From the Archive: Film Edition
Also: God Save the Scene was a Substack Featured Publication this week!
We’re back with some exciting news: earlier this week God Save the Scene was handpicked to feature on the Substack homepage, as well as Substack’s Discover in the new Substack app. As such, our inbox has been flooded with hundreds of new subscribers – welcome one and all! Edited in London by Elizabeth Dimitroff and Livvy Bryant, we publish ‘secret recommendations’ from our guests every Monday.
We also write sporadic Friday posts – in the past we’ve done a ‘Mother’s Day Special’, dishing out advice from our mothers and the mothers of our subscribers, as well as a ‘Transatlantic Special’, with Elizabeth ruminating on the subtle differences between life in New York and London.
As our following has grown, we thought it might be time to start consolidating some of our guests’ recs. Our new Friday series ‘From the Archive’ will gather together some of our favourites, organised into categories. This week, it’s films (plus two film podcasts and four excellent cinemas). We will keep this post updated as new recs roll in, so bookmark our page on Substack to stay in the know.
FROM THE ARCHIVE: FILM
Nº 11: Rebecca Raphael
☞ NIGHTMARE ALLEY: As someone who can find contemporary attempts at film noir irritating, especially in the context of Southern drawls and Bradley Cooper, I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Nightmare Alley. Guillermo del Toro redeems himself from the last film of his I watched—the shocker that was Crimson Peak—in this metaphor-laden saga, following a swindling ‘clairvoyant’ in 1940s New York, including predictably great performances from Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett. It packs a lot into 2.5 hours without unwelcome ennui, and is worth paying to see on a big screen.
Nº 14: Laurence Hills
☞ 90s AND 2000S MUSIC VIDEOS: Spike Jonze, Edgar Wright, Harmony Korine. Beastie Boys, Kasabian, Fatboy Slim. Celebrity appearances, ingeniously bad visual effects and pantomimic characters.
☞ PRINCE CHARLES CINEMA: In what is probably the densest patch of cinemas in the universe, this is the greatest. Independent, red velvet, classics projected in 35 & 70mm, £10 annual membership. princecharlescinema.com
☞ THE ‘DGA’ DIRECTORS CUT PODCAST: For a formal upskirt of how & why new films are made. With questions asked by filmmakers much smarter than me to the directors of newly released films.
Nº 15: Fernanda Amis
☞ GUY-FRIEND-GROUP MOVIES: One of my favorite genres is guy-friend-group movies. I suggest a marathon. Recommendations: Kicking and Screaming (Noah Baumbach’s first movie about recent graduates turned cynical layabouts), Swingers (Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn go to Vegas, hang out at the hot music and dance venues of 90s LA, and try forever unsuccessfully to get laid), Superbad, The Wolf of Wall Street, Goodfellas...
Nº 17: Charlie Bardey
☞ KAJILLIONAIRE: The movie Kajillionaire, directed by Miranda July. So grateful for any movie that confidently builds its own world, whimsical but with depth, heartbreaking, sweet, funny.
Nº 18: Editor's Special: Livvy & Elizabeth
☞ THE ION PACK: I enjoy the sense of mild productivity that podcasts provide. The Ion Pack is my ride or die. It’s hosted by two anonymous New York guys who discuss movies, the creative process and host a wide range of interviews (though, their solo eps are my favourite). The anonymous aspect steers the focus toward the concepts and ideas. They’re also completely hilarious. It’s $5 per month for access to the full episodes, but consider it tuition. If you don’t know where to start, Ep. 25: Losing A Whole Year and their most recent episode Ep. 106: Palme d’OrCore or: Triangle of Sucks Badness offers a hot take on Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness.
☞ UNDER 25 SCHEMES: This one’s for the London newbies – both the BFI and Ciné Lumière offer epic discounts if you’re under 25 – tickets are £3 and £5 respectively, and their programmes consistently feature outstanding foreign and classic cinema.
Nº 19: Karisma Oluchukwu Ekeh
☞ LUIS BUNUEL: Luis Bunuel was a Mexican filmmaker with Spanish roots who was the first to show me a new approach to film. I remember watching The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) which completely confused, amazed and astonished me. The way he conveys his own view and opinion about society in a surrealistic manner creates an aftertaste that will make you more aware about the absurdity and banality of Life and the way we live.
Nº 23: Isabelle Bucklow
☞ CLOSE-UP CINEMA: I love going to Close-Up cinema for a coffee or a glass of wine or to actually go to the cinema - the ambience is such that a trip wouldn’t be wasted if you didn’t see a film. This cinema is in Shoreditch (yuck) but boasts a film rental library containing classics of early and experimental cinema, artist moving image and documentaries, an archive of digital media and printed matter, as well as a delectable film programme for their 40 seat cinema (they just had a wicked Cassevettes season). In the cafe/bar there are also plenty of books and dvds to peruse and this proves greatly beneficial should you be on a date and conversation just isn’t popping. I once had the pleasure of sitting adjacent to shelves M-P - I simply had to pluck Pasolini's 'Bodies and Places' from the shelf and boy did things really get going ;)
Nº 26: James Owens
☞ THE THIEF AND THE COBBLER: The unfinished masterpiece that you’ve probably never heard of, an animation directed by Richard Williams. Production originally took place in the 60s but was further worked on for 29 years on hand drawn and coloured frames. Based on Persian Folklore The Thief and the Cobbler had a very interesting journey in the making, legal battles and even Disney making a rip off of the film with Aladdin. This film is a true masterpiece and I urge anyone to watch the original uncut version.
Nº 29: Tallulah Harris
☞ THE FLORIDA PROJECT: I haven’t got much more to say other than watch it and you’ll get why. The filmmakers know what’s up (especially with colour).
Nº 33: Matthew Roberts
☞ UNGENTLE: Incredible new film by Huw Lemmey and Onyeka Igwe, narrated by Ben Whishaw, showing till January at Studio Voltaire, Clapham. Espionage, hegemony, homosexuality and class-war intertwine in this fictive autobiography of a double agent working for the NKVD in Cold War London. Think Waugh meets Le Carré with Patrick Keiller-ish cinematography.
Nº 34: Seb Summers
☞ WATCHING: European spy/assassin thrillers - These films don’t have much in common outside the common thread of ‘someone on the run/chasing something’ - but they all have a good train journey or two, great support roles and generally take place in the sun.
The original classic is Day of the Jackal - Anti-hero Edward Fox makes his way from London across Spain and France to assassinate Charles De Gaulle - the late great Michael Lonsdale is the indefatigable detective in pursuit. Gold.
Examples - The Odessa File, An American Friend, Ronin, The Baader Meinhof Complex, Mission Impossible, Munich & The Bourne Trilogy.
Thanks again to all our guests for sharing their recs! This list will be updated as new film-based recommendations roll in. Find the post on our Substack page. Our usual service recommences on Monday, with our latest guest revealing their secrets.