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Uncut Gems Podcast
Uncut Gems Podcast
Author: Uncut Gems Podcast
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A weekly show about bringing attention to forgotten and orphaned movies where a bunch of like-minded individuals dive head first into the septic tank of cinema in search for disregarded masterpieces.
A CLAPPER production.
A CLAPPER production.
415 Episodes
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In this episode of the show, which also happens to fall close to the fifth birthday of the podcast, we are diving further into the world of sword and sorcery with a conversation about The Beastmaster. Over the course of this chat you will hear us talk about how The Beastmaster originated as an adaptation of a series of fantasy novels and then ended up warped to become a competitor to Conan the Barbarian, how it failed at the box office but gained a significant cult following on home video and thanks to its ubiquity on cable TV, and how it is difficult to tell who this movie exactly is for. We also talk about its suggestive special effects including eye-rings, butterface witches, and BDSM-inspired costumes, we add another notch to our brand-new quicksand counter and chuckle at the tiger painted black to resemble a panther. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Tony LarderHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
We are officially kicking off our brand-new Patreon podcast series where we will be talking about some of the biggest, most-remembered and revered movies from the decade that also may or may not tie into our monthly themes. And we decided to begin by discussing the 1987 The Princess Bride. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how the movie came together, wonder what its secret sauce is and how Rob Reiner's direction contributed to its success. We also discuss the film's quotability, marvel at André the Giant, wonder what it would be like if the entire movie was dubbed by Peter Falk and decide that Westley was not a good guy after all. Tune in and enjoy!Subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/uncutgemspod (3$/month) and support us by gaining access to ALL of our exclusive podcasts, such as bonus tie-ins, themed retrospectives and director marathons!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsHead over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show we are venturing even further into the world of 1980's fantasy by discussing two movies directed by Jim Henson: The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about Jim Henson as a tech-driven filmmaker, and storyteller keen on applying the "X with Muppets" to other contexts. We talk about The Dark Crystal functioning much like Avatar of its time with its high concept of making a movie without human characters, which posed certain technical challenges. We also discuss how Henson's movies essentially appropriate storylines from The Lord of the Rings and Wizard of Oz, how the world-building outside of the field of vision of the characters is increasingly barren (and how it might be more acceptable in one of the two movies) and that relying on a gimmick alone suffers from incredible diminishing returns.Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this show, we are extending our ongoing Mike Nichols Marathon as our journey through his filmography takes us deeper into the 1990's where we finally take on the 1994 Wolf. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about this movie's positioning among other classical horror archetypes explored by other filmmakers (such as Dracula directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Kenneth Branagh's Frankenstein, or Martin Scorsese's Cape Fear), whether this big budget production could be considered a comeback for the aging Nichols and how it reunited him with Elaine May. We also discuss the many readings one could apply to this film, ranging from commenting on the AIDS epidemic and corporate politics to discussions about masculinity and the director's own life trajectory, and we also explore the friction between the film's ambition and its own ability to deliver on character and theme development. Finally, we chuckle at Jack Nicholson's sharpened senses and find out that Jakub might not be able to pronounce the title of the movie correctly at all. Tune in and enjoy!Subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/uncutgemspod (3$/month) and support us by gaining access to ALL of our exclusive podcasts, such as bonus tie-ins, themed retrospectives and director marathons!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsHead over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
Boom! Our 2026 journey through the 1980's begins right here and now with! We are officially embarking on the first of four seasons of the year - Fantastic Winter - with a month-long survey through 80's fantasy movies. Naturally, some tough choices had to be made, but we settled on a great roster of movies tugging and pulling at this genre from different directions and we begin with the 1981 Excalibur! Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the genesis of this movie and how it percolated in John Boorman's brain for more than a decade while shapeshifting between an adaptation of The Lord of the Rings and a proper take on Arthurian legends. We discuss this piece a "hinge" film bridging two decades, the role of Orion Pictures in the post-New Hollywood landscape and the idea of making fantasy films with adult audiences in mind. We also make some comments about Merlin's headgear, the idea of enunciating every line and dining in a full suit of plate armour.Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show, our December retrospective of Ben Affleck's directorial efforts comes to a close. It also puts a bow on the entire year of going through a Director Zodiac of sorts and sets the stage for the next year as well. But more on that later. In this conversation you will hear us talk about Air, the 2023 brand-o-pic about the creation of the iconic shoe for Michael Jordan and his signing a contract with Nike. We discuss the vagaries of independent financing in the age of streaming, the idea of staging a biopic with an iconic character lurking in the shadows and essentially making a movie about a bunch of guys who went to work on a weekend. We also discuss old NBA trivia, nuances of working for different-sized companies, and using the setting of the 80's as a character. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Nicolo Grasso & Rich FosterIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
