discursion: a film podcast

Episode 21 - Twilight

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 17:31:23 GMT

The year 1990 saw the release of both Twilight and Twin Peaks, detective films set on the periphery which do not share the same level of recognition. In this episode, Dominic and Steven celebrate the former, Hungarian hidden gem and consider aspects of auteurism and audiovisual style at the end of the Cold War. Our reference copy was a Blu-Ray released by Second Run, following the film's restoration.

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Episode 20 - Right Now, Wrong Then

Thu, 07 Mar 2024 16:57:43 GMT

In episode 20 of discursion, Dominic and Steven take a second look at the twisty Right Now, Wrong Then (Hong Sangsoo, 2015) in its Grasshopper Blu-Ray edition, a film that provides two different versions of one filmmaker's travels to a festival where he will meet and become enamoured of a young painter (twice over, with different interactions and outcomes that we are invited to observe). As Dennis Lim writes in his recent book on the South Korean director, it is also possible to find in this film that 'repetition is both the realm of the banal and the otherworldly'.

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Episode 19 - Brothers and Sisters of the Toda Family

Sat, 04 Nov 2023 18:30:53 GMT

In episode 19, Dominic and Steven turn back the clock to 1941 with an almost forgotten Japanese film directed by Yasujiro Ozu, recently resorted and released for home viewing by the British Film Institute. The director's stylistic trademarks are prominent enough to rediscover and discuss in this story of family negotiating their paternal inheritance and wartime.

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Episode 18 - Infernal Affairs

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:24:18 GMT

Steven and Dominic return with an exploration of secret identity and stylish standoffs in the Hong Kong-set action thriller, Infernal Affairs, recently remastered and released on home video for the Criterion Collection.

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Episode 17 - Medium Cool

Sun, 15 May 2022 19:01:17 GMT

Dominic and Steven reconsider Medium Cool (1969). This American cinéma vérité film was directed, shot and scripted by Haskell Wexler, who extensively used handheld cameras before the era of Steadicam technology, partly to track the violence surrounding the Democratic National Convention of 1968 in Chicago. Concludes a mini-series on the mobile camera (episodes 14-17).

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Episode 16 - The Last Laugh (Part 2)

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 18:46:40 GMT

Dominic and Steven examine a key sequence involving the moving camera in the second of two episodes dedicated to The Last Laugh (F. W. Murnau, 1924), available via Eureka's Masters of Cinema DVD series. Part of a mini-series on the mobile camera (episodes 14-17).

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Episode 15 - The Last Laugh (Part 1)

Sat, 02 Oct 2021 21:35:42 GMT

Der Letzte Mann (released as The Last Laugh in the USA), directed by F.W. Murnau, is well known for its 'unbounded' moving camera techniques. The film has now been re-issued within a boxset by Eureka Masters of Cinema. Dominic and Steven examine this German silent film across two episodes, beginning with the sympathetic story of a hotel porter stripped of his rank and community status in an archetypal 1920s modern European city. Part of a mini-series on the mobile camera (episodes 14-17).

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Episode 14 - Madame de...

Sun, 01 Aug 2021 13:23:14 GMT

Dominic and Steven revisit the Max Ophuls French classic 'Madame de...' (1953) which has been released by the BFI on Blu-Ray/DVD. Episode 14 beings a new mini-series of podcasts on interesting camera movements, the theme of which emerges in the course of discussing the film's visual style, performance and use of jewellery.

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Episode 13 - Mona Lisa

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 08:55:02 GMT

Steven and Dominic take a closer look at Mona Lisa (1986), the London-set film directed by Neil Jordan and starring Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson, with Michael Caine and Robbie Coltrane. Important themes include Hoskins' portrayal of naivety within a gangster world of decay and the film's representation of race. Concludes our episodic theme of the thriller which ranged across the USA, Japan, Korea, and the UK (episodes 9-13).

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Episode 12 - Cure

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 20:46:28 GMT

Dominic and Steven catch-up for another in-depth conversation about film with Cure (1997), a Tokyo-set procedural directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Recently released on home media for the first time in the UK via Eureka/Masters of Cinema. Part of our episodic theme of thrillers (episodes 9-13).

