Single Serving Cinema

Tim & Tay

Single Serving Cinema looks at one critical scene in a movie every other week. We explore how the scene is constructed, what the scene achieves, and what it can tell us about the movie as a whole. Hosted by Tim & Tay.

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128 episodes
Updated July 23

Episodes128

Newest first

Aug 25, 2021 · 59 min
SSC 08: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (Miyazaki, 1984)
Tim and Tay discuss their first animated feature and first Hayao Miyazaki feature on the podcast: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which offers a compelling heroine for young and old viewers alike, embodying the idea that violence and war only lead to more of the same. The success of Nausicaä would allow Miyazaki to co-found Studio Ghibli and subsequently release some of the most beloved animated movies in cinematic history. This animated feature tells the story of Nausicaä, a pacifist and princess who finds herself and her people caught in the middle of two warring nations that are intent on destroying each other and the hostile natural world. Directed and written by Hayao Miyazaki, Nausicaä stars Sumi Shimamoto and Goro Naya; it premiered March 11, 1984, in Japan, and on DVD (with an English dub) on February 22, 2005. Tagline — "Why do people destroy and hate? Why do they not show love and affection?" Nausicaä is available to stream on Netflix. Scene (31:15 — 35:10) Tolmekian airships disrupt the peaceful Valley of the Wind. Nausicaä realizes that the airships are going after her father, who lies bedridden in a tower. She arrives, but her father has already been slain by the Tolmekian Royal Guard. In a burst of rage, Nausicaä attacks several Tolmekians, before Lord Yupa stops her. Links 5:00 — Lupin III: The Castle Of Cagliostro 5:21 — Nausicaä goes from manga to movie 9:00 — The Warriors Of The Wind 10:30 — Toshio Suzuki says “no cuts” for Princess Mononoke 16:00 — Miayzaki’s tropes and the concept of “shojo” 19:00 — Writing strong roles for young girls 21:00 — Miyazaki on the ending of Nausicaä 25:00 — Miyazaki’s love of aircraft 26:55 — Inspiring Final Fantasy's chocobos 48:00 — INVINCIBLE 54:00 — Giant God Warrior Appears In Tokyo 55:00 — Manga as the outlet for darker ideas Recommendations Tim: The Hunt (Zobel, 2020). Available to stream on Crave. Tay: La Tortue Rouge (Dudok de Wit, 2016). All links are verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd
Aug 11, 2021 · 55 min
SSC 07: Shin Godzilla (Anno, Higuchi, 2016)
Tim and Tay are joined by Rob (our very first guest on the podcast) to talk about bureaucracy, kaiju films, and more in a discussion about 2016's Shin Godzilla. This 2016 installment in the 67-year Godzilla franchise examines how the modern Japanese government (and allied forces) would respond when a skyscraper-sized lizard comes ashore to wreak havoc in Tokyo. Shin Godzilla was written and directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, and stars: Horoki Hasegawa as Rando Yaguchi Mikako Ichikawa as Hiromi Ogashira Satomi Ishihara as Kayoko Ann Paterson Yutaka Takenouchi as Hideki Akasaka Tagline — "A god incarnate. A city doomed." Shin Godzilla is available to rent on Google Play. Scene (12:42 - 15:55) As the first form of Godzilla moves upriver, the Prime Minister begs his team to find new perspectives. Hiromi (Mikako Ichikawa) is called in, immediately cutting through the bureaucratic decorum with radical ideas about Godzilla’s capabilities and rapid evolution, including the idea that it could support its own weight to walk on land. Bound by procedure, the cabinet agrees that they need to hold a press conference to calm the public, at which the Prime Minister foolishly goes off script and announces that Godzilla cannot leave the sea, according to experts. He is interrupted by an aide, who informs him that Godzilla has in fact come ashore. Links 6:40 — Neon Genesis Evangelion, available to stream on Netflix 8:20 — Anno and fan service 25:55 — Frilled shark design 33:30 — Found footage Recommendations Tim: Colossal (Vigalondo, 2016). Available to stream on Amazon Prime and CBC Gem. Tay: Trollhunter (Øvredal, 2011.) Available to stream on Hoopla. Rob: The Twentieth Century (Rankin, 2020). Available to stream on Crave. All links are verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd
Jul 28, 2021 · 40 min
SSC 06: Incendies (Denis Villeneuve, 2010)
Tim and Tay talk about the career of Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, and examine a powerful scene that marks the turning point for Incendies' protagonist Narwal Marwan. Incendies tells the story of Canadian twins that travel to their mother's native country in the Middle East to uncover her hidden past amidst a bloody civil war. Told in parallel, the two generations’ stories examine the trauma and effects of cyclical violence. Based on the play of the same name by Wajdi Mouawad, Incendies premiered on September 4, 2010. Tagline — “The search began at the opening of their mother's will.” Incendies is available to stream on Crave (Starz) or as a digital rental. Scene (48:08 — 52:52) Amidst the revolution, Nawal searches for her long-lost child, making her way through the dangerous desert countryside where she catches a bus carrying Muslim refugees. To avoid conflict, she hides her Christianity by removing her