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A Very Good Year
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© Michael Hull
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“Fun City Cinema” hosts Jason Bailey and Mike Hull proudly present “A Very Good Year,” a new podcast with a simple premise: each week we invite a guest (filmmakers and actors, critics and historians, comedians and musicians) who loves movies, and ask them to select their favorite year of movies. Some pick a year from their movie-going past; some go deep into film history. Whichever the case, we spend (about) an hour talking about that year: we ask them to share their top five films of the year, and tell us why they love them; we look at the year’s news headlines, award winners, and box office champions; and we finish with a lightning round, where we talk about as many films as possible in as few minutes as possible.
“A Very Good Year” debuts this fall; our guests include Bilge Ebiri, Roxana Hadadi, Keith Phipps, Drew McWeeny, Dana Stevens, and Alex Winter.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 Episodes
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Raquel Stecher has spent most of her career writing about classic movies, so it doesn't come as a shock that she's dipped back into the 1940s for her very good year - 1949, to be precise, the year that marked the beginning of the end for the studio system. It was also the golden age of film noir, so her top five is bursting with examples and variations on the genre (as well as a VERY non-noir turn by one of its icons). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April Wright is our favorite kind of documentary filmmaker, because she makes movies about movies. Her latest, “Back to the Drive-In” (out now!) looks at drive-in exhibition in the COVID era - and she picked 1980, a year of great drive-in movies (and movies in general). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Film critic and author Charles Bramesco had to look at movies in a new and different way while researching and writing his new book, "Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes" (out this week) which examines filmmaking through the prism of color. And one of his favorite eras, for that book and as a film lover in general, is the 1970s - so he selected 1971, a year in which the movies were smart, daring, experimental, and (at least in his top five) extremely horny. Plus, hear about the best single release week of the year (maybe the decade), when two all-timers hit theaters one day apart! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
There are allllllll sorts of ‘80s classics that hit theaters in the year 1985, but our guest (and friend) W. Axel Foley of the DVR Podcast Network went in some WILD directions for his top five of the year, plucking out some less-discussed documentaries, sci-fi, and more. Plus, Axel is roughly the same age as Jason and Mike, so hear all about how this year’s headlines deeply traumatized us all! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Filmmaker and actress Isabel Sandoval (“Señorita,” “Aparisyon,” "Lingua Franca”) went to a rather non-traditional film school: the pirated DVD stores of Philippines flea markets. It was there that she discovered the auteurs of the 1970s, the giants of American and world cinema who made that era what it was, and she chose the year 1974 - perhaps the MOST 1970s year of the 1970s. Listen in for our thoughts on Akerman, Passolini, Coppola, Polanski, and Richard Nixon, who was shown the door during this very eventful year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Frank Conniff is best known for commenting on bad movies - via his five seasons as "TV's Frank" on "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and his subsequent riffing on "Cinematic Titanic" and "The Mads are Back" - so he was delighted to talk about good movies for once. He joined us specifically to talk about the good movies of 1964, many of which he saw as a kid; he also insightfully explains why, for him, this was the year when "The Sixties" really began. Plus, find out what marquee name filmmakers of the '60s Frank sees as geniuses, and which are merely homework! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oscar-nominated cinematographer Bradford Young ("Arrival, "Selma," "Solo: A Star Wars Story") was only two years old in 1979, so he discovered that year's movies while in film school - and was amazed by how the films of this era spoke to not only his artistic but political self. In this week's exhilarating episode, Bradford breaks down the technical aspects of '70s cinema, sells us on his favorite film of all time, and has some choice words for mainstream movie-making circa 2023. It's a must-listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
“Blank Check with Griffin & David” co-host and “Atlantic” film critic David Sims was but a wee lad (in London!) in the year 2000, and looking back, he thinks of it as the year he truly became a cinephile. He joins Mike and Jason to discuss his internationally diverse top five, and to chuckle good-naturedly through more Conan O’Brien “In the year 2000!” audio drops than he probably intended. 0:00 - Introduction10:16 - Headlines19:00 - Top 549:00 - Award Winners & Box Office1:13:00 - Lightning Round1:19:35 - Wrapping it up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
