Tag Archives: britt hayes

Hayes On Anderson

If you've listened to this month's episode, then you've heard the big news: this is, sadly, our last episode with Sophie. And if you haven't listened to it, then spoiler alert.

Sophie joined the show back in September 2015 when Paul took his leave, and she brought a whole new energy - and hemisphere - to the show. It's sad to see her go, but you can be confident it won't be the last we hear from her. For sure, follow her on Twitter to learn what she gets up to in the future. Whatever it is, it's undoubtedly going to be great.

But it's not all goodbyes, and we have a show to do. This month Hyphenates welcomes guest Britt Hayes (also someone you should follow on Twitter) whose writing we've long admired. She brings her film journalist expertise to this month's reviews, which include Christopher Nolan's World War II drama Dunkirk, Sofia Coppola's civil war era remake The Beguiled, the Planet of the Apes prequel-sequel War For the Planet of the Apes, and the Marvel Studio's new iteration of the Spider-man character, Spider-man: Homecoming.

Then, Britt takes us through the films and career of her favourite filmmaker, American indie writer-director Wes Anderson! If you're a fan of Anderson's films, you'll want to listen. If you're not a fan, Britt's articulate passion may well convert you.

And once you've listened to the show, we'll grab a couple of burgers and hit the cemetery.

Edward Norton discovering escape tunnels in The Grand Budapest Hotel (left) and Moonrise Kingdom (right)

Further reading:

  • As referenced by Sophie, here's Jane Campion talking to The Guardian about being done with the movies.
  • Britt's ingenious article about how to locate Harry Styles in Dunkirk can be read here.
  • A summary of the controversy surrounding the lack of African American characters in The Beguiled can be read at the Washington Post.
  • And you can read Sofia Coppola's response to the criticisms in a piece she penned for Indiewire.
  • Lee wrote about the complicated chronology of the Planet of the Apes films and the concept of the Splintered Sequel for Birth. Movies. Death.
  • Speaking of Christopher Nolan and Matt Reeves, here's Reeves talking about Nolan's take on Batman ahead of his own upcoming Batman film.
  • You can watch Wes Anderson’s 1994 short film Bottle Rocket, the precursor to the 1996 feature of the same name, on YouTube here.
  • The Reddit about “real life” Wes Anderson locations mentioned by Britt can be seen here.
  • “Someone's gonna re-edit The Shining as a Wes Anderson film and I'm gonna have to murder everyone.” When Britt said this, we couldn't resist doing a search to see if anyone had actually done this already, and you'll never guess what.
  • If you want to read up on the concept of the Uncanny as described by Sigmund Freud, you can find a English translation in pdf form here.
  • Britt's article about her love of The Royal Tenenbaums and the meaning of lies can be read here.
  • You can check out the interview Britt conducted with XX director Karyn Kusama here.
  • Ten years ago, Jason Schwartzman was in Australia on a promotional tour of Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. Lee co-interviewed him for The Bazura Project's Christmas Special, and you can watch that interview here.
  • If you want to see some of Wes Anderson’s distinct commercials, you can watch Castello Cavalcanti (featuring Jason Schwartzman as a race car driver in Italy), Come Together (featuring Adrien Brody as a train conductor), and a broad selection of other TVCs via this list on Mental Floss. You can see his elaborate American Express ad here:

Outro music: String Quartet in F major (second movement) composed by Maurice Ravel, from The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

The latest episode of Hell Is For Hyphenates, featuring Britt Hayes talking the films of Wes Anderson, can be heard on Stitcher Smart Radio, subscribed to on iTunes, or downloaded/streamed via our website.

Sophie and Lee meet face-to-face for the first time in London (December 2015)

Hell Is For Hyphenates – July 2017

We open this episode with a fond farewell to Sophie, who is leaving the show after a tremendous two years! Memories are shared, tears are shed, and hugs are skyped. But the show must go on, and we are then joined by this month’s guest: author, editor and film critic Britt Hayes. Britt and Lee look at some of the key films from this month, including Christopher Nolan’s World War II drama Dunkirk, Sofia Coppola’s civil war era remake The Beguiled, the Matt Reeves prequel-sequel War For the Planet of the Apes, and Marvel Studio’s first solo Spider-man film, Spider-man: Homecoming. Then, Britt takes us through the films, career and style of her favourite filmmaker: American indie writer-director Wes Anderson.

