
Appetite, A Boy called Piano & Mad Heidi
Hosted by
KT & Oti
Show Notes
Welcome to Reference Max where we review Appetite, 100 Years of Warner Bros, The Swarm, A Boy called Piano & Mad Heidi.
If you are in Sydney and available on Sunday 11 June at 6pm, we will be hosting the intro and Q&A session for the screening of Red, White & Brass as a part of Sydney Film Festival.
We’d love to see you there!
Tomato Meter
"It stretches the imagination and the format of whatever you think is possible in a film.Posted Jun 14, 2023"
"Cheese-balls-to-the-wall movie! It took us on a wild ride I didn't expect or anticipate.Posted Jun 14, 2023"
Episode Details
- Duration
- 0:00
- Released
- June 6, 2023
- Category
- Episode
- Hosts


Transcript
Transcript (4,828 words)
Full transcript of Appetite, A Boy called Piano & Mad Heidi.
KT: It's another week in the For Your Reference household, and it's another jam packed. Before we head on over Reference Max for screenings and screeners that we have been provided,
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: before we head on, Oti, I've got a announcement.
Oti: Ooh.
KT: For those that exist in a linear timeline, for those that are based in Sydney, we have a very exciting opportunity.
Oti: We do.
KT: It is the very first time we've done interviews before, but it's the very first time that we will be hosting the intro and Q&A for the Red, White & Brass screening
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: as a part of Sydney Film Festival.
Oti: Exciting.
KT: How does it feel, Oti?
Oti: Nice. Congrats man.
KT: Congrats. Well, congrats to our friends and lovers. Thank you so much for your support for getting us to this point. Um, critic is a, I don't know, I, I still battle with that word, but to have a Tongan film person do the intro and a Q&A for a Tongan film in a major film festival,
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: I, I don't think I can grapple with that, but friends and lovers, if you are again, listening to this in time, will be the intro screening Q&A for Red, White & Brass. This coming Sunday, the 11th of June at 6:00 PM at Randwick Ritz. If you are able to make it, if you can bring your friends and lovers and your. Family. Um, we would love to share the night with you. We will put the link, um, in the show notes. But in any case, thank you for all of your love and support, friends and lovers.
KT: Um, onwards and upwards, right, Oti?
Oti: Mm-hmm. Why if I did that,
KT: Give it a go.
Oti: that allowed? Yeah, that right.
KT: It's no longer AAPI month.
Oti: A. Is it? Is it A P I B?
KT: Yeah. You always make it about the be.
Oti: Uhhuh.
KT: Well, I guess Oti realized the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation. Let's get on with the show. Oti Doza. How Oh, friends and film lovers. Welcome back to the For Your Reference Podcast. You got your host, KT and.
Oti: and Oti.
KT: Um, like we said, Sydney Film Festival is coming up very soon, um, and we've got some very exciting, uh, coverage as well as interviews along the way, which we're very excited about. Um, but before then, we do wanna capture off the screening and screeners, um, that we've received in the lead up too. Um, on the docket today, we have the Canneseries-selected series Appetite, 100 Years of Warner Brothers, The Swarm, A Boy called Piano as well as Mad Heidi.
Oti: doesn't get any. Marty,
KT: Heidi. Heidi Ho. Am I right, Oti?
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: Well, let's, let's just dive into it. Um, again, this is a Canneseries-selected drama. Um, I did check with our pals, friends and lovers at Nsco. Um, currently it is only available in Australia through the SBS On Demand app. Um, however they are working where to see, cuz we do have nasty friends and lovers, you know, like, Pitbull, Mr. Worldwide, um, around the world that do ask us where do we watch these things. So, um, as soon as we know, we'll let you know. Um, but this is a very great series. It's v like, I would say, it's unfortunate that it was a short series. Um, hopefully we can get like full length episodes, uh, in regards to the casting crew directed by Neil Sharma and Mahut, also written by Ma Hurst. Les Verma, as well as Grace Tan, produced by Karen Denzo, as well as Mai Hurst starring Shong Wu, Gabrielle Alvarado, Raj Lab, Kabi Singh, Marta Dosel, dop, um, and a whole bunch of supporting cast.
