Author Archives: The Hyphenates

Our Next Hyphenate: Lynn Shelton

Writer-director-producer-editor-actress and September 2014 Hyphenate Lynn Shelton!
Writer-director-producer-editor-actress and September 2014 Hyphenate Lynn Shelton

When Humpday came out in 2009, we were pretty enamoured. Although we were hardly experts in the mumblecore movement*, what we’d seen of it had not been hugely inspiring, and Humpday single-handedly changed that: the film was so funny, endearing, and brilliantly-constructed, it single-handedly turned us around on the whole sub-genre. The casual, handheld camera work was an aesthetic that added to the story, rather than feeling like it was simply the only method of production available.

From that moment, we committed writer/director Lynn Shelton's name to memory, and eagerly awaited her next film. That next film - 2011's Your Sister's Sister - was even better: a perfectly-executed film that took an outrageous setup and invested us in it wholly, subverting clichés in all the right ways.

So you can imagine we were pretty chuffed when Lynn agreed to be our next guest on the show, and we were very keen to find out who she would choose as her filmmaker. Who inspires one of independent cinema’s most exciting voices?

She has chosen French director Claire Denis, best known for films such as Beau Travail (1999), 35 Shots of Rum (2008) and White Material (2009). It's a fascinating choice, and we're really looking forward to watching or rewatching her films in preparation.

As always, the episode will be out on the last day of the month, so stock yourselves up on Shelton and Denis films and we'll meet you back here then.

Claire Denis
Legendary French filmmaker Claire Denis, the subject of our next episode

* Is “mumblecore” considered a legitimate term for the sub-genre, or a pejorative? We should look into that.

Swanberg on Mazursky

Joe Swanberg (left), and the director of his favourite film, Paul Mazursky (right)
Joe Swanberg (left), and the director of his favourite film, Paul Mazursky (right)

Funny story: we had some informal talks with the Melbourne International Film Festival earlier this year about possibly doing a show in conjunction with them, much like our live Sydney Film Festival show in June. For various reasons, we were unable to make it work, and so we set about pursuing some of the other names on our overly-long wishlist of guests.

Joe Swanberg, director of last year's outstanding Drinking Buddies, immediately agreed to be on the show. We were pretty excited about this, and started organising a time to record the US-based filmmaker via Skype.

“I will be in Melbourne in August for the film festival,” he replied. “Can we do it then?”

So, entirely by accident, we ended up doing a show with MIFF. The festival was excellent about our accidental booking of their guest, and slotted us in to Joe's press schedule. He was out here to introduce and promote his latest film, Happy Christmas, starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Lena Dunham and himself.

At first, we thought his choice of Paul Mazursky might have been a sentimental one given Mazursky had passed away only a month earlier, but interviews such as this one from January of this year proved that Joe has been extolling the virtues of Mazursky's films all along.

For us, Mazursky’s filmography hit at just the right time. After several months of being neck-deep in Robert Altman films, we were feeling massive Altman withdrawal symptoms at Hi4H HQ. So it was fitting to find Mazursky's films - particularly his early ones - had a real Altmanesque feel to them: long, observational takes and a strong focus on performance, not to mention a roster of Atlman actors including Elliott Gould, Donald Sutherland, George Segal and Michael Murphy. That’s not to suggest Mazursky was just Altman Lite; he definitely had a style all his own. The work he did throughout the 1970s feels so groundbreaking and original and exciting, it’s difficult to understand why so many of his films have slipped out of the conversation.

Joe had a chance to talk with Mazursky on stage and the insight he brings to a filmmaker whose name should be as fondly remembered as all the greats of the 1970s is incredible.

If you haven't seen any Paul Mazursky films, check out our cheat sheet here, then listen to the latest episode of Hell Is For Hyphenates.

Thanks to the Melbourne International Film Festival for their wonderful assistance, and to Joe Swanberg for his generosity.