crucifix. Awaking from a nap, Nawal witnesses a violent confrontation between the bus driver and a group of Christian Nationalists before they turn their guns on the bus, leaving only Nawal and another woman and child alive. As they prepare to light the bus on fire, Nawal calls out that she is Christian, and is spared. She tries to save the child by saying that it’s hers, but the Nationalists shoot the child anyways. Nawal is left alone in the desert beside the burning bus. Links 6:35 — Souha Bechara as partial inspiration for Incendies 7:32 — Villeneuve speaking on Incencies (making-of documentary on Incendies blu-ray) 8:52 — Munich (Spielberg, 2005) 15:35 — The Midpoint Collision, (Lessons From The Screenplay) 21:17 — Alien (Scott, 1979) Recommendations Tim: Mikey and Nicky (Elaine May, 1976). Available to stream on Amazon Prime. Tay: Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi, 2007). Available to stream on Criterion Channel, or as a digital rental. All links verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd
Jul 14, 2021 · 55 min
SSC 05: Ocean’s 12 (Soderbergh, 2004)
By examining an infamous, potentially movie-breaking scene in Ocean's 12, Tim and Tay explore just how much of Soderbergh's audacity this franchise can bear before it falls apart. Ocean’s 12, the second installment in Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, finds the gang on the clock to repay their mark from the first film, casino mogul Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). In order to pay back what they stole, with interest, they must oblige François Toulour (Vincent Cassel), the world’s greatest thief, in a competition to steal the Fabergé Imperial Coronation Egg. Starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Vincent Cassel, Ocean’s 12 premiered on December 8, 2004. Tagline — Three years ago, they stole 160 million dollars. Now the only thing between their old enemy and their new one is an Ocean. Ocean’s 12 is available on Netflix and as a digital rental. Scene (1:25:20 - 1:30:40) After picking up a frustrated Tess, the remaining Ocean's team (Linus, Basher, and Turk) attempts to prep her for her role as the diversion in their plan. The plan involves her impersonating the actress Julia Roberts to use her star power to get close to the Faberge egg that they intend to steal. In a scene full of meta-commentary, Bruce Wilis appears as himself and threatens to disrupt the plan. The scene stars Julia Roberts as Tess Ocean (and as herself), Bruce Willis as himself, Matt Damon as Linus, Don Cheadle as Basher, Scott Caan as Turk, and Carl Reiner as Saul. Links 48:22 — the Coen brothers as Virgil & Turk Note: Most of the background and insight explored in this episode can be heard in the Ocean's 12 commentary with director Steven Soderbergh and writer George Nolfi. Recommendations Tim: Riders Of Justice (Anders Thomas Jensen, 2021) — available as a digital rental. Tay: Behind The Candelabra (Soderbergh, 2013) — available on Crave (CA), HBO (US), and as a digital rental. All links verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd
Jun 30, 2021 · 49 min
SSC 04: Drag Me To Hell (Raimi, 2009)
Tim and Tay talk Sam Raimi’s post-Spider-Man return-to-horror, Drag Me To Hell, and how one scene in a parking garage shows off everything the director has mastered since his start in the early ‘80s. Drag Me To Hell is a 2009 horror feature directed by Sam Raimi, starring Alison Lohman, Lorna Raver, and Justin Long. Lohman plays Christine Brown, an ambitious loan officer who, in the pursuit of a promotion, chooses to evict an elderly woman from her home. The woman, played by Raver, curses Christine, giving her three days until a malicious spirit, the Lamia, drags her to hell. Tagline — “Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend, and a bright future. But in three days, she's going to hell.” Drag Me To Hell is available for digital rental. Scene (16:41 - 22:37) The scene in question stars Alison Lohman and Lorna Raver. After being told she is a shoo-in for the big promotion, Christine leaves the office, venturing into the underground parking garage with her office supplies. Once inside her car, she is violently attacked by Ms. Ganush for shaming her earlier in the day. In a chaotic fight scene, the women attack each other within the tight confines of the car, involving staplers, handkerchiefs, a smashed window, and more. The scene concludes with Ms. Ganush cursing Christine by taking a button off her jacket and handing it back to her. Links 14:50 — Aiming for a PG-13 rating 39:12 — Drag Me To Hell as a morality tale 47:50 — Maggie Mae Fish’s video on Coup 53 Recommendations Tim: Coup 53 (Taghi Amirani, 2019) — available for rental on the filmmaker’s website. Tay: The Wolf Of Snow Hollow (Jim Cummings, 2020) — available on Crave, and for digital rental. All links verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd
Jun 15, 2021 · 37 min
SSC 01: The Prestige (Nolan, 2006)