THIS PODCAST IS AVAILABLE IN FULL FOR FREE ON OUR PATREON!!! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)In this final episode of our 2025 series in which we explored some of the most iconic movies from 1975 and 1995 we are finally rolling the dice with Martin Scorsese's Casino. Over the course of our conversation, which (expectedly) is just as sprawling and widespread as the movie itself, you will hear us talk about the ways in which Casino capitalizes on the success of Goodfellas, how it differs from it in many ways and how it informs one of the most persistent thematic angles present in Martin Scorsese's filmmaking career. We also talk about Las Vegas as a character, Robert De Niro's glitzy wardrobe, that opening explosion shot, Joe Pesci owning the frame and much, much more!Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Tony LarderTHIS PODCAST IS AVAILABLE IN FULL FOR FREE ON OUR PATREON!!! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/uncutgemspod (3$/month) and support us by gaining access to ALL of our exclusive podcasts, such as bonus tie-ins, themed retrospectives and director marathons!Head over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show our December retrospective of Ben Affleck's works behind the camera continues with Live by Night. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us discuss the challenges of adapting Dennis Lehane's sprawling gangster epic, the possibility that Affleck might have bitten more than he could chew at the time and that imitating Scorsese is much more difficult than meets the eye. We also talk about Affleck's physical transformation and why he might not look his best in baggy period-accurate suits, the problem of following a dense story without a good hook or a compelling protagonist, the criminal underuse of many great character actors and much more!Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Nicolo GrassoIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
THIS PODCAST IS AVAILABLE IN FULL FOR FREE ON OUR PATREON!!! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)In this last bonus tie-in podcast of the year we are discussing Ben Affleck's most acclaimed movie Argo. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about where Argo ranks among Affleck's directorial efforts, how it stacks up against other prominent movies of its year, how many historical inaccuracies it sports and whether it even matters at all. We also talk about Affleck directing himself in an internalized performance, the alluring idea of making movies about movies and how movies save the world, and that sometimes embellishing reality in service of emotional realism may triumph over factually correct screenwriting. Finally, we spare a few precious thoughts on John Goodman and Alan Arkin's performances and how they serve to comment on Hollywood, and we also find time to relitigate a few old arguments regarding our opinions on Bryan Cranston and the way one should pronounce Warren Beatty's surname. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Tony LarderTHIS PODCAST IS AVAILABLE IN FULL FOR FREE ON OUR PATREON!!! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/uncutgemspod (3$/month) and support us by gaining access to ALL of our exclusive podcasts, such as bonus tie-ins, themed retrospectives and director marathons!Head over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show, our Ben Affleck mini-retrospective continues with The Town. Over the course of our chat you will hear us talk about whether The Town is a herald of filmmaking growth from Affleck, how he directs his own performance and how the ideas of organic authenticity explored in Gone Baby Gone translate to a different genre. We comment on Affleck's directorial style, Jeremy Renner's powerhouse performance and the many flourishes connecting The Town to such filmmakers as Michael Mann, Ridley Scott and John Frankenheimer. We also chuckle at a few shots here and there, wonder if FBI agents rehearse their PowerPoint presentations and show gratitude that these bank robbers had a habit of raiding barber shops for DNA with which they could use to contaminate crime scenes and not other establishments where DNA is also found. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Rich FosterIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of our Mike Nichols Marathon, the last of the year, we are ankle-deep in the auteur's 90's output as we discuss the 1991 film Regarding Henry. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us debate whether Nichols abandoned or lost his subversive edge over the course of two decades since his most iconic work or if his early masterpieces were an anomaly in a catalogue of safe movies about relationships. We talk about this movie functioning as an attempt at a Frank Capra film or an antidote to Wall Street and how the film's overt clichés make it look like a Hallmark production. We also point out that Bill Nunn's character is a walking and talking HR liability, that brain trauma can apparently be cured with hot sauce and place a few comments against J.J. Abrams's screenwriting output as well. Tune in enjoy!Subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/uncutgemspod (3$/month) and support us by gaining access to ALL of our exclusive podcasts, such as bonus tie-ins, themed retrospectives and director marathons!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsHead over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show we are embarking on the last of our 2025 director series, in which we will take a close look at the directorial efforts of one Ben Affleck and discuss all of his movies, one by one. Thus, we shall begin with Affleck's debut feature Gone Baby Gone. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about Affleck's transition to directing that felt both like a natural extension of his interests and a career comeback, his unique positioning as a Bostonian to adapt Dennis Lehane's novel with requisite emotional realism and authenticity and how the casting of his brother Casey in the lead was an incredibly inspired choice. We also talk about Affleck's 70's inspirations and film IQ, the movie's central moral question that splits the audience in two and whether some of the more manufactured elements of the plot serve to underscore or undermine the narrative as a whole.Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show we are finishing John Dahl Fall with a conversation about his 1998 effort Rounders. Over the course of our chat you will hear us wonder how this movie was dumped unceremoniously and how Miramax decided to have more faith in Shakespeare in Love, how it fits (or doesn't) in John Dahl's creative catalogue and how it also gained second life on home video in the following years. We also talk about how cinematic or uncinematic portrayal of poker is on screen, how the movie is a de facto story of addiction, and how the script treats poker the way six-year-old boys talk about dinosaurs. Finally, we spare a precious few words on what we think about Matt Damon and Edward Norton as rising stars of the time and John Malkovich's dialect work, which is clearly unforgettable and perhaps iconic in its own way.Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this bonus podcast we are tying into our Noir-vember conversation on John Dahl by talking about another influential 90's neo-noir, namely Bound. Over the course of our sprawling discussion you will hear us try to identify where exactly The Wachowskis came from, as they seemingly came out of nowhere, and how their directorial debut charted the course for them to eventually direct The Matrix. We also talk about warping and subverting noir staples by introducing a lesbian angle, Jennifer Tilly as a femme fatale and how through the use of decisive and sweeping visuals, the pair of directors managed to breathe a lot of fresh air into what essentially is a familiar genre template. Finally, we spare a few moments to wonder if it had been a good idea to hire a few extras to wander the set, what we think about Joe Pantoliano with hair and how the thin wall gimmick foreshadowed a key moment in The Matrix. Tune in and enjoy!Subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/uncutgemspod (3$/month) and support us by gaining access to this show in full in addition to ALL of our exclusive podcasts, such as bonus tie-ins, themed retrospectives and director marathons!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Jak-Luke SharpHead over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show our November journey through the films of John Dahl continues with his 1996 Unforgettable. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the ways in which this movie continues Dahl's pet obsession with film noir and how it departs from it, how it fits into the 90s microtrend of thrillers with a sci-fi element like Strange Days or Flatliners and how it might have been partially inspired by the stunning success of The X-Files too. We also talk about the uncanny visage of Ray Liotta, the importance of staying in your lane as a medical examiner and just how much different this movie would have been if memory juice came not as an injectable but as a suppository. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of our 2025 series in which we discuss classics from 1975 and 1995 we are turning our attention to Night Moves directed by Arthur Penn. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how this movie executes on the film noir template with its convoluted plots and morally ambiguous characterizations and how it functions as its subversion. We debate the possible reasons why this movie was misunderstood and unsuccessful upon release, and why competing against Jaws for box office dollars might have had something to do with it. We also delve into the controversy surrounding explicit scenes featuring young Melanie Griffith and the equally problematic ways the studio wanted to 'solve' what they clearly identified as a moral issue. Finally, we wonder just how many times one has to watch Night Moves to begin to like its subversive new-wave commentary on noir.Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Rich FosterHead over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show, our conversations about John Dahl noir-adjacent thrillers continues with The Last Seduction. Over the course of the recording you will hear us talk about the way in which this movie traverses between tropes of noir and the more 90s-specific erotic thriller, how Linda Fiorentino embodies and elevates the archetypal femme fatale and a project destined originally for TV ended up one of the year's critical darlings. We also discuss how the deleted scenes would have added some spice to the movie, how eventually the film does fall victim to the complexity of its plot and the many tiny moments of character comedy hidden within the script. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Tony LarderIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show we are joined by Jak and Carson to celebrate the show's 250th episode. In this show we spare a few minutes reminiscing and we also engage in a brief game of Uncut Gems trivia before talking about the movie of the day, John Dahl's Red Rock West. In this part of our show we discuss the film's difficult fate, cult resurrection and universal critical acclaim. We talk about Dahl banking on a great story and the cast plucked out of David Lynch's closet, Nic Cage at his most subdued and nuanced and the unwieldy Dennis Hopper as the film's agent of chaos. We also talk about how noir films tend to emerge on the fringes of the mainstream, whether we admire Cage's skill of doing one-armed pushups and if Dahl's choice of aspect ratio is enough to send at least some of us into a tailspin.Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Jak-Luke Sharp & Carson TimarIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of our Mike Nichols Marathon we enter the 90s with a conversation about Postcards from the Edge. In this show you will hear us talk about the challenge of adapting a seemingly unfilmable material and how it was a task for its first-time author Carrie Fisher. We talk about the many facets of mirroring reality this movie allows, how it thinly veils its relationship with Carrie Fisher and her mother Debbie Reynolds and how it pulls no punches when it comes to describing the rotten core of Hollywood. We also spare a few comments on the way Postcards from the Edge poaches both from All that Jazz and Terms of Endearment, how Mike Nichols repaid an old debt to Gene Hackman and how Carrie Fisher's writing acumen remains thoroughly underrated. Tune in and enjoy!Subscribe to our patreon at patreon.com/uncutgemspod (3$/month) and support us by gaining access to ALL of our exclusive podcasts, such as bonus tie-ins, themed retrospectives and director marathons!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsHead over to our website to find out more! (uncutgemspodcast.com)Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod) and IG (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)
In this episode of the show we are embarking on the 11th mini-run of the year and we are contributing to the tradition of observing Noir-Vember. On this occasion, we will spend the entire month talking about films directed by John Dahl - The John Dahl Fall, so to speak. And we begin our deliberations with Dahl's 1989 debut Kill Me Again. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the ways in which Dahl's movie adds to the noir tradition, how it executes on the genre playbook and whether it attempts to subvert any of its staples. We also position the film within the wave of neo-noir sweeping the medium at the time, if the movie had enough star power to stand out in the busy release slate and if it needed some extra oomph to become more noticeable.Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsFeaturing: Rich FosterIntro: Infraction - CassetteOutro: Infraction - DaydreamHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod)























