A podcast series about the films of Cate Blanchett. The acting, the costumes, the awards but mostly the Blanchett of it all. Hosted by Murtada Elfadl.
The podcast will be back soon, with 3 episodes on Blue Jasmine (2013).
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That heart wrenching closeup. That iconic buzzcut. That performance many think is one of Cate Blanchett’s best. This week Murtada welcomes Kyle Stevens to discuss Heaven (2002), directed by Tom Tykwer.
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What is the film about?
From IMDB: A woman takes the law into her own hands after police ignore her pleas to arrest the man responsible for her husband’s death, and finds herself not only under arrest for murder but falling in love with an officer.
What year did it come out?
October 2002.
Who does Cate play?
Philippa an English teacher living in Turin, Italy who carries out a vengeful act.
How is Cate introduced?
A few minutes in as Phillippa prepares for her quest.
Box Office: Domestic = $784,399 Int’l = $3,462,690
Topics Discussed:
Scenes we liked:
What seemed off:
Did the film successfully mix the grounded visceral elements of its story with the dreamy metaphysical ending?
Film within context of Cate’s career:
Film within the context of year it’s been released:
What reviews said of film / Cate:
“In ”Heaven” the Australian dramatic chameleon Cate Blanchett gives the most compelling screen performance of her career as a principled terrorist whose desperate act of violence tragically backfires, leaving her broken and reeling with despair and self-loathing.
As her character, Philippa, a recently widowed young English teacher living in Turin, Italy, disintegrates, Ms. Blanchett registers a wrenching series of quick emotional changes. Upon learning that her carefully plotted act of vigilantism has resulted in the deaths of innocent people, her defiance gives way in seconds to shock, then to horror, then to self-realization so painful that she doubles up and crumples onto the floor, unconscious.
Although Ms. Blanchett’s face has always registered emotion with a mercurial fluidity, the immediacy of feeling she conveys in ”Heaven” is astonishing. It also allows her to carry off the seemingly impossible feat of making us care passionately about a woman who has committed an unforgivable crime.” – Stephen Holden, NY Times.
“Blanchett’s performance confirms her power once again. She never goes for an effect here, never protects herself, just plays the character straight ahead as a woman forced by grief and rage into a rash action, and then living with the consequences.” – Roger Ebert
Promotional work:
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This week we do not have a new film to discuss because of the holidays. Instead we are looking back at our first 12 episodes and what we learned about the films of Cate Blanchett so far.
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A few themes have emerged and beacme apparent:
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With 12 episodes released I want to say thank you for listening and for making the podcast a reality.
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As we close 2019 and look forward to a new year I wanted to thank you for being a big part of my year. We have discussed many of Cate Blanchett’s films with many more coming in 2020.
We’ve discussed some big blockbusters (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and smaller movies (Little Fish, Oscar and Lucinda).
We have talked about her uncanny transformations ino Katharine Hepburn in The Aviator, Bob Dylan inI’m Not There and a sorta Marina Abramovic in Documentary Now.
We talked about her big breakout in Elizabeth, the peak of her celebrity post Carol around the time Ocean’s 8 was released.
and coming in 2020:
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We are going avant garde because “art is supposed to be radical.” Murtada welcomes Shelley Farmer to discuss Waiting for the Artist (2019), an episode of Documentary Now and the film Manifesto (2017) which started as an art installation.
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Documentary Now: Waiting for The Artist
Follow along, Blanchett’s episode is available on Netflix.
What is the film about?
An episode of the third season of Documentary Now inspired by the Marina Abramovic doc The Artist is Present. From imdb: A performance artist returns to her native Hungary for a career retrospective.
What is Documentary Now?
An American mockumentary television series, created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas. The series spoofs celebrated documentary films by parodying the style of each documentary with a similar, but fictitious, subject. Notable episodes include spoofs of Grey Gardens, The Thin Blue Line and Company Original Cast Album.
What year did it come out?
2019
Who does Cate play?
Izabella Barta, a take on Marina Abramovic.
Topics discussed:
Memorable quotes:
What reviews said about Cate:
“There’s a genuine, and familiar, tragedy underneath Blanchett’s Slavic accent, and she doesn’t play the part for laughs. There’s humor in the episode, but it’s the humor of recognition, not release. Even if it’s fiction, “Waiting for the Artist” still feels like it’s documenting something real.” – Sam Adams, Slate
“The episode is written by Seth Meyers, and its brilliance lies in how tenderly both he and Blanchett approach Barta, a woman whose installations have included getting strangers to pass her toilet paper and pretending to be a cat. Performance art is so ripe for parody that it almost resists it. But Meyers, whether accidentally or not, finds some real meaning in Barta’s work, which attempts to expose the absurd suffering of the human condition.” – Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic.
