The Popcorn Auteur

Tom McCarthy co-wrote and directed Spotlight, which took home the Oscar for Best Picture. McCarthy won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The next time McCarthy returned to the director's chair was for the direct to Disney+ Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made (since pulled from the platform). McCarthy has spent his career attempting to make films for grown-ups while also dabbling in children's movies, getting a story credit on Up. In this episode, we try to make sense of this ping-ponging. As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/11/spotlight-tom-mccarthy-film-review/414588/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/awards-chatter-podcast-tom-mccarthy-867386/ https://soundcloud.com/thedirectorscut/episode-8-spotlight-with-tom-mccarthy-and-jonathan-levine?in=ozkzeqspksam/sets/dga

In this episode, we are joined by high school teacher and wine drinker (not at the same time), Mark Staron, to discuss the films of Alexander Payne. We had a fun discussion covering everything from voiceovers and Omaha to which film made us cry the most. We also drank some wines featured in Sideways, so all in all a successful podcast. As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: One Man's Trash Next Picture Show - Sideways Next Picture Show - Election DGA - Downsizing Happy Sad Confused - Alexander Payne Maltin on Movies - Alexander Payne    

Happy Halloween! This October 31st, we delve into thinking-man's horror with the films of Jordan Peele. We welcome back Paul Kowalski for this fun conversation.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Staff Notes/Sources: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/nope-is-one-of-the-great-movies-about-moviemaking https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/067-pt-2-get-out-people-under-the-stairs/id1057714949?i=1000382395226 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nope-with-jordan-peele/id1439252196?i=1000570855194 https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2019/3/22/721-us-elite-8-filmspotting-madness-cassavetes-4 https://allthingscomedy.com/podcasts/episode-85-jordan-peele-is-our-goat  

Greta Gerwig's career is firing on all cylinders. She has the biggest film of 2023, Barbie, consistent critical acclaim, and Academy love. But will she get the Popcorn Auteur badge of approval? Join us as we review Gerwig's career as a filmmaker, starting with the oft-overlooked Nights and Weekends.  As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2023/7/27/929-barbie-oppenheimer https://soundcloud.com/thedirectorscut/lady-bird-with-greta-gerwig-and-spike-jonze-ep-111 https://www.theringer.com/2023/7/27/23809449/barbie-deep-dive-with-greta-gerwig http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-869-greta-gerwig https://wondery.com/shows/smartless/episode/9280-greta-gerwig/ https://www.wgaeast.org/onwriting/greta-gerwig-little-women/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/march-madness-pt-2-little-women-2019/id1057714949?i=1000463219698  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fantasy-women-pt-2-barbie/id1057714949?i=1000623763017 

James Mangold has one of the more eclectic filmmaking careers. From indie dramas to romantic comedies to R-rated superheros and now Indiana Jones, Mangold's films run the gamut. We were excited to explore this filmography and shocked to discover that Mangold lifts the time travel dynamics directy from Kate & Leopold for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=20000111&id=DYs0AAAAIBAJ&pg=4204,6160375 https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2023/7/6/926-dial-of-destiny-top-5-indiana-jones-moments https://www.andrewjupin.com/posts-native/2023/7/1/now-in-release-indiana-jones-and-the-dial-of-destiny-ndwe2 https://screenrant.com/indiana-jones-dial-destiny-time-travel-antikythera-explained/ https://www.dga.org/Events/2017/Apr2017/Logan_QnA_0317.aspx https://sites.libsyn.com/478023/james-mangold  

Fresh off of winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for Women Talking, Sarah Polley is posed to become a major voice in modern filmmaking. In this episode, we review Polley's short but impressive list of films. Warning: We also talk rickshaws. As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.indiewire.com/awards/consider-this/sarah-polley-women-talking-interview-oscars-1234811960/ https://www.vogue.com/article/women-talking-sarah-polley-interview https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/11/21/sarah-polleys-journey-from-child-star-to-feminist-auteur https://www.wgaeast.org/onwriting/episode-106-sarah-polley-women-talking/ http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episode-1403-sarah-polley https://movingimage.us/programs/sarah-polley/  

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead are filmmakers that embody independent filmmaking. There latest film, Something in the Dirt was made largely by just three people. In this episode, we have a blast jumping into their micro-budget Lovecraftian multiverse.    As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.    Show Notes/Sources: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mortalpodkast/episodes/Justin-Benson--Aaron-Moorhead-vs--Baraka-e1msgei https://content.libsyn.com/p/6/0/a/60a38baf727565fd/SynchronicQandAJustinBensenAaronMoorhead.mp3 https://variety.com/2015/film/features/10-directors-to-watch-justin-benson-aaron-moorhead-1201391322/ https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/justin-benson-aaron-moorhead-interview-moon-knight-into-the-dirt https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/justin-benson-and-aaron-moorhead-on-la-covid-and-conspiracies https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-endless-aaron-moorhead-and-justin-benson-interview/

