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"Great movies are rarely perfect movies." — Pauline Kael
18 Episodes
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Award-winning sound and sound-effects artist Matt "Smokey" Cloud (Stranger Things, Predator: Badlands, The Naked Gun, many other titles) stops by to talk about "Die Hard." We discuss producer Joel Silver's infamous "Whammo Chart," director John McTiernan's efforts to infuse a little Shakespeare into the material, and what creative choices set the film apart from other '80s action movies. Oh, and there's also an "Airheads" clip for all of the "Airheads" Heads out there.
We're joined today by Justin LaLiberty (curator and producer at Cinématographe) to talk about the world of boutique Blu-ray labels, the films of Paul Verhoeven, and the continuing relevance and endurance of "RoboCop." Is it Verhoeven's most wide-eyed look at America? How did his outsider's perspective help shape the material? Would the film have lost its edge had it looked like "Blade Runner," as Verhoeven originally wanted? Your prime directive... is to listen to this episode.
Film critic Katie Walsh (Tribune News Service, Los Angeles Times) braves facehuggers, chestbursters, and hordes of xenomorphs to talk about James Cameron's "Aliens." We discuss the evolution of Cameron's storytelling as his movies have become more ambitious, examine producer Gale Anne Hurd's role as "Cameron Whisperer" during the early phase of his directing career, and reflect on what makes "Aliens" such a satisfying sequel. Plus, we debut a brand new segment called Good Movie/Bad Movie! (Sp...
Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi joins the podcast to discuss Martin Scorsese's "After Hours," and helps us trace the film's journey from once being considered a minor effort to now being viewed as one of the most pivotal movies in Scorsese's career. She also names the Scorsese film she'd most like to see added to the Criterion Collection, and offers her theory as to why Scorsese's work is often more fully appreciated a decade after the fact.
New York Magazine and Vulture film critic Bilge Ebiri offers wide-ranging insights into the career of Steven Spielberg, helps put American cinema of the 1980s into proper perspective, and discusses why he thinks "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" might be Spielberg's best-directed film. Truly, anything goes!
Film journalist and podcaster Chris Feil (This Had Oscar Buzz) discusses the Best Picture winner of 1983 — James L. Brooks' "Terms of Endearment." Is it a comedy that makes people cry or a drama with some amusing bits? Is emotional manipulation in movies something to be feared? Is the book always better than the movie? Should the fictional Aurora Greenway be an EGOT winner? These are exactly the kinds of questions you want Chris Feil to answer on your podcast!
Author Matt Singer (Opposable Thumbs: How Siskel & Ebert Changed Movies Forever) stops by to discuss the 1982 sci-fi horror classic "The Thing," as well as John Carpenter's status as a pantheon filmmaker. Plus, a new world record is set for how many times the words "gloopy" and "gloppy" are said in a single podcast recording!
Author Isaac Butler (The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act) discusses "Reds," his favorite movie of 1981. Must a director be as obsessed and relentless as Warren Beatty? Does on-set friction result in better movies? Is "Ishtar" deserving of its reappraisal? Isaac has all of the answers and more! Would you believe the Architect from "The Matrix Reloaded" also shows up at one point? It's all true!
Cinematographer Christopher Schneider (The Volunteer, Love Type D, Lost Colony) discusses his favorite movie of 1980, The Empire Strikes Back. Along the way, we reminisce about freezing our action figures, recommend a few unheralded gems from director Irvin Kershner, and offer up dueling pronunciations of actor George Segal's last name. Oh, and if you thought Barbara Walters wouldn't make an appearance in this episode, you were dead wrong.
Comedian and writer Max Silvestri (Killing It, Human Resources, Big Mouth) discusses his favorite movie, Heat.
Film critic Fran Hoepfner discusses her favorite David Fincher movie, The Social Network.
Cinematographer Sean McElwee (Little Fish, Horse Girl, Room 104) discusses his favorite David Fincher movie, Zodiac.
Director Aaron Katz (Gemini, Land Ho!, Cold Weather) discusses his favorite teen movie, Clueless.
Costume designer Whitney Anne Adams (Freaky, Happy Death Day 2U) discusses her favorite slasher film, Scream.
Writer and journalist Kris Tapley discusses his favorite action movie, Speed.
Film and television critic Jen Chaney discuss her favorite John Hughes movie, The Breakfast Club.
Filmmaker Chad Hartigan (Little Fish, Morris from America) discusses his favorite movie, Meet Joe Black.
Film and television critic Matt Zoller Seitz discusses his favorite movie musical, All That Jazz.
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