Film within context of Cate’s career:
Fun project that shows she can be in on the joke playing off her persona as a great actress.
Other references:
Behind the scenes of the episode @ IndieWire
Recently Cate and Marina spent time together in London.
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MANIFESTO
What is the film about?
Official Synopsis: Manifesto pays homage to the tradition and literary beauty of artistic manifestos, ultimately questioning the role of the artist in society today. Performing these ‘new manifestos’ as a contemporary call to action while inhabiting thirteen different personas, Academy Award winner-Cate Blanchett imbues new dramatic life into both famous and lesser-known words in unexpected contexts. Details about the 12 manifestos here.
Follow aong, Manifesto is available on Amazon Prime.
What year did it come out?
the installation came out in 2015, the film in 2017.
Who does Cate play?
13 characters reciting 12 manifestos.
Topics to discuss:
Scenes we liked
(video edited by Shayma)
Film within context of Cate’s career:
Bolsters her reputation as a chameleon without any expectations that may come with a “regular” film.
What reviews said of film / Cate:
“The surprise here is that Rosefeldt has managed to deliver an intellectually-charged, cheeky, and very funny film that feels unruly and expansive in spite of its tight 12-day shooting schedule and its focus on just one performer. Blanchett has no fear as a performer, and she has such enormous appetite for acting that she rips into each of the characters she is playing in “Manifesto” as if she were hungrily stripping meat off of chicken legs and then hurling the bones over her shoulder. She is such an acting prodigy that she needs to be properly challenged, and “Manifesto” is such a challenging and unlikely project that Blanchett uses her talent as she never has before, splashing it all over the screen and making bold gestures that only become physically overdone when she plays an Eastern European choreographer in a turban.” – Dan Callahan, The Wrap.
“There’s an apocryphal story about turn-of-the-century theater queen Sarah Bernhardt reading the phone book so emotionally that the audience was left weeping. That’s what Blanchett is doing here. She adds a human element. She can turn anything into art. Even artistic navel-gazing.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone
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A sea expedition to find a killer shark. A riff on Jacques Cousteau. Cate Blanchett enters the quirky and unique world of Wes Anderson. Murtada welcomes producer and filmmaker Erica Mann to discuss The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
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What is the film about?
From imdb: With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, Oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.
What year did it come out?
2004. Post Lost in Translation (2003) for Murray. Same year as The Aviator for Cate.
Who does Cate play?
Jane Winslett-Richardson, a reporter from the Oceanographic Explorer, interviewing Zissou.
How is Cate introduced?
23 minutes in, appearing the mist before the Zissou guys and kinda taking their breath away. “Those are Vietcong man-of-wars.”
Box Office: Domestic = $24MM Int’l = $10.7MM.
Topics discussed:
What seemed off:
Too much quirkiness or what Stephanie Zacharek referred to as “waterlogged with whimsy.”
Film within context of Cate’s career:
Released the same year as The Aviator and perhaps that’s why it’s a forgotten blip in career.
What reviews said of film / Cate:
“Having established a rather hectic set of narrative premises Mr. Anderson proceeds to treat them casually, dropping in swatches of action and feeling when they suit his atmospheric purposes. He is less a storyteller than an observer and an arranger of odd human specimens. “The Life Aquatic” is best compared to a lavishly illustrated, haphazardly plotted picture book – albeit one with frequent profanity and an occasional glimpse of a woman’s breasts – the kind dreamy children don’t so much read start to finish as browse and linger over, finding fuel for their own reveries.” – Dana Stevens, The NYTimes
The film is often quite funny, but there are no bits and no punch lines. Laughing at any point makes about equal sense. The low-key comic style lets the audience notice the absurdity, while allowing the actors to play the emotions straight. Thus Murray and Wilson are able to achieve a father-son poignancy in their interaction, even though most of their scenes are intentionally and faintly ridiculous. Murray’s scenes with Cate Blanchett work similarly. She plays a virtual parody of a crusading journalist, a five-months-pregnant magazine writer interviewing Steve for a “cover story,” a prospect that fills him with hope and paranoia. Their conversations satirize the tortured dance of celebrities and reporters. Yet “The Life Aquatic” also takes us into the pain of a working woman, on her own, pregnant by a married lover.- Mick LaSalle, SF Chronicle.
Cate Blanchett proves she can do anything, even things she should not do.- Roger Ebert.