Our film education continues with the films of Kasi Lemmons. Lemmons made the transition from acting to behind the camera with the stellar Eve's Bayou. A filmmaking career that has spanned over 25 years, including 2019's Harriet, her writing and directing output is worth a look. Join us as we discuss.  As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/forevermark-2016/third-act-the-journey-of-a-hollywood-director/816/  https://www.indiewire.com/2019/10/harriet-kasi-lemmons-interview-1202183808/ https://aalbc.com/interviews/interview.php?id=2217  https://youtu.be/PB621yuwddY https://variety.com/2020/artisans/news/kasi-lemmons-african-american-history-1203511035/ https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-treatment/kasi-lemmons-sandy-king-carpenter-and-joe-coscarelli-on-the-treat

Shane Black was once Hollywood's hottest screenwriter. After some rough times, he transitioned into the director's chair and has helmed a Marvel Cinematic Universe film (Iron Man 3) and 2018's The Predator. Nonetheless, we were most excited to talk about his other films - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and The Nice Guys.  In this episode we were joined by Shane Black enthusiast and always busy podcaster Jay Cluitt. Listen as we talk through the highs and one significant low of Black's career. Find more from Jay here: https://lifevsfilm.com/ Deep Blue Sea - The Podcast Con Air - The Podcast @LifeVsFilm   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/shane-black-interview-predator-2018-lethal-weapon-kiss-bang-director-a8531186.html  https://trailersfromhell.com/podcast/shane-black/ https://podcasts.apple.com/my/podcast/shane-black/id827905050?i=1000368780081 https://www.scriptapart.com/episodes/episode-38-kiss-kiss-bang-bang-shane-black-interview https://podcasts.apple.com/al/podcast/shane-black-christmas-the-nice-guys-w-frank-and-geoff/id1508135944?i=1000588456290  

In part 2 of our journey through the films of David Cronenberg, we get away from the horror. In this episode, we examine the controversial (Crash), the confusing (Naked Lunch), and the upsetting (Cosmopolis). Paul Kowalski is back for a fun draft of all 15 films written and directed by Cronenberg.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/crash-1997 https://www.criterion.com/shop/browse?director=cronenberg-david

For our Halloween episode, Paul Kowalski is back to delve into a 2-parter on body horror master David Cronenberg. In part 1, we go from the oddities of his early experimental films to cult classics Scanners and Videodrome. Listen as we explore these wild films and try to reach some consensus on his best body horror film.    Staff Notes/Sources: https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/features/14547/ https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1678-videodrome-the-slithery-sense-of-unreality https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3739-the-brood-separation-trials https://soundcloud.com/the-important-cinema-club/229-david-cronenbergs-vanilla-sex-life https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086541/criticreviews  

Nora Ephron may have been the master of the romantic comedy (Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, & When Harry Met Sally), but her filmography is far more diverse and at times supernatural (angels and witches). Listen as we discuss the variety of films she wrote and directed during her career. As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show notes/sources: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/08/22/the-nora-ephron-we-forget https://www.rogerebert.com/features/her-own-story-a-nora-ephron-appreciation https://youtu.be/3HhXgLux6iw https://youtu.be/mCBdWwnGDhs https://www.theringer.com/2019/8/7/20757318/nora-ephron-julie-and-julia-anniversary

We are back to finish up the filmography of Lawrence Kasdan. His second half may not include the hits and critical successes of the first half, but we came into this episode hopeful. Listen to hear whether that hope was paid off or if Kasdan lost his fastball in his later works.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/darling-companion-2012 https://screenrant.com/tombstone-vs-wyatt-earp-movies-best-biopic/

Lawrence Kasdan is best known for his screenwriting credits in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones universe, but he's an accomplished filmmaker in his own right. In this episode, we start our exploration of Kasdan's filmography from Body Heat to Grand Canyon.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Chris's Scene from Silverado: https://youtu.be/QxXbtzn-6PE   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/3250-the-big-chill-these-are-your-parents https://medium.com/@saramurphyme/why-you-no-longer-have-to-hate-the-big-chill-bd1419d9033d https://youtu.be/x9-0O8_obNc https://youtu.be/rhtF8lK0IWg https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/grand-canyon-1992 https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-accidental-tourist-1989 https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-big-chill-1983  

