Deep Cut: A Film Podcast

“Let’s start over” with Eli’s Deep Cut Pick from the filmography of arthouse legend Wong Kar-wai, Happy Together (1997). With lushly experimental cinematography and a quick temper, Happy Together tangos the Deep Cut Trio into a tizzy of passion. Wilson details why Wong’s film about gay main characters was groundbreaking for both 1997 Hong Kong and its stars, Ben unpacks the toxic romance at the mo...

Deep Cut launches into a new season with a mega-sized introduction to the cinema of Wong Kar-wai, and the film that shot him to international stardom: CHUNGKING EXPRESS . Wilson reveals why this is his favorite movie of all time, Ben establishes a scientific theory on Wong’s Magic Himbo Dream Boys in Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro, and Eli spots Wong’s knack for transforming emotions by repeatin...

By the pricking of my thumbs, Deep Cut Upkeep this way comes! After splitting from his brother Ethan last year, Joel Coen went back to the book and then threw it out the window with his divisive, postmodern take on Shakespeare’s Macbeth . Glorious set design, gorgeous cinematography, but methinks that none of the Deep Cut Trio are convinced: Wilson isn’t moved by Denzel Washington’s lead performan...

Deep Cut hits the panic button as our beloved Asghar Farhadi is embroiled in scandal! Iranian documentary filmmaker and former student of Farhadi, Azadeh Masihzadeh, has sued him over the claim that he stole the story for his 2021 release, A Hero , from her 2015 documentary, All Winners, All Losers and pressured her into signing over the rights to her film. Wilson, Ben, and Eli discuss the dismayi...

With those dang Academy Awards right around the corner, the Deep Cut Trio continues its annual tradition of reviewing the movies and television of yesteryear. What kind of year was 2021 for motion pictures? Why does Wilson think every director is in their “late era?” Does Dune satisfy Ben’s hunger for good sci-fi? How did Eli meet Jane Campion, director of The Power of the Dog ? Why is there neith...

After adoring director Pablo Larraín’s Jackie and Ema last season, the Deep Cut Trio had high hopes for his follow-up, Spencer , but not as high as Steven Knight was when he wrote the script. On this episode, Wilson, Ben, and Eli ask one simple question: what the heck happened here? Ben sees it as a narrative problem, where we don’t get access to Diana’s perspective. Eli thinks it’s a lack of empa...

Things heat up in our most divisive episode to date! Lana Wachowski returns to the Matrix franchise after nearly two decades to put out her most personal work to date. Does it pay off? We’ll have to see as Ben, Eli and Wilson duke it out. Wilson can’t comprehend how anyone can’t appreciate this reflection on blockbuster entertainment, Ben can’t comprehend how anyone likes this messy film and Eli t...

On the season 2 finale of Deep Cut , the Wachowskis stage a heist to steal the DC Three's hearts with their directorial debut, Bound (1996). As they skirt the perils of accursed Film Twitter Discourse (where'd unironically horny cinema go???), Ben explores each type of thrill sequence that coheres into a tight script, Eli is wowed by the Wachowskis' subversion of the noir genre, and Wi...

Right before one of the most highly anticipated 2021 releases, join the trio for a talk about the American action classic The Matrix . As well as their highly acclaimed directors, sisters Lana and Lily Wachowski. Wilson reminisces about the joy of watching The Matrix as a child. Ben ponders the romantic relationship at the core of the film, and Eli shows some love to the work of infamous action ch...

Come one, come all to the Sirk Du Soleil as the Deep Cut trio discusses Todd Hayne’s Far From Heaven. Ben compares his Deep Cut Pick to Haynes’ critically acclaimed, subsequent melodrama Carol to show the breadth of the director’s approach to melodrama, but Eli and Wilson aren’t so convinced. Wilson feels that it’s a shallow imitation of the Women’s Picture auteur Douglas Sirk, while Eli questions...

Step right up as we guess The Price of Salt in our coverage of Todd Hayne’s Carol (2015). Recently crowned by BFI as the “best LGBT film of all time”, the Deep Cut Trio revisit this critical favorite and find its place in the New Queer Cinema Canon. Ben gets lost in the eyes of leading ladies Blanchett and Mara, Wilson considers the film’s legacy in the wake of recent LGBT film standouts, and Eli...

Looking for arson, psychosexual manipulation, and reggaetón? It’s a good old-fashioned fight on this week’s episode as the Deep Cut Trio steps up to Pablo Larraín’s 2019 anarchic dance feature, Ema . Wilson adores the movie’s arresting intensity, while Ben finds Ema’s motivations oblique. But where does Eli land? He builds the suspense while everyone considers how Larraín builds narratives and mak...