Promotional appearances:
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This week Murtada welcomes Kate Halliwell, writer for The Ringer and host of the Tea Time podcast to discuss Ocean’s 8 and the period post Carol (2015) which they both consider to be Blanchett’s peak celebrity and pop culture power.
Click to Listen:
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Follow along the film is streaming on HBO Max.
What is the film about?
From imdb: Debbie Ocean gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City’s yearly Met Gala.
What year did it come out?
2018
Who does Cate play?
Lou Miller, second in command to Debbie Miller. The Pitt to Bullock’s Clooney. Butch femme, loves motorcycles and wears a mean jumpsuit and leather pants.
How is Cate introduced?
6 minutes in tampering with the vodka while Judge Judy plays in the background.
Box Office: Domestic = $140,218,711 Int’l = $ 157,500,000
Topics discussed:
1- Ocean’s 8
2- Cate’s post Carol’s celebrity power
1) the Carol press tour late 2015 into 2016
2) Presiding over the Jury at Cannes May 2018
3) The Ocean’s 8 press tour (that Today Show interview with Sarah Paulson, the many suits she wore to all the press events) May-June 2018
4) Lip-synching at a drag show in NYC February 2017 to Dusty Springfield’s You Don’t Own Me
5) Even fellow celebrities are stans; from Gillian Anderson to Val Kilmer
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We are going big this week. Big movie. Big performance. Murtada welcomes Gavin Mevius, co-host of The Mixed Reviews Podcast to discuss Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008).
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Follow along, the film is streaming on Netflix.
What is the film about?
From imdb: In 1957, archaeologist and adventurer Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones, Jr. is called back into action and becomes entangled in a Soviet plot to uncover the secret behind mysterious artifacts known as the Crystal Skulls.
When did it come out?
May 2008
Who does Cate play?
Dr Irina Spalko; a doctor, colonel, and the primary antagonist of the film. She is a psychic, as well as a very skilled fencer and combatant. Called “Stalin’s fair haired girl” by one of the characters.
How is Cate introduced?
5 minutes in; first a commanding voice then cutaway to her in sunglasses emerging from car. As usual with Cate it’s a movie star entrance.
Box Office: Domestic = $317,101,119 Int’l = $469,534,914
Topics discussed:
“What people really jumped at was Indy climbing into a refrigerator and getting blown into the sky by an atom-bomb blast. Blame me. Don’t blame George. That was my silly idea. People stopped saying ‘jump the shark.’ They now say, ‘nuked the fridge.’ I’m proud of that. I’m glad I was able to bring that into popular culture.” – Spielberg to CNN.
Memorable quotes:
Costumes we loved?
Well it’s just the one; an all -pupose gray jumpsuit.
Scenes we liked:
The car chase in the forest with the sword fighting – exciting.
What seemed off:
Film within context of Cate’s career
This film was announced after Cate revealed her break with movies to run the Sydney Theater Company.
What reviews said of film / Cate:
“The bad guys this time are cold war Reds first seen poking around an American military base and led by Irina Spalko. A caricature given crude, playful life by Cate Blanchett, Irina owes more than a little to Rosa Klebb, the pint-size Soviet operative played by Lotte Lenya, who took on James Bond in “From Russia With Love.”
Dressed in gray coveralls, her hair bobbed and Slavic accent slipping and sliding as far south as Australia, Ms. Blanchett takes to her role with brio, snapping her black gloves and all but clicking her black boots like one of those cartoon Nazis that traipse through earlier Indy films. She’s pretty much a hoot, the life of an otherwise drearily familiar party.” Manohla Dargis, NYTimes
“Harrison Ford used to lighten his clenched persona with goofy shrugs that said, “I can only go so far with this hero stuff.” But the years have dried him out; he seems like a peevish movie star who’s too self-centered to interact. When he’s supposed to realize that Marion is the love of his life, he looks as if he’s gritting his teeth to kiss her. Blanchett—a great art object, her satin skin taut over those Asiatic cheekbones—hits the same note with diminishing returns. How many variations are there of “We meet again, Dr. Jones?” – David Edelstein, New York Magazine
“Irina Spalko, played by Blanchett with the severe demeanor of Cyd Charisse’s Ninotchka in the 1957 MGM musical Silk Stockings and the black bob Charisse sports in The Band Wagon.”- Richard Corliss, Time.
