Welcome to the Christmas installment of the Movie Ho-Ho-Homework Podcast! It's been longer than usual since we last recorded and in the meantime Mariam watched all four-and-a-half seasons of Parks and Recreation, which is one of Ari's favorite shows, Ari got Tom Cruise's autograph and revisited a film mentioned in last week's episode...

Mariam picked two things for Ari this week: A Charlie Brown Christmas and The Snowman. Both are animated shorts beloved in their home countries which somehow Ari has avoided seeing until now. Did they get him into the Christmas mood or turn him into a Scrooge or Grinch? 

Ari's pick was the Christmas themed slasher Silent Night Deadly Night, whose VHS cover terrified him as a child. When he finally watched it, he was met with a troubling oddity of a film, which he had to share with someone. 

We're taking a short break while Ari is in Iceland, but until then you can send us an email, follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook! Why not give us a little Christmas present by writing a review in iTunes? You could also burn episodes of the podcast on to a CD and give as presents... No on second thought that's something a weirdo would do. Ah, just tell people about the show! Happy holidays everybody! 

Movie Homework Ep.38 - The Snowman

It's once again time for the Movie Homework Podcast! We've both been busy watching movies this week! Mariam talks about the 1951 Russian film The Cranes are Flying and the Louise Brooks classic The Diary of a Lost Girl. Meanwhile Ari's been slumming it, both in good and bad ways, with the musical Rent and the recent Guy Pearce action movie Lock Out. He also caught up with another film from 1951, the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still.

The first piece of homework this week was Ari's pick; The Limey from director Steven Soderbergh. The 1999 film follows Terrence Stamp as Wilson, a man who arrives in Los Angeles to find out what happened to his daughter who apparently died in a car crash, but he suspects that her record-producer boyfriend Terry Valentine, played by Peter Fonda had something to do with her death. 

Mariam's pick this week is the classic Luis Buñuel film Belle de Jour. It stars Cathernie Denuve as a bourgeois wife of a doctor who decides to start working in a brothel. Ari had never seen it, and had some preconceived notions about it, but were they true? 

We then close the show by discussing what we're watching next week, in our special Christmas themed episode. You can of course send us an email, follow us on Twitter and Facebook and review and subscribe to the show in iTunes. 

Movie Homework Ep.37 - The Limey & Belle de Jour

We're in winter-hibernation mode, in our 36th episode, what with it being freezing in both the Fahrenheit and Celsius scale in Stockholm. But that hasn't stopped us from watching movies! Mariam rewatched the Eric Rohmer film Full Moon in Paris and Ari watched the recent comedy The Five Year Engagement and rewatched a Christmas classic!

Ari's pick this week is Glengarry Glen Ross, the 1992 adaptation of David Mamet's Pulitzer prize winning play. Set in a sales office for a real estate company the play follows a number of salesmen as they are pitted against each other in a sales competition where all but two of the highest sellers will be fired. It's filled with a great cast, but do the films theatrical roots end up hampering ones enjoyment?

Mariam's choice this week is the underseen Jacques Demy film Lola from 1961. Set in the seaside city of Nantes it follows a group of people as they meet and interact, fail and succeed in connecting. Chief among them are the Cabaret dancer Lola and her childhood friend Roland. It was something that really spoke to Mariam when she first saw it, but will it have an impact on Ari as well?

We close the episode by discussing what we're doing next week. Don't forget to send us an email, write on our wall and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can subscribe to the show and review it in iTunes, please do! 

Welcome to the 35th installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! We start this episode by recounting our visit to the Stockholm Twin Peaks Festival. Find out which characters we dressed up as! Mariam discusses reading about Visconti's planned Proust adaptation and Ari catches up with a cult film, but ends up not being a member of that particular cult.

Mariam's pick this week's is Ernst Lubitsch's 1942 film To Be or Not To Be. A group of actors in 1939 Warsaw get embroiled in a spy-plot which could unravel the underground movement. Also it's a comedy! A lot of Nazi-shenanigans. 

Ari's choice is the currently in theaters Holy Motors, which he saw in Locarno this summer. It's the first film from director Leos Carax since 1999's Pola X, and it received a lot of attention when it premiered during this year's Cannes film festival. It follows a mysterious man called Oscar as he drives in a Limousine around Paris going to various appointments, each time changing his identity and persona. It's one of the most hyped films of the year, but does it hold up?

We close the show my discussing what films are our homework next week. As always, you can email us, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe to the show and review it in iTunes. 

Welcome to the second Stockholm Film Festival episode of the Movie Homework Podcast! This week we discuss some more of the films we saw at the festival, which include Killing Them Softly, The Queen of Versailles and the Icelandic crime thriller Svartur á Leik or Black's Game. Ari also discusses screenings which he moderated Q&A's for, including Antonio Campos' follow up to Afterschool; Simon Killer.

The episodes main review is dedicated to Lee Daniels' new film The Paperboy. Set in Florida in 1969 it tells the story of a reporter played by Matthew McConaughey and his brother played by Zac Efron, who investigate a murder supposedly committed by a felon played by John Cusack, on the behest of his fiance played by Nicole Kidman. The whole thing is narrated by a maid played by Macy Gray. Sounds pretty straight-ahead right? Find out by listening to the episode!

We're back to our usual shtick next week, and as always you can email us, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and rate and subscribe to the show in iTunes!  

There's no homework this week, and instead we look at the films we've seen so far at the Stockholm Film Festival. We discuss Sang-so Im's follow-up to The Housemaid; The Taste of Money, the Hong Kong sex-comedy Vulgaria and the documentary Vito, about Vito Russo the gay activist, film historian and author of the groundbreaking book The Celluloid Closet.

