For August 2020, Corey (@coreyrstarr) and Jonathan (@berkreviews) have selected the theme Speaking my Language…or non-English native films. That’s right, you’ll be reading these films this month unless you’re more cultured than they are. Each film this month would be considered foreign to most Americans. It’s often an area that neither dive into enough so dedicated a month to it makes a lot of sense.
As far as the podcast goes, each episode features an in-depth review of the movie for the week. They begin with a spoiler-free review before diving in completely after the needed spoiler warning. However, before getting into the review of the week, Jonathan and Corey discuss what other movies they’ve seen since the last episode as well as anything else they feel like discussing. To help them decide which of the many films to watch each month they started creating themes for them all. Be sure to follow them on Social Media @berkreviews and @coreyrstarr
Week 1 – Micmacs (2009)
For week one, Corey selected Micmacs because of the director. Three of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s films have been covered previously throughout Movie Club history and this one, starring Dany Boon, André Dussollier, and Nicolas Marié plus several more was a darkly fun one. The synposis reads “A man and his friends come up with an intricate and original plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers.”
Week 2 – Breathless (1960)
Jonathan went for a classic that is on his gap list by choosing Breathless. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard and written by François Truffaut there is a lot of pedigree attached already. Add in Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, and Daniel Boulanger to the story “A small-time thief steals a car and impulsively murders a motorcycle policeman. Wanted by the authorities, he reunites with a hip American journalism student and attempts to persuade her to run away with him to Italy.”
Week 3 – Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)
Corey picked Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) with a lot of encouragement from Jonathan. This film got a lot of buzz around awards season and was a highly rated film written and directed by Céline Sciamma. Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, and Luàna Bajrami lead the cast for this story that features a female painter who is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
Week 4 – Caché (2005)
Jonathan purchased Caché (2005) a while back and just hadn’t got to watch it. The film was written and directed by Michael Haneke and stars Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, and Maurice Bénichou. IMDb.com’s synposis is “A married couple is terrorized by a series of surveillance videotapes left on their front porch.”
Week 5 – The City of Lost Children (1995)
Book ending the theme, Corey selected another Jean-Pierre Jeunet on her gap list, The City of Lost Children (1995). This film stars Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, and Judith Vittet and features a story about “A scientist in a surrealist society kidnaps children to steal their dreams, hoping that they slow his aging process.”
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