EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast

In this episode of Everyman The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, hosts Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio delve into the complex portrayals of masculinity in the iconic film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). They explore the multifaceted character of Randle P. McMurphy, played by Jack Nicholson, discussing his role as both a rebellious antihero and a trickster figure. The hosts also examine Nurse Ratched's controversial role and how she represents the systemic forces at play within the institution. Themes such as individualism, conformity, and the clash between authority and rebellion take centre stage in this intricate analysis.

Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974) is considered one of New Hollywood’s crowning glories, and a film that afforded Jack Nicholson his first traditional leading man role. In Episode 8 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, film critics Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio discuss Nicholson’s performance as a dandyish private investigator out of his depth, the film’s gut-wrenching pessimism, and its anti-nostalgic view of 1930s Los Angeles.

George Miller’s The Witches of Eastwick (1987) and James L. Brooks’ As Good As It Gets (1997) give us two very different versions of Jack Nicholson as a romantic lead. One is a 1980s horror comedy classic and the other arguably the greatest role of his entire career. In Episode 7 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, film critics Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio explore Jack Nicholson’s approach to acting and what makes him so charismatic on the screen.

Based on Stephen King’s bestselling 1977 novel, The Shining (1980) is a singular type of horror film directed by one of cinema’s most singular filmmakers. In Episode 6 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, film critics Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio praise Stanley Kubrick’s haunted house frightener for revealing very ugly truths about certain types of men and what makes it one of the greatest horror movies ever made.

Sylvester Stallone introduced a true American icon to the screen, in 1976’s Rocky. It is a film beloved to this day.  In Episode 5 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, film critics Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio discuss Rocky Balboa getting his shot, Stallone as a formidable artist and how the film reinvented Classical Hollywood for the age of New Hollywood.

Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s notorious novel of 1980s capitalist and consumerist excess, Mary Harron’s adaptation today is considered a cult classic. In Episode 4 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio dissect Harron’s film, Christian Bale’s star-making performance and what makes both the book and film masterworks of social satire.

Joel Schumacher’s sweaty urban odyssey, Falling Down (1993), starred Oscar-winner Michael Douglas playing against type. In Episode 3 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, film critics Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio discuss their love for Schumacher’s film, Michael Douglas’ screen persona, and ask is D-Fens a hero or a villain?

Martin Scorsese’s Palme d’Or winning 1976 picture, Taxi Driver, created a film icon in NYC avenging angel, Travis Bickle. It is arguably Robert De Niro’s signature performance and a controversial work to this very day. In Episode 2 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, film critics Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio examine Scorsese’s film and dissect Travis Bickle from refreshing new angles.

Based on the 1996 novel by Chuck Palahnuik, David Fincher's Fight Club (1999) is the provocative story of a thirty-year-old male undergoing a profound spiritual crisis in postmodernist, capitalist America. In Episode 1 of EveryMan: The Masculinity in Cinema Podcast, film critics Kat Ellinger and Martyn Conterio break the first and second rules of Fight Club to re-examine this misunderstood masterwork and argue its case as a post-punk marvel with a hopeful and uplifting message.