We then look at Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film The Master, which both hosts have seen.

Next week's episode will also feature discussion of films we've seen at the festival, but in the meantime you can email us, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and subscribe to the show and write a review in iTunes!

Movie Homework 33 - Stockholm Film Festival #1

Welcome to the 32nd installment of the Movie Homework Podcast. Before we get into this week's pick we talk about Tony Scott's underrated vampire film, The Hunger. Ari went to see Skyfall, the new Bond movie and reports his experiences, which were somewhat conflicted. We also watched the recently released director's cut of the cult musical Little Shop of Horrors.

Ari's pick this week wasn't so much chosen because he has strong feelings towards the film, but rather because he just gave Mariam his second-hand copy of the disc. Eyes Wide Shut, Stanley Kubrick's final film stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as a married couple. After having been happily married for some years, Kidman's character admits that she had a sexual fantasy about another man, which sets Cruise's character of on a night where he unsuccessfully attempts to have an affair. There's also a weird cult-orgy! But does it live up to the expectations set by being the final film of a renowned filmmaker? 

Mariam's choice was Pier Paolo Pasolini's film Teorema from 1968. A mysterious stranger, played by Terrence Stamp, visits a rich industrial family in Italy. Every member of the household falls for him, and have to attempt to deal with his absence, once he leaves the family. Mariam said last week that she knew Ari wouldn't like it. Was she right?

Next week we'll be discussing some of the films of the Stockholm Film Festival! Please subscribe to the show and write a review in iTunes, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter! You can of course also write us an email! Hey, why don't you tell a friend about the show! There's lots of cool things you can do!



Hellcome to the Boovie Homework Spookcast Halloween Special! We've got Halloween fever this week, as we discuss two horror films set on the Holiday. In the spirit of the holiday Ari's been watching all of the Nightmare on Elm Street-movies, which leads Ari and Mariam to discuss who their favorite slashers are.

Mariam's choice this week was the Canadian teen-girl werewolf film Ginger Snaps. The bond between two outcast sisters gets tested as one of them gets bitten by a werewolf and slowly starts to transform into a deadly best. The film is most often discussed in the terms of how it equates the monstrous werewolf transformation with menstruation  but is there more to it than that metaphor? 

Ari's pick is the very seasonal anthology horror film Trick 'r Treat. Filmed in 2007, it sat on the shelf at Warner Brothers for two years, before ultimately getting released direct-to-DVD. In those two years the film built a reputation on the horror-film-festival market and since its video release has become somewhat of a cult film. But does it hold together as a whole, or is it just a collection of little bits?

We close the episode by discussing what we're up to next week. You can email us, follow us on twitter or like us on Facebook. Subscribe to the show in iTunes, where you can rate and write a review about the podcast!

Movie Homework Ep.31 - Ginger Snaps & Trick 'r Treat 

We don't let the fact that one of the hosts is feeling under the weather stop us from podcasting! We begin this week's episode by discussing the new Swedish film Eat Sleep Die, which premiered at this year's Toronto film festival where it was warmly received  We also revisit a childhood favorite of Mariam's, the somewhat shocking Charlie Chan at the Opera. 

Ari's pick this week was the 1986 Jonathan Demme movie Something Wild. Although being a big fan of both Silence of the Lambs and Stop Making Sense, Ari had not seen much of Demme's other work. He decided to check out Something Wild, a pretty beloved film and make Mariam watch it too.

Mariam's pick this week is the 1998 Whit Stillman film Last Days of Disco. The film follows a group of yuppies as the go clubbing and try to get ahead in life. 

As always you can email us, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. You can subscribe to the show and write a review in iTunes. 

This week’s episode starts with a weird tangent about Adam Sandler movies, and things get weirder from there. Mariam went to see a screening of Jerzy Skolimowski’s film The Lightship, starring Robert Duvall playing an incredibly camp leader of a gang of criminals that take a crew of a lightship hostage. Ari caught up with Tony Scott’s film Man on Fire and decided to see Moneyball, to find out if a film about baseball and statistics could have any entertainment value whatsoever.

This week’s first homework comes from Mariam. On and off for the past year or so she’s been reading Marcel Proust’s classic In Search of Lost Time. Recently she sat down with one of the Proust adaptations, Volker Schlöndorff’s 1984 film Swann in Love, starring Jeremy Irons, Ornella Muti and Alain Delon. It’s adapted from a stand-alone story from In Search of Lost Time, about a Jewish aristocrat who’s obsessed with his lover, and his raging jealousy that threatens to consume him. But will this have any appeal to Ari, who hasn’t read a word of the book? (Spoiler Alert: There are things about it that drive him nuts.)

Ari’s pick is the 2008 film In Bruges, the first feature from playwright Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson star as two hitmen awaiting instructions in the picturesque Belgian town Bruges, after a botched hit. Although marketed as a Guy Ritche-esque crime comedy, the film is a mostly melancholic drama, with some jokes. But will those preconceived notions about the film’s tone change how Mariam sees the film? (Spoiler Alert: There are things about it that drive her nuts.)

We cap things off by discussing what we’re up to next week. As always you can email us, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. You can write a review and subscribe to the show in iTunes. And if you like the show, please share it with others!

Welcome to the 28th installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! Things have been tough for our two hosts, what with a class ending, and one of the hosts being robbed! Before we head into this week's homework we discuss seeing the brand new Looper from director Rian Johnson.

