[Theme Music Starts]

SCOTT:

Hi, I’m Scott Mitchell, the editor of 7am. Welcome to 7am’s summer series: an exploration of big ideas with some of our favourite contributors and thinkers.

This year has seen an explosion of film and TV releases – as sound stages fill with productions, following the end of lockdowns that threatened the industry.

But if you’re anything like me, this summer you might just be taking a first breath and getting a chance to catch-up on all the things you missed throughout the last year.

So with that in mind, we’ve invited writer and critic Clem Bastow on to discuss some of her favourite releases. She’ll be joined by the editor of The Monthly Michael Williams in a discussion that spans teen drama, the Church of Latter Day Saints and yes, a Star Wars series that might just verge on being a real prestige TV.

We’ve kept it relatively spoiler free, but be warned, there’s a couple of moments we get close to the edge.

So, over to Michael and Clem!

[Theme Music Ends]

MICHAEL:

Look, we are at the summery end of the year and one of the things that proliferates across media is people's best of lists. Everyone kind of obsessively saying the best, the worst. All of us feel a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of what's available to watch, to read, to listen to. The age of kind of cinema as distinct from TV seems to be behind us. So, Clem, you're one of the best versed people I know in all things cultural. So, Clem Bastow, talk us through some of your picks of 2022.

CLEM:

It's been an interesting year because actually, to that point that you just made about the distinction between cinema and TV, I think actually this year that the demarcation has become a bit more noticeable in certain ways. So I think that the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC cinema, you know, those types of products 'cause I don't, you know, they’re not really films, have kind of continued off in their own direction as almost a kind of discreet third type of screen media. But I think what's been really interesting is that there's been a real sense of, you know, so-called prestige TV this year. There's been a lot of limited series as opposed to things that stretch on for, you know, possibly four seasons, what we would have once called a miniseries.

MICHAEL:

I like that American TV makers finally understood the thing that the Brits in particular were good at for years, which is if you give something a finite life, then you have the capacity to genuinely surprise, genuinely take risks in the way that you tell a story.

CLEM:

Absolutely. And one of the ones that really surprised me in particular, because I'm not much of a true crime person, was Under the Banner of Heaven, which is based on the book by Jon Krakauer, which looks at a series of murders within a sort of subset of the Church of Latter Day Saints in the eighties.

Archival tape -- [Under the Banner of Heaven - Trailer]

CLEM:

It's written by Dustin Lance Black, who is an Oscar winning screenwriter but also has a history. So he grew up Mormon. So he has a really interesting personal connection to that world, and Andrew Garfield is getting to this point where he's really cornering the market on people having a personal crisis and in this case, a sort of crisis of faith.

Archival tape -- [Under the Banner of Heaven - Trailer]

CLEM:

He starts to show as this, you know, good, upstanding, young Mormon man, he really believes in the church, in everything that he sort of understands to be the Mormon way of life. And then he's quite confronted by these acts that have been carried out, essentially, you know, in line with what he discovers to be tenets that are built in at the ground level. And then he teams up with another detective played by Gil Birmingham, who's a Paiute man in the show - Gil Birmingham is a Comanche actor - and they have this very interesting, odd couple relationship in that, you know, he has no interest in this world, which he sort of exists alongside of living in Utah.

Archival tape -- [Under the Banner of Heaven - Detective Bill Taba]

MICHAEL:

Typically, I find there's a kind of prurience to true crime. And even when it manages to elevate it to wonderful storytelling, subjecting lived experience to the kind of forces of narrative and forces of genre narrative in particular can have an incredibly kind of deadening effect on the victims of crime, on the ways in which the story is told. This one transcends those risks?

CLEM:

I think it did, and I think that it did that by focussing on what was lost and the impact on the people who, you know, who are grieving the loss of this character in the show. There were a couple of people who were doing review/recaps who were also, you know, previously of the Mormon faith. And it was really interesting to read their insights into how they felt the show examined that belief structure. It's not one I'm familiar with. You know, I've been to Utah. That's about the extent of it. I've driven through Salt Lake City. So it is this fascinating kind of, you know, other I guess. And I think they did it really delicately. I think, you know, Pyre's character is not so good that it sort of feels like a get out of jail free card. But, you know, not hashtag, not all Mormons. Like, I think it had really interesting things to say about faith structures, religious organisations, and particularly their relationship to gender politics.

