Two Takes

It seems there was always going to be a choice in what we can do; left or right, blue or red, play or not to play. So why would a game like this be any different? Dive into the sensational Netflix series and explore what we do under pressure, what true emotions come out under desperation. There are so many different aspects of humanity shown, that overall, each character has a reason for being the...

We can understand that being under the influence of something can enlighten you, can make you seem more open, and perhaps, in these cases, more susceptible to the suggestions of others; especially in an overwhelming environment. In both Midsommar and Fifteen Million Merits, there is a small connection when it boils down to some important scenes. Copyright to Two Takes Podcast

We all know that Dani, the main protagonist, is pre-destined to be the May Queen because of the tapestries shown at the beginning of the film. It presents the noticeability of this, as well as the horror format of newcomers coming to celebrate a unique festival in a cult-like setting; its obvious, people are going to die. And, they do. Which is fair enough. Because we were told this at the beginni...

We don't see ourselves, the audience, actually questioning anything the characters do out loud; we seem to sit staring, waiting for the next situation or the next reaction, because we can never predict it. We are glued to something we are finding almost uninteresting because the characters are finding it to be normal. And so, we find ourselves detached. But, I bet you didn't know that was the whol...

From Joe Hill's book of the same name, Horns, explores the devilish undertones of what can happen when you have the devil on your side to exact your vengeance. But surely there is more than that? Ig Perrish slowly learns the truth of his girlfriend's killer as well as the darkest recesses of his family and friend's desires. Being given the supernatural gifts of a demon, surely Ig can do some good...

In the first 13 minutes or so of the film, there is no dialogue. And from that moment onwards, the silence becomes non existent, replaced with conversation and music, emphasising that the more people that are introduced within the film, the louder it becomes. The apocalyptic landscape offers nothing more than what the people abandoned there can find and make do with. And so, since there is nothing...

In this post-apocalyptic world, is the concept that humans are no longer the head of the food chain. It's not necessarily that something else has taken its place, but rather, humans are no longer the most important thing anymore. Remember, the world had survived throughout humans' self destruction and their selfishness for hundreds of years; but the introduction of AI just escalated its destructio...

Sometimes we wish for that perfect something to complete our lives. It might be something just out of reach, someone, an idea. But what happens when that idea comes to life? Ruby Sparks follows the concept of how a man can want a woman from afar but never really know her. Love her from his own ideas of her personality, and not have room to adapt. Learning as he goes, Calvin and his creation, Ruby,...

Howl's Moving Castle, a beautifully animated tale following a hat shop owner, Sophie, and how she gets wrapped up in the chaotic but magical world of witches and wizards. From the very beginning, we understand what kind of character Sophie is by how the people around her react and judge her; she places herself as unimportant. Her heart is closed to herself, but is open for others so that they can...

The soul can be a funny thing; its regarded as an incorporeal essence of a living being, and yet, because of the many religious, philosophical and mythological traditions, the soul (or psyche), can be various things to many different people; it can be mortal or immortal, seen or unseen, factual or even fictitious. Whatever the scope of anyone's belief on what the soul is, Pixar Studios, with the d...

The Addams Family is the most refreshing take on the nuclear family unit, submitting a more dark and satirical inversion to the ideal American household for decades. From the Charles Addams cartoons of these unnamed characters in 1938, this sparked an inspiring goth cultured, thoughtful and loving family unit that were quite happy to stay in their own little world onto bigger things. From the smal...

Green Book places a working class Italian- American (Tony Vallelonga, commonly known as Tony 'Lip') with an African-American classical pianist (Dr. Don Shirley) on a tour of venues as employer and employee. The lines blur as they spend more and more time with each other, opening up a fragile friendship that indulges the audience into a feel good comedy/drama. What it doesn't do, is get its facts s...

Wildling: an uncultivated plant or undomesticated animal. But surely there is more to this name, this mythological creature, than what others have told you? Look further and find the human in the monster for yourself. A 2018 American horror/fantasy that uses puberty as the catalyst for extreme changes, and mixing it with supernatural and monstrous means. But unlike other known films, like Ginger S...

