The Flick Lab

[!! NOTE: THIS EPISODE IS APRIL FOOLS FOR THE FIRST 40 MINS.] The Academy Awards 2022, part 3 of 3: A Political Car Crash. Two male writers write a movie about a promiscuous young woman adrift in life, with heavy drug use presented in a positive light. Hey, what could go wrong? Apparently nothing, you get nominated for an Oscar for it. The Norwegian Oscar contender ‘The Worst Person in the World’ is the most bizarre cinematic experience of the last few years. It is a slacker-inspired dramedy which mishmashes ‘shrooms and witchcraft into capturing a soulmate’s soul. Additionally, the film supports the abolition of traditional morality and uses CGI to remove the real truth about its filming locations. Karri and Henrik investigate what in the world is going on here.

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

The Academy Awards 2022 International Feature Film Nominees Part 2 of 3: Change. The Japanese Oscar contender Drive My Car appears to be the audience favorite for winning the Oscars. What’s the fuss about? We also look at Bhutan’s first Oscar nominee ever – Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, the heart-warming story of a remote community and its school.

Films covered in this episode:
Drive My Car (2021)
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (2019)

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Pictures from impradip. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

The Academy Awards 2022 International Feature Film Nominees Part 1 of 3: Searching for Home. Karri and Henrik break down the hand-drawn Danish documentary ‘Flee’ about a refugee called Amin and Italy’s coming-of-age Netflix contender ‘The Hand of God’. Both films tackle the theme of looking for home, both literally and spiritually. Paolo Sorrentino’s ‘The Hand of God’ splits opinions strongly. Films about refugees are no longer novel, but does the hand-drawn animation and heart of ‘Flee’ win people over? Which one is the stronger contender?

Films covered in this episode:
Flee (2021)
The Hand of God (2021)

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Pictures from giaknight. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

In this episode of the podcast, Karri and Henrik join forces with director Nick Vaky and photographer Luke Liu from the Youtube channel Mint Volcano to discuss Taiwanese New Wave cinema. The quartet takes a close look at four distinct films across the timeline of the New Wave ‘movement’ from two key directors – Hou Hsiao-hsien and Edward Yang. The themes of history, sociopolitical issues, heartfelt memories and dark humor coalesce into an engaging long-form discussion.

Films covered in this episode:
A Summer at Grandpa’s (1984)
A City of Sadness (1989)
Mahjong (1996)
Yi Yi (2000)

Nick Vaky
Website: https://nickvaky.com
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user13406252
Instagram: @Nickvaky

Luke Liu
Website: https://lukeliu.tw
Facebook: @LukeLiuPhoto
Instagram: @Lonfom

Hosted by Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki, with guests Nick Vaky and Luke Liu. Pictures from Andrew Haimerl. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

In this episode of the podcast, Karri, Henrik, and Zach watch several short films utilizing the Blender 3D animation software. Some are playful, some serious, and one involves murderous Smurf-like creatures. Which are worthy of our recommendation? 

You can watch ALL of the films for free on Youtube using our playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhWc3b3KhnY&list=PLcjR0oe-fPN587T3WL82w4oyzVt7nLBKu

Sadly, this is also Zachary Pen’s last episode with The Flick Lab. More about his departure at the end of the episode. Thank you Zach and all the best.

Films covered in this episode:

Elephant’s Dream (2006)
Big Buck Bunny (2008)
Sintel (2010)
Tears of Steel (2012)
Caminandes (2013)
Cosmos Laundromat (2015)
Glass Half (2015)
Agent 327: Operation Barbershop (2017)
The Daily Dweebs (2017)
Hero (2018)
Spring (2019)
The Iron Woods (2020)
Casper (2021)
Relic (2021)
Sprite Fright (2021)
The Drink (2021)

Hear new episodes several days in advance and access extra content by becoming our Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/theflicklab

Hosted by Karri Ojala, Henrik Telkki and Zachary Pen. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

In this episode of the podcast, Karri, Henrik, and Zach explore The Exorcist film franchise including the original trilogy and the two prequel films. Demonic possession, vomiting pea soup, and CGI cows eating CGI hyenas – this episode has it all. In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti.

Films covered in this episode:

The Exorcist (1973)
The Exorcist II: Heretic (1977)
The Exorcist III (1990)
Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
Dominion (2005)

Hear new episodes several days in advance and access extra content by becoming our Patreon supporter: https://www.patreon.com/theflicklab

Hosted by Karri Ojala, Henrik Telkki and Zachary Pen. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

In this episode of the podcast, hosts Karri, Henrik and Zach chose to discuss their favorite Christmas movies. What could possibly go wrong?

Films covered in this episode:
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (USA, 1989)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (Finland, 2010)
Bunny the Killer Thing (Finland, 2015)

In this episode of the podcast, hosts Karri, Henrik and Zach chose to discuss their favorite Christmas movies. What could possibly go wrong?

Hosted by Zachary Pen, Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

In this episode of the podcast, our American host Zach will share his thoughts with the Finnish hosts Karri and Henrik on the Finnish film ‘The Unknown Soldier’ from 2017. Why is the film so important to Finns? What is the identity of Aku Louhimies’ version of ‘The Unknown’? Which version is ‘the best’ – 1955, 1985 or the 2017 film? Is the question impossible to answer? Henrik has some gargantuan thoughts on this one. Karri gets the non-Finns up to speed with his quick and simplified overview of the Finnish Winter War and Continuation War.

Hosted by Zachary Pen, Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell. This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

In this episode of the podcast, Karri, Henrik, and Zach discuss the portrayal of cannibalism in film and the ethical boundaries of filmmaking – specifically the animal cruelty performed while making the film, “Cannibal Holocaust.” There’s also a splash of discussion on the ethics of eating meat.

Films covered in this episode:

Cannibal Holocaust (Italy, 1980)
Delicatessen (France, 1991)
Dumplings (餃子, Hong Kong 2004)
Raw (Grave, France/Belgium 2016)

Hosted by Karri Ojala, Henrik Telkki and Zachary Pen. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

In this episode of the podcast, Karri, Henrik, and Zach are joined by Pedro, from the YouTube channel Plan-Séquence to discuss three films by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami: Where Is The Friend’s Home?, Taste of Cherry, and Like Someone In Love. Prepare for an in-depth discussion of cinematography, tone, characters, and the nature of ‘realism’ in film.


Films covered in this episode:

Where is the Friend’s House? (1987)
(خانه دوست کجاست / Khane-ye dust kojast)

Taste of Cherry (1997)
(طعم گيلاس…‎ / Ta’m-e gīlās…)

Like Someone in Love (2012)
(ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ / Raiku samuwan in rabu)

Hosted by Zachary Pen, Karri Ojala and Henrik Telkki. Guest Pedro from Plan-Séquence. Edited by Karri Ojala. The Flick Lab theme tune written and performed by Nick Grivell.

This show can be listened to on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. You can find us also on social media – Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, and www.theflicklab.com.

Square background image original version by Egor Shitikov from Pixabay.