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An Invitation Productions sprung to life when storyboard artist Jim Penola began exploring Karyn Kusama’s 2015 masterpiece THE INVITATION with the podcast titled––what else?––“An Invitation to THE INVITATION.” 🟣 The limited series remains a unique narrative/critical hybrid that is as meticulously scripted as it is produced, using Kusama's film as a means of highlighting cinematic craft alongside rigorous self-inquiry. Jim’s passion for other films blooms further in an eclectic selection of “one-off” episodes that excavate movies like COOL RUNNINGS and JUPITER ASCENDING. 🟣 However, his fascination with audio drama married to the aural essay format continues with the series “An Invitation to DESTROYER” – centered on Kusama’s 2018 neo-noir, originally starring Nicole Kidman. 🟣 Consider yourself invited. RSVP now.
53 Episodes
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Thematic Content is a series about the themes that define film history—across eras, genres, and filmmakers—even mediums. Episode #03 takes an unexpected (but welcome) detour towards the world of contemporary electronic music with special guest Big Black Delta, a.k.a. Jonathan Bates, the prolific recording artist with credits on BILL AND TED FACE THE MUSIC, THE SINNER, HALT & CATCH FIRE, and more. During the episode, host Jim Penola not only guides listeners through Big Black Delta’...
Thematic Content is a series about the themes that define film history—across eras, genres, and filmmakers—even mediums. Episode #02 continues this inaugural season's exploration of a "Los Angeles Horror of Manners" with a vivid look at polarizing 80s neo-noir, 8 MILLION WAYS TO DIE, starring Jeff Bridges and Andy Garcia. Arguing in favor of the film’s many virtues, along with host Jim Penola, is esteemed guest, Philip Gawthorne – a prolific screenwriter (Underwater, Modern Life Is Rubbish), ...
Thematic Content is a series about the themes that define film history—across eras, genres, and filmmakers—even mediums. This inaugural episode takes a look at Ridley Scott's 1982 film, BLADE RUNNER, and features special guest Dom Nero—a writer, a video editor, and the co-host of the excellent film podcast Eye of the Duck. Throughout their discussion, Dom and host Jim Penola examine the colossal influence of BLADE RUNNER through the unique lens of dystopian etiquette, pervasive noir trappin...
Karyn Kusama is the writer/director of GIRLFIGHT (2000), the director of JENNIFER'S BODY (2009), THE INVITATION (2015), and of course, DESTROYER (2018). She is also an Emmy nominated director of television that includes work on YELLOWJACKETS, DEAD RINGERS, THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY, and much more. During this very special episode of ELLIPSIS, Karyn and I discuss the slippery yet operatic nature of time, the unique moment that Nicole Kidman had never experienced on any other film set, an...
In episode #08 of "An Invitation to DESTROYER," host Jim Penola examines the nocturnal foot chase between Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman) and Arturo Guerrero (Zach Villa), an ex-criminal and former friend of Bell's. The ensuing discussion breaks down the significant narrative/stylistic choices of their relationship—including a fourth-wall-breaking close-up, the difference between doing good versus undoing bad, and a visual echo of THE INVITATION's indelible climax. Support the show •••Shout-o...
Please enjoy this unlocked episode of my Patreon-exclusive series "Ellipsis" – the official companion podcast to "An Invitation to DESTROYER" – where I discuss the movie with fellow superfans, critics, and the creators themselves. * Matt Manfredi is an Emmy nominated screenwriter with decades of experience inside both the independent and studio systems. His credits include CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL, RIDE ALONG 1&2, THE INVITATION, DESTROYER, and Disney+'s THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY amon...
In the 7th proper episode of "An Invitation to DESTROYER," host Jim Penola continues to assess the fragile heart of the film: the contentious relationship between Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman) and her teenage daughter, Shelby (Jade Pettyjohn). Through a dramatic reading of pages 38–41 of the DESTROYER screenplay, Penola spotlights the ordinary ways that long term resentment festers, the satisfaction of unbridled female rage, and the subsequent ruin that both these emotional blast radiuses can cre...
Please enjoy this unlocked episode of my Patreon-exclusive series "Ellipsis" – the official companion podcast to "An Invitation to DESTROYER" – where I discuss the movie with fellow superfans, critics, and the creators themselves. Today, my guest is Philip Gawthorne. Phil is the creator and co-host of podcast, DIE HARD ON A BLANK – the podcast that explores the influence of DIE HARD on action cinema one action movie at a time. During this episode of ELLIPSIS, Phil and I put a specia...
"Indelible in the hippocampus, it was the laughter. The uproarious laughter between the two." | "That scene – Megan and I agreed, before we started shooting it – that she was not going to *ever* wink at the audience. That no matter what was happening to her in terms of how other people were behaving – whether they were cracking jokes – the horror of it *is* that they are cracking jokes." Support the show •••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola...