MICHAEL:

Look, it's nice to know that things exist that aren't Marvel, Disney or Star Wars.

CLEM:

It is. Although I would also say that possibly the best television show of the year is a Star Wars property and it is also on Disney Plus.

MICHAEL:

So I'm excited to hear your thoughts on this, it's not the Obi-Wan Kenobi show. It is Andor.

CLEM:

It is Andor, which is created by Tony Gilroy, who most people I think would know as the creator of the Bourne films with Bourne Identity…God, it's just so good!

Archival tape -- [Andor - Trailer]

CLEM:

There's not a lot of discussion of the things that we've come to expect from Star Wars, which, you know, Jedi's, the force, where are you going to get a crystal for your lightsaber. And instead, it's this show essentially about a kind of armed revolution against fascism.

Archival tape -- [Andor - “They’re so fat and satisfied.”]

CLEM:

And I think what it does really, really well is make fascism seem bad again. So one of the tricky things about Star Wars and particularly Star Wars fandom is that traditionally the empire have had the cool gear, they've had the better spaceships, you know, the great costumes. I've been involved in the past with Star Wars costuming groups, and they tend to lean towards the bad guys side. But I think, you know, in this era where actual Nazis are present in our world, not just in our discourse, I think it is a really powerful thing that Andor is doing to make them seem actually not kind of incompetent and funny. You know, Tony Gilroy is an incredible writer of dialogue. And I think where this show really shines and where it makes its point is in these scenes where they discuss their grab for ultimate power, which is expressed in this, you know, it's very much a kind of ‘banality of evil’ situation.

Archival tape -- [Andor - ISB introduction]

MICHAEL:

I do think it fulfils the promise that has been talked about with the Star Wars franchise, about taking the galaxy, taking their aesthetic, their kind of trappings and telling different stories in that space. And as a self-contained story, self-contained to a point. I mean, this is a prequel to a prequel, which means that there's not a lot of kind of dramatic uncertainty about where this thing is wrapping up. So it has to kind of live or breathe on the interactions on the screen.

CLEM:

Yeah. And I think that strength of those characters and you know, what it's saying thematically is what works so well because you're right, we know, sorry to everybody who has not seen Rogue One that there is a full stop on Cassian Andor’s story. We know that it's building towards the construction of the Death Star. And so what they do in the kind of shadow of that enormous bit of what we might call ‘plot armour’ for that character, I think is really remarkable. It's very tense. You know, I had to keep reminding myself, it's alright, he's, you know, he'll get out of this.

MICHAEL:

It's alright. He's already dead.

CLEM:

Pretty much.

MICHAEL:

I'm going to lean straight into that spoiler there.

CLEM:

Look, what’s the statute of limitations on spoilers…

Archival tape -- [Heartbreak High - Ep 1 - first day back at school]

MICHAEL:

Speaking of everything familiar being new again, one of the things rebooted, resurrected, dragged out from its grave this year was Heartbreak High.

CLEM:

And what a surprise. I was a huge fan of the original, and so my concern going into Heartbreak High, which was rebooted and created for Netflix by Hannah Carol Chapman, was that it would be a kind of legacy ‘isn't this nice for all the 40 year olds to kind of reconnect with their youth.’ And they did absolutely the right thing, which was make a heartbreak high for today's youth.

Archival tape -- [Heartbreak High - Trailer]

CLEM:

There are a couple of, you know, legacy moments sprinkled throughout. But I think what they've done is take that setting of a, you know, much more diverse, I would say. I mean, I think Heartbreak High for its time was really impressive with what they did from a class perspective in particular. But, you know, this one is much more diverse, you know, in terms of gender, in terms of sexuality, in terms of people's, you know, racial identities. And so I think that they have really done something special. And for me personally as an autistic person, I'm particularly thrilled with the way they've handled the character of Quinni, who I think has been one of the kind of breakout stars played by Chloe Haydon, who is also autistic. It's just been a real delight watching the show become such a hit globally and for that character to speak to, you know, young, autistic and neurodivergent people who are seeing themselves reflected in a way that feels more nuanced than, you know what, until recently has still been very much in the kind of Rain Man slash Big Bang Theory ballpark.

