DiscoverThe Next Picture Show#150: A Star Is Born, Pt. 1 - George Cukor (1954)
#150: A Star Is Born, Pt. 1 - George Cukor (1954)

#150: A Star Is Born, Pt. 1 - George Cukor (1954)

Update: 2018-10-30
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Bradley Cooper’s new A STAR IS BORN remake is a current-day spin on a Hollywood fable that’s been around since the 1930s, about a struggling male star and the young ingenue he pushes toward fame. But its music-industry setting makes it a particularly apt match for George Cukor’s 1954 musical spin on the tale, starring a career-redefining Judy Garland as the titular star to James Mason’s fading one. In this half of our two-part discussion of the films, we dig into the legend and legacy of Cukor’s STAR, piece together what the film lost and gained via studio meddling and reconstruction, and debate the nature of the story’s central tragedy. Plus, by listener request, we give some of our recommendations for first-time film festival-goers.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about any and all of Hollywood’s takes on A STAR IS BORN by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Outro Music: Judy Garland, “Born In A Trunk”

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#163: Chris Smith's Charismatic Dreamers, Pt. 2 - American Movie

2019-02-1200:58:49

#162: Chris Smith's Charismatic Dreamers, Pt. 1 - American Movie
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#162: Chris Smith's Charismatic Dreamers, Pt. 1 - American Movie

2019-02-0500:47:04

#161: Enter the Shyamalaniverse, Pt. 2 - Glass
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#161: Enter the Shyamalaniverse, Pt. 2 - Glass

2019-01-2901:07:58

#160: Enter The Shyamalaniverse, Pt. 1 - Unbreakable
With M. Night Shyamalan’s new GLASS purporting to be the culmination of his so-called Eastrail 177 trilogy, we’re returning to the film that set it in motion, and that many rank among the divisive writer-director’s best: UNBREAKABLE. How does this brooding, stylistically bold superhero origin story look today, in a culture where both comics and their movie adaptations play a much more central role than they did in 2000? How do Shyamalan’s various auteur signatures, good and bad alike, play out in  this film and his filmography more generally? We get into all that and more, with some bonus disagreement on Shyamalan’s breakthrough, THE SIXTH SENSE, and some feedback on our recent episodes on THE FAVOURITE and INTO THE SPIDERVERSE.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about UNBREAKABLE, GLASS, or any other corner of the Shyamalaniverse by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#160: Enter The Shyamalaniverse, Pt. 1 - Unbreakable

2019-01-2200:53:141

#159: Great Power, Great Responsibility, Pt. 2 - Into the Spider-Verse
The remarkable new animated film SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE has us thwipping through the beloved web-slinger’s cinematic history to see how it culminated in a Miles Morales origin story that doubles as a giddy trip through Spidey-lore. After some collective swooning over SPIDERVERSE’s unique and eye-popping style and clever conceit, we put the new film in conversation with another top-tier Spider-man film, Sam Raimi’s 2004 sequel SPIDER-MAN 2, to see what the films share, and how they differ, in their respective handling of their various Spider-entities, their villains, and their setting. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about SPIDER-MAN 2, INTO THE SPIDERVERSE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. *Show Notes*Works Cited• “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse directors on the film’s gorgeous style,” by Devon Maloney (TheVerge.com)Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Phil Johnson and Rich Moore’s RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET and Jacques Audiard’s THE SISTERS BROTHERS• Keith: Jon S. Baird’s STAN & OLLIE• Tasha: Hirokazu Koreeda’s SHOPLIFTERS• Scott: Travis Knight’s BUMBLEBEE, George Tillman Jr.’s THE HATE U GIVE, patreon.com/gemkoOutro Music: Chris Pine, “Spidey-Bells”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#159: Great Power, Great Responsibility, Pt. 2 - Into the Spider-Verse

2019-01-0101:04:321

#158: Great Power, Great Responsibility, Pt. 1 - Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man, the web-slinging comics creation of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, has made the leap to movie screens many times, but arguably never as successfully as in Sam Raimi’s 2004 sequel SPIDER-MAN 2 — or, perhaps, in the new animated entry INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. This week we’re putting two of Spidey’s cinematic high-water marks in conversation, beginning with a deep dive into why SPIDER-MAN 2 holds up so well, how its performances and action work together to honor its comic-book roots, and whether we prefer our web-shooters organic or engineered. Plus, some feedback on recent episodes and a reader question about whether different generations regard the film canon differently.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about any and all Spider-men (or Spider-women, or Spider-pigs) by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#158: Great Power, Great Responsibility, Pt. 1 - Spider-Man 2