Mariam's pick this week is the controversial Japanese film In the Realm of the Senses, which tells the story of a strange sexual relationship between a man and a woman. It's a highly sexually explicit film, that was banned for many years. But does it work as an actual film?

Ari's pick this week is the 2002 Spike Lee joint 25th Hour. Edward Norton stars as Monty, a drug dealer and the film deals with his last day before heading into prison. He spends the day with his lover (Rosario Dawson) his father (Brian Cox) and his two best friends (Philip Seymour Hoffman & Barry Pepper.) It was also one of the first narrative films to deal with terrorist attacks of 9/11, but without having it as a part of the narrative. Will that work for Mariam, or has that aged poorly?

We close things off by discussing what we're up to next week! As always you can email us, follow us on twitter and like us on Facebook. Subscribe to the show and rate it in iTunes! 

Welcome to a special guest episode of the Movie Homework Podcast. Joining us this week is Ashley Smith, a fellow film studies student from Stockholm University. After telling us that she's a listener, we thought it would be perfect to invite her on to the podcast as a guest! We discuss some of the movies she's been watching again, for the first time in fifteen years. 

Ashley's pick for us was the relatively underseen Martin Scorsese film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. It stars Ellen Burstyn as a widowed single mother who goes on the road with her son and tries to get her life back together. In the canon of Scorsese's work it's not something that gets mentioned all that much, even though it won Burstyn an Oscar and was spun off into a nine season running sitcom. But is the film perhaps a buried treasure in Scorsese's oeuvre? 

Our pick for Ashley was another underseen Scorsese film, the 1985 comedy After Hours. Griffin Dunne stars as a man who decides to follow a pretty young woman to her apartment in Soho. But he loses all his money and is soon trapped in a part of the city he's unfamiliar with and things become more and more menacing. Coming in between Scorsese's early work with De Niro and his resurgence in the nineties, After Hours is often forgotten, but is it worth watching?

We then finish the podcast by discussing what we're up to next week. As always you can email us at, follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. Don't forget to subscribe and rate us in iTunes. Why not share this episode with friends! Or enemies!

Welcome to the twenty-sixth installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! Although school has started, we're still in the magical phase before any real responsibilities start, so we're both watching some movies we need to discuss. Mariam went to the cinematheque and saw the epic almost three hour Marketa Lazarova, meanwhile Ari watched an Icelandic viking film from the eighties and caught up with this summer's disappointment Prometheus.

This week's first homework was Ari's pick, All That Jazz. Roy Scheider play's Joe Gideon, a director struggling with his work, the women in his life and his ailing health. It's an autobiographical work from director Bob Fosse, which borrow's its structure from Fellini's 8 1/2. Ari saw the film recently and thought it was a moving and entertaining take on the Fellini classic, but will Mariam agree?

Mariam's pick this week was the controversial film Fat Girl from Catherine Breillat. The film is about two sisters, the beautiful Elena and her younger sister Anaïs. As Elena attracts attention from men, Anaïs gets resentful treatment from the people around her, based mostly on her appearance. But slowly the film takes a disturbing turn. Its ending is somewhat of a shocker, something that ruined the film for Mariam, but will Ari have the same experience.

We close the show by discussing next week's guest episode! Don't forget to follow us on twitter, like us on Facebook or subscribe to or write a review about us in iTunes! Please share this show with friends, we'd sure appreciate it!

Welcome to the twenty-fifth installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! This week's homework features some very troubled youths, but before we get into that we discuss some of the things we've seen in the Stockholm Cinematheque. Both Ari and Mariam caught up with Catherine Breillat's controversial 1999 film Romance and Mariam went even further, seeing her debut film A Real Young Girl. Meanwhile Ari went to a retrospective of Ken Russell's biographies about composers, which featured The Music Lovers, Lisztomania andMahler.   

This week's first pick is l'enfant or the Child, from Belgian film making brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardanne, which won the Palm d'or at the 2005 Cannes film festival. Sonia, a young wtoman who just gave birth to a child, meets up with her boyfriend, who's a low level thief. She leaves the child with its father for a few minutes and he decides to sell the child for a black-market adoption. 

Mariam's pick is Harmony Korine's debut film, 1997's Gummo. Set in the desolate town Xenia, Ohio, it paints a non-narrative picture of the town and some of its inhabitants, especially the troubled teens that roam around searching for things to do, often leading to destructive things. Having already reached a certain amount of notoriety with his 1995 screenplay Kids, Korine was given pretty much free reign with his debut. Did he use use that freedom for good, or is the film an unfocused mess?

We then pick next week's homework! Please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, subscribe and write a review in iTunes! Hell, even tell a friend why don't ya! 

It's a Movie Homework spooktacular this week! Before we delve into our two horror movie picks this week we discuss two movie outings we've had in the previous week. Firstly we discuss Seth MacFarlane's debut feature film Ted. We both have a serious distaste for his television programs, and Mariam has stated her dislike for Mark Wahlberg in the past. So did the film win us over at all, or did it never really stand a chance? We also went to see a revival screening of John Boorman's fantasy epic Excalibur which recounts the story of King Arthur. 

First up this week is the 2006 horror mockumentary Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. Set in a world where mythical horror killers such as Freddy Kruger, Jason Vorhees and Michael Myers actually exist, it follows a documentary crew filming an aspiring killer as he prepares for his killing spree. Ari had remembered the film as being a generally smart and funny take on the slasher film, but did it hold up for him on a second viewing and will it appeal to Mariam?