KT: Wow, wow, wow. Or tape. Um, there is a, there is a K-drama that I specifically remember watching, um, about delivery people, but it is a relatively new, um, sort of genre and it is that short, um, sort of format as well. I personally really enjoyed it, but I would love to hear your thoughts. As you know, friends and lovers, there are no spoilers in our Ref Max format.
Oti: I thought it worked really well. It, it gave us an appetizer to what is, what this show was about, and I feel like we need to delve deeper into the characters because there's so much story to
KT: There's definitely more. Exactly. Yeah.
Oti: Yeah. Um, the characters I thought worked well. You tell the chemistry was there, even though you could feel the banter as well, it didn't feel forced. It flew quite nicely and it makes use of its 10, 12 minute run time quite well.
KT: Yeah, I I, I absolutely agree with what you're saying. Like hopefully it's a proof of concept and we get more and we expound on the story.
Oti: Yeah. Uh, and that's the hope, because there's definitely something at the core of this that could make this into a fully fledged series that would be a weekly driver, at least in our household.
KT: Oh, absolutely. Um, you know, there, there are a lot of things and a lot of causes that people get behind, but I think one that gets overlooked is the easily accessible at the, you know, at my fingertip sort of delivery service. And I guess specifically we're talking about
Oti: mm-hmm.
KT: We're following, you know, appetite workers and that sort of thing. I think when it comes to, you know, not that much talked about, but grounded sort of themes, it can get a bit too, um, I guess over tenuous. But in this, in this show, I feel like it really went to the notes that it was trying to hit, and it definitely executed that.
Oti: Yeah, a hundred percent. I think, and this is what I'm not sure about, is if the short run time made it seem more, uh,
KT: Punchy, Oh, okay.
Oti: Or even punchy. Right? Yeah. Because then if it's
KT: out the filler. Exactly. It cuts out the ostrich ninja Naruto. Mm-hmm. Yeah,
Oti: because then maybe if we do get a feature length, then oh, what are we going to get? Are they going to draw something out that's not unnecessary? Are we gonna get, well, it worked quite well with this. I appreciated it. And I hope there's more to come, whatever format they're going to do it in Uhhuh. I hope there's a second season or a full-blown show for this.
KT: Yeah, absolutely. And I think the other strong compelling sort of, um, uh, you know, sort of presence in this show is the, the experience for migrant workers in Australia.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: I wouldn't say I'm not a fan of Australian television programming, but if, if this is the standard, if this is the caliber, then I'm all the way in. And you even noted to it, like if it's real, it's real. You know, you can feel that the story is written from a place of experience and absolutely love.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: Uh, are you ready to step into a hundred years of experience perhaps.
Oti: Oh, I fell a hundred.
KT: Thank you, um, to our friends and lovers at Binge slash Foxtel slash Max slash Warner Brothers, we are talking about, it's a four part film documentary series, which is a whole mouthful. Um, That covers obviously a hundred years of Warner Brothers. Um, we did get the chance to watch the first episode. Um, so I do wanna talk a little bit about that. Um, e essentially what we covered was I guess the come up. You would say,
Oti: Yeah. The come up. Uh, we get to see how Warner Brothers came to be. Mm-hmm. Um, the sort of trials and tribulations that went through to be that big. And once they got that big, the sort of things they tried to push themselves to even be the biggest thing in the world.
KT: I'm picking up what you're putting down, Oti,
Oti: you know, we, we get to see a lot of, you know, them being involved in the political side of things. Yeah. Um, the push and pull between the brothers and their vision for what they thought Warner Brother should be
KT: the literal Warner Brothers.
Oti: Exactly. Um, but it was, to me, it was interesting. I think they tried to paint a brush of, you know, at least some of the things that I felt had qualms with. It was more oh, for the time. And we had black narratives or commentators in the show coming to say, oh, how it was all more nuanced than what was just presented. So that sort of rub me the wrong way. We should just come out and say, you know what it was, what it was. Let's move on. Rather than having, uh, black people come in and be like, you know what, man? Like, fuck. Then it, it was deeper than just putting blackface because we had to show a different aspect of the people. And even this Al guy, it's not that he was just doing it because he wanted to, you know, like it is just even put his.
