The Ministry of Film

Robin and Carolina take a detour from the usual schedule to talk about THE blockbuster of the summer, Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. 
Politics include: 3,000 of theorising about Odysseus' motives, the MAGA right-wing press going bonkers at the film, and the small matter of the politics of the Olympus getting in the way of our hero getting back to Ithaca. Plus that Trojan horse.
If you want to keep engaging with the Cyclops-style amount of commentary about the film and the epic poem, here are some recommendations from R+C:
Classicist and Translator Emily Wilson's review of the Odyssey film (spoiler, she didn't love it)
The film The Return for those looking for a more faithful adaptation of the second part of the poem (or at least Ralph Fiennes looking stacked)
The film O'Brother Where Art Thou? by the Coen Brothers, a satirical, loosely adapted version of the Odyssey
The BBC's In Our Time episode on The Odyssey - A classic on a classic
If you liked the Odyssey and want to delve deeper into the classics, Robin recommends Homer's Iliad and Virgil's Aeneid as follow up epic poems to follow
For the mega nerds out there, check out the oldest piece of narrative literature, the Epic of Gilgamesh - Hollywood: you know what to do.
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!

Follow us on:
Instagram @ministryoffilmpod
Bluesky @ministryoffilmpod.bskyb.social

Carolina and Robin come back for part two of their deep dive into the heart of darkness of New York City, a young angry man, and rampant capitalism.
Politics include: Bobby de Niro raging his own Vietnam War on the streets of New York during the grossest-looking bin strike; young prostitute Iris creeping the heck out of viewers; the slimy US politics of the mid 1970s, which have not changed all that much; and a load of over-glamourised military paraphernalia. Plus Carolina's rant about making these films disappear off our screens for a bit. Please.
You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!

Follow us on:
Instagram @ministryoffilmpod
Bluesky @ministryoffilmpod.bskyb.social

Robin and Carolina stay in the depths of New York City, this time looking at all-time loser incel Travis Bickle in Martin Scorsese's seminal Taxi Driver. There was so much to say that, for the first time, the episode will be split into two parts.
Politics include: Bobby de Niro raging his own Vietnam War on the streets of New York during the grossest-looking bin strike; young prostitute Iris creeping the heck out of viewers; the slimy US politics of the mid 1970s, which have not changed all that much; and a load of over-glamourised military paraphernalia. 
You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!

If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!

Follow us on:
Instagram @ministryoffilmpod
Bluesky @ministryoffilmpod.bskyb.social

Carolina and Robin step into the world of the 90s New York Italian mafia (with a side of daddy issues) in Luc Besson's 'Léon: The Professional'.
Politics include: Italians called Fat Tony leading the New York underworld; corrupt cops played by Gary Oldman skimming off the top of said underworld; and a deserved swipe at the Donald Trump types sitting comfortably on top of all that. And a 12-year-old girl learning to become a killer. 
For the first time, we're not just in your ears but also your eyes! Tell us how you like it, and as ever, thank you for bearing with us while we get our heads around this incredibly new technology.
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!

Follow us on:
Instagram @ministryoffilmpod
Bluesky @ministryoffilmpod.bskyb.social

'Alice had got so much into the way of expecting nothing but out-of-the-way things to happen, that it seemed quite dull for life to go on in the common way'
Robin and Carolina come back from their brief hiatus to discuss not one, but two Alice's Adventures in Wonderland adaptations: Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' (1951) and Jan Švankmajer's 'Alice' (1988).
Politics include: Victorian satire, logic that isn't logic (but maybe is), how growing up is scary but exciting, the value of wonderment to the human experience, and a bucket of dead oysters.
More cool, psychedelic writing about the meaning of Alice:
'Female identity in Wonderland' by Anna Cermakova (you knew there would be one about feminism)
'Alice's adventures in algebra' by Melanie Bayley (really rather good, actually)
'Carroll's satirical vision of the age' by Ansam Khyoon (more politics, for you nerds)
If you like what you hear, please rate and subscribe to the show wherever you're listening, it will help others find the pod.
You will hopefully be able to see us as well as hear us, and we would love to know what you think, so please leave a comment wherever you're listening to this!

Follow us on:
Instagram @ministryoffilmpod
Bluesky @ministryoffilmpod.bskyb.social