In the premiere episode of Single Serving Cinema, Tim and Tay explore a deceptively simple and highly functional scene in the spiraling, multi-layered narrative of Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige. The Prestige tells the story of two rival stage magicians in Victorian-era London, and their obsessive pursuits to gain superiority, no matter the cost. Directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, The Prestige was released on Oct. 20, 2006. The Prestige is available to stream on Disney+, and as a digital rental. Scene (0:13:27- 16:02) Featuring Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier, Christian Bale as Alfred Borden, Piper Perabo as Julia Angier, and Michael Caine as Cutter. The scene is set backstage following a successful, but apparently, "boring", act by Milton, a show magician that the quartet all work for. Borden largely drives the conversation regarding the lack of originality in Milton's show, while Angier questions Borden’s morality and his bluntness on the subject. Cutter calls out Borden for using the incorrect knot on Julia during the act and further arguments of professionalism, showmanship and secrecy arise. Links 16:32: “Secret of the Magus”, a New Yorker profile of Ricky Jay Recommendations Tim: Burning, (Lee Chang-dong, 2018) — available on Amazon Prime Tay: Eastern Promises, (David Cronenberg, 2007) — available on Amazon Prime All links verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd
Jun 15, 2021 · 42 min
SSC 02: Gattaca (Niccol, 1997)
Tim and Tay dive into a pair of scenes from Andrew Niccol’s thought-provoking and economical sci-fi film Gattaca. Can a simple race from shore to horizon reveal a person’s potential? In the “not too distant future”, advances in eugenics have lead to a genetic caste system — those with manufactured, ideal genetics, and those conceived naturally, possessing the expected hereditary pitfalls and risks. The film follows Vincent, who endeavors to overcome the limits of his naturally developed genes to become an astronaut. Starring Ethan Hawke, Jude Law, and Uma Thurman, Gattaca was directed and written by Andrew Niccol, and was released October 24, 1997. Gattaca is available as a digital rental. Scenes (16:41 — 18:20 & 1:30:47 — 1:34:07) click here for a PDF of an early draft of Gattaca’s script. The scenes star Chad Christ as Young Vincent, William Lee Scott as Young Anton, Ethan Hawke as Vincent, and Loren Dean as Anton. Brothers Vincent (Chad Christ) and Anton (William Lee Scott) challenge each other to a game of chicken to see who can swim the farthest from shore before turning back. The genetically superior Anton handily wins each time they swim. One day, a determined Vincent recklessly swims beyond his limit, but surprisingly it is Anton who needs rescuing. In spite of his prophesied heart deficiency, Vincent is miraculously able to swim them both back to shore safely. Many years later, long after Vincent’s heart is supposed to have stopped, the brothers reunite. Still unaware of how Vincent could have swum that distance and back, Anton agrees to a rematch. Stripping down, the brothers swim out far in the misty night. After refusing to turn back once, Anton confronts Vincent, who tells him that “it’s too late to turn back” because they are “closer to the other side”. Vincent reveals that “this is how I did it”; “I never saved anything for the swim back”. Despite hearing this Anton tries to turn back, but once again, Vincent must save him and drag him back to the closer shore. Links 5:15: La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962) 18:30: Making waves with a forklift 39:00 — Wearing suits in space (via blu-ray bts featurette) Recommendations Tim: First Reformed (Paul Schrader, 2017) — available for digital rental Tay: The Vast of Night (Andrew Patterson, 2019) — available on Amazon Prime All links verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd
Jun 15, 2021 · 50 min
SSC 03: Krisha (Shults, 2015)
Tim and Tay discuss Trey Edward Shults’ feature debut Krisha, its expert use of horror tropes and its endlessly frugal composition. Krisha is a 2015 family drama about a recovering addict and alcoholic in her sixties attempting to reconnect with her family over Thanksgiving. Directed by Trey Edward Shults, Krisha stars his real-life aunt Krisha Fairchild in the eponymous lead role, and was produced on a crowd-sourced, shoe-string budget. Krisha is available as a digital rental on iTunes. Scene (51:39 — 55:18) Starring Krisha Fairchild as Krisha, Robyn Fairchild as Robyn, Bill Wise as Doyle & Trey Edward Shults as Trey. After a series of seemingly traumatic encounters with her mother and Trey, Krisha relapses, unceremoniously uncorking a bottle of wine with a pair of scissors in her bathroom. She guzzles back the bottle, entering an almost dream-like, euphoric state. Returning to her family downstairs for final dinner preparations, Krisha attempts to remove the giant family-sized Thanksgiving turkey from the oven. Her hands tremble and the turkey falls to the floor, creating an enormous mess and ruining the family dinner. Links 3:00 — Krisha’s many awards 3:30 — Krisha as a short & following production 25:30 — “playful chaos” 27:00 — Anatomy Of A Scene with Trey Edward Shults 30:25 — Rules Of The Game (Jean Renoir, 1939) 32:00 — Paying for Nina Simone’s “Just In Time” 40:00 — Composer Briann McOmber on scoring Krisha 43:32 — Krisha, improvised 44:30 — Edward Shults’ grandmother in Krisha Recommendations Tim: Ponyo (Hayao Miyazaki, 2008) — available on Netflix Tay: Exotica (Atom Egoyan, 1994) — available on The Criterion Channel All links verified at the time of publication and based on availability in Canada. Follow: SSC on Instagram Tim on Letterboxd Tay on Letterboxd