Films for Today

Please let us know what your favourite film of the year was via either: -the poll below (if listening on Spotify) -emailing us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com Many thanks!

How does history unfold? How do certain states of affairs become commonsensical? How should we prescribe new social norms? Drawing on some key philosophical ideas posited by Hegel and Gramsci, this week's episode contemplates the tension between a fixed and a fluid sense of history. Email us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Is it ever desirable to delay romantic gratification? Is it ever desirable to completely avoid serious romance? How can discipline both help and hinder romance? Focusing on an interesting interplay between two seemingly unrelated concepts, this week's episode contemplates how delayed gratification and anonymity affect our romantic relationships. Email us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com

What do we traditionally envision when we think about weakness in a man? Do the most powerful men have weaknesses? Who suffers when men can't control their weaknesses? This week's episode examines three distinct cinematic references to Napoleon Bonaparte in order to illuminate potentially forgotten forms of masculine weakness. Email us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com

What is our natural response to greed and gluttony? Why does affluence frustrate us in the real world? Who is responsible for our constant hunger for more? This week's episode looks at films in which motifs of food and consumption are used to explore exploitation, affluence and the consolidation of power. Contact us: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How quickly can things fall to pieces? How easy is it to dissect a tragedy in its aftermath? Do new eras always improve on the failures of past eras? This week's episode builds on last week's discussions about the the relationship between the past and present by exploring how individuals, relationships and political entities experience their own ends. Email us at contact@jimmybernasconi.co...

Can we ever sympathise with those who abandon others? How does the constant pursuit of novelty bring about suffering? Can we simultaneously cherish and abandon the past? Focusing particularly on films depicting contemporary cosmopolitan culture, this week's episode explores the various effects of abandoning important people and parts of ourselves in search of a better future. Contact us via em...

Are we capable of seeing beauty in everything? Can romanticising ever be dangerous? What is true love, if not pure and perfect? Following our recent conversations on relationships and companionship, this week's episode explores the various cultural attitudes and movements that have blossumed from the ancient concept of romance. Email us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Why do we often mistake villains for heroes? Can a person's heroism be determined by time? How do we often find our bearings in morally confused scenarios? In reflecting on current geopolitical events, this week's episode contemplates the relationship between time and heroism. Email us at contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How can we bond with someone who shows no interest in doing so? Can attempting to bond with others ever endanger us? Is bonding always a peaceful process? Building further on recent discussions about human interconnectedness, this week's episode focuses on connections specifically between two people. Contact us via email at contact@jimmybernasconi.com

What are the temptations and limitations of 'the lone wolf' archetype? Can we ever have too many relationships? What does undesirable human interconnectedness look like in the 21st century? To celebrate the 2023 2XXFM Radiothon, we will be looking at three gala selections from this year's London Film Festival and focusing on a topical through-line that underpins them. Email us (N.B. te...

Can independent pontification be a zero-sum game? Can we bond over an openness to the unknown? What is the relationship between truth and the stance of the majority? This week's episode focuses on three cinematic explorations of verbal contemplation and considers the consequences of adding further perspectives. Contact us via email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How much do we dream? How are our dreams constrained by reality? Can we value and respect our dreams in light of reality? Capping off this season before a few week's break, this week's episode explores competing ideas about fantasy and reality through the the lens of Damien Chazelle's 'La La Land'. Contact Us Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Who is susceptible to lamenting lost love? How painful is it to accept that love is lost? Is there any way to find our bearings when navigating a world of endless romantic options? Focusing on three films centred on tragic love triangles, this week's episode explores how we grieve relationships that could have been. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How does it feel to be young? Can we grow up too fast? Is it ever desirable for young people to rebel against their elders? This week's episode focuses on the risk-riddled aspects of growing up to question the line between healthy and unhealthy rule-breaking. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

To what extent does the alien mesmerise us? How have we dealt with aliens thoughout history? What should be our default position when encountering the alien? In contemplating the symbolic value of alien encounters when depicted cinematically, this week's episode explores the ways in which we deal with the strange and mesmeric. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How do we feel about good fathers? How do we feel about mothers and matriarchy? Can our acceptance of time revitalise our appreciation for parenting? Acknowledging the impact titles have on the way we watch films, this week's episode explores the many dimensions of parenting. Contact us Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How should we view the hidden lives of public icons? In what circumstances can we benefit from accessing our inner demons? How costly is the price of prominence? Focusing on three films from the recent season of Black Mirror, this week's episode explores the relationship between notoriety and inner demons. Contact Us: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How do we suffer on the level of the individual? How do the grievances of the individual and the collective compare? What are the dangers of neglecting the individual? In this special early episode, we explore the Barbenheimer phenomenon and the insights it gives us into the current cultural climate. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Is the countryside instinctively alluring? What are the political and economic grievances of the modern farmer? Should our conception of rural culture be static or ever-changing? With the release of 'Alcarràs', this week's episode focuses on the political philosophy of rural life through 3 distinct cinematic depictions. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How do we think of people when their true selves are unobservable? Is the projection of false identities onto others an inevitability? To what extent do people actually have multiple identities? Using a relatable romantic scenario as our springboard, this week's episode explores the ways in which we project imagined identities onto other people. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

What is it dangerous for the past to re-surface? Do we ever feel obliged to pay tribute to those that are no longer with us? How should we conceive the past? This week's episode uses the complex relationship Germany has with preserving its history as a lens through which we can search for an enlightening way to deal with the past. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

Can intimacy come before love? Do our circumstances ever force us to demand love? Can people explore the world without love? This week's episode examines the relationship between intimacy and love by analogising it to that between a horse and cart. Contact us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

How strong are most family ties? Why might people refrain from being honest with their loved ones? Can we ever honour our families too much? In acknowledging the relationship between honour and honesty, this week's episode uncovers yet another complexity in the relations we have with the ones we love. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.com

To what extent are the realms constructed by artists part of reality? How much artistic value does reality itself offer? Do archetypal and realist narratives make up for each other's shortcomings? Responding to recent trends in mainstream cinema, this week's episode examines three films set in New York to explore inter-dimensional storytelling. Contact Us: Email: contact@jimmybernasconi.co...