“Blanchett, who has absolutely no idea what to do with her role: She’s equal parts evil and incompetent, and she’s the least dangerous villain Indiana Jones has ever faced. Turns out that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are far more threatening foes.” – The Village Voice
Cate in relation to these co-stars, director, costume designer:
Promotional appearances:
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One of Cate Blanchett’s earliest films, Oscar and Lucinda finds her working in Australia with Gillian Armstrong and Ralph Fiennes. It’s an odd, eccentric but very feminist tale.
Host: Murtada Elfadl, some of Murtada’s film writing can be found here.
Guest : Andy Stewart.
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What is the film about?
From imdb: In mid-1800s England, Oscar, a young Anglican priest, and Lucinda, a teen-aged Australian heiress, are both passionate gamblers. Lucinda bets Oscar her entire inheritance that he cannot transport a glass church to the Outback safely, and this leads to the events that will change both their lives forever.
What year did it come out?
December 1997.
Who does Cate play?
Lucinda, an heiress obsessed with glass and gambling and who has an almost desperate desire to liberate her sex from the confines of the male-dominated culture of the Australia of that time.
How is Cate introduced?
13 minutes in the pond speaking French.
Box Office: Domestic = $1.8M Int’l = Unknown.
Topics discussed:
Memorable quotes:
“In order that I exist, two gamblers, one obsessive, one compulsive, must meet.”
Costumes we loved:
They look right for the period though not memorable. More memorable is that they are roughed up and tousled, don’t look pristine like stuffy costume dramas.
Scenes we liked:
The confession scene where Oscar and Lucinda “lay their cards on the table” is exhilarating and fun. Played for comedy and both actors are playing several notes.
What seemed off:
Mash up of tones which made it interesting if not entirely successful.
Film within context of Cate’s career:
What reviews said of film / Cate:
“Ms. Blanchett, whose strength and vivacity recall the young Judy Davis ”My Brilliant Career,” is appealingly well teamed with Mr. Fiennes, who manages to make Oscar as bashfully likable as he is quaint. ’ – Janet Maslin, NYTimes
“Ralph Fiennes plays Oscar, an odd Anglican minister addicted to the thrills of wagering; Cate Blanchett is his soul mate, Lucinda — the kind of warm-blooded feminist that may be Armstrong’s most important contribution to the image of women on screen.” – Lisa Schwarzbaum EW
Press coverage other than reviews:
Armstrong to NYTimes on why she chose Cate for the part: “We were looking for someone who wasn’t quite conventional. Cate has this slightly magic quality, as if she can be transported into other worlds.’‘
Promotional appearances:
New York premiere December 1997.
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Perhaps Cate Blanchett’s least seen film, at least in the United States, Litte Fish (2005) is gritty and scrappy and unlike anything in her filmography.
Host: Murtada Elfadl, some of Murtada’s film writing can be found here.
Guest : Valerie Complex some of Valerie’s writing can be found here.
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From imdb: Set in the Little Saigon district outside of Sydney, a woman (Blanchett) trying to escape her past becomes embroiled in a drug deal.
2005.
Tracy Louise Heart, a former heroin addict who is desperately trying to escape her past and achieve her goals and dreams.
A minute in; fully dressed under water in a pool- striking image.
Box Office: Domestic = $8,148 Int’l = $ 3,240, 358.
Metacritic: 77. Tomato Meter: 90.
Topics discussed:
Scenes we liked:
What seemed off:
Film within context of Cate’s career:
Film within the context of year it’s been released:
What reviews said of Cate/the film:
“To sink or to swim: that is the question. In “Little Fish,” Cate Blanchett does both. The great Australian actress sinks into the role Tracy Heart, a 32-year-old recovering drug addict who manages a video store in Cabramatta, a Sydney suburb nicknamed Little Saigon for its large Vietnamese population and known as the heroin capital of Australia. As in all her screen performances, Ms. Blanchett immerses herself completely in her character, a damaged, high-strung woman determined to live the straight life while surrounded by temptation.” – Stephen Holden, The New York Times.
“The actors are terrific, especially Weaving, who plays bottoming out as a tragedy spiked with gallows humor, and Blanchett, who digs deep into the booby-trapped nature of recovery. The revelation, however, is Rowan Woods, a major filmmaker in the making.” – Owen Gleiberman, EW.
“The title, one supposes, refers both to the small packages of drugs the characters deal in and to the people themselves. They’re victims and survivors in a larger predatory world. Two related images run through the film – swimming and the seaside. Tracy is liberated by her daily sessions in a swimming pool (where her old love for Johnny is rekindled), and the family is drawn together at last during a purifying visit to the beach at dawn.” – Philip French, The Guardian.
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SUNDAYS WITH CATE 