Oti: Face there. So it's all different. Like
KT: you can say it's nuanced, but they literally put on blackface to make fun of black people. So it's like there's no nuance there.
Oti: They could try, they could try and run our thesis around that. At the end of the day, I was like, you know what, just own the shit. Move on.
KT: And, and I, uh, who you're referencing is Jacqueline Stewart, who is a host on Turner Classic Movies, I believe. Um, and Al Jolson is the Al that you're referring to. Um, and it's interesting, um, you know, I will pick off off where you are going. It's interesting because like, you can't nuance. This shit. Right? But in any case, they talked about how, you know, much like the rest of America being built off of black labor, Warner Brothers profited and grew in size off of, I guess blackface.
Oti: Wow.
KT: No, I'm pretty sure we're saying the same thing. My love,
Oti: they're putting more venom on it. They
KT: call me Tom Hardy. If you're Nest.
Oti: Uh. Like, I think they did cover a lot more as to what Warner Brothers was, and they did some impressive stuff. You know, we get to see a lot of things that they pioneered, you know, sounded movies, and they went above and beyond, which I found quite intriguing as well. But
KT: I don't think we're taking away by shining a light on what is, no,
Oti: No, I, I shot, I said it and I said it, and it's, but we can also just say other things, I think.
KT: Yeah, but it's our King Kong episode all over again. LeVar Burton was also, um, in the documentary and he said even if it's problematic, it doesn't mean it wasn't revolutionary at the time, which is kind of my sentiment about King Kong, um, as well. And he said it didn't do anything good for black people. So, um, yeah, it was just interesting the way that it was chosen to be tackled. Um, In the documentary, uh, I imagine the other episodes would focus on the more modern, um, sort of history in regards to Warner Brothers, but yeah, it, it, it's interesting because exactly what you're saying, like you don't need to, I guess, um, qualify it for more modern audiences.
KT: It is what it is. It was what it was.
Oti: Yeah.
KT: Um, there, there was a whole bunch of, uh, you know, guest stars, talking heads, um, in the documentary, Oprah, Keanu, Harvey Keitel, Reservoir Dogs, I barely knew you. Hans Zimmer, Chris Nolan, Jon M. Chu, LeVar Burton, Martin Scorsese, Patty Jenkins, George Clooney, Robert De Niro, as well as, as well as Clint Eastwood. Um, someone that I was. Genuinely impressed by, um, cause I, I guess with these sorts of documentaries, there's bound to be, you know, it's like you looking through your family album, you know, and you're going to look at the best parts, the best angles, um, and that sort of thing. But I think the person that I was most interested in and I was genuinely impressed by, was Busby Berkeley, who was a choreographer and, um, director.
Oti: yeah, the kaleidoscopic shots.
KT: Yeah.
Oti: breathtaking stuff. Wow.
KT: And you also mentioned adding of sound to pictures. It's so interesting to, you know, hear the actual mechanics of it cuz you know, you go from silent picture to, you know, where we are today. So it was pretty cool to see, um, you know, the evolution of not just Warner Brothers but the industry at the
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: Um, but yeah, so we will definitely get to the rest of the episodes of 100 Years of Warner Brothers. Um, it's, it's an impressive achievement by all. Absolutely.
Oti: Hundred percent.
KT: I dunno if it's an impressive achievement, but it's definitely a collective effort by all. Are you ready to talk about The Swarm, Oti?
Oti: Yeah.
KT: Um, thank you to our friends and lovers at Binge, uh, for these screeners. Unfortunately we didn't have time to watch, uh, all eight episodes. Um, however, we did get a chance to watch the pilot. Um, this is an adaptation, a a a TV adaptation, a German, um, adaptation and. It's interesting. I'm going to read the synopsis just to make sure that what we think might be a spoiler isn't a spoiler. Um, a new eco thriller executive produced by multiple primetime Emmy Award winner, Frank Doelger, uh, in brackets Game of Thrones, is based on Frank Schätzing's international bestseller tells a story of escalating disasters born out of the world's seas. Across the globe. Lives are increasingly imperiled as scientists come together.