Whether or not you born into circumstances, the name of the game is what you do with what you have. Whether you let yourself become part of the herd, or deem yourself apart from the crowd and strive for something more. Marla Greyson, a successful con artist, convinces the legal system of making her 'legal guardian' over elders who are deemed unfit to take care of themselves by an appointed doctor...

Fishtank, a uniquely hardened British film presenting the coming-of-age journey of a 15-year-old girl in an Essex council estate, it follows like a fly on the wall; giving the audience a glimpse into a broken home and how resilience and determination has made hardened walls between each family member. From the mother’s jealousy of her oldest daughter’s youth and freedom to the boyfriend that takes...

The Discovery presents the concept of another plane of existence after this reality has been deemed spent. The soul, the consciousness, the mind...whatever one wants to call it, is presented as separate from our bodies when we die. And with a sharp contrast on what mistakes can do to one's subconscious, it begs the question whether this is it for us. This life, this reality...is there more on the...

The Lighthouse, inspired by many sailor myths and lore within the sea faring landscape in the 19th Century, presents a hauntingly claustrophobic setting. The decision to film in grey tones, heightens the claustrophobia within its visual aesthetics; and with the constant reminder of the lighthouse, it blares its existence within the noise or lack thereof throughout the film. Two men on an island in...

The arrival of the series The OA brought about many viewers questioning and revelling in its mystical and mysterious non-linear storytelling arc. Whereas dimensions are crossed and morality and mortality becomes interchangeable. There seems to be blurred lines between what is moral and immoral, bringing forth characters that are not necessarily evil and not necessarily good. As well as the charact...

The OA, a series that grew into a sensation with each new episode, has the audience questioning many things in our own reality; the structure of what makes a good family; the presence in oneself through feeling, physically and mentally; the afterlife; and the scientific breakthroughs that are slowly changing our world. If you were creating a world for a series, would you include elements of your o...

Thinking outside of the box; finding that spark of optimism; feeding the right wolf can portray a new tomorrow, a new day full of possibilities. Many films have had the opportunity to present an idea, or a state of mind as their main motif in their storytelling. The plot tends to uphold this feeling, this idea, with obstacles simply making it stronger. The Directors, the screen players, the charac...

This is third and last instalment of the three episodes that concentrate and perhaps encourages others to give Oats Studios a watch on YouTube and Steam for free. With Neill Blomkamp at the helm, it's been a beautifully crafted burst of sci-fi shorts with effects that could make the big production companies do a double take. The concept of making a production company place short sci-fi plots on Yo...

The second instalment of the three episodes that concentrate on the spectacular visual creations from the people of Oat Studios, directed by none other than Neill Blomkamp. Just a re-cap, Oat Studios was created to branch out on online sources with their short sci-fi creations to get a reaction and feedback from the audience. With this in mind, what better place to put it, than on YouTube and Stea...

Oats Studios, an independent film studio, was started by Oscar-nominated South African film-maker Neill Blomkamp in 2017. The main goal for this enterprise was to distribute experimental short films via YouTube and Steam, and then see what the community engages most with. This interest and feedback would eventually show which short films could be made into potential feature length ones. These shor...

The repressive Puritan faith within a world of dark and devilish rebellion has a certain dualism in many ways. The option of both worlds that are presented to Thomasin is both be seen as extremist; the patriarchal portrayals of oppression, misogyny and distrust within a Christian bubble, and the darkness of murderous and sexual intent within the Devil's temptation that marks one soul in constant d...

We all know what significance Uncle Ben said when he uttered the words 'With great power, comes great responsibility'. It wasn't the first, but it was the most important and obvious life lesson within the story arc, catapulting Peter Parker's understanding of how this advice has shaped his future within the Spiderman Trilogy. But what other hidden life lessons have we missed or ignored throughout...