As co-host of NPR’s “Pop Culture Happy Hour” (and host of the late, lamented “Represent”), Aisha Harris is very tuned in to the politics of contemporary popular culture, and what movies are subtly (or not so subtly) telling us about race, sex, and class. But she also looooooves old movies, even when there are contradictions and hypocrisies to grapple with. And there are plenty of both in her favorite movies of 1959 - and an abundance of beauty, humor, and romance as well. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jason and film critic Sean Burns have something in common (besides their warm, winning dispositions and unimpeachable affection for the MCU): they were both born in the year 1975, which is one of the many reasons Sean selected it for his very good year. But there are others, including an all-killer-no-filler top five and a rare year where the Oscar winners and box office champions were mostly quite good. Imagine that! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jason, Mike, and film critic, historian, and Substacker extraordinaire Drew McWeeny take on the formidable task of breaking down 1999, a movie year so juicy that it has inspired entire podcasts and books of its own. “There was that feeling in ’99 that it was a really special moment,” Drew explains, and picking a top five was a tough task, so check out what made the cut. Plus: why that year’s Oscar winners and box office top 10 are such a bummer! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Scott Tobias - the legend of “The AV Club” and “The Dissolve,” currently of “The Reveal” and “The Next Picture Show” podcast - joins us for our first foray into the 1950s. It’s a decade regarded by many as something of a dead zone for cinema, a notion that Mr. Tobias is here to push back on, with vigor, as he tells us why 1955 was such an extraordinary year for movies here and abroad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Vulture film critic Bilge Ebiri has a photographic memory for 1987, the year when he first became a movie obsessive, thanks to a potent combination of formative flicks by the Coen Brothers and Berardo Bertolucci. But he also has some curveballs on his top five, including one with a lot to say about 1987’s headlines (which are intense!). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mike and Jason used to do this whole other podcast called “Fun City Cinema,” and also had a Patreon for it, with bonus episodes. And in December 2020, they had Wrap film critic, prolific podcaster, and Christmas movie expert Alonso Duralde on to talk about three New York City Christmas movie classics - the first iteration of the two-hosts-and-a-guest format that made its way to “A Very Good Year.” So, as a Christmas bonus, we’re happy to re-share this episode with you, and to encourage you to pick up Alonso’s books “Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas Movies.” Happy holidays!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Programmer, podcaster, and author Millie De Chirico is anything but predictable, as anyone who’s watched her late-night TCM Underground block (or read its new, essential companion book) can attest. So when she picked 1967, one of the all-time great movie years, for her appearance on this week’s show, Jason and Mike thought they knew what they were in for. They had no idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
When Noah Segan - the beloved character actor familiar from such films as “Knives Out,” “Deadgirl," “Looper,” “Brick,” and “Starry Eyes” - made his feature writing and directing debut on his new film “Blood Relatives,” he drew on one of the richest eras of cinema: the 1970s, and specifically the topic of today’s conversation, the year 1976. ”Blood Relatives” is now streaming on Shudder, and Noah’s episode of “A Very Good Year” is a hoot, so enjoy them both! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The first year of the 21st century was an important one for Keith Phipps, the beloved writer behind the AV Club, the Dissolve, and the first-rate critical biography “Age of Cage.” And it was an important one for the movie industry, as well as for America itself (this week’s headlines section is especially crowded). Plus: find out the 2001 release Keith compares to disliking puppies! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Karen Han is a culture writer, screenwriter, author, and all-around delight; her new book, “Bong Joon-Ho: Dissident Cinema,” was just released by ABRAMS Books. She joins Jason and Mike to walk down the memory lane of moviegoing in 2003, and her top 5 may surprise you! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week, Jason and Mike welcome Dana Stevens – Slate film critic, “Slate Culture Gabfest” co-host, and author of “Camera Man,” one of our favorite books of the year – to talk about one of the most important years in cinema history. 1927 was, famously, the year that saw the release of both the first “talkie” and the first Oscar winner for Best Picture, but Dana’s top five is focused on some of the most innovative and inspiring movies of the silent era. Plus: as you’d expect from the author of “Camera Man,” not one but TWO Buster Keaton movies! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jason and Mike are joined by Vulture TV critic and ace film critic Roxana Hadadi, who explains why 2007 was “the last hopeful year of America,” despite how many bleak movies landed in her top five. (And not to spoil, but as anyone who follows her on Twitter knows, there will be “Michael Clayton” love.) Plus: find out what movie she says “the most correct and the most annoying men on Twitter stan for.” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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