KT: Sensing that something bigger is at play. An intelligent life force dwelling in the deep capable of manipulating the ocean. Okay, so it revealed way, I I thought that was a kind of a spoiler watching the first episode.
Oti: Mm.
KT: Mm-hmm. Okay. Thoughts and feelings. My love
Oti: it. it gave me, if anyone of, uh, has watched The Rig from
KT: Yes.
Oti: gave me that sort of vibe.
KT: Yes.
Oti: So I thought, that's where we are going. Until you read that synopsis, I was like, okay, maybe there's. Something more to it Uhhuh. Uh, but the pilot does set a good foundation for you to be intriguing into delving more into the show. We get to see, uh, orcas, you know? Yeah. Which is sort of topical in the news,
KT: True to life.
Oti: Yeah. Uh, but
KT: be on the right side of Orca history or
Oti: mm-hmm. We had so many characters from all over. Ah, yes. Um, I think that sort of threw me off a bit because I didn't know what was happening. It felt like it was jumping a bit too far.
KT: But John Wick, was John Wick four was in like four locations or was that
Oti: No, I just meant for a pilot. I felt like I had so many faces to remember.
KT: Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland.
Oti: Yeah.
KT: In a pilot.
Oti: Yeah. I, I was trying, I was trying to remember my faces. But that sets up, um, you know, if, if you've watched Expanse, you know how hard it is for the first season or two to grasp everything. So I, I'm, I'm all on board.
KT: I'm a Stephen Straight gal, but you're not gonna see my expanse
Oti: Wow.
KT: Based on the synopsis. I don't know if we're going to have like, interconnected, um, you know, sort of storylines. I would rather Sense8. What happened to Sense8, Oti?
Oti: Uh, the refused PornHub.
KT: Well, let's keep it nasty. Um, I suppose, I don't know. Um, there was a lot going on in this pilot. However, if I'm being very, very honest with myself, I can't. If, if we are covering, even if it's fiction, like if we have the subject matter of climate change and we're not based in at least the Pacific Island and specifically Tova, then I don't want it.
Oti: Oh,
KT: What kind of colonial loving books are you reading? If you think all of these, literally all of these other countries are suffering more than the Pacific Islands? Oh, sorry. Did I ruin your eco thriller?
Oti: Wow.
KT: Yeah.
Oti: Venomo KT today.
KT: calling me Tom Hardy.
Oti: I think
KT: that's him in other films. Maybe not in Venom, but there you go.
Oti: eh, KT Marvel.
KT: I also need to, um, have ethical PornHub too, Oti. Um, but feel free to continue it my love.
Oti: Yeah. Uh, always interested in seeing what transpires and maybe we get to see, uh, Pacific Islands on there as well. You don't know
KT: if I'll be holding my breath, I'll be doing exactly what's happening to the Pacific Ocean
Oti: Wow.
KT: I can't get my representation. I'm all for ACA representation, friends and lovers.
Oti: Fair enough.
KT: Okay. Um, well, I guess speaking of the Pacific, um, firefighter, I lover to Gabe Riverside Theater, um, for inviting us to the premiere screening, the Sydney premiere screening of A Boy called Piano.
Oti: Yeah, I, I'm interested to hear your thoughts.
KT: oh, you're just gonna a volume to me. Hey. All right. Um, so this is a documentary that follows the real life of Fa'amoana John Luafutu. Um, and he essentially, it follows his journey from being a ward of the state most recently. Depending on, not mine, but, uh, the King recently, um, had a list, um, honoring those in art and Fa'amoana was on there as an honorary member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the arts and the Pacific community. Yeah. Um, so it's really exciting. Again, if you're in a linear timeline. If you are also in, um, Sydney specifically, um, in Parramatta, there are continuing screenings tomorrow, Wednesday, the 7th of June, um, and also Friday, the 16th of June, which you can also book through the links in the show notes, but, Let's get into it.
KT: Documentary film covering the life of, I think it's also important to note that this documentary film was in response to a pivoting. Um, initially the story of Fa'amoana, um, was the vision was for it to be a. Stage play. Um, however, it couldn't be performed because of covid, because of the panoramas, um, that is still going on. Um, so it was interesting, and the reason why I wanted to preface this is because I feel like a lot of my sort of thoughts and feelings and potential baby qualms, um, are, are in response to that specifically. So this is a documentary, it is about Fa'amoana's real life. Um, and there are, there's even, um, archival footage of him being in the courts as well.
KT: Um, we're not going to go into a lot of detail, friends and lovers, but I do just wanna mention, um, a trigger warning for suicide and suicidal ideation.
Oti: Yeah. Uh, it was interesting hearing this story. It was very, um, you know, harrowing because he gets to feel, um, his pain. Yeah. And that's quite something you can only, you can only imagine what he's been through. And I felt that in the depth of my soul in as much as I knew what this, the, the documentary was, and I understood the point of view in which they showed it, I had hoped that dug deeper. Okay. Just so that we get to see a more expanded picture, if you understand what I mean.
KT: Yeah, I absolutely understand. Um, so I definitely wanna come to that, but I kind of wanna just stay in the moment. Um, there were very emotional moments, um, and you know, you talked about Wakanda Forever and how it is very rare to be in a majority Black screening. Um, this was really nice. We were in a majority brown screening. Um, and obviously that adds to the feeling that. Adds to the atmosphere as well. Uh, I think my most emotional moments watching this documentary was watching Fa'amoana in the, you know, commission sharing his accounts, you know, bearing his soul all of his life.
KT: Um, you know, he talks about. You know, him being on the plantation in Samoa and you know, even likening that to his own life experiences. And there's a very poetic way in which he speaks. Um, and even likens it, like likens his sort of, um, you know, formative years as being a Tara in the snow.
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: It's not born out of love. It's not, it's not loved and nurtured in the way, um, that it should be.
Oti: Yeah. K'S flower in the rock
KT: Succession Nepo baby. It's also important to note that Fa'amoana was the first specific person in UA to share his story. Which is also important to not just the healing of the of the family, um, but you know, it also speaks to truth and it speaks to power, um, as well. There was a Q&A panel after the screening, um, and, and with the theater director Nina, um, she spoke about how this documentary was a woman's hand around a men's story.
Oti: Yeah.
KT: I love that. I, I love the framing of that. I, I would say this documentary felt like we were going into the house of Fa'amoana and aiga, or the family. Um, so in that sense, you know, like Nina was saying, it was nurtured and it was created with a lot of, Care. It wasn't exploitative, it wasn't, um, you know, trying to get those moments where people are breaking down on camera or, you know, just, just making it feel like the end product is more important than the actual real life of, I guess people will call them the subjects as well.
KT: Um, but there are some things I do want to say, Oti. I, I think it, I think the important thing to note is, you know, as we review all productions all around the world, it would be disingenuous if I didn't share my qualms. Um, I understand how it would've, um, made it. It would've made more of a focus inside of a stage play. Um, there was a lot of art and there was a lot of creativity that was put into the documentary film, um, that I absolutely agree with. But yeah, it, you know, I talk about a, for thek, maybe with a global sort of lens, with an external sort of eye. This film wasn't
Oti: Mm-hmm.
KT: and maybe that's okay.
Oti: And that's okay too.
KT: Um, going from a closed folley to busting it wide open, we are ending with Mad Heidi. Thank you so much to Justin Cook from Justin Cook PR. Um, I, I can read the synopsis, but is there a way that you can describe what this film is, Oti?
Oti: Cheese-balls-to-the-wall sort of movie. Yeah.
KT: Literally.
Oti: Um, wow. It is, it, it took us on a wild ride that I didn't even expect or anticipate what this movie would be. Mm-hmm. You know, you, you'd go in with certain expectations of what you'd think this is. Yeah. And all of that will be proven wrong. Yeah. And it just continues going and pushing the boundaries farther and farther. To, to the point where you're like, you'd never expect anything like this ever again. And when you watch something else afterwards you're like, why are you not Mad Heidi? Yeah.
KT: Oh absolutely. So this Mad Heidi is a Swiss exploitation, modern grindhouse. Epic.