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Episode 11 - Burning

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 20:53:38 GMT

Dominic and Steven begin 2021 with a look at the South Korean psycho-thriller film, Burning (Chang-dong Lee, 2018), which is compared with Parasite and examined in terms of characterisation. They finish with a sequence analysis involving Ben (Steven Yeun) and his flat. Part of a mini-series on thrillers (episodes 9-13).

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Episode 10 - Uncut Gems

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 20:24:02 GMT

Dominic and Steven return to the acclaimed 2019 NYC thriller Uncut Gems, directed by the Safdie brothers, as part of their mini-series on thrillers (episodes 9-13). Coming to the Criterion Collection soon.

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Episode 9 - Under the Silver Lake

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 21:04:20 GMT

Steven and Dominic return for a mini-series of episodes on thrillers starting with Under the Silver Lake (David Robert Mitchell, 2018). The conversations ranges across the LA noir genre tradition, casting, cinematography, performances, and the film's opening 2 minutes in detail. MUBI has recently released this film on Blu-Ray DVD and streaming.

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Episode 8 - To Sleep With Anger

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 22:33:32 GMT

Dominic and Steven talk through Charles Burnett's LA family drama To Sleep With Anger (1990), now considered a classic alongside previous outputs of Black Independent Cinema such as Burnett's MA project film, Killer of Sheep (1977). Celebrated by Criterion with their new BluRay edition.

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Episode 7 - Khrustalyov, My Car!

Wed, 08 Jan 2020 21:08:31 GMT

Dominic, Steven and special guest Dr Miguel Gaggiotti enter the dizzying world of Aleksey German via his film, Khrustalyov, My Car! (1998), set around the time of the doctors plot and Stalin's death in post-war Russia. Recently released on Arrow Academy Blu-Ray.

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Episode 6 - Duck Soup

Mon, 10 Jun 2019 21:29:41 GMT

Join Dominic, Steven and special guest, film editor/slapstick specialist Polly Rose, as they revisit the iconic Marx Brothers' film Duck Soup (Leo McCarey, 1933) - now on Arrow BluRay.

3:18 mayhem, Marx & Dumont; 7:15 plot; 10:30 tone & pacing; 15:00 set-pieces; 18:00 Harpo & violence; 22:35 editing/sound; 25:50 Chico; 28:40 Keaton's contribution

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Episode 5 - Cold Water

Mon, 22 Apr 2019 14:28:04 GMT

Dominic and Steven discuss Olivier Assays' alternative coming of age film, Cold Water (1994), a fine early career effort that has been recently released via Criterion DVD. Bailey the cat voices his concerns.

1:02 plot summary; 2:22 coming of age; 6:35 performances/camerawork/spontaneity; 11:54 characterisation; 14:48 rock rebellion; 17:30 sound; 22:15 endings; 24:06 coldness; 25:47 super 16; 28:02 'almost experimental'

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Episode 4 - Out of the Past

Sat, 23 Feb 2019 10:20:48 GMT

Out of the Past (Jacques Tourneur, 1947) is out on BluRay in the UK (via Universal/HMV's Premium Collection). Dominic and Steven revisit the quintessential film noir and offer their thoughts.

1:57 plot summary; 8:23 wise-cracking dialogue; 12:43 performances; 20:55 lighting; 25:28 film noir and visual style; noir "heroes" 27:25

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Episode 3 - Phantom Thread

Tue, 04 Dec 2018 20:12:13 GMT

Dominic and Steven watch Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread (2017) on 4K BluRay (Universal Studios) and discuss.

0:36 So, where are we?; 3:15 Games & rituals; 6:38 PTA’s films; 9:12 Who are the protagonists?; 12:38 Changing times; 15:10 Food & appetite; 18:42 Is this an old-fashioned film?; 21:27 Dresses; 23:20 The film’s politics; migration; 27:40 Swallowed lines

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Episode 2 - House

Sun, 21 Oct 2018 22:15:10 GMT

Dominic and Steven discuss Nobuhiko Obayashi's House (1977), a cult comedy-horror from Japan now available to view on BluRay in the Eureka/Masters of Cinema series. Recorded 1 June 2018.

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Episode 1 - 3:10 to Yuma

Fri, 02 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Episode one of Discursion, a podcast about films. Dominic Lash and Steven Roberts discuss the Criterion UK blu-ray of 3:10 to Yuma (Delmer Daves, 1957). Recorded 2nd March 2018. The sound was a bit 'roomy' as we were still working some technical things out at this point!

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