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#157: Girl World, Pt. 2 - The Favourite
Our trip through Girl World makes its second stop with Yorgos Lanthimos’ new period piece THE FAVOURITE, to see how its portrayal of women battling for social advantage in Queen Anne’s court looks next to the more contemporary high-school machinations of 2004’s MEAN GIRLS. After sharing our reactions to THE FAVOURITE and pinpointing its most “Lanthimosian” characteristics, we pit these two films against each other to see which portrayal of the cruelty and backbiting of Girl World—and Guy World!—is ultimately more fetch. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MEAN GIRLS, THE FAVOURITE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.Your Next Picture Show:• Keith: Roy Del Ruth’s IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH AVENUE• Tasha: John McPhail’s ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE • Scott: Michael Dweck’s THE LAST RACE• Genevieve: Wash Westmoreland’s COLETTEOutro Music: New Kids on the Block, “Favorite Girl”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#157: Girl World, Pt. 2 - The Favourite

2018-12-1801:01:01

#156: Girl World, Pt. 1 - Mean Girls
Yorgos Lanthimos’ THE FAVOURITE is, in the words of star Rachel Weisz, a bit like a “high-stakes MEAN GIRLS”: It’s the story of a woman in power challenged by a fresh young outsider, only it plays out in the halls of court rather than the halls of a suburban high school. In this half of our pairing examining the power plays and back-biting of “Girl World,” we look back first at Mark Waters’s MEAN GIRLS to ask whether the much-quoted Tina Fey-penned comedy is still totally fetch, and which of its insights about teen girl-dom circa 2004 still resonate today. Plus, some feedback on recent episodes and a discussion of other pairings we considered for THE FAVOURITE.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MEAN GIRLS, THE FAVOURITE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.Outro Music: Boomkat, “Rip Her to Shreds”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#156: Girl World, Pt. 1 - Mean Girls

2018-12-1100:48:55

#155: The Chicago Way, Pt. 2 - Steve McQueen's "Widows"
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#155: The Chicago Way, Pt. 2 - Steve McQueen's "Widows"

2018-12-0401:06:061

#154: The Chicago Way, Pt. 1 - Michael Mann's "Thief"
Director Steve McQueen’s new thriller WIDOWS is a Chicago-set heist film that puts to good use the city’s notorious corruption, which puts it in the company of Michael Mann’s stylish 1981 feature debut THIEF. In this half of our Windy City-centric pairing, we dig into THIEF and its strangely compelling criminal protagonist Frank, played by James Caan, to see what the film says about the kind of city Chicago was (and is), and the kind of filmmaker Mann would become. Plus, still more feedback on Bradley Cooper's version of A STAR IS BORN.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THIEF, WIDOWS, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.Outro Music: Tangerine Dream, “Final Confrontation”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#154: The Chicago Way, Pt. 1 - Michael Mann's "Thief"

2018-11-2700:54:09

#153: Lost Films Found, Pt . 2 - Shirkers
A landmark first feature shot in the 90s but never seen until now.Where Orson Welles' THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND is the story of a movie finished years after its director let it go, Sandi Tan’s new SHIRKERS is the story of a film its director could never really let go. In this half of our discussion on lost films found, we share our reactions to Tan’s unusual film, before bringing in Welles' WIND to see what the two films share in their portraits of auteurism, their difficult production histories, and their respective movies-within-the-movie. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, SHIRKERS, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730..Your Next Picture Show: • Scott: Frederick Wiseman’s MONROVIA, INDIANA• Keith: Luca Guadagnino’s SUSPIRIA• Tasha: Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl’s PROSPECTOutro Music: Weish’s “Tick Tick”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#153: Lost Films Found, Pt . 2 - Shirkers

