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PODCAST

Films for Today

Jimmy Bernasconi | 2XXFM

Hosted by Jimmy Bernasconi (‘Sacred Cinema’, ABC Radio), ‘Films for Today’ explores how the art of cinema can help us understand the social, cultural and political issues that currently trouble us. Each week, Jimmy selects a seminal film and contemplates its profound insights into the most pressing challenges of our time. For questions or enquiries about the show, you can reach Jimmy at contact@jimmybernasconi.com or on Instagram by searching ‘filmsfortoday’.

tv & film film history

All Episodes

00:29:00

How powerless are we as individuals in the face of...

Films for Today ·

2025/08/10

Featuring friend of the show Christopher Smol, this week's episode focuses on Paul Schrader's 2017 psychological drama, First Reformed, among a few others that similarly explore the burden of moral imperatives felt by alienated individuals confronting wide-scale problems. We also briefly discuss:Winter Light (1963) d. Ingmar BergmanDiary of a Country Priest (1952) d. Robert BressonNight Moves (2013) d. Kelly ReichardtOrdet (1955) d. Carl Theodor DreyerContact UsEmail:

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00:29:00

Why make art? | "Sideways" (2004) d. Alexander Payne

Films for Today ·

2025/08/03

In light of Matthias Glasner's new film, Dying, as well as recent conversations on the potentially transcendent nature of human identity, this week's episode focuses on Alexander Payne's 2004 romantic dramedy, Sideways, to contemplate why creative expression might be crucial to our relationships with others.We also briefly discuss:Dying (2024) d. Matthias GlasnerDeath in Venice (1971) d. Luchino ViscontiContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram:

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00:29:00

How deep can human connections go? | "The Double Life...

Films for Today ·

2025/07/27

Following recent conversations on love and the elusiveness of fixed human identities, this week's episode focuses on Krzysztof Kieślowski's highly-acclaimed The Double Life of Veronique to contemplate our seemingly inevitable and dynamic interconnectedness.We also briefly discuss:The Conversation (1974) d. Francis Ford CoppolaBlack Narcissus (1947) d. Emeric Pressburger & Michael PowellContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

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00:29:00

Is trust between people doomed in a world of...

Films for Today ·

2025/07/20

Following recent conversations on the prospective emergence of novel formidable entities (namely AI), this week's episode examines John Carpenter's 1983 sci-fi classic The Thing, to contemplate what human societies might do when seamlessly infiltrated by evil. We also briefly discuss:Alien (1979) d. Ridley ScottVideodrome (1983) d. David CronenbergHellraiser (1987) d. Clive BarkerJurassic Park (1993) d. Steven SpielbergOppenheimer (2023) d. Christopher NolanEx Machina (2014) d. Alex

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00:29:00

What is truly at stake in the cinema? | 'Babylon'...

Films for Today ·

2025/07/13

Following numerous references to Babylon on various past episodes, it feels necessary to dive deeper into Damien Chazelle's perceptive epic and contemplate how it may prove to be a masterpiece of tomorrow.We also briefly discuss:Singin' in the Rain (1952) d. Stanley Donen and Gene KellyBoogie Nights (1997) d. Paul Thomas AndersonHearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1991) d. Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper and Eleanor CoppolaContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram:

en

00:29:00

How should we view claims to innocence? | 'The White...

Films for Today ·

2025/07/06

Following past discussions on confronting modern life through the eyes of children, this week's episode focuses on Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or-winning film, The White Ribbon, to contemplate the sinister art of making false claims to innocence.We also briefly discuss:The Innocents (1961) d. Jack ClaytonRemains of the Day (1993) d. James IvoryThe Zone of Interest (2023) d. Jonathan GlazerThe Conference (2022) d. Matti GeschonneckContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram:

en

00:29:00

Can love actually be found in a hopeless place? |...

Films for Today ·

2025/06/29

Following recent discussions on the lovelessness of modern society, this week's episode examines Jeff Nichols' 2012 coming-of-age drama, Mud, to contemplate how we might be able to overcome the apparent love-forsakenness of the contemporary Western world.We also briefly discuss:The Beach (2000) d. Danny Boyle28 Years Later (2025) d. Danny BoyleClose (2022) d. Lukas DhontContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

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00:29:00

'On the Waterfront' (1054) d. Elia Kazan

Films for Today ·

2025/06/22

How can we know when to speak the truth?Following some fairly recent episodes on the persistence of subjective experience, this week's episode examines Elia Kazan's 1954 classic, On the Waterfront, to contemplate the interconnectedness of truth and the conscience.We also briefly discuss:Jerry Maguire (1996) d. Cameron CroweThe Insider (1999) d. Michael MannContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Youth in Revolt' (2009) d. Miguel Arteta

Films for Today ·

2025/06/15

What does integrating the shadow really look like?Following recent conversations on toughness, intelligence and love, this week's episode centres on Miguel Arteta's elevated coming-of-age rom-com, Youth in Revolt, to revisit (once again) Carl Jung's concept of "the shadow".We also briefly discuss:Me, Myself and Irene (2000) d. Bobby and Peter FarrellyContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Good Will Hunting' (1997) d. Gus Van Sant