Archival tape -- [Heartbreak High - Quinni on a date]

MICHAEL:

It's another example of one where the pre-existing property, the nostalgia might have been enough to get a green lit as a show, but the actual end product had very little to do with that. It's great strength I think is an authenticity of voice and a kind of seriousness of intent; it wants to tell a story in its own right, rather than just a nod to making those of us who vaguely remember seeing Abby Tucker rap.

CLEM:

Or Drazic making Anita shoplift menthol cigarettes.

MICHAEL:

Quality, quality storytelling. You know like it did drive me back to watch a couple of episodes of the earlier series and that didn't stand up at all. You know, my memory, my nostalgia, that was something that's time had passed. But if a pre-existing name is what it takes to get a show made, then, you know.

CLEM:

Yeah, well, I think like some of the other more successful, you know, reboots and re-imaginings, that's what this does well, it's got that recognition factor. You know, I choke as I say that phrase, but it is something new within that, if you like, the Hartley High universe. So it's just the school with the sort of attendant problems and joys that come along with that.

MICHAEL:

Pretty sure at this point it's the Hartley High Multiverse, but that's okay. I mean, there are many strands, many strands to that story.

CLEM:

I mean, I just think it's a testament to, they did a really good job of inviting in a really diverse writers room. And I think that's reflected in the end product. And I know that they collaborated also with the actors. So, you know, the actors who were playing certain characters who may have had similar or lived experience themselves or able to kind of sound off and say, “I don't feel like this character would say that” or, you know, when I've been in a situation like that, it's been, you know, X, Y, Z. And I think that that shows in the end product, which is such a, you know, it's heartfelt, it feels sincere.

MICHAEL:

We’ll be back in a moment.

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MICHAEL:

Your next pick, Clem?

CLEM:

Well, my next pick is a surprise, I suppose for some people; it's Jackass Forever, directed by Jeff Tremaine.

Archival tape -- [Jackass Forever - Trailer]

CLEM:

So the Jackass crew at this point, how old are they? 50, Pushing 60.

MICHAEL:

Pushing 60 definitely.

CLEM:

They've been kicking each other in the nuts for decades. And it is just, you know I think that a lot has been written about Jackass, particularly when they were working with Spike Jones, because I feel like people feel he sort of legitimised what they were doing and what CKY had done on TV before them, which is a stunt/prank based shows. Lots had been written about it in a kind of post-9-11, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You know, you can go to your local research repository and waste a couple of hours, but I think...

MICHAEL:

Pause the podcast first. Go do your research, come back to us.

CLEM:

But I think what is really beautiful about Jackass Forever is that it comes at a time where in many ways a lot of people, I think, feel like the world is ending. You know, there's a definite sense of our time is running out. You know, we're imperilled on a daily basis. We've just been well, we're still going through this big, huge existential challenge of the pandemic sprinkled with, you know, possible war or nuclear annihilation, climate catastrophe. And so I think what this film does and what they've always done is it's a sort of celebration of life in the face of death. They're doing these sometimes very stupid, other times very dangerous things, you know, being in a room with a bear, like being blown up, you know, in a portaloo.

Archival tape -- [Jackass Forever - Trailer]

CLEM:

I think that the sort of catharsis of that is really moving. And I was really struck by it again. I saw it in a cinema with a bunch of other people, and I think everybody had a reaction which was not quite what people who are unfamiliar with Jackass or sort of know it only as it's kind of, you know, cultural 25 words or less version would be quite surprised by - it's a very moving film, you know, I found myself really buoyed by the end of it, but I felt like, yeah, it's quite poignant as well.

MICHAEL:

Wait, you're selling Jackass forever as a stirring meditation on mortality…?

CLEM:

I am!

MICHAEL:

Okay!

CLEM:

It crescendos in-...there’s like a centrifuge, everybody's vomiting different colours. There's an air raid. It's fantastic.

MICHAEL:

Honestly, that sounds like a stirring meditation on mortality. If you wanna see people in their 60s who’ve been kicking each other in the balls for decades, and Australian federal politics doesn’t do it for you, here’s your next option!

CLEM:

Exactly.

Archival tape -- [Jackass Forever - Trailer]

MICHAEL:

What's your next pick?

CLEM:

My next pick is a very original film, and I think what's been interesting this year is that there has been not much daylight between what we would call, you know, independent/alternative filmmaking and the megaplex movies. And one small picture, which really just was an absolute huge runaway hit this year, was Everything Everywhere All at Once by Daniels. And it is incredible.

