Syndromes and a Cinema: A Podcast From a Few Forum Members

There’s a new film podcast out called Syndromes and a Cinema. It is available on iTunes, and can also be found here.

The first episode is about Tsai Ming-liang, one of the key figures in both Taiwanese cinema and contemporary contemplative cinema. In particular we look at Vive L’Amour, A Conversation with God, Goodbye Dragon Inn and Face.

The next episode will be about American auteur Peter Hutton.

This episode features Cecil, Josh Ryan, Risselada and Zachary Phillip Brailsford. We have other people lined up for future episodes too.

Please give it a listen, and we hope you enjoy the show.

Can Admin please change the title to read: Syndromes and a Cinema: New Podcast from a Few Forum Members

For some reason it kept saying ‘Title Invalid’ when I tried. Thank you!

I want to support this, but I’m also wary of hearing about films I haven’t seen yet. I’ll try to give it a listen though. (I’m especially interested in hearing what you guys say about Goodbye, Dragon Inn)

We spend a lot of time on that film. There really aren’t anything I would consider spoilers (how do you spoil a Task film?) as we don’t spend much time on plot, more the themes, the imagery, and how the films relate to us and the world, as well as how Tsai sees things. Very free form.

I’m just a stickler about knowing things about a film, and I try not to hear any opinions until I come to something close to final opinion about the film. But I’ll try to check out the podcast.

when’s the next one?

Recording next week, then the editing and all.

Really liked the first one, looking forward to some Hutton talk.

We’d love to hear your comments on the site as well. Thanks for the encouragement so far.

We just recorded one on Peter Hutton, and I think it went quite well again. Thanks so much Cecil for introducing me to his work. I was blown away!

Yay!!! :D

Congratulations to all who participated. I’m going to add it to my podcasts.

Looks interesting. Will definitely give a listen.

Thanks for the feedback so far. We’ve had over 100 downloads so far and the episode on Peter Hutton was I think successful. We’re having fun doing them, anyway.

The Peter Hutton episode is now available! I hope y’all enjoy it :)

Our next episode will be about the films of Claire Denis, particularly Chocolat, Trouble Every Day and Beau travail.

Going to give this a listen as soon as I have a chance. Nice work just putting this together, guys.

I really like and admire the Hutton episode. A humbling experience, not so much cos i’ve only seen a few of his films, but cos it puts to shame the level of TV debates, even on (admittedly shorter) programmes like Newsnight Review with supposedly top intellectuals. I’m impressed by you as people and for your articulacy, the ideas you’ve brought to it. Being a technophobe nincompoop i’m also amazed by things like podcasts that are part of a technological world we now take for granted.

In Titan’s Goblet is a film i really liked that reminded me somehow of Turner. And interesting to hear about At Sea, which made me think of Turner strapped to a mast for his great storm painting; he was a grand romantic and nature (the sun especially) his God, with people usually small figures dwarfed by the elements.

ooooooh! this has just finished downloading (45 bloody minutes!) and i’m going to pop it on my mp3 player and take house, riss and cecil to bed. can’t wait. hutton is usually visual orgasm enough :P

Kenji: Thank you for the kind words—very much appreciated and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Hutton is fascinating and we surely could have talked another hour about just the few films we discussed.

Magpies: Sweet dreams!

Thanks for much for the feedback Kenji. It’s wonderful and strange to imagine people listening to our conversations. I’m just excited to be able to talk about some things that excite me, so I’m glad that somehow that enthusiasm has an outlet.

I must see Titan’s Goblet now!

In Titan’s Goblet

and some Turner paintings that came to mind:

The Turner paintings are more dramatic, but similar interest in light through clouds, swirls etc

@Risselada- yes, your enthusiasm certainly came through. Nicely balanced trio, well organised podcast, no battle of egos. I’ll be interested in how the harmonious spirit (unlike some mubi discussions) handles difference of opinion.

oh and a few Friedrich paintings might suit too

Yeah, I’m actually hoping we get into some disagreements in future installments, but I think we all respect each other enough that it would never turn ugly.

If you ever decide to do one on Oshima, I would be more than happy to participate if you’d allow it.

Kenji, you need to do a podcast on paintings. That’s all I want to say for now.

Kenji—thanks for the recommendation of In Titan’s Goblet. I love everything I’ve seen from Hutton so far.

The best resource on Contemporary Contemplative Cinema, and one of my very favorite sites, Unspoken Cinema, has just recognized our little podcast in its latest post.

Thanks to Harry Tuttle for the support, and for your continuing inspirational work in this project. We are humbled by your support and exceedingly happy to contribute in our own small way.

I encourage everyone interested in CCC to bookmark his site. You will discover its usefulness immediately.

lovely podcast guys! hutton’s a genius. and since cecil mentions cousins’ story of film, it brought to mind a reference mark made when talking about his project…barthes’ idea that an image is light from a distant star…hutton’s a master of light…of light that’s travelled uninterrupted through the ages of the cold stellar void, to here, with all that fresh joyfulness of first encounter. first light. sculpted in light. makes me think of the title of a film by another american avant-garde filmmaker, bill morrison’s light is calling. and here it’s calling with the rich clear tone of a gorgeous church bell…..

about the lack of soundtrack…i always feel after watching a hutton film, after i’ve flung myself gasping on the floor, applying emergency ice-packs of absence to my eyes smoking from all the burning beauty, that i’ve been through a whole symphony…and talking about the appropriateness of mixed media accompaniments, i listened to you guys while i was slumped on my bed, and as my eyes roamed the room, just when riss mentioned the contrasts…moving from giant ship to vaster lonely sea, my glance just happened to cross a print i have on the wall, gericault’s the raft of the medusa :)

i also thought this podcast proved one thing definitively. whatever glorious accent you say it in, ‘mubi’ is an incredibly dumb name.

(oh and riss! hahahaha. your fiance is a lucky lady! spaceballs!?!?!?!?!?! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥)

i’d really recommend hutton’s time and tide. the clue’s in the title, but it’s just that extra bit greater because he includes archive footage from 1903 of the hudson along with his own…..

oh, but skagafjordur (well done will!) ♥ my favourite…..and that new york drain!!!!

looking forward to the next one…(you lot and hutton)

I’m a fan of Ming-Liang’s work. I will give it a try.