades, and the 2015 Venice jury. And we reveal the topic for the coming May miniseries!!

Topics also include poolside etiquette, adult braces, and Regina King being edited out of Beastly.

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169 – Suspiria

“Volk” intensifies this week, because we’re talking about Luca Guadgnino’s 2018 Suspiria remake! Diverging greatly in style and story from the Dario Argento original, Luca Guadagnino followed up his Oscar success with Call Me By Your Name with this riff on witches, post-WWII Germany, feminine power, and the art of dance. Guadagnino’s mounting pedigree stirred some to expect the film as a potential awards play, even after the first footage of the film had some losing their lunch at CinemaCon. Starring Dakota Johnson as a novice ballerina from a strict religious upbringing and Tilda Swinton in three wildly divergent roles, Suspiria ultimately proved to be too violent and esoteric for Oscar, even leaving critics divided over its very unique approach to genre.

This episode, we look back at a remake that was almost directed by David Gordon Green and starred Natalie Portman, and the rise of Dakota Johnson as a stealthily great actress. We also discuss Swinton’s Oscar win for Michael Clayton and the attempt to hide her prosthetic-aided performance as Lutz Ebersdorf as Dr. Josef Klemperer.

Topics also include “that’s not true, Ellen”, Thom Yorke’s original score, and Amazon’s patchy history as an Oscar player.

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120 – Burn After Reading

After steamrolling in the previous season with No Country for Old Men, the Coen Brothers quickly returned to movie theatres with the brilliantly silly Burn After Reading. Though financially successful, the film proved divisive over the high dosage of standard Coen misanthropy despite brilliant, off-type casting for Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, and George Clooney. A veiled satire of the Bush administration, the film had a decent showing among precursors from the Golden Globes to the AARP Movies for Grownups, but still was shown no love by Oscar.

This episode, we look broadly at the odd particulars that kept Burn After Reading from nominations, from Pitt being overshadowed by Benjamin Button and an Original Screenplay field that proved surprisingly competitive even for the Oscar-favored Coens. We also look at McDormand’s evolution into “salt of the earth” roles and the 2007 Oscar ceremony as the launch pad for this film.

Topics also include Kate Winslet competing with herself, WGA ineligibilities, and what constitutes a “buddy drama”.

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