John Cassavetes may be known for his raw, improvisational indie dramas, but with Gloria (1980), he delivered something entirely different—a gritty urban thriller with a heart, starring the incomparable Gena Rowlands who plays the titular Gloria, a tough, no-nonsense woman with mob ties who suddenly finds herself the reluctant guardian of a young boy targeted by gangsters after his family’s brutal murder. Armed with nothing but attitude and a pistol, Gloria hauls the kid through the hostile streets of New York City, dodging bullets, hitmen, and her own complicated past.
Mike is joined by returning guests Judith Mayne and Andrew Rausch to explore the film’s unconventional blend of gangster tropes, maternal instinct, and Cassavetes’s offbeat sensibilities. We dig into Rowlands’s powerhouse performance, the film’s strange place in Cassavetes’s career, and its legacy as a cult favorite that paved the way for countless “reluctant protector” thrillers.
Special Guest: Ginette Vincendeau Guest Co-Hosts: Judith Mayne, Lumi Etienne
Tension simmers and explodes in La Haine (1995), Matthieu Kassovitz’s electrifying portrait of disenfranchised youth in the Parisian banlieues. Mike is joined by guest co-hosts Lumi Etienne and Judith Mayne for a deep dive into the film’s kinetic black-and-white visuals, pulsing energy, and unflinching look at police violence, social unrest, and systemic alienation.
Set over a volatile 24-hour span, the story follows three friends -- Vinz, Saïd, and Hubert (Vincent Cassel, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Hubert Koundé) -- as they struggle to navigate a world marked by brutality, disillusionment, and rage.
Special guest Ginette Vincendeau, one of the foremost scholars of French cinema, brings essential context to the conversation, examining La Haine’s place in postcolonial French film, its socio-political impact, and its enduring relevance in the global discourse on race, power, and resistance.
Judith Mayne and Cullen Gallagher join Mike to discuss Clair Denis's J'ai pas sommeil (1994). The film winds together three stories of artists in Paris who live on the outskirts of society. Daiga (Yekaterina Golubeva) travels from Lithuania because of the promise of an acting job from an unscrupulous director. Theo (Alex Descas) does odd jobs to survive and feed his wife (Beatrice Dalle) and son while wanting to return to Martinique. Meanwhile, Camille (Richard Courcet) is a drag performer and serial killer...
We're discussing the controversial 2020 film from Maïmouna Doucouré, Cuties. It's the story of Amy (Fathia Youssouf), a young immigrant girl from Senegal living in Paris and desperate to fit in with the girls she sees as "cool" at her school. Her home life is collapsing as her father is due to return from Africa with a new bride who threatens to displace Amy, her mother, and her little brother.
Judith Mayne and Angela Mac join Mike to see if all the hullabaloo about the film is merited or if it's just a Ted Cruz tempest in a teapot.
Special Guest: Judith Mayne Guest Co-Hosts: Ken Stanley, Kat Ellinger
French Month continues with a look at Henri-Georges Clouzot's Le Corbeau. Also known as The Raven, the film was released in 1943 and made by Continental Films, a German company operated in France during World War II. It’s the story of the small town of Saint Robin which is plagued by a poison pen letter writer who torments citizens with scandalous details of their lives, turning people against one another and casting a net of suspicion across the entire region.
Special guest Judith Mayne (The Woman at the Keyhole) discusses Occupation Cinema in general and Le Corbeau in particular. Kat Ellinger and Ken Stanley help Mike unpack this incredibly fascinating film.
Guest Co-Hosts: Judith Mayne, Andrew Rausch
Special Guest: 
Guest Co-Hosts: 
Guest Co-Hosts: 
Special Guest: