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Director Showdown
Director Showdown
Author: Delfinpod
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© 2025 Delfinpod
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Director Showdown is an idea that came about after months of intense arguments between Brent Carroll and Adam Daufen about which famous director was better: Spielberg or Kubrick? From those arguments, season one was created. Each new season pits two new directors against each other, and every other week Adam and Brent get together to make their case - sometimes with help from guests.
120 Episodes
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Adam and Brent get into 'Transformers' with Delfinpod head honcho Emmanuel! They talk about what makes the action in this Michael Bay movie different from his others, other iconic franchises from the early-to-mid 2000's, and ponder why the leads of the movie had sex on top of their sentient car! It's a loose, fun one to welcome listeners back after our brief break, and only two episodes are left this season so we hope you enjoy!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent get into Zack Snyder's audacious yet messy 2011 action film 'Sucker Punch'! They break down what works about it and what doesn't, where the disconnect might be for fully hitting on all cylinders, and what it means to make 'commentary about geek culture' and the inherent irony in doing so! They also praise Oscar Isaac for bringing a ton of integrity to a role that doesn't really call for it. It's a great breakdown of a real mixed bag of a movie and the guys had a good time getting into it!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent get into Michael Bay's Action-opus 'Bad Boys 2' with friend of the show Zach Cavender! They discuss the changes from the first movie to the second, embracing the psychotic insanity of Michael Bay's cynical worldview and the best jokes from each movie! It's a fun discussion of one of the defining action-comedies of the 2000's so enjoy!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Erik Casarez is back to talk Snyder's 2nd comic book adaptation, 'Watchmen'! They get into the works of Alan Moore, what works and doesn't work in Snyder's approach to the material, and a Carla Gugino corner! Thanks so much for checking out the season so far, and make sure to recommend the show to your friends and family. Next week we're talking Bad Boys 2 (and maybe 1 as well) so we'll see you then! Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content (including Adam and Brent's 2-part Mass Effect trilogy discussion!) https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent break down Michael Bay's box-office hit and critical failure 'Pearl Harbor'! They get into comparisons to other epics of the time (especially Titanic), where it fails in comparison, but also ways it could've been really special. They also do their first live commentary on Brent experiencing the R-rated scenes that make up the extended edition that actually turned out to exist, despite Brent gaslighting Adam via the Mandela effect! It's a fun, tangent-heavy episode, shorter than most, ironically on one of the longest movies of the podcasts yet, so enjoy and thanks for subscribing/listening/reviewing! ******This episode also contains a secret, nested review of 'Space Jam: A New Legacy' the boys meant to record weeks ago but didn't because it drained them physically, emotionally and spiritually, so enjoy**********Also, sorry I didn't count the number of bays in the whole ass world, ain't got that kind of time****Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent are talking Zack Snyder’s epic follow-up to ‘Dawn of the Dead’, the adaptation of the graphic novel 300, with Sean Menard joining once again! They break down their history seeing this movie, it’s breakthroughs in VFX and the real Spartan history the movie is pulling from! They also get into unexpected recent comparisons to 'The Green Knight' as well as 'Snake Eyes: GI Joe Origins'! (Also Brent gets attacked by a bug live lol). It's a fun one, so enjoy and thank you for listening! Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Sean Menard joins Adam and Brent to talk Michael Bay's Space epic 'Armageddon'! How does the movie hold up on it's 23rd anniversary (again falling on the day we recorded the episode!) How does it compare to similar twin-movie of the era 'Deep Impact', what makes this one stand out from the rest of Bay's filmography, and why is this maybe Brent's favorite Bay movie?? It's a great talk about one of the goofiest movies of it's era, so stick around because you won't wanna miss a thiiiiiiing! Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
John Casares (resident zombie expert of the pod) returns to discuss the modern day Romero adaptation 'Dawn of the Dead'! The guys get into a bit of Zack Snyder's origins in commercials and music videos, their favorite zombie movies, and where this movie falls in the huge zombie resurgence of the early 2000's! Is this still the best movie Snyder has made?? Watch along and let us know what you think!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent get into the first Michael Bay film of the season with 'The Rock', recorded on the 25th anniversary of the movies release! Their friend Brian Menard returns to get into a bit of Nicolas Cage, the heavy hitting writers that worked on the script, why Ed Harris is one of our best actors, and general cultural context for the movie. It's generally agreed upon as a staple of 90's action cinema, so enjoy the fellas getting into the nitty gritty!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent kick off season 10 with Michael Bay vs Zack Snyder! Going a bit out of order to cover Snyder's recent film 'Army of the Dead', they get into what makes the movie so much fun and how it stacks up to Snyder's other movies. From here on out we're going back to the beginning of each directors careers and we're excited to get into 2 modern action directors and what makes each of them unique. Buckle up for a high-octane season of Director Showdown and make sure to rate/review/subscribe and recommend the show to friends and family!