The Wes Anderson Cheat Sheet

Want to become an instant expert in our filmmaker of the month without committing yourself to an entire filmography? Then you need the Hell Is For Hyphenates Cheat Sheet: we program you a double feature that will not only make for a great evening's viewing, but will bring you suitably up-to-speed before our next episode lands…

THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001) and THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (2014)

Some people feel that Donnie Darko is the best indie film of 2001. What this post presupposes is: maybe it isn't. If Hi4H is somehow ground zero for your experience with the works of Wes Anderson, you cannot do much better than to recommend you The Royal Tenenbaums. This story about an estranged family of geniuses is almost everything you need to know about Anderson's style: it's incredibly funny, genuinely touching, and an absolute aesthetic delight, with the formal lines and bright colours Anderson would become known for deployed to full effect. To be honest, this film is probably all you need to get a firm grasp on Wes Anderson, but the moment it's over you're going to want to watch some more. Your evening continues with The Grand Budapest Hotel, his Stefan Zweig-inspired Mandelbrot about the employees and guests at a hotel in the fictitious land of Zubrowka, particularly concierge Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes in an all-time performance). Anderson nudges his already-fantastical style even further away from reality, so that it almost feels at certain points as if we're watching a marionette show or stop motion cartoon. The eccentricities are undercut by a genuine darkness, yet the film remains a complete delight; hilarious and gorgeous and eminently rewatchable.

Substitutions: If you can't get or have already seen The Royal Tenenbaums, check out Rushmore (1998). Anderson's second film is the one that him on the map, with endlessly quotable lines and Jason Schwartzman's ostentatious Max Fischer high schooler easily one of the more memorable characters in recent years. If you can't get or have already seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, get your hands on Moonrise Kingdom (2012). Set in the 1960s, Moonrise follows two 12-year-olds who fall in love and resolve to run away together. A maelstrom ensues as their friends, family and the police take off in search of them, in this stunning fable of love and danger.

The Hidden Gem: Want to see something off the beaten path, a title rarely mentioned when people talk about Wes Anderson? With a filmography as taut as Andersons - at time of writing, a total of eight released features with a ninth in production - it's difficult to find a lesser-known film. So we're compelled to recommend Bottle Rocket (1996), his debut feature, and the one that has still gone unseen by many whose first taste of Anderson came with Rushmore. This indie crime film feels perfectly at home in the canon of mid-1990s indie crime cinema, and is a fantastic origin tale for one of our most remarkable filmmakers.

The next episode of Hell Is For Hyphenates, featuring Britt Hayes talking Wes Anderson, will be released on 31 July 2017.

Our Next Hyphenate Britt Hayes

Film critic, author, and Hi4H July 2017 guest host Britt Hayes

If you like your film talk funny and your analysis smart, then you're either a fan of Britt Hayes, or you're about to be.

Britt is the associate editor of the entertainment website ScreenCrush, and has been a regular contributor to Birth. Movies. Death. (formerly Badass Digest) since its inception. She is the author of I Should Just Not, a biographical book tracking the experience of online dating from the perspective of someone who “just wants to hang out with someone, eat pizza and watch The Wire”.

She's talked film on the popular /Filmcast, the ScreenCrush Long Takes podcast, on US radio, and now - in what we can only assume is her most exciting media appearance to date - on Hell Is For Hyphenates!

But which filmmaker has Britt chosen to discuss with us on the show?

None other than US indie wunderkind Wes Anderson!

For those not familiar with his work, Wes Anderson is the director behind Bottle Rocket (1996), Rushmore (1999), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014).

He gained a cult fanbase almost immediately, with his distinctive visuals and idiosyncratic dialogue marking his style in an era when naturalism, shaky cameras and muted colours were the norm. His technique has been endlessly analysed and parodied, and he's been a Hi4H near-miss since the show began, winning the dubious honour of being the most popular second choice amongst our previous guests.

But bridesmaid no longer, as the films of Wes Anderson will be the focus of our very next show. What is it about his works that appeals to many, and in particular Britt? Join us on July 31 when we find out!

Our next filmmaker of the month, Wes Anderson (picture credit: Jonathan Short/Associated Press)