2018-11-2000:46:37

#152: Lost Films Found, Pt. 1 - The Other Side of the Wind
Orson Welles' final film is finally finished. We’re switching things up this week to look at a pair of new films that are also old films — sort of — which together show that while making movies is always hard, some are harder than others. Orson Welles shot THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND decades ago, but the previously unfinished film is only seeing the light of day now, alongside a documentary about another kind of lost film, Sandi Tan’s SHIRKERS. In this first half, we dig in to why WIND is the loudest of the many ghosts haunting Welles’ filmography, debating whether it feels like a finished film, or even a good film, and to what degree it needs to be either. Plus, some feedback on would-be pairings past and our recent query on what a ‘90s STAR IS BORN would look like.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND, SHIRKERS, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.Outro Music: Queen, “Ride The Wild Wind”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#152: Lost Films Found, Pt. 1 - The Other Side of the Wind

2018-11-1300:50:08

#151: A Star Is Born, Pt. 2 - Bradley Cooper (2018)
Bradley Cooper’s debut directorial feature A STAR IS BORN is the fourth film to bear that title, and the second to translate this Hollywood tale of rising and falling fame to the music industry. And much like George Cukor’s 1954 version starring Judy Garland, it’s a fantastic showcase for its leading lady, played this time around by Lady Gaga as an aspiring songwriter to Bradley Cooper’s fading rock god. In bringing this oft-told tale to the screen, Cooper’s version follows most of of the broad strokes of its predecessors — but does it do enough to distinguish itself among its lineage? We talk it over before getting into the connections between Cooper and Cukor’s STARS, from their respective approaches to musical performance to their messy gender dynamics. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about any and all versions of A STAR IS BORN by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. *Show Notes*Works Cited• “How the Media Would Have Covered the Events of A Star Is Born,” by Nate Jones (Vulture.com)• “A Star Is Born Makes a Romance of Rock’s Most Damaging Myths,” by Sam Adams (Slate.com)Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: George Cukor’s WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD?• Keith: Elizabeth Chomko’s WHAT THEY HAD• Tasha: Joseph Kahn’s BODIED• Scott: Ol Parker’s MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAINOutro Music: Lady Gaga, “La Vie En Rose”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#151: A Star Is Born, Pt. 2 - Bradley Cooper (2018)

2018-11-0601:18:092

#150: A Star Is Born, Pt. 1 - George Cukor (1954)
Bradley Cooper’s new A STAR IS BORN remake is a current-day spin on a Hollywood fable that’s been around since the 1930s, about a struggling male star and the young ingenue he pushes toward fame. But its music-industry setting makes it a particularly apt match for George Cukor’s 1954 musical spin on the tale, starring a career-redefining Judy Garland as the titular star to James Mason’s fading one. In this half of our two-part discussion of the films, we dig into the legend and legacy of Cukor’s STAR, piece together what the film lost and gained via studio meddling and reconstruction, and debate the nature of the story’s central tragedy. Plus, by listener request, we give some of our recommendations for first-time film festival-goers.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about any and all of Hollywood’s takes on A STAR IS BORN by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro Music: Judy Garland, “Born In A Trunk”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#150: A Star Is Born, Pt. 1 - George Cukor (1954)

2018-10-3001:02:54

#149: Robert Redford, Pt. 2 - The Old Man and the Gun
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#149: Robert Redford, Pt. 2 - The Old Man and the Gun

2018-10-2300:53:421

#148: Robert Redford, Pt. 1 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
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#148: Robert Redford, Pt. 1 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

2018-10-1600:47:152

#147: (Pt. 2) Fahrenheit 11/9 / Roger & Me
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#147: (Pt. 2) Fahrenheit 11/9 / Roger & Me

2018-10-0900:53:08

#146: (Pt. 1) Fahrenheit 11/9 / Roger & Me
With Michael Moore’s latest provocation, FAHRENHEIT 11/9, in theaters, we’re returning to the liberal gadfly’s cinematic origins: 1989’s ROGER & ME, a first-person documentary about the declining fortunes of Moore’s hometown of Flint, Michigan, which makes a notable return appearance in his latest film. In this half of the pairing, we consider the impact of Michael Moore, for better and worse, on the culture and documentary form alike, and whether the criticisms leveled at the film upon its release have grown more or less relevant over time. Plus, we take a bite out of the feedback we received on our recent mega-shark double feature.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ROGER & ME, FAHRENHEIT 11/9, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: The Beach Boys, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#146: (Pt. 1) Fahrenheit 11/9 / Roger & Me