Mariam's pick this week is one of her childhood favorites, and her Mom's all time favorite films; the 1956 horror film The Bad Seed. Nancy Kelly stars as Christine Penmark who starts to suspect that her adorable young daughter Rhoda is actually a cunning and ruthless killer. Given the fact that horror films are chock-full of creepy and killing kids, does the original interpretation of the theme still have the power to shock and scare?

Don't forget to follow us on twitter, like us on facebook and subscribe and review the show in the iTunes Music Store! Share and enjoy!

Welcome to a director specific installment of the Movie Homework Podcast. Before we get into the two Milos Forman picks of the week we discuss the latest Woody Allen eurotrip To Rome With Love, which Ari and Mariam saw together this week. Ari also revisited a classic that totally holds up...

Mariam as the first pick of the episode, Milos Forman's first feature film Loves of a Blonde. The 1965 film tells the story of a young woman who working in a factory in a small country town in Czechoslovakia. After being unsuccessfully courted by a group of middle age soldiers she starts a fling with a handsome piano player. But once she decides to visit him in Prague it becomes clear that things might not be as serious as she hoped. 

Ari's pick from Milos Forman's oeuvre was 1984's Amadeus. The multiple Oscar winner tells a fictionalized account of Mozart's life, seen through the eyes of Antonioni Salieri, another composer who's jealous of his talents. 

We then close the show by choosing next week's picks. Why don't you follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and subscribe and write a review in iTunes? It would be super-duper great! 

In this week’s episode we tackle the canon of film history with two picks from the BFI Sight and Sound top 100 list. But to kick things off Mariam discusses seeing two films from François Truffaut Mississippi Mermaid and The Man Who Loved Women. Ari caught up with two films, the recent horror comedy The Cabin in the Woods and the eighties teen classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Ari’s pick from the Sight and Sound list is Charles Laughton’s 1955 film The Night of the Hunter. Robert Mitchum stars as William Powell, a homicidal preacher who travels around killing widows and stealing their money. In prison he hears about a stash of money hidden with a widow with two young children. He sets his eyes on getting that money and the children have to fight to survive. It’s a visually stunning piece of work, with some great performances, but it was reviled at the time of release. But does it belong on the list?

Mariam’s pick was Jean Vigo’s film L’atalante from 1934. It tells the story of a recently married couple who work together on a small boat. The film was heavily cut at the time of release, being both narratively unconventional and featuring some risqué material. But it has been restored to its original form, but does it hold up and perhaps more importantly does it belong on the list as well?

We close the episode by revealing what are picks are for next week’s show, which will be another themed episode! Why not subscribe and write a nice review in iTunes, follow us on twitter or like us on Facebook? We’d be really happy! 

Welcome to another bonus episode recorded at the Locarno Film Festival. This time it’s an interview with writer-director Craig Zobel, whose latest film Compliance screened in competition at the festival. The film tells the story of a fast-food restaurant manager who receives a phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer. The caller tells her that one of her employees had stolen money from a customer. He asks the manager to isolate the employee in question and soon things esculate and become more and more troubling.

The film is based on several real instances of this happening, and it is one of the most terrifying films I’ve seen in a long time, so it was a real pleasure to get to interview the film’s director, Craig Zobel. The show closes by discussing what’s happening on Monday’s show, but in the meantime don’t forget to subscribe to us in iTunes, where you can rate and review the show! You can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook.

We're back! Ari is back from the Locarno Film Festival and he's got a very special gift for Mariam. While Ari was away Mariam read two books by the actress Anne Wiazemsky. Wiazemsky was discovered by Robert Bresson for his film Au hasard Balthasar and married Jean Luc Godard, and the books feature some details which seem to varify our theory that all directors are pervs.

Our picks this week come from a dedicated Movie Homework listener, Thorir Celin. His first pick was the 2011 Nicholas Cage vehicle Drive Angry. Cage stars as John Milton, a man who escaped from hell in order to rescue his granddaughter from a gang of devil worshipers. Hot on his tail is an emiccary from the devil, played by William Fichtner. Also Amber Heard.

Thorir's other pick is the slightly more highbrow Alphaville from Jean Luc Godard. The secret agent Lemmy Caution is sent to the mysterious Alphaville, a place where any illogical act is illeagal and certain words and concepts are forbidden. Ari has kind of decided that he dosen't like Godard (although that opinion is only really based on not liking Breathless very much) but will Alphaville charm him?

We close things off by discussing what we'll be up to next week! Please subscribe to the show in iTunes (or even write a nice review, nudge-nudge) follow us on Twitter and "Like" us on Twitter!

Welcome to a bonus episode of the Movie Homework Podcast. Recorded on the last day of the Locarno Film Festival, this episode is a panel discussion about both the films shown at Locarno and the festival in general. 

The episode's panel consists of your regular Movie Homework Podcast host Ari Gunnar Thorsteinsson, Zeba Blay, Beatrice Behn, Adam Cook, Michael Nordine, Celluloid Liberation Front, Claudia Piwecki and Marc Menichini. It's moderated by Eric Kohn.

You can read an edited transcript of this conversation here, and access a collection of the Critics Academy's writing here. 

The show closes by discussing what's happening on Monday's show, but in the meantime don’t forget to subscribe to us in iTunes, where you can rate and review the show! You can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. 

Welcome to the twentieth installment of the Movie Homework Podcast. Ari has caught Olympic fever after seeing Danny Boyle’s opening ceremonies, but hasn’t seen anything new this week. Meanwhile Mariam discusses watching John Schlesinger’s 1965   Darling.

