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Talking Images

Talking Imagesforum.icmforum.com
Talking Images is the official podcast of ICMForum.com.
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Episodes

The Brilliance of Buster Keaton: The Films, the Gags, and the Death-Defying Stunts

Buster Keaton was so dedicated to his craft that he broke his neck and still finished the take. Then showed up the next day. In this episode, we trace his rise from Fatty Arbuckle's sidekick to his own master, ending the journey while Keaton was still at the top of the world, with his last solo-directorial effort in the silent era: The General. We'll chat through his best shorts, with particular focus on One Week and The High Sign, get into his first attempt at a feature film with Three Ages, an...

Aug 01, 20251 hr 11 min

Best Films of 2024: Our Top 10s

How many films will we be able to agree on this time? Listen in as Arthur, Chris, Sol, and Tom reveal their top 10 films of 2024. Spoiler: As usual, even our number 1s are not safe from criticism, though we did have a few surprising overlaps and agreements. And while we may not see eye to eye on everything, we do seem to all have one thing in common: the belief that 2024 was a pretty amazing year for cinema.

Jul 01, 20252 hr 47 min

Top 50 Films of the 2020s (So Far)

The ICMForum community has voted on the best films of the 2020s (so far). Join us as we present and react to their (our) choices, with a surprising number of disagreements! In this episode, we go through the top 50. Feel free to explore the complete list of ICMForum's Top 250 of the 2020s . You can also see the list on IMDb and iCheckMovies ....

Jun 01, 20251 hr 33 min

Evolving Tastes: Do We All Become Film Snobs as We Get Older?

Do you love exactly the same films for exactly the same reasons as you did 10-20-30+ years ago? In this episode, we try to figure out how and why taste changes, and explore how different our preferences are from when we first got into cinema. We will also ponder the very serious possibility that cinema acts as a literal drug, where the more exposed we are, the stronger a fix we need. Could it be that we are all on the same path to more and more extreme tastes, be it experimental cinema or the go...

May 01, 20251 hr 24 min

Should Everyone Be Forced to Rewatch Showgirls?

Showgirls went from being considered one of the worst films of all time to one of the best in less than 30 years. How does a film go from winning both Worst Picture and Worst Picture of the Decade at the Razzies to being in They Shoot Pictures Don't They's Top 1000? Was everyone who saw it then just "wrong"? Did they come in with the wrong expectations? Or: Was Showgirls just too ahead of its time? In this episode, Sol and Arthur tackle these and more questions while complaining, over and over a...

Apr 02, 202526 min

Quentin Dupieux: The Prince of Weird

He made the B-movie about a rubber tyre killing people with its psychic powers. He had superheroes give monsters cancer and stoners raise a dog-sized fly. Quentin Dupieux is weird. He's surreal. And ... kinda trashy and lowbrow when he wants. In this episode, we turn everything on its head, starting with his most recent film (that we have all seen - Daaaaaalí! - and working our way back to his very first mini-feature Nonfilm - as we try to figure out what makes him tick and how we could explain ...

Mar 01, 20251 hr 32 min

Is Emilia Perez This Decade's Crash?

One of us rated Emilia Perez 1/10 - find out why, as we make blanket statements about why the Academy may love it, estimate its chances and utter the words "inspirational trauma porn" more than once.

Feb 02, 202531 min

The 2020s Are Halfway Done: What Will This Decade Be Remembered For?

Are we in a new 60s, where Hollywood is burning out of steam and foreign films, along with A24 and Neon, are taking the spotlight? Could we be on the road to one of the best decades in history, or is it something far more lacklustre going on? Join us as we break down our impressions of the first half of the 2020s and guess/share our hopes of what this decade will be remembered for. How wrong will we be?

Dec 28, 202458 min

We Watched Every Pixar Short, and Now We Will Judge Them

Adam, Brett, and Chris collectively watched practically every single Pixar Short, from the early CGI experiments in the 80s to Academy Award nominees and winners to DVD extras and the still-running "SparkShorts." Exhausted from endless Cars Franchise tie-ins, though more optimistic about Toy Story, this episode flies between love and admiration to disappointment. Listen in to hear which Pixar shorts we love, which disappointed us, and which sparked a heated debate with "soulless content" accusat...