"I was always quite fascinated by people who could suppress really dark, deep, painful experiences. And I wanted to explore the idea that perhaps pushing down on those terrible experiences is harder than facing them." –Jennifer Kent Support the show •••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podcast "Ellipsis" only at Patreon.com/jimpenola ⚫ Foll...
How do you make a cop movie in an ACAB world? In episode 4 of "An Invitation to DESTROYER," writer/producer/host Jim Penola continues to wrestle with DESTROYER's depiction and dramatic centering of a police officer – a choice that continues to reverberate dynamically in our fraught, present-day relationship with law enforcement. Through comparisons to contemporaries such as BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (2020) and cult classics like MIAMI VICE (2006), Penola echoes a "duty to interrogate" these stories ...
In the 3rd episode of "An Invitation to DESTROYER," host Jim Penola discusses Karyn Kusama's fascination with coyotes as a symbol of untamed rage, the importance of DESTROYER's mother/daughter dynamic, and the ways that Dire Straits may be the code to understanding Erin Bell. Support the show •••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Jane Penola, and Joseph Penola. ⚫ Get early access, extended episodes, and the Patreon-exclusive companion podca...
In the 2nd episode of "An Invitation to DESTROYER," host Jim Penola elaborates on the film's unflinching portrait of a moral but self-immolating woman in the form of Erin Bell (Nicole Kidman). Beneath and within Bell's many layers lies a tragic variation of the classic Femme Fatale archetype. One that stands out amid a recent glut of female-fronted action movies that, while technically pro-woman, also have little to offer beyond that. Support the show •••Shout-out to some of my lovely & a...
In the inaugural episode of "An Invitation to DESTROYER," host Jim Penola recreates the first 4 pages of 2018's DESTROYER, directed by Karyn Kusama and written by Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi, as an audio play. His subsequent analysis of those specific pages celebrates the clarity of the screenplay, the confidence of the direction, and the feminist context that drove its creation... all while setting the stage for what is to come. Support the show •••Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazi...
A special "one-off" bonus episode dedicated to The Wachowskis' JUPITER ASCENDING (2015). | Original Score by John Penola | Artwork by Jim Penola | Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, and Jane Penola. | Receive exclusive/extended/uncut content, early access, and more at Patreon.com/jimpenola | Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation | Email us: Invitation2Invitation@gmail.com | <3 Support the show •••Shout...
A special "one-off" bonus episode dedicated to Disney's COOL RUNNINGS (1993). | Original Score by John Penola | Artwork by Joseph Penola | Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Stephanie Pavlick, and Jane Penola. | Receive exclusive/extended/uncut content, early access, and more at Patreon.com/jimpenola | Follow us on Twitter: @AnInvitation and Instagram: @Invitation2Invitation | Email us: Invitation2Invitation@gmail.com | <3 Support the sh...
This unique bonus episode compiles all 15 of the "radio play" portions from the limited series "An Invitation to THE INVITATION" into one seamless aural experience. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this one-of-a-kind re-telling of Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi's superb screenplay –– complete with every deleted and extended scene that didn't make it to the film's final cut. | Script: Phil Hay & Matt Manfredi | Original Score: John Penola | Production, Editing, Sound Design: Jim Penola | Voice Cas...
In the 7th (and likely final) bonus episode of the series, Jim Penola sits down for an extended talk with who else? Karyn Kusama. During their conversation from December 2020, Jim and Karyn –– often through the unavoidable-but-revealing lens of Covid –– discuss the ways THE INVITATION remains ahead of its time, as well as the way it thoughtfully addresses evergreen human dilemmas. Enjoy. | Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Stephanie Pavlick, and...
In the 6th bonus episode of the series, Jim Penola sits down for an extended talk with prolific indie actor Lindsay Burdge (A Teacher, Easy, Thirst Street, Black Bear) who of course plays Sadie. During their conversation from December 2020, Lindsay and Jim discuss (among many other things) their shared struggle to uphold small talk and social decorum during the best of times, let alone during a pandemic. Additionally, Lindsay describes the uniquely sensitive and adaptive directing style of Ka...
In the 5th bonus episode of the series, Jim Penola sits down for an extended talk with revered character actor John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, Zodiac, The Founder, American Horror Story, Big Sky). During their conversation from December 12th, 2020, JCL and Jim discuss everything from on-set pull-up contests all the way to the universal need for forgiveness. Enjoy. | Shout-out to some of my lovely & amazing patrons: Rupa dasGupta, John Penola, Stephanie Pavlick, and Jane Penola. | Receive exclu...
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