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent are talking Kurosawa's near-final film and pivotal magical realist exploration 'Dreams'! They get into each of the 8 vignettes, talk what works best and what doesn't, and the darkness behind Kurosawa's late-in-life world view. Beyond that, they also rank their movies discussed this season and what they took away from these 2 directors filmographies! Thank you all so much for listening along over these past 5(!) months and we're excited to reveal what's next on an upcoming bonus ep! Make sure to rate/review/subscribe if you haven't!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
The guys get into Lean’s final movie and penultimate episode this season, 'A Passage to India', the subversions they didn’t expect and what does/doesn’t work in execution. Brent also gives some context on the British Raj and Indian independence, areas that he definitely knew before the episode and didn’t have to read about to know the modern context for this film! They also get into why movies like this can’t be made today and some exceptions to that rule. It’s the final movie of Lean’s career so thanks for sticking with us while we wrap things up for this season next episode! Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent discuss the penultimate Kurosawa movie of the season, his 1985 King Lear adaptation 'Ran'! They talk the jarring evolution into color, 27 year gap between films, and his cynical approach to the story, drawing comparisons to Scorsese's 'The Irishman' and Miyazaki's 'The Wind Rises'! They also once again dive into what makes comedies great and how Spongebob is maybe the best modern comedy? Thanks again for checking out the show! There are only 2 episodes left of Kurosawa and Lean, so get excited for those as well as the hard pivot we have planned next!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
What kind of movie podcast hosted by 2 dudes would be complete without a discussion about all things Snydercut? How much is it an improvement on the mess released in theaters 4 years ago? Is it objectively good or only in relation to what we've already seen? These things and more discussed this week on a preview of what is to come for Director Showdown!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
This week Adam and Brent are talking David Lean's sweeping romantic epic 'Doctor Zhivago'! They get into what makes the movie possibly an 'anti-epic', Omar Sharif's quiet and smoldering intensity, as well as Brent finding out what a 'gun name' is (he receives one in this episode) as well as what happened to the real Ryan Reynolds! It's a great breakdown of a fascinating evolution of David Lean's skills as a director. Thank you for listening and make sure to rate/review/subscribe if you haven't! Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent are talking Kurosawa once again, this week his influential film 'The Hidden Fortress'! They get into the many artists inspired by the movie, the sense of humor of it, and even get another surprise phone call from their new friend Kenneth Branagh! Brent also makes a very funny and definitely unoffensive joke about George Lucas! It's a jam-packed episode with lots of entertainment industry talk and fun tangents, so enjoy!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent welcome back Brian Menard to discuss one of the most influential and impactful movies of the 20th century, 'Lawrence of Arabia'! The fellas get into some of the real history behind the events in the movie, the audacity to make a massive epic focused solely on such a strange, idiosyncratic man and lament the loss of movies like this (happening more and more this season!) Thanks so much for listening to the show and make sure to recommend to your family and friends!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent are breaking down Kurosawa's beloved Macbeth adaptation 'Throne of Blood'! They get into their history (or lack thereof) with Shakespeare's works, receive a call from a very special guest, and make a desperate appeal to the Tik Tok teens (Lets get #TarkovskyTikTok trending, people!) As usual, thanks so much for listening and make sure to share the show with family and friends!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
John Casares returns to the show this week to talk David Lean's WW2 epic 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'! The guys get into what makes the movie a classic, break down their favorite beats of the movie, and talk their favorite 'bridge' movies! They also get a little bummed that this movie would never be made in the same way today as well as what makes 'epics' so special. It's a great discussion on one of the best movies ever made, so enjoy and thanks for listening! Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!
Adam and Brent revisit David Fincher and talk his new movie 'Mank'! They get into the origins of the screenplay written by Fincher's dad, the history of Citizen Kane and fraught process of writing the movie, as well as the dense themes in Mank! It's one of Brent's favorite movies from 2020 and he gets into a few reasons why that is (aside from the obvious 'he loves every movie about Hollywood' thing). They also get into why Fincher had a 6 year gap in between movies! It's another quick bonus ep in between Lean/Kurosawa episodes but we'll be back with them soon so enjoy the episode!Make sure to check out all the DelfinPod shows at https://delfinpod.com/ as well as the patreon for days of exclusive content! https://www.patreon.com/delfinpodAlso, follow Adam and Brent on https://letterboxd.com at 'Relativistic' and 'Binary1138' respectively!