2018-10-0200:47:045

#145: (Pt. 2) BlackKklansman / Malcolm X
Though BLACKKKLANSMAN is, like MALCOLM X, drawn from real life, Spike Lee’s newest film takes more liberties in telling its ostensibly true story (something that’s drawn criticism from some corners). And also like MALCOLM X, it’s a film set in the past that’s commenting, often directly, on the present. Together the two films give us a lot to talk about, from their respective uses of speechmaking and divided identities, to their perspectives on white allies. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MALCOLM X,BLACKKKLANSMAN, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Show NotesWorks Cited: • Boots Riley’s thoughts on Blackkklansman:twitter.com/BootsRiley/status/1030575674447212544Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Colin Minihan’s WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE• Scott: Bing Liu’s MINDING THE GAP• Genevieve: Susan Johnson’s TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE• Keith: Steve Mitchell’s KING COHEN: THE WILD WORLD OF FILMMAKER LARRY COHENOutro Music: Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose’s “Too Late To Turn Back Now”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#145: (Pt. 2) BlackKklansman / Malcolm X

2018-09-1101:09:261

#144: (Pt. 1) BlackKklansman / Malcolm X
Spike Lee’s new BLACKKKLANSMAN is an urgent call to look to the past to understand the present, an approach it shares with many of Lee’s films, though perhaps none as strongly as his 1992 epic biopic MALCOLM X. The films revisit two different chapters in 20th-century history, and star two different members of the Washington family — Denzel and his son, John David — but both are pure Lee in both their narrative motivations and their filmmaking technique. In this half, we consider what makes MALCOLM X the rare cradle-to-grave biopic that works, how Lee finds the dynamism in near-constant speechmaking, and whether Angela Bassett elevates a thankless role, or simply channels its innate nuance. Plus, some feedback asking our two less confrontational co-hosts to step up with their unpopular opinions.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MALCOLM X, BLACKKKLANSMAN, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro Music: Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#144: (Pt. 1) BlackKklansman / Malcolm X

2018-09-0400:57:032

#143: (Pt. 2) Jaws / The Meg
Jon Turteltaub’s new late-summer sharkstravaganza THE MEG isn’t shy about the debt it owes to Steven Spielberg’s JAWS, nor about its clear conception as an international co-production partially aimed at the Chinese market. We discuss whether those qualities end up being an asset or a liability in our discussion of THE MEG, before bringing in JAWS to examine how the shark movie has progressed, and not, from 1975 through the current day. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JAWS, THE MEG, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.Show NotesWorks Cited: • “The 20-year journey of The Meg, the movie the internet wouldn’t let die,” by Brian Raftery (Wired.com)Your Next Picture Show: • Keith: byNWR.com• Genevieve: Lenny Abrahamson’s THE LITTLE STRANGER• Tasha: Jon M. Chu’s CRAZY RICH ASIANSOutro Music: Lady Gaga, “Teeth”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#143: (Pt. 2) Jaws / The Meg

2018-08-2800:59:303

#142: (Pt. 1) Jaws / The Meg
The new Jason Statham late-summer vehicle THE MEG, like so many middling shark movies before it, can trace its lineage directly to the 1975 film that made us afraid to go into the water: Steven Spielberg’s JAWS. In this half of our sharktastic discussion, we’re diving in (cautiously) to what your NPS crew considers a perfect movie, considering what gives JAWS its hidden depths, what it told us about the director Spielberg would become, and whether its impact on the blockbuster model is a net positive for movies. Plus, some feedback on our recent MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and SORRY TO BOTHER YOU episodes.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JAWS, THE MEG, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show NotesWorks Cited: • “The great lost Jaws rip-off” by Keith Phipps• “The men, monsters, and troubled waters of Jaws” by Noel Murray, Keith Phipps, Nathan Rabin, Tasha Robinson, and Scott TobiasOutro Music: Dwight Twilley Band, “Shark”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#142: (Pt. 1) Jaws / The Meg