The first film for discussion this week is Mariam’s pick, the 2010 Korean melodrama The Housemaid. A young maid starts working for a wealthy family and soon the husband starts seducing her. After she realizes that she’s pregnant the husband’s wife and her mother start scheming to get rid of her, one way or another.

Ari’s pick was Neil Jordan’s 1984 film The Company of Wolves. A young girl lies sleeping in her bed and dreams that she’s living in a fairy tale world, where her granny tells her stories about the evils of wolves. But soon the stories become real and the lines between dreams and reality become blurred.

We close things off by discussing what we’ll be up to once Ari gets back from Locarno, but in the meantime don’t forget to subscribe to us in iTunes, where you can rate and review the show! You can follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook. Keep an eye on the feed for bonus content coming from the 65^th annual Locarno Film Festival! 

Welcome to an extra special episode of the Movie Homework Podcast! Instead of our regular format we’re switching things up a bit, by doing something we like to call Independent Studies. Each host picks a follow-up film from a director previously prescribed. But before we get into that Mariam discusses going to the movies and seeing the French film La delicates or Nathalie as it is called in Sweden. Ari got the recently released Jurassic Park blu-ray box set and rewatched the first two films. He still has warm feelings towards the first film, but not so much the second…

The first independent study of the episode is Mariam’s pick, the 1984 film from Brian De Palma Body Double. Craig Wasson stars as a struggling actor who starts housesitting an apartment for a recent acquaintance. He gets sucked into the life of a woman he sees through his window, especially when he notices that she’s being watched by someone else. He also gets wrapped up in the world of porn, when he gets obsessed with the porn star Holly Body played by Melanie Griffith. Mariam’s had originally been made to watch Blow Out for the very first episode of the podcast, but what will she make of this follow up into De Palma’s oeuvre?

Ari’s pick for himself was another sexy thriller, Paul Verhoven’s 1992 film Basic Instinct. Michael Douglas plays the police detective investigating the ice-pick murder of a faded rock star. The main suspect is the victim’s girlfriend played by Sharon Stone. They start a relationship and the question remains, is she innocent or is she a sociopath toying with the police? There’s also a lot of sex. Unlike Showgirls, the original Verhoven homework Ari was made to watch, Basic Instinct was both a hit and pretty respected critically, but does that perhaps only lessen the entertainment value of the film?

We close things of by discussing our next episode! Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to an insane and troubled episode of the Movie Homework Podcast! We kick things off by hearing about the film La cagna which is titled Liza in English, which is a bit of a misnomer, since it translates directly to The Bitch. It tells the story of a relationship between Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Denuve, which gets increasingly strange after Denuve kills Mastroianni’s dog. So basically it sounds nuts. Ari hasn’t watched anything non-Homework related this week, but he has some news about Locarno to share… some news which makes Mariam very excited.

The first piece of homework this week is Mariam’s pick, Roman Polanski’s 1965 classic Repulsion. It tells the story of a young woman, played by Catherine Denuve who becomes more and more isolated from the outside world and slowly loses her grasp on what is real and what is a figment of her mind slowly going insane.

Ari’s pick also deals extensively with insanity. Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter tells the story of a man called Curtis, played by Michael Shannon, who keeps getting visions of an storm and he’s not quite sure whether or not he’s slowly losing his mind or getting signs about a coming apocalypse. It also deals heavily with the impact it has on his marriage to Jessica Chastain and his family life. So what do these two films, which both deal with protagonists that are losing their minds, have in common and where do they differ? 

As always we close things of by discussing our next episode, which will differ slightly from our usual formula! Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

It’s once again time for the Movie Homework Podcast. We’re recording again in Mariam’s apartment, which has now has an important addition: a poster for the Girl on a Motorcycle featuring a topless Alain Delon! In addition to discussing this wonderful new addition to Mariam’s life we discuss the films we’ve been watching in the week. After having devoured the latest season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Mariam decided to rewatch the seminal documentary Paris is Burning about the drag ball scene in late eighties New York. Meanwhile Ari went to the movies and saw the summer blockbuster Snow White and the Huntsman, which he enjoyed quite a bit.

But the first piece of homework for the week is the Norwegian thriller Headhunters from director Morten Tyldum. It tells the story of Roger Brown, a corporate headhunter who lives a double life as an art thief. After he realizes that a recent acquaintance, the former military man Claes Greve, has in his possession a valuable Rubens painting he sets about to steal it. But this sets off a deadly chase where Roger has do go to some serious lengths to survive. Although Ari saw some flaws in the film, he thought it was so much fun and worked so well as a thriller that he felt he had to share it with Mariam; but will she agree?

Mariam’s pick is Robert Rossen’s last film, Lilith, from 1964. In it Warren Beatty plays a new orderly in a private sanitarium. There he meets a mysterious young woman called Lilith, played by Jean Seberg. She has a hold on another patient, played by Peter Fonda and soon Beatty becomes infatuated by her as well.

We close things of by discussing our next episode! Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to episode 16 of the Movie Homework Podcast! We’re in a goofy mood at the start of the show discussing various zeitgeist-y things such as Magic Mike, The Amazing Spider-Man and the divorce of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. We also discuss the fact that Ari got called out on the latest episode of the podcast Gene’s Jobs, after giving the podcast a four star rating on iTunes. Ari swears that he did it accidentally, but not everyone believes him. Mariam caught up with the 1976 Visconti film The Innocent and Ari discusses watching Albert Brooks’ Modern Romance.

Ari’s pick this week was Alex Proyas’ 1998 sci-fi film Dark City. It’s set in a vaguely 1940s-ish film noir city where mysterious beings can control and manipulate both people and their surroundings. Although a box-office failure when released it has attracted a considerable cult following and many see it as a forerunner to the following year’s megahit the Matrix. But is it a hidden gem or mearly an interesting curio.