We don't claim to be action movie experts, but maybe McQuarrie never rerally saw himself becoming a blockbuster action director. Following an early Oscar and a near exit from the film industry, McQuarrie has paired with Tom Cruise for reliable box office success. DJ Valentine from Simplistic Reviews helps guide us through the four thinking-man action films written and directed by McQuarrie, from The Way of the Gun to Mission: Impossible - Fallout.   Movie Clips mentioned: Mission: Impossible - Fallout Foot Chase Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Opening Chase   Where to Find more from DJ Valentine: @TryingToBeDJV https://simplistic.media/   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-way-of-the-gun-2000 http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2012/12/christopher-mcquarrie-jack-reacher-q.html http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2015/07/tom-cruise-christopher-mcquarrie.html http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2018/07/mission-impossible-fallout-q.html https://listen.stitcher.com/yvap/?af_dp=stitcher://episode/55769789&af_web_dp=https://www.stitcher.com/episode/55769789

Elaine May is a comedy legend with a directing career that came to an infamous end with Ishtar. Her film career has undergone a bit of a positive reappraisal lately, even with earning a Criterion entry for Mikey and Nickey. You don't have to look far either to find an Ishtar defender. Listen as we conduct our own appraisal of May's film output.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show notes/sources: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-and-david-present/sets/the-podbreak-cast-the-films-1 https://thedissolve.com/reviews/112-ishtar/ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/movies/elaine-may-mikey-and-nicky.html#:~:text=May's%20great%20theme%20is%20the,of%20view%20of%20its%20victims. https://forward.com/culture/film-tv/410742/why-elaine-may-is-a-national-treasure/ https://www.rogerebert.com/features/the-damned-the-films-of-elaine-may https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2019/3/14/18245240/elaine-may-life-career-mike-ishtar-nichols-mikey-and-nicky-heartbreak-kid-a-new-leaf https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6169-elaine-may-criminally-underappreciated-moviemaker https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33596295-improv-nation

Bong Joon-ho is an Oscar winner with a diverse filmography ranging from serial killing to a creature feature. Coming in pretty ignorant of Joon-ho and Korean filmmaking, listen to see what we thought of this hot filmmaker.   Scene Picks: Parasite: Family comes home Okja: Leaving the compound As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes and Sources: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-craft-of-the-director-with-bong-joon-ho-ep-274/id1067471691?i=1000507926385 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parasite-director-bong-joon-ho/id1142632832?i=1000465870820&l=it https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/quentin-tarantino-koreas-bong-joon-647767/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4seDVfgwOg https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2014/7/18/499-snowpiercer-top-5-magic-realism-moments https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2019/10/25/749-parasite-pain-and-glory-contemporary-chinese-2-the-midnight-after

Dee Rees has an Oscar nomination (for Mudbound) and a Criterion collection film (for Pariah) under her belt. She also can boast writing and directing Bessie, which won an Emmy for Best TV Movie. In this episode, we are joined by Mark Staron for a spoiler-filled discussion of these highs and the rest of Rees's filmography.   Radiolab - The Vanishing of Harry Pace (as mentioned by Chris) Show Notes/Sources: https://time.com/5016712/filmmakers-spike-lee-and-dee-rees-reunite/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/dee-rees-pariah-criteron-release-1234967676/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/magazine/dee-rees-black-female-director.html https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pariah-2012 https://tisch.nyu.edu/grad-film/alumni/dee-rees https://theundefeated.com/features/mudbound-director-dee-rees-tennessee-bred-famu-educated/ https://youtu.be/RyHW6H1rdbg https://maltinonmovies.libsyn.com/dee-rees https://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/mudbound-director-dee-rees-netflix-filmmaker-toolkit-podcast-1201900512/ https://youtu.be/JtfXVXfL8h8 https://www.tiff.net/the-review/tiff-long-take-ep-88-dee-rees-mudbound

Steve McQueen is an accomplished filmmaker, both Cannes-approved (Camera d'Or for Hunger) and the director of an Oscar winning film (12 Years a Slave). In this episode, we dive into the films written and directed by McQueen, included the ambitious Small Axe anthology. Widows car ride scene Hunger dialogue scene   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shame-2011 https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Jan2019/Widows_QnA_1118.aspx https://www.theringer.com/2020/12/19/22191125/director-steve-mcqueen-on-creating-small-axe https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2018/11/9/705-widows-bohemian-rhapsody-wildlife https://www.filmspotting.net/top-5-lists-archive/2020/12/24/807-top-10-films-of-2020  

It's Halloween and Paul Kowalski is back to discuss the films of Sam Raimi. Raimi's a horror legend, but his films are like a haunted house with the lights on - things might be a little scary, but it's also pretty funny and almost comforting. Join us as we draft Raimi films and debate the worst protagonist decisions in the 7 films written and directed by Raimi.   Show Notes/Sources: Army of Darkness zoom scene mentioned by Paul Horror Comedy and Raimi video Making of The Evil Dead