Oti: It's
KT: It's funny cuz when we got sent the email, the synopsis did have the word cheese, but I just thought it was like a cheesy take on grindhouse. Not like it was literally about cheese. Um, if we're talking like tonality, Um, friends and lovers for those that even enjoy, like Inglourious Basterds, you know, the Tarantino, Tarantino, absolutely. In the, in the playful grindhouse-y sort of branding, um, that Tarantino has. If you enjoy, you know, if you recently caught up to our Takashi Miike run with Visitor Q, um, if you love Jason X, like tonally, that's where this film was. Even maybe OG the Mortal Kombat. I just, it's, it's always interesting to me because I am a very serious person, but I think, I think what gets me into, I guess, these more farcical sort of films is if there's no lack of pretension and they're really, as Oti would say, cheesy balls to the wall.
KT: I'm absolutely in, like I was cackling from the start to the end of this film.
Oti: Yeah, a hundred percent. You know, I, I would've rated this movie higher. There was a moment where he threw me off and I couldn't get my balance after that. Quite right. Um, I, I just felt it wasn't necessary. And for those of, you'll watch, you'll know what I was talking about. Um, it's just, uh, I didn't understand that decision. Fair enough. They were throwing everything in, including the kitchen sink, but that particular part should have been left off. Um, otherwise, yeah, it would've been higher in my opinion, um, if not for that moment.
KT: Yeah, I, I absolutely agree, um, with what you are saying, but I do feel like overall, oh,
Oti: you gonna tell me nuance? There's a nuance.
KT: well, it's so nuance that you're not explicitly saying what the scene
Oti: No, I'm not gonna say, I'm not gonna spoil it. For someone who wants to go and experience the, the spanner in their head. Well,
KT: Well, if you know Oti, you know exactly what he's alluding to. Um, I had so much, I had so much, so much, so much fun with this film. Um, and, you know, I, I don't know, I guess you can do a survey with Oti to still see if he's a Marvel boy. Um, but I think in this household you are the major film lover and I am the independent film lover.
Oti: Oh, look at you all f
KT: Like, I don't know, like it, it stretches the imagination and the format of whatever you think is possible in a film. And you know, the same thing with Infinity Pool. One week you'll get Infinity Pool. The next week you'll get us covering the Swiss exploitation grindhouse. Epic. Mad Heidi.
Oti: Yeah, and I'm just gonna add like, the effects are good. Yeah. You know, I, I, I would've expected for, for an indie that has this sort of concept, I would've expected to expect to be really, really bad. Yeah. But they serve up quite crisp, high production value effect in everything that they do. And you could tell that a lot of effort has been made Uhhuh with love and care,
KT: literally, you know, friends and lovers. Um, I just wanna read a couple of quotes from the film. Not too many to spoil it. Um, but the tagline for, you know, the commercials was Keep Switzerland free from lactose intolerance. And, you know, the ever so graceful president, um, of Switzerland refers to a particular country as Brie-eating bastards.
Oti: Huh?
KT: I need to up my game.
Oti: You do. They, they've got some quota quotes in there that you'd use and reference for a while. I've got some in my belt and I'll be throwing you like KT for a few years to come.
KT: Yeah. Throw back that. Swiss cheese. Oti Ultra Swiss.
Oti: All right.
KT: I just feel like friends and lovers, you don't need ChatGPT. If you were to tell me to write a screenplay of white and other white people and cheese, you would pretty much get this film. Yeah. Not that I can take credit for the production of this, but oh, it tickled me. Oti, I had such, such, such a great time, friends and lovers. For those that are available that are in the US there is a one night special engagement on Wednesday, June 21. Um, as well as, you know, rolling out to theaters nationwide.
Oti: Nice.
KT: Wow. Thank you again to, uh, Justin Cook at Justin Cook PR. Um, it was so much fun. I loved it.
Oti: Me too.
KT: Hoo. Thank you friends and lovers for joining us another week in the For Your Reference household. Um, to and Oti, what's your favorite type of cheese?
Oti: It's definitely not Brie
KT: But you're still a bastard. Um, if you would like to know who the Brie-eating bastards are on Twitter, on Instagram we're at for your pod,
Oti: Write us an email at hello@fyrpodcast.com.
KT: We're also on Sydney Film Festival is coming up and we're very excited. Podcast if you like to leave a rating and review and we'll see you guys next week.
Oti: See
KT: Bye.
Related on FYR
Discussion
Loading comments...