Mariam’s choice was Peter Weir’s 1975 film Picnic at Hanging Rock. Set in an all-girls boarding school at the turn of the twentieth century it tells the story of a mysterious disappearance of a group of girls and the impact it has on the school itself and the community which surrounds it.

We close things of by discussing our next episode! Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to an extra special installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! We're joined by Dr. Katariina Kyröla,  a professor in film studies and one of our teachers at Stockholm’s University. In her doctoral research Katariina examined images of fat bodies on screen, and since Mariam had mentioned that she had seen and wanted to discuss the 2006 film Phat Girlz, we thought it was the perfect occasion to have a guest on the podcast. Before we get into the main topics of the show we hear Katariina’s opinions on the recent film Cabin in the Woods and Ari discusses seeing Wes Anderson’s latest film Moonrise Kingdom.

Our pick for Katariina is the 2006 comedy Phat Girlz starring Mo’Nique and directed by Nnegest Likké. It tells the story of Jasmine, an overweight woman working in a department store. She longs for a better, more rewarding life and once she wins a trip to Palm Springs with her cousin and best friend things start looking up. The film is generally regarded as being quite bad, it ranks on the IMDb bottom 100, but it can’t be denied that the film has some fascinating elements, especially the inclusion of a group of Nigerian men who find the overweight physic of the leads enticing.

Katariina’s pick was a similarly reviled film, the 2007 Eddie Murphy film Norbit. In it Murphy plays multiple roles; the meek Norbit, his overweight wife Rasputia and his former guardian Mr. Wong. The film was a modest box office success when released into theatres in 2007, but was critically reviled and was seen to be the last nail in the cinematic coffin of comedies starring Eddie Murphy in multiple roles. But how does the representation of fat characters differ in the two films, is there an inherent difference when a character is played by an actor in a fat suit rather than an actual fat person and is there actually anything funny about Norbit at all?

We close things of by discussing our next episode, which will be our very first guest episode! Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

It’s an extra horrific installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! But before we get to that we discuss the controversial Swedish film Play from director Ruben Östlund. The film, ostensibly an exploration into the multiracial society in Sweden, has been accused of being racist, an accusation both Ari and Mariam understand and agree with. Ari also saw the 1999 supernatural horror-comedy Ravenous, starring Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle.

Ari’s pick this week was the 1987 vampire thriller Near Dark, the second feature from director Kathryn Bigelow. It tells the story of Caleb, a young Texan who falls in with a group of rowing vampires after falling in love with the vampire Mae. It’s in a way a hybrid between a vampire film, a western and a horror film, a mix that Ari finds compelling, but will Mariam feel the same way?

Mariam’s pick was another horror film from 1987, Dario Argento’s Opera. The young opera singer gets the role of Lady Macbeth in a production of the opera based on the play. But soon horrible murders start to take place, and the killer has a devious way to force Betty to watch the killings. Mariam’s a big fan of Argento’s films, and Ari has only seen his most famous film, Suspiria. Will Opera fully convert him to the cult of Argento?

We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

We’re back! After a week of the Movie Homework Podcast is finally back! Whilst Mariam has been dealing with end of term stress, she sought refuge in the warm embrace of a certain Mr. Alain Delon and watched him starring in the 1972 cop film Un flic, which she enjoyed quite a bit. Meanwhile Ari saw to films worth discussing, Steven Soderbergh’s latest, the action thriller Haywire and Joe Dante’s comedy Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

But the first piece of homework for the episode is Mariam’s pick; Eric Rohmer’s 1970 film Claire’s Knee or Le genou de Claire. It tells the story of a fortysomething diplomat who becomes infatuated with two young girls, Laura and Claire. Ultimately his attraction becomes focused specifically on the titular knee. It’s a talky movie about lust and longing without any actual sex. But does Ari find the reputation which Rohmer has, being sort of boring, to hold true?

Ari’s pick was the 2003 film Punch-Drunk Love from director Paul Thomas Anderson. The film stars Adam Sandler who plays an emotionally unstable man who falls in love for the first time in his life. Ari was skeptical whether Mariam would like the film, knowing that she hates Adam Sandler, but does the film redeem the star or succeed in spite of him?

 We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

This installment of the podcast we’ve got Eurovision-fever! We’re recording the day of the Eurovision finals, and kick the show off by describing the greatest television event of the year to all the non-European listeners we have. To put it simply, it’s the best. But we also talk about some movies. After years of searching Mariam was finally able to track down a copy of a Serge Gainsbourg musical she’s been trying to find for years and Ari went to the movies to see the new Tim Burton film Dark Shadows.

The first piece of homework is Mariam’s pick The Days of Being Wild, which was the first film from director Wong Kar-Wai. The film tells the story of Yuddy a young man and the various different people he interacts with. It’s a film about time, trying and failing to connect to other people.

Ari’s pick this week was unconventional, a film he’s not even sure about liking, the Andrej Zuwalski film Possession. It tells the story of the disitigration of a relationship between Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani, set in cold-war West-Berlin. It also has a tentacle monster in it. Seriously, that movie is nuts.

We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to the eleventh episode of the Movie Homework Podcast! Both of the week’s homework include disturbing scenes in bathrooms, but before we get to that… good stuff… we discuss what we’ve been up to in the past week. After having not responded very positively to Tommy, Mariam decided to give Ken Russell another shot, by watching his 1969 film Women in Love, starring Oliver Reed, Alan Bates and Glenda Jackson. She responded far more positively to its more subdued style, than the extravaganza that is Tommy. Meanwhile Ari caught up with Femme Fatale, Brian De Palma’s 2002 thriller starring Rebecca Romijn and Antonio Banderas.