Just in time for the release of Spencer, the Deep Cut trio revisits Jackie, the dreamy 2016 biopic that made Chilean director Pablo Larraín an (art)household name. Eli entrees the film by looking at construction of Jackie the character as purposefully distinct from the real Jackie Kennedy-Onassis, while Wilson remarks on Larraín’s use of physical space to reflect the character’s emotions. Ben goes...

What would you choose? Love…… or terrorism? The trio are joined by special guest Thanmye Lagudu to talk about Mani Ratnam’s most popular film, Dil Se , starring Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Wilson marvels at Ratnam’s ability to trojan horse a radical ideology into mainstream Bollywood screens, Eli wraps his head around the audience’s critical distance from the leading man, and Ben pushes ag...

Strap in for a conversation on one of the greatest romantic epics put to screen and Deep Cut’s first foray into South Asian Cinema. Our special guest Thanmye Lagudu baptizes the three hosts into the “Church of Mani Ratnam” by bringing his 1995 historical fiction epic Bombay based on the Bombay riots. Wilson theorizes how this film probably served as inspiration for Alfonso Cuaron, Eli ventures int...

Another Rohmer film, another incredible ending. We end our series on Rohmer with Ben’s second Deep Cut pick and favorite Rohmer film, the effortlessly loveable and relatable Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987) . Listen to us swoon as we recollect our favorite moments from this classic romantic tale . Wilson celebrates the film’s reverence for young people in love, Eli dives deep to find undercurrent...

Sink into moral quicksand with us as we discuss the final of Éric Rohmer’s Six Moral Tales: Love In The Afternoon (1972) . Wilson contemplates the duality of man from the sidelines as Eli and Ben have a “straight man-off” with wildly different takeaways from the film’s heartstopping moral ending. We also get into the film’s stylistic deviations from Rohmer’s filmography, admire Zouzou’s iconic loo...

Join us as the trio journey into a bout of summertime sadness with The Green Ray (1986) , the first of our episodes on Éric Rohmer’s breezy films on love and longing. We learn about Rohmer’s secretive private life, the improvisational process behind The Green Ray , and we all fall in love with Delphine a little bit. Is lettuce a friend? Find out on our free Patreon, discord server, and all our lin...

Is it Deep Cut ’s darkest movie? The trio talks about Lynne Ramsay’s impressionistic family tragedy, 2011’s We Need to Talk About Kevin . Everyone considers the links from We Need to Talk About Kevin to the genre of The Women’s Picture. As Eli recounts his awe at the edit’s approach to creating the feeling of memories, Ben praises Ramsay’s closeups and Wilson sobs gently into his microphone, prese...

Before he went on Robert Deniro’s talk show, Joaquin Phoenix starred in Lynne Ramsay’s dark vigilante thriller from 2017, You Were Never Really Here . Eli kicks off Deep Cut ’s look at one of his favorite directors by detailing Ramsay’s distinct, jarring approach to conveying the trauma of her characters. Wilson finds gentle human relationships in this brutal movie, and Ben comes to understand his...

Deep Cut is visited by the Queen of Sensual Cinema herself, writer/director/actress Isabel Sandoval ( Lingua Franca , Señorita , Apparition ) to discuss her favorite Eliza Hittman feature, It Felt Like Love (2013). Isabel describes her personal connections to Hittman’s sensitive presentation of adolescence and presents her big theory about debut features. Wilson extols Hittman’s confident directio...

Deals deals deals. The trio discuss Juzo Itami’s underseen workplace treatise. The comedy draws light talk of women in the workplace, artisanship, and big ol’ capitalism. Wilson goes down a real life true crime rabbit hole, Ben adorns Nobuko Miyamoto with more laurels, and Eli discovers hentai culture.   Fresh produce over at our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ww...

Ramen is on the menu tonight. Wilson takes the trio on a culinary movie journey as they talk Juzo Itami’s iconic film, Tampopo (1985). Listen to our sauciest episode yet as Ben gushes over Itami’s ‘chaos blocking’ and Eli contemplates feeling like a sausage while on your deathbed. Get a taste of our free Patreon, discord server, and all our links @ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠www.deepcutpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

The Deep Cut trio is joined by writer/director Andrew Ahn ( Spa Night , Driveways and the upcoming Fire Island ) to discuss one of his personal favorite movies, Jonathan Glazer’s masterful, mournful Birth (2004). As Andrew reflects on Glazer's expressive directorial style, Ben is stunned by Nicole Kidman’s central performance, Eli interrogates how her character acts on her feelings, and Wilson...

Deep Cut concludes its four-episode series on the Coen brothers with Ben's old favorite, Raising Arizona (1987). Ben considers the power of the movie's marriage of humor and sentiment, Wilson praises the once-in-a-lifetime couple casting of Nic Cage & Holly Hunter, and Eli presents his final Skip Lievsay Corner... for now. To finish, the trio discusses the virtues of the Coens, compare...