Paul (left), Joe (middle) and Lee (right) recording the episode of 7 August 2014 in Melbourne

Hell Is For Hyphenates – August 2014

US indie filmmaker Joe Swanberg (Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas) joins the Hyphenates for our August 2014 edition, as we talk over the new releases of the past month, look at whether independent filmmakers can forge a career in the new media landscape, and check out the filmography of the influential and underrated director Paul Mazursky.

The Mazursky Cheat Sheet

Paul Mazursky

Early last year, we abandoned our original system whereby we wouldn't announce the guest or the filmmaker they were discussing until the day the podcast was out. On the urging of some of our listeners, we decided to change it up and announce both guest and filmmaker nearly a month before the episode launched. That way, anyone who wanted to play along at home could watch the works of our filmmaker-of-the-month and have a whole month to catch themselves up, much in the same way we ourselves do.

This isn’t always practical. Even our most committed listeners probably wouldn't be able to marathon all of, say, Billy Wilder or Robert Altman's filmography in time, so we've come up with a new idea. About a week or so before Hyphenates comes out, we're going to suggest a double feature that encapsulates the essential spirit of the filmmaker. Two films you can easily watch on a Friday night in order to get a good sense of the director we’ll be talking about.

So with the Paul Mazursky episode only a few days away, here are a couple of films you might want to seek out over the weekend.

PM Films

BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE (1969) and MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON (1984)

Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is the main reason we're talking about Mazursky. In the upcoming episode, guest Joe Swanberg reveals that Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice is his favourite film of all time, and talks about the influence it had on Swanberg’s biggest hit, 2013's Drinking Buddies. Bob & Carol was Mazursky's first ever film, and was a critical and commercial hit. To understand Mazursky's career, this film is essential. Then, to get a feeling for where he went next after his amazing run of 1970s zetigeist-capturing comedy-dramas, watch 1984's Moscow on the Hudson, about a Russian circus performer (Robin Williams) who experiences life outside of Soviet Russia during a fateful trip to New York. It's broader and glossier than his earlier work, but still an interesting work, and a good indication of how Mazursky’s style progressed.

Substitutions: If you can't get Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, try An Unmarried Woman (1978). If you can't get Moscow on the Hudson, try Down and Out In Beverly Hills (1986).

The Hidden Gem: Want to add in one of Mazursky's lesser-known films, one that (in our humble opinion) ranks amongst his best despite never being discussed? Try Tempest (1982), his loose, modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare's final play, with John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Raul Julia, and, in her first ever film, Molly Ringwald.

The next episode of Hell Is For Hyphenates, featuring Joe Swanberg talking Paul Mazursky, will be released on the morning of August 31.

More Hyphens Than Ever

Hyphenates Menu

You wouldn't think that a one hour monthly podcast would need such an elaborate website with ten different pages, but you'd be wrong. If we hadn't run out of space on the menu, we'd have twenty pages by now. We're joking, but not really.

So, what are all these pages and why do you need them? We'll avoid the obvious ones (“Home”, “About Us”) and take a look at what exactly the Hell Is For Hyphenates website can do you for you:

Blog: Did you know we have a blog? You should do, you're reading it right now. There are so many stories and addenda and extras we want to share with you outside of the main show, and now we finally can.

About Our Guests: This page has been long overdue. Despite the amazing guests we've had on the show, we've never actually told you much about who they are or what they've done. So here, in alphabetical order, is all fifty (and counting) of the Hi4H alumni, all of whom are far too good for our humble show but came on anyway.

Gallery: Take a look at some of the behind-the-scenes photos from the show, from our low-key beginnings in the corner of a friend's house, to our significantly-higher-key live show at the Sydney Film Festival.

Covers: Our incredible artist-in-resident Caroline McCurdy creates a new Hi4H-themed cover image for every filmmaker we discuss (including our mini-Hyphenates!). They are collected in their collated glory here.

Alt-U: To celebrate episode 50, we glimpsed into an alternate universe to see what the Hi4H doppelganger might look like. Read more about this here (includes ace Gwyneth Paltrow joke).