The first piece of homework this week is Michael Haneke’s 2002 film The Piano Teacher, based on the book by Nobel-prize winning author Elfride Jelenik. The film centers on a piano teacher whose life gets upturned when she becomes infatuated with a young pupil. The film deals explicitly with her sado-masochistic tendencies and the disturbing relationship with her mother.

Ari’s pick for Mariam this week is Lawrence Kasdan’s adaptation of the Stephen King book Dreamcatcher. The film tells the story of four friends that share psychic abilities. Together they must fight an alien invasion, and a crazed army colonel played by Morgan Freeman. The film was critically lambasted when it came out in 2003, and although Ari agrees with the fact that the film is terrible, he finds it terrible in a fascinating and hilarious way. Will Mariam agree?

We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

It’s once again time for another installment of The Movie Homework Podcast! This week’s homework is filled with sex, motorcycles, obsession, comedy and Jerry Lewis! But before we can get into all that stuff we discuss some of the other movies we’ve been watching. Mariam recently watched Andrzej Zulawski’s 1975 film L'important c'est d'aimer starring Romy Schneider. The film tells the story of a young model and the various ways in which she is exploited. The film also stars Klaus Kinski, so you know it’s good! Meanwhile Ari watched Mike Mills Oscar winner Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor as a man dealing with the death of his father, who had come out of the closet a few years before his death. Ari found the film to have some annoying and cutesy elements, but will they overpower the story that has the possibility of being quite strong? Well, you have to listen to find out. Also we talk about dogs in movies… And Bart the Bear!

But the first piece of homework for the episode is Mariam’s pick: Jack Cardiff’s 1968 The Girl on a Motorcycle. It tells the story of a young woman, played by Marianne Faithfull, who is torn between her husband and her lover, played by Alain Delon. She also drives around on a motorcycle and we get to hear everything she thinks. But what will Ari make of this film?

Ari’s pick is Martin Scorsese’s 1983 film The King of Comedy. The film tells the story of Rupert Pupkin, played by Robert De Niro, who’s obsessed with getting on the Jerry Langford Show, to perform comedy. Langford is played Jerry Lewis. It is a story of obsession, insanity and deep sadness, which is also really funny. The film was a flop upon its release in 1983, but has gathered a significant cult following. Will Mariam become a member of that cult?

We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to yet another installment of The Movie Homework Podcast! In the opening segment Ari discusses seeing the Marvel blockbuster The Avengers, which at this point everyone in the world has seen (apart from Mariam that is.) He liked it, although it’s not without its flaws. Mariam caught-up on the Japanese horror series Tomie about a mysterious egirl who drives men into a murderous frenzy.

But the real reason we’re here is to talk about the homework! The first homework this week is Mariam’s pick for Ari, Frederico Fellini’s classic 8 ½. The film tells the story of a director dealing with a “director’s-block” while working on a new film, but also dealing with various emotional problems stemming from his troubled relationship with women. For some reason Ari had never seen this film, which is generally regarded as one on the greatest achievements in filmmaking, but will he be underwhelmed by a film that carries such baggage?

Although Ari’s pick for Mariam might not be as beloved as 8 ½, it is an iconic film. Scream, the 1996 postmodern horror from director Wes Craven reignited the slasher-film, and spawned not only a fair share of sequels but also a fair share of imitators. But what will Mariam make of it’s now quite passé meta-narrative?

 We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to the eight installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! Before we dive into our Kyle MacLachlan double-feature we discuss some of the films we’ve been watching. Mariam just watched the Greek film Attenberg, from director Athina Tsangari, which she very much enjoyed. Ari then discusses seeing Lee Tamahori’s break-out film, the 1995 drama about spousal abuse within the Maori community in New Zealand, Once Were Warriors. He wasn’t a fan.

The first homework this episode is Ari’s pick: Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, the prequel to the cult television series Twin Peaks. Directed by David Lynch, the film tells the story of the last few days in the life of Laura Palmer. Released after the cancellation of the series, the film confounded fans and critics, and was generally seen as a failure. But Ari feels like there’s something to be appreciated in the film, but will Mariam agree?

Mariam’s pick this week was Paul Verhoven’s infamous Showgirls. The 1995 tells the story of Nomi Malone, a drifter who travels to Las Vegas with dreams to become a showgirl. From humble beginnings as a stripper she rises to the height of success as a dancer… BUT AT WHAT PRICE?  The film has a reputation as one of the “best-worst-movies” of the 90’s, but is the film more self-aware than viewers have assumed?

 We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to what might be the most eclectic edition of the Movie Homework Podcast yet! We kick the episode of by discussing the 20112 documentary Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, which Ari and Mariam watched last week. They agree that underneath the glorified image that the film wishes to give to its viewers one can see glimpses into the more troubling aspects of being a teen sensation.

The first piece of homework for the week is the altogether different film, Face to Face or Ansikte mot Ansikte by Ingmar Bergman. The 1976 explores the mental breakdown of Dr. Jenny Isakson, played by Liv Ullman. It’s one of Mariam’s favorite Bergman films, but until now Ari hasn’t seen very much Bergman. Will he be converted by this film?

Ari’s pick for Mariam this week is Edgar Wright’s 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, which has quickly become a cult film. Mariam had read the comic books the film is based on, but never gotten around to seeing the film. Will she regret sitting down and watching the feature adaptation?