2018-08-2100:48:231

#141: (Pt. 2) Mission: Impossible - Fallout / Mission: Impossible (1996)
With its latest entry FALLOUT, the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise has solidified its evolution from the spy thriller Brian De Palma made in 1996 into the setpiece-centric, Tom Cruise-endangering action series we know it as today. In this half of our franchise-spanning conversation, we look at what FALLOUT, helmed by first-time returning director Christopher McQuarrie, brings to the table in terms of stakes-raising action and plot. Then we pull at the many strings connecting the two ends of the MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchise, most notably its seemingly ageless star, Tom Cruise, as well as its treatment of Ethan Hunt’s associates, both professional and romantic. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE, give or take a FALLOUT, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Works Cited: • Get Ready for Mission: Impossible—Fallout With This Recap of the Entire Series (From Michelle Monaghan’s Character’s Perspective) by Matthew Dessem (Slate.com)Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Guy Richie’s THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.• Keith: Aaron Horvath and Peter Rida Michail’s TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES• Genevieve: Carlos Lopez Estrada’s BLINDSPOTTING• Scott: Bo Burnham’s EIGTH GRADEOutro Music: Lorne Balfe, “Mission: Accomplished”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#141: (Pt. 2) Mission: Impossible - Fallout / Mission: Impossible (1996)

2018-08-1401:02:261

#140: (Pt. 1) Mission: Impossible - Fallout / Mission: Impossible (1996)
The new MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE — FALLOUT is the latest entry in a franchise that’s become a showpiece for Tom Cruise-endangering stunts and practical effects, but the surprisingly enduring action series began as something more akin to a spy thriller built around a handful of Hitchcockian setpieces. In this half of our franchise-spanning pairing, we look back at 1996’s MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, in which Brian De Palma helped shape what the series would become, while also exerting his own iconoclastic style on the film. Plus, some feedback on our recent episodes on HEREDITARY and DON’T LOOK NOW.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, give or take a FALLOUT, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: Pulp, “I Spy”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#140: (Pt. 1) Mission: Impossible - Fallout / Mission: Impossible (1996)

2018-08-0700:52:261

#139: (Pt. 2) Sorry To Bother You / Putney Swope (1969)
As with Robert Downey Sr.’s 1969 satirical oddity PUTNEY SWOPE, there’s a lot going on in Boots Riley’s new SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, which takes a similar anything-goes approach to the intersection of race and capitalism. In the second part of our “white voice” double feature, we dig into the anti-capitalist philosophy that unites Riley’s work and keeps SORRY TO BOTHER YOU on the rails, then we look at how the two films compare in their views of race and capitalism, and their use of satire and surrealism. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about PUTNEY SWOPE, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Works Cited: • “Why Sorry To Bother You director Boots Riley thinks artists should be activists” by Alissa Wilkinson (Vox.com)Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: The Coup’s SORRY TO BOTHER YOU and TuneYards’ I CAN FEEL YOU CREEP INTO MY PRIVATE LIFE• Scott: Lynn Ramsay’s YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE• Keith: Lewis Teague’s CUJO• Tasha: Federico D’Allesandro’s TAUOutro Music: The Coup f/ Lakeith Stanfield, “OYAHYTT”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#139: (Pt. 2) Sorry To Bother You / Putney Swope (1969)

2018-07-3101:00:411

#138: (Pt. 1) Sorry To Bother You / Putney Swope (1969)
Rapper-director Boots Riley has said he hadn’t seen Robert Downey Sr.’s 1969 satirical comedy PUTNEY SWOPE when he made the buzzy new SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, but the films share so much on both a surface level (white men providing the literal voices of black characters) and deeper thematic ones (concerns about capitalism, race, and what it might take to burn down an unjust system) that we had to put them in conversation with each other. In this half, we try to make sense of the fascinating mess that is PUTNEY SWOPE, considering how it works as both satire and comedy, and whether Downey’s choice to overdub his black title character’s voice with his own is an asset or a liability.  Plus, feedback on our recent INCREDIBLES 2/GOLDFINGER episodes and some general thoughts on auteur theory and film categorization.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about PUTNEY SWOPE, SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#138: (Pt. 1) Sorry To Bother You / Putney Swope (1969)