Nov 01, 20241 hr 45 min

What is Horror: Is it Enough to be Scary?

Are all war films horror? Someone on today's panel will claim so - but in that case - where can we draw the lines? Join us as we try to define horror and, more controversially, make bold claims that some huge horror films, including The Omen, don't qualify.

Oct 15, 20241 hr 31 min

What the Hell is Taste (and How Well Do We Know Our Own)?!

Join us as we see where we fit in on the scale between Grown Ups and Jeanne Dielman, accidentally diss a bunch of people as being part of a hive mind, and stumble onto moments of self-awareness and discovery.

Oct 01, 20242 hr 6 min

Worst Movie Ever: What Makes a Film THAT Bad?!

We may love cinema, but some movies are just pure torture. In this episode, we will reveal our picks for the worst movie ever made, dive into what makes us hate (or dislike) films in general, and, as a provocative bonus, reveal which critically acclaimed darlings we have rated 1/10.

Sep 15, 20241 hr 59 min

Another Big Quiz Show Episode

Can returning champion [NAME REDACTED] hold onto their title against new and old foes? Tune in to the 2nd edition of Talking Images' Big Quiz Show to see which of the hosts actually know what they're talking about. P.S. Be sure to check out our first Quiz Show episode as well.

Aug 15, 202447 min

Clint Eastwood Shoots the West

Clint Eastwood's westerns are iconic! His more "contemporary" westerns ... less so. In this episode, we discuss each of the 7 times Eastwood directed and starred in Western masterpieces like Unforgiven and odd quasi-western misfires like Bronco Billy. Can we find anything connecting them? Is there a line running from High Plains Drifter to Cry Macho? Oh, and how many of his characters were ghosts? Listen in and find out. Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:14:23 - High Plains Drifter 00:29:20 - The ...

Aug 01, 20241 hr 44 min

A Very Self-Satisfied 100th Episode Celebration: Biggest Regrets and Greatest Moments

We did it! We have recorded 100 episodes (+ a pilot) of our extremely niche film podcast, and it seems some people care! Join us as we walk down memory lane, reveal our most cringe-worthy, as well as proudest moments, and share our so-far hidden stats of the most listened-to episodes. We'll also reveal our unpopular film opinions, which just might become future episodes.

Jul 15, 20241 hr 44 min

Tom Hates Documentaries

What's wrong with Tom? How can we break through to him? Join our intervention/hateful interrogation of why he has no interest in watching more documentaries.

Jul 01, 20241 hr 11 min

Film Reviews in the TL:DR Generation

Do people still read, or should all communication about film now be in the form of memes? In this episode, we reveal what film magazines we still read (for some, it is zero), why we review films ourselves (are we just screaming into the void?!), and discuss whether Letterboxd could be throwing reviews a lifeline (though the joke reviews always seem to win out). We'll also explore what we actually want from film reviews, decry spoilers, shake our heads at heavy plot descriptions and try to give t...

Jun 15, 202455 min

Should Strategic Voters in Movie Polls Die? (Lauren Thinks So!)

The death threats are flying in this episode as Lauren comes face to face with a loud and proud strategic voter. Join us as we discuss whether strategic voting has its place in pushing up under-watched gems, changing narratives, or solidifying the canon—or if those who do it are just dirty, rotten liars and cheats. We will also finally open up about the controversial Sight & Sound results of 2022 and whether or not we think the results were genuine.

Jun 01, 20241 hr 28 min

Eric Rohmer's Tales of Four Seasons Cycle

Eric Rohmer was in his 70s when he delivered his final official cycle, Tales of Four Seasons. How do these 4 films stack up against his legendary Moral Tales or Comedies and Proverbs cycles? How do they capture the seasons, let alone youth? Was he still on point? Join us as we talk through A Tale of Springtime (1990), A Winter's Tale (1992), A Tale of Summer (1996), and An Autumn Tale (1998) in chronological order, and break down their themes, how they fit together, and how they make us feel. Ti...