Index: Probably the most essential page on the whole site. If you're daunted by number of Hyphenates episodes, and want to listen to a favourite guest or filmmaker, we index them alphabetically here. Marvel at the fact that we've discussed Michael Bay but not Stanley Kubrick! We are forever at the mercy of our guests' filmmaker choices, and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Links: Look, you know what a links page is. You've seen them before. But just in case: features links.

Podcasts: The monthly wait for new Hi4H episodes is excruciating, we know. So to fill the time, why not listen to these other film and pop culture themed podcasts produced by our amazing and funny guests?

And while we have you, don't forget to like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and hit us up on Grindr. Er, forget that last one.

Happy browsing!

Alternate Universe Hyphenates

003 Sliding
Gwyneth Paltrow (left) opted to discuss the works of Stan Brakhage, whereas Gwyneth Paltrow (right) chose the films of Brett Ratner

Many of the guests on Hyphenates struggle to choose which filmmaker they'll choose. Not all, of course, but in many cases it's a photo finish between two favourites. In other cases, there's a pool of great auteurs they'd love to speak about equally, and they examine pros and cons of each before finally committing. Others have found the filmmaker they would most love to talk about has already been discussed by someone else.

To help celebrate our 50th episode, we've gone back to every single one of our guests to find out who they might have chosen if they hadn't gone with the filmmaker they did.

Most of our guests simply responded with a single name, but a few went into greater detail about their thought process:

Josh Nelson (David Cronenberg):

I’m quite fond of saying that I was born of two film fathers. Cronenberg got the nod (just) but I think Marty has forgiven me. After I crucified myself. Repeatedly. He likes that kind of thing.

Jeremy Smith (Brian De Palma):

I thought about going with Orson Welles, but my heart says Walter Hill. At his best (from HARD TIMES to JOHNNY HANDSOME – minus a dud or two), he was a master of narrative economy. He eschewed backstory and simply, sensitively dealt with his characters as they existed over the course of whatever story he wanted to tell. He favored taciturn protagonists, men with a basic moral code up against a world that’s rigged by the amoral. His movies usually conclude with small victories. There’s no saving the world; there’s just hewing to one’s code no matter the cost. Sometimes you’re gonna lose, but at least you didn’t compromise.

Christos Tsiolkas (Pier Paolo Pasolini):

I am a bit torn by the question. My first thought was Preston Sturges, because no other filmmaker has made me so joyously happy, but then on thinking more about it, I think I would have to choose Claude Chabrol. I return to his early films, Le Beau Serge and Les Cousins, again and again, I think Le Beau Serge one of the most achingly beautiful evocations of youth and longing ever committed to screen. Then Chabrol pursued a cinema fixated on his love for Hitchcock and classic Hollywood, a pursuit that made him a bit of the odd person out in the French New Wave (given that it was as if the cultural politics of Mai 68 completely bypassed him). But his being a bit of an outsider is part of what fascinates me about him. He made so many films, of such different genres but I am always fascinated by him, there is always something unexpected in his mise-en-scéne, he keeps me on my toes. I recently revisited Le Boucher (The Butcher) – quite a startling film, where you are aware of the socio-pathic violence of a serial killer but you are also aware of his human fragility. In the best sense, it feels a dangerous film. So, there you go, it would be Chabrol.

To see the complete list of Alternate Universe Hyphenates - now a permanent feature of the site! - click here.

Euzhan Palcy and Where To Find Her

We've had a pretty great response to episode fifty so far. (Not surprising given how entertaining and insightful Lexi was.) Everyone seems to have loved it, but they all add - with no small amount of incredulity in their voices - that they hadn't heard of Euzhan Palcy before our show. Many of these people are hardened cinephiles, baffled as to why Palcy or her works have never come up before.