2018-07-2400:49:422

#137: (Pt. 2) Hereditary / Don't Look Now
Ari Aster’s debut feature HEREDITARY carries over the themes of grief, guilt, and extrasensory perception found in Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 shocker DON’T LOOK NOW, another emotionally grueling story about parents wrestling with loss. After discussing our sometimes-visceral reactions to Aster’s film, we put these two movies in conversation with each other, talking over their use of shock tactics, the supernatural, and a memorable setting. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about DON’T LOOK NOW, HEREDITARY, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Show NotesWorks Cited: • "How Hereditary composer Colin Stetson made the movie 'feel evil,'" by Bryan Bishop (The Verge)• "The biggest shock in Hereditary was almost much worse," by Bryan Bishop (The Verge)Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: “How Pixar’s Open Sexism Ruined My Dream Job” by Cassandar Smolcic(Variety/Medium) and Debra Granik’s LEAVE NO TRACE• Scott: Tim Wardle’s THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS• Keith: Dave Itzkoff’s ROBIN and Marina Zenovich’s ROBIN WILLIAMS: COME INSIDE MY MINDOutro Music: The Muppets, “Pass It On”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#137: (Pt. 2) Hereditary / Don't Look Now

2018-07-1700:58:031

#136: (Pt. 1) Hereditary / Don't Look Now
Ari Aster’s breakout debut HEREDITARY draws on a fair number of horror touchpoints, but it’s linked by its themes of parental grief and psychic distress to another terrifying film about the lingering impact of a death in the family: Nicolas Roeg’s form-busting 1973 thriller DON’T LOOK NOW. In this half focused on Roeg’s film, we discuss why the film’s intensity of emotion is integral to its horror, what makes its shadowy vision of Venice so unnerving, and what's behind the film’s famously graphic sex scene. Plus, some feedback on our recent episode on GOLDFINGER and INCREDIBLES 2.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about DON’T LOOK NOW, HEREDITARY, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: “Don’t Look Now” by Torch SongLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#136: (Pt. 1) Hereditary / Don't Look Now

2018-07-1000:44:272

#135: (Pt. 2) Incredibles 2 / Goldfinger
On the surface, Brad Bird’s new animated family adventure INCREDIBLES 2 wouldn’t seem to have a lot in common with Guy Hamilton’s swingin’ 1964 James Bond entry GOLDFINGER, but superhero films and spy movies are actually pretty closely thematically related, as we discover in our comparison of the two films. After discussing our reactions to INCREDIBLES 2, a follow-up to what one of us calls “a perfect movie,” we look at how these two very different versions of 1960s heroism compare in their evolution (and establishment) of familiar tropes, in their respective wish-fulfillment fantasies, and in how they handle extraordinary individuals with a license to kill. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about GOLDFINGER, INCREDIBLES 2, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Show NotesYour Next Picture Show: • Scott: The Science Behind Pixar exhibit • Tasha: David Lynch and Kristine McKenna’s ROOM TO DREAM• Keith: Sidney J. Furie’s THE IPCRESS FILEOutro Music: Michael Giacchino, “Pow! Pow! Pow! - Mr. Incredible’s Theme”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#135: (Pt. 2) Incredibles 2 / Goldfinger

2018-06-2801:03:14

#134: (Pt. 1) Incredibles 2 / Goldfinger
This week on the podcast, it’s supervillains, secretive heroes, and slippery schemes as we pair Brad Bird’s new, long-delayed INCREDIBLES 2 with arguably the best iteration of one of Bird’s oft-cited reference points — James Bond — the third film in the Bond franchise, 1964’s GOLDFINGER. In this Bond-centric first half, we discuss how GOLDFINGER helped codify the 007 we know so well today, how its aspirational qualities and gender politics have aged, and how playing Bond shapes an actor’s subsequent career. Plus, some (semi-spoiler-y) feedback on our recent episode on FIRST REFORMED.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about GOLDFINGER, INCREDIBLES 2, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: “Goldfinger” by Shirley Bassey.Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#134: (Pt. 1) Incredibles 2 / Goldfinger

