September 25, 2020
[School of Movies 2020]
The man in the hat is back, and this time he's brought his father. What could have been a much goofier, hapless escapade, diffusing the focus of Raiders, turned out to be the most personal journey for Henry Jones, (Junior and Senior).
There's a real thrill to be had from the idea of picking up a search that has spanned thousands of years and racing the Nazis to this immensely symbolic artefact, which itself contains a tricksy definition of what Eternal Life entails. This film is a masterful example of Spielberg being able to keep exhilarating momentum while maintaining a close hand on personal, familial relationships.
Guests
Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa
James Batchelor of Bond and Beyond @James_Batchelor
September 18, 2020
[School of Movies 2020]
The Steven Spielberg season continues with this 1987, semi-autobiographical account from author J.G. Ballard of his time as a boy caught up in the Japanese occupation of Shanghai in World War II.
Since we get this conflict from a child's eye view there's a strange energy to proceedings, as our pampered urchin Jamie cannot fully comprehend what's going on as he bounces from one adopted set of guardians to another. All he knows is that he's lost his real parents, he loves fighter pilots and he is going to have to struggle to survive.
Brendan Agnew of Cinapse @BLCAgnew
![Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom]()
June 26, 2020
[School of Movies 2020]
The year of Spielberg continues (though I have a feeling 2020 isn't going to be remembered for this, no matter how good we make the shows) with the second Indiana Jones movie, which is in fact a prequel. There's... reasons for that.
Ditching the writer of The Empire Strikes Back, producer George Lucas brought in the duo who would pen Howard the Duck, and decided to really lean on the colonial atmosphere of movies that were racist as hell fifty years before this film emerged into cinemas.
I think the best way I put it is you can easily *watch* Raiders of the Lost Ark followed by Temple of Doom, and have a good time with both, but it's quite another thing to start an explorative and enthusiastic film analysis with the first and then graduate to the second. It feels like a booby trap and the floor falls away. And you tumble into a pit of spikes, lava and dodgy representation for Asian people, women, frankly even white dudes!
Guest
Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa
April 10, 2020
[School of Movies 2020]
The Spielberg Season continues with this seminal classic about a gardener, abandoned and far from home, forced to throw his lot in with a group of strange aliens.
This is a means of Steve re-exploring the broken family of Close Encounters with a softer, child's perspective. And It's an intimate, playful, heart-aching tale that still absolutely stands up today.
It is absolutely worthy of a re-watch, especially now, when families are both locked in together and also separated and broken.
Guest
Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa
February 28, 2020
[School of Movies 2020]
Our year of Spielberg continues. Prior to Jaws in '75 he directed Duel and The Sugarland Express, and after it came Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1941. We talk about all of these on our Quick Review Patreon bonus feed, but we are saving the Main Event shows for the ones we have a LOT to say about.
In 1981, a year after The Empire Strikes Back, Steve collaborated with his buddy George Lucas to give Harrison Ford his second iconic silver screen role; embodying the most famous adventurer of all time. Now the Indy movies may not be overflowing with deep, philosophical quandaries, but at least two of them are cinematic entertainment in its purest form, and we worked extra hard to find the details and flourishes that make this first outing such a classic.
Guest
Kevin Veighey @GoldenTalesGeek
January 10, 2020
[School of Movies 2020]
Throughout this year we will be covering the films of Steven Spielberg in Main Event shows as well as Quick Reviews. And we figured we would start with a bang with a transformative work from 1975 that may not have been the first summer blockbuster, but definitely started the trend of the event movie that everyone goes to see and talks about, one that that grew with Star Wars into what big budget cinema is today.
However, this creature feature is really, REALLY strong in so many other ways beyond spectacle, and it was an absolute nightmare to film. We brought in a special guest for his first time on our show, and the enthusiasm just bounced off the walls within our recording session. He will definitely be back.
Guest
Chris Chipman of The Chipman Bros Tangent @The Chippa