Archival tape -- [Everything Everywhere All At Once - Trailer]

CLEM:

It's kind of hard to explain. It's a multiversal film. And the multiverse has been, I think, gaining traction as a storytelling device. You know, just this year alone, it was used in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and it was used in the Scarlet Witch TV show. It's been very much a kind of storytelling device du jour. But I think what Daniels do in Everything Everywhere All at Once is realise the potential of that storytelling conceit to wrestle with a number of themes - intergenerational trauma, the immigrant experience in America, the Asian-American immigrant experience, you know, queer issues. And it's also just really incredibly fun.

Archival tape -- [Everything Everywhere All At Once - The family meets Joy’s new girlfriend]

CLEM:

It focuses on this family. The mum played by Michelle Yeoh and her husband played by Ke Huy Quan from originally, you know, he was the cute little kid in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. And then he just didn’t get any more work because there there weren't any roles for Asian-American men. So he's kind of been sitting in the background all this time, and he…I mean, everybody is great. I don't want to, you know, take away from the other performances. But his role is so interesting cause he's introduced as this, you know, embarrassing husband. You know, he wears a bum bag, he wears tracksuit pants. He's kind of everything that this woman is trying to escape, and the development that his character goes through is so striking and he just is you know, he's an action superstar, he's a romantic hero, he's also the daggy dad. Like, he's…it's just such a beautiful moment. And I think, you know, Hollywood always loves a comeback story, but I think this one is particularly potent.

Archival tape -- [Ke Huy Quan interview]

MICHAEL:

One of the things that struck me about it - I loved it as well - it was one of the few films I saw in the cinema this year that wasn't aimed at my 10 and 12 year old. It felt very much like a film that sprung out of the pandemic. It's quite, you know, a limited number of sets that it uses, a tiny cast, it's in many ways, despite its kind of epic sci-fi scope, surprisingly intimate kind of story. Do you think the rise of multiverse stories is a reflection of us culturally feeling trapped where we are?

CLEM:

Oooh. I mean, I've read some interesting analysis of multiversal storytelling being specifically about trauma, that it's almost as a therapeutic tool. I guess it's similar to, you know, some of the research that's happening around psychedelic use in persistent depressive illnesses in that it allows you to see that there are actually other, you know, other options. And so the twist is often that, you know, for example, in Doctor Strange, you know, that in every multiverse the same thing keeps happening. You know, you can't escape your fate. And I think what's really beautiful about Everything Everywhere All at Once and to a lesser extent, Multiverse of Madness, is in recognising how things can be different. And, you know, I don't want to give it away because I think it's such a beautiful reveal in that film. But yeah, it's interesting. It is definitely a sort of collective unconscious thing that has happened in the last few years.

MICHAEL:

I also think as a backdrop for storytelling it's an interesting one because what you need to demonstrate as a filmmaker, either in the script, in your direction, is the imagination to genuinely create the idea of limitless possibility.

CLEM:

Yeah.

MICHAEL:

Terry Pratchett, when he wrote about the multiverse, wrote about the trousers of time that you just go up a different leg - each choice you make goes up a different leg and there's something kind of reassuringly kind of static about just branching off two ways. The thing about the films that you're mentioning is they need at some point to demonstrate that the filmmaker's imagination is wilder than its audiences. I think it meets that task.

CLEM:

It definitely does and I think they're interesting companion pieces because if you look at Multiverse of Madness, which is directed by Sam Raimi, who's a very inventive filmmaker, he's ultimately constrained by the context within which he's working. So there’s kind of really only four multiverses, you know, they quickly go through about 27, but within Everything Everywhere All at Once you really get that sense of infinite possibility. And I think it's a very healing film. I know it has been for a lot of people, and it's just real blast. It's been a long time since I think what, you know, Andor gives is a prestige sci-fi experience within a world that we already know. I think what was fascinating about Everything Everywhere All at Once is it just felt so new. And when was the last time you can remember going to see a science fiction film that didn't feel like or wasn't, you know, a reboot or reimagining or a kind of facsimile of something we sort of knew already.

MICHAEL:

Well I think if we know anything about the way entertainment works is that people learn the wrong lessons from both success and failure. So there'll be surprises, there'll be familiar things made fresh again. But thank you for bringing us up to speed on 2022, Clem, it’s been great to chat.

CLEM:

Thank you for having me.

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