May 15, 20241 hr 28 min

Best and Worst Movie Lists

What makes a list exciting or worth working on? In this episode, Sol takes the host's chair as we dive into exactly what types of film lists we enjoy working on, what makes them great, and, to throw in some negativity, what lists we wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

May 01, 20241 hr 26 min

Best Films of 2023: No Barbie. No Oppenheimer.

No Barbie?! No Oppenheimer?! So, what the hell did we pick? Listen in as Chris, Sol, and Tom reveal their top 10 favourite films of 2023. Let us know how much you agree/disagree, or if we put you on the path of some hidden gems, on ICMForum.com.

Apr 15, 20241 hr 35 min

Is Pixar Mediocre Now?

Has Pixar lost the magic they once had? And if so, how did it all go so, so wrong? Can we blame it on Disney? Join us as superfans and nay-sayers clash over the past, present, and future of Pixar Animation.

Apr 01, 20241 hr 19 min

Nothing is Original: Can You Name Any Original Films From the Last 10 Years?

Can we name a single original film from the last 10 years? Can you?! Listen in and find out as we somehow end up bickering over whether originality even exists. We will also try to pinpoint the most original films of all time, and discuss whether or not originality truly matters. That is, if originality exists at all, as Sol doesn't really seem to think so.

Mar 15, 20241 hr 5 min

Hiroshi Teshigahara: Beyond Woman in the Dunes

Is Hiroshi Teshigahara on the shortlist of the greatest Japanese directors of all-time? Sol certainly thinks so, yet Chris will admit he has none of the master's films in his own top 1,000 - much to Sol's despair. There's no denying that Teshigahara made one of the biggest Japanese classics in his trippy Woman in the Dunes, but what of his other films? Why are so many of them struggling with distribution, and are they worth seeking out? In this episode, we will go through each of his 7 features,...

Feb 15, 20241 hr 28 min

We Play Cinephile: A Card Game

Who's the biggest cinephile? Find out as we play Cinephile: A Card Game in our Season 4 finale. We also have the audacity to invent a new rule we think improves the game. Happy new year!

Dec 31, 202320 min

James Bond: The Best, The Worst & The Future of the Franchise (+ should he be gay?)

Was Sean Connery the best Bond? Apparently not! At least according to our panel. Join us as we rank the actors who played the iconic superspy, talk about our favourite and least favourite films from the franchise, and give our opinions on who should step into the tuxedo next. The last question took a bit of a turn as we all seemed to want it to be Pierce Brosnan ... as he is now, in his 70s, and doing an old-Bond film ala Logan. Are we high, or is that a genuinely good idea? Oh, and would Bond b...

Dec 15, 20231 hr 38 min

The Moral Tales Cycle: When Rohmer Became Rohmer

Watching the Moral Tales Cycle is witnessing a great director be born, experiment and find his voice, but how good is Eric Rohmer's most famous cycle? Do the early no-budget films hurt it, and how do we deal with the generally loathsome, holier-than-thou mortalising male leads looking to have little adventures? We will also address why on earth Rohmer chose to pill a George Lucas before George Lucas by making the 4th film of the cycle before the 3rd, discuss where to start and how well the serie...

Dec 01, 20231 hr 54 min

10+ Must-See Hidden Gems From the Last 3 Years [ICMFFF2023]

The iCMForum's 7th annual film festival is here! For the last year, 8 programmers have worked tirelessly, combing over underseen films to find the true top-of-the-crop most film fans missed. In this episode, 4 of these 8 programmers present the 10 films on the main slate, ranging from comedies to anime, drama and even what can only be described as a "remix" film. They will also shout out their favourite films and slates from the rest of the program, which should have something for everyone, incl...

Nov 15, 20231 hr 36 min
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