We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to the sixth installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! We start off the show by discussing the Hunger Games books, which Mariam read in the week. We then discuss briefly the hoodies vs. aliens cult hit Attack the Block, before heading into the first piece of homework for the episode.

Mariam’s pick this week is the 2008 documentary I Think We’re Alone Now, which centers on Jeff and Kelly, two obsessive fans of the 1980s teen idol Tiffany. The film offers a surprisingly humane and non-judgmental depiction of two disturbed individuals who share a common love of a faded pop-star. But Ari was a skeptical going in, but does the film win him over?

Ari’s pick for Mariam was the 2008 Icelandic thriller Reykjavik-Rotterdam, which was recently remade in Hollywood as the Mark Wahlberg thriller Contraband. The film tells the story of a former smuggler who goes on one last smuggle-run, which does not go as planned. Admittedly the films storyline is incredibly cliché ridden, but will Mariam find something to appreciate?

 We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us and like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to this extra horrific installment of the Movie Homework Podcast! We kick things off by discussing the seventies Blaxploitation horror classic Blackula, which Ari and Mariam watched for a class. We then briefly discuss some Jesus-movies, since this is the Easter season and Ari discusses briefly the romantic comedy Crazy Stupid Love, which he watched in the week.

Then we jump into the first piece of Movie Homework, which is Ari’s pick for Mariam, the Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic Hellraiser. The film deals with a group of sado-masochistic monsters that are called forth from a mysterious puzzle box, which terrorize a family. The film spawned eight sequels and feature one of the most iconic horror villains of the 1980s, the lead cenobite known as Pinhead.

Mariam’s pick for Ari this week is the bizarre 1977 Japanese horror film Hausu or House. The film tells the story of seven young girls that go visit a house in the country, which happens to be haunted. Although this might sound like the most typical scenario for a horror film ever made, the film has to be seen to be believe, since it’s flat out one of the most insane pieces of filmmaking ever made.

We close things of by choosing next week’s picks. Don’t forget you can send us an email, write to us like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

On this week’s episode of the Movie Homework Podcast! In the opening segment Mariam discusses her experiences of re-watching the 1999 science fiction classic The Matrix, which she hadn’t seen since its video release. Meanwhile Ari talks about the just-released teen sensation The Hunger Games, which he saw in a screening packed with screaming teens.

The first piece of homework in the episode is Mariam’s pick for Ari, the British realist drama Fish Tank from director Andrea Arnold. The 2009 film tells the story of a teen girl and her relationship with her mother’s new boyfriend, played by Michael Fassbender.

Ari’s pick for Mariam was the decidedly more extravagant film Tommy from director Ken Russell. The 1975 rock musical is based on The Who’s rock opera of the same name, and stars Roger Daltrey, Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed and The Who and features guest appearances by Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and Jack Nicholson.

You can send us an email, write to us on facebook and follow us on twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms! Subscribe to it in iTunes or whatever podcatcher you choose to use!

Welcome to the third episode of The Movie Homework Podcast! We kick things of by discussing some of the movies we’ve recently watched. Mariam is currently taking a course in the films of Ingmar Bergman, and discusses her disappointment in the confounding The Serpent’s Egg. Meanwhile Ari has been catching up with some of 2011’s Oscar bait, and discusses the various ways in which The Iron Lady, The Help and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close are strange failures.

Mariam’s pick for Ari this week was Thomas Winterberg’s 1997 classic Festen. It was the first film from the Dogme ’95 movement and was a big arthouse hit upon its release and won the jury price at the 1997 Cannes film festival. Since Ari knew about the general “thing” that happens in Festen he was reluctant to watch it. Will he continue to remain ambivalent about the film, once he actually sees it?

Ari’s pick for Mariam was the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man. The 2009 film deals with the life of Larry Gobnik, a Jewish university professor living in 1960s Minnesota. Although the film received acclaim and a nomination for Best Picture at the Oscars, it remains one of the Coen’s least seen films. But what will Mariam think about it?

You can send us an email, write to us on facebook and follow us on twitter. If you like the show it would be great if you could review it in iTunes or share it on your social network platforms!

Welcome to the second episode of the Movie Homework Podcast.

We begin the episode by discussing Ari’s homework for Mariam, Brad Anderson’s Transsiberian from 2008. The film stars Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson and came and went in theatres, but Ari feels like the film has largely been ignored. Is there something more to it than just a by-the-numbers tourist’s-in-peril thriller?

Mariam’s homework for Ari was the somewhat more highbrow L’Eclisse by Michelangelo Antonioni . The film deals with a young woman played by Monica Vitti who starts a relationship with her mother’s stockbroker played by Alain Delon. But how will Ari feel about the high-art of the Antonioni film, after having thus far only dealt out thrillers for homework?

We close the episode by setting up homework for the third episode. If you enjoy the show, agree or disagree with our takes, want to create homework for us or just have anything to say, you can email us, write on our Facebook wall or Tweet at us!   

Welcome to the Movie Homework Podcast, with your hosts Ari Gunnar Thorsteinsson and Mariam Wolfe! Each episode we pick out films for each other to watch, making "Movie Homework" for each other. We kick this episode off by talking about some films of 2011, favorites and those we felt were under-appreciated. We then dive into the homework, with Ari's pick for Mariam, Brian De Palma's Blow Out. We close the show with a discussion on Mariam's pick for Ari, John Frankenheimer's The Island of Dr. Moreau. 

If you enjoy the show, agree or disagree with our takes, want to create homework for us or just have anything to say, you can email us at write on our Facebook wall or Tweet at us!