Films for Today ·

2025/06/08

Are there stages of true toughness?Combining recent conversations about ambition and discovering hidden emotional depths, this week's episode contemplates how Gus Van Sant's iconic 1997 film, Good Will Hunting, considers what desires we have to fight the hardest for.We also discuss:Paterson (2016) d. Jim JarmuschInvasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) d. Don SiegelContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Ratatouille' (2007) d. Brad Bird & Jan Pinkava

Films for Today ·

2025/06/01

Is there room for criticism in a postmodern world?Following recent episodes on subjectivity, postmodernism and beauty, this week's episode examines the manifestations of these concepts in the 2007 Disney Pixar film Ratatouille.We also briefly discuss:Inglourious Basterds (2009) d. Quentin TarentinoLicorice Pizza (2021) d. Paul Thomas AndersonContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Parthenope' (2024) d. Paolo Sorrentino

Films for Today ·

2025/05/25

Are we content with our treatment of beauty?Following last week's episode, being something of a call to actively seek modern beauty, this week's episode focuses on Paulo Sorrentino's newest film, Parthenope, to reflect on the extent to which 'the beautiful' has been valued in recent times. We also briefly discuss:The Brutalist (2024) d. Brady CorbetAnora (2024) d. Sean BakerContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'American Beauty' (1999) d. Sam Mendes

Films for Today ·

2025/05/18

How available are our deepest emotions?Following recent episodes on the concept of 'style as substance', this week's episode looks to Sam Mendes' iconic 1999 drama, American Beauty, to contemplate how we can access the epitome of style.We also briefly discuss:Office Space (1999) d. Mike JudgePlaytime (1967) d. Jacques TatiContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Withnail & I' (1987) d. Bruce Robinson

Films for Today ·

2025/05/11

How should we navigate subjective experience in a world of "objects"?Following last week's discussion on the utility of idyllic cultural constructs, this week's episode contemplates the ways in which Bruce Robinson's iconic 1987 iconic black comedy, Withnail & I, meditates on identity, essence and subjectivity.Contact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Hot Fuzz' (2007) d. Edgar Wright

Films for Today ·

2025/05/04

What might be the antidote to fascism?Following past conversations on the inevitable fallibility of attempting to establish idyllic social structures, this week's episode examines how Edgar Wright's 2007 comedy, 'Hot Fuzz' approaches the multifaceted and slippery nature of fascism. We also discuss:The Wicker Man (1973) d. Robin HardyIf (1968) d. Lindsay AndersonContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Paterson' (2016) d. Jim Jarmusch

Films for Today ·

2025/04/27

How are we to make sense of artistic ambition?Following recent discussions about Jim Jarmusch's explorations of style as substance, this week's episode focuses on his 2016 film Paterson, starring Adam Driver.We also briefly discuss:Persona (1966) d. Ingmar BergmanPerfect Days (2023) d. Wim WendersContact Usemail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Wings of Desire' (1987) d. Wim Wenders

Films for Today ·

2025/04/20

What does it mean to give our true selves to those we love?In response to recent shifts in the cultural view of masculinity, this week's episode looks to Wim Wenders' iconic 1987 romantic fantasy, Wings of Desire, to examine the link between masculine sacrifice and vulnerability.We also briefly discuss:Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) d. Don SiegelThe Truman Show (1998) d. Peter WeirDrive (2011) d. Nicolas Winding RefnContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram:

en

00:29:00

'The Second Act' (2024) d. Quentin Dupieux

Films for Today ·

2025/04/13

Are we on track to see the end to cinema?Following last week's conversations about ecological and economic collapse, this week's episode looks to Quentin Dupieux's latest film The Second Act, to contemplate the possibility of an oncoming cultural collapse.We also briefly discuss:Rubber (2010) d. Quentin DupieuxDeerskin (2019) d. Quentin DupieuxOfficial Competition (2021) (d. Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat)Babylon (2022) d. Damien ChazelleContact UsEmail: jimmybernasconi.comInstagram:

en

00:29:00

'The End' (2024) d. Joshua Oppenheimer

Films for Today ·

2025/04/06

How dangerous is the romanticisation of modern life?Following last week's critique of romanticising the "simple" life, this week's episode takes a full 180 by contemplating the fallibilities of modern romantics in Joshua Oppenheimer's narrative debut, The End.We also briefly discuss:Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) d. James CameronJoker: Folie à Deux (2024) d. Todd PhillipsContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

00:29:00

'Pather Panchali' (1955) d. Satyajit Ray

Films for Today ·

2025/03/30

How might a simple life constrain us more than we think?Following past discussions on the indifference of nature in the face of mankind's modern ambitions, this week's episode delves into the hidden realities of subsistence living by examining Satyajit Ray's Pather Panchali (1955).We also briefly discuss:Flow (2024) d. Gints ZilbalodisEdge of Tomorrow (2014) d. Doug LimanContact UsEmail: contact@jimmybernasconi.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/filmsfortoday/

en

226 results

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