So, let's make it easy. As many of you have mentioned that you are keen to seek out her films, here is a rundown of her feature films and where to find them:

002 Sugar Cane AlleySugar Cane Alley (1983): This is the film that put her on the map, so it's thankfully easy to find. It doesn't appear to have been released on DVD in Australia, but you can order the disc from the USA, or if you want it immediately and care not for physical media, buy or rent it digitally from iTunes here.

 

 

 

 

002 A Dry White Season FinalA Dry White Season (1989): This one doesn't seem to be available digitally, at least in the iTunes store, but it's the easiest one to track down, most likely because it's the one with Donald Sutherland, Susan Sarandon and Marlon Brando. The DVD is readily available in Australia, and you can order it right now for ten bucks here.

 

 

 

 

002 Siméon FinalSiméon (1992): This doesn't appear to have been released on disc locally, but you can rent it digitally via Amazon.com or via iTunes or via YouTube.

 

 

 

 

 

002 Ruby Bridges FinalRuby Bridges (1998): There doesn’t appear to have been a local DVD release of this film, but you can order the disc from overseas. Alternately, you can rent it via Amazon.com or watch it for free on YouTube.

 

 

 

 

 

002 The Killing Yard FinalThe Killing Yard (2001): It's hard to believe that a film about the famous Attica Prison riot that got Pacino so worked up in Dog Day Afternoon, with Alan Alda, Morris Chestnut and Rose McGowan doesn't rate a wider release, but there you go. We ordered what we thought was a legitimate DVD from eBay, only to discover that it was a video disc with Chinese subtitles hard-burned onto the image. We still can't tell if it was a knock-off or a proper release. Amazon.com only has the VHS for sale, which you can get here if you're keen enough. A brief Googling reveals many sites claiming you can watch it for free by signing up, but we cannot vouch for the validity of any of them. If anyone can find a way to get a hold of it, please comment below.

We didn't mention her 1975 telemovie The Messenger (which pre-dates Sugar Cane Alley) in the show, because it's actually missing. We even contacted Ms Palcy's representatives to track down a copy, and discovered that not even she has it! So, if you work in a television archive, keep an eye out for it.

Her other television programs such as Aimé Cesaire: A Voice For History (1994), Parcours de dissidents (2006) and Les mariées de l'isle Bourbon (2007) are a little tougher to track down, but hey, maybe if we apply some pressure we can get at least a digital release.

Happy watching!

(In case you're wondering, we get zero kickback from any of these links. We just want you to be able to see them.)

We Blog Now

As Hell Is For Hyphenates continues onward and upward, slowly but surely diminishing the filmmaker options available for upcoming guests, we thought it was high time we introduced a blog section of the site outside of the monthly podcast posts.

After all, there's so much extra fun information to be had. For instance, did you know that it only took us two years to have two guests with the same name? Or that the Australian government passed a law decreeing that only Hi4H alumni could direct films called Turkey Shoot? Or that only one guest to date has interpreted our definition of “filmmaker” as someone other than the director? Or that we still boast the only review anywhere in the world of Steven Soderbergh's unreleased The Last Time I Saw Michael Gregg?

There's so much more to talk about, and now we can. So check back regularly as we delve deeper into the films and the guests on the new Hi4H Blog. We've celebrated episode #50 of the show, and there's some exciting celebratory stuff to come.

31 July 2014: Paul and Lee toast to episode 50 at a typically low-key party. (Also pictured: the Melbourne International Film Festival Opening Night Gala, which we generously allowed to share Hamer Hall with us.)
31 July 2014: Paul and Lee toast to episode 50 at a typically low-key party. (Also pictured: the Melbourne International Film Festival Opening Night Gala, which we generously allowed to share Hamer Hall with us.)

Hell Is For Hyphenates – July 2014

Director Lexi Alexander (Green Street Hooligans, Punisher: War Zone) joins us for our 50th episode, as we look at the films of July 2014, ask whether thoughtful dramas are now the domain of television instead of cinema, and look over the career of the groundbreaking Caribbean filmmaker Euzhan Palcy.