2018-06-2600:53:07

#133: (Pt. 2) First Reformed / Taxi Driver
Our examination of Paul Schrader’s fixation with “God’s Lonely Man” continues with the critic-turned-screenwriter-turned-director’s 20th film, the searing and excellent FIRST REFORMED, which shares more in common with the Schrader-scripted TAXI DRIVER than just a lonely male protagonist. After examining our reactions to FIRST REFORMED — including its bold ending — we look at how these two films make use of their female characters and the idea of the male savior, what they have to say about societal values and decline, and their conspicuous use of voiceover. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about TAXI DRIVER, FIRST REFORMED, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show:• Genevieve: Alex Richanbach’s IBIZA• Scott: Baltasar Kormakur’s ADRIFT• Keith: THE ATOMIC CAFE and THE VALLEY OF GWANGIWorks cited: “Let’s talk about the ending of First Reformed,” by Kevin Lincoln (Vulture.com)Outro Music: Iris Dement, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#133: (Pt. 2) First Reformed / Taxi Driver

2018-06-1400:55:42

#132: (Pt. 1) First Reformed / Taxi Driver
Paul Schrader’s excellent, difficult new film FIRST REFORMED inspires us to travel back to Schrader’s first screenwriting collaboration with Martin Scorsese and grapple with TAXI DRIVER, to see how Schrader’s vision of “God’s Lonely Man” first graced movie screens. In this first half focusing on TAXI DRIVER, we discuss the techniques Scorsese uses to force us into Travis Bickle’s sick mind, and consider what effect that approach has had on the reception and legacy of this “dangerous” film. Plus, some feedback on our recent episode on THE RIDER, and another question that asks us to ponder the state of STAR WARS.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about TAXI DRIVER, FIRST REFORMED, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “Late For The Sky” by Jackson BrowneLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#132: (Pt. 1) First Reformed / Taxi Driver

2018-06-1200:51:35

#131: (Pt. 2) Deadpool 2 / Gremlins 2: The New Batch
In part two of our comparison of two part twos, we dig into the meta magic that animates both GREMLINS 2 and DEADPOOL 2 (and get a little meta ourselves in the process). After discussing what works and doesn’t in DEADPOOL 2, a film with a lot that works and a lot that doesn’t, we look at how these two studio sequels tap into similar but different veins of self-aware and reference-based humor, how they play with the restrictions and perks of studio filmmaking, and how to break the fourth wall without losing the audience. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about GREMLINS 2, DEADPOOL 2, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Taika Waititi’s HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE and John Cameron Mitchell’s HOW TO TALK TO GIRLS AT PARTIES• Genevieve: Agnes Varda and JR’s FACES PLACES• Keith: Christopher Nolan’s “unrestored” 70mm 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and Jennifer Fox’s THE TALE• Scott: Joe Dante’s HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD, James Schamus’s INDIGNATION, and John Boorman’s QUEEN & COUNTRYOutro Music: Celine Dion f/Deadpool, “Ashes”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#131: (Pt. 2) Deadpool 2 / Gremlins 2: The New Batch

2018-05-3100:56:15

#130: (Pt. 1) Deadpool 2 / Gremlins 2: The New Batch
The new DEADPOOL 2 shares a self-aware sensibility and anarchic spirit with Joe Dante’s GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH, which saw the director returning reluctantly to the franchise and wreaking havoc on everything that had made it a hit, up to and including the much-loved (by everyone but Dante) mogwai Gizmo. That approach works far better for some of us that others, and so we spend much of the first half of this pairing debating whether GREMLINS 2 is a funny movie, a good movie, both — or neither. Plus, feedback on our recent episodes pairing X2 and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about GREMLINS 2, DEADPOOL 2, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “New York, New York,” by Tony RandallLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#130: (Pt. 1) Deadpool 2 / Gremlins 2: The New Batch

2018-05-2900:53:30

#129: (Pt. 2) Avengers: Infinity War / X2: X-Men United
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is the culmination of a decade of Marvel moviemaking, but much of the mechanics of this massive superteam machine can be traced back further, to what was once the biggest teamup of the modern superhero era, 2002’s X2: X-MEN UNITED. After we spend some time helping Scott work out his emotions surrounding INFINITY WAR, we dive into the connections between these two films, including their mass-extinction plots, their lazily conceived romantic pairings, and their respective fealty to their comics source material. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about X2, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Paul King’s PADDINGTON 2• Scott: Tony Zierra’s FILMWORKER• Tasha: Julia Hart’s FAST COLOR• Keith: Mike Flanagan’s HUSHOutro Music: Infinity War Cast, “The Marvel Bunch” (via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#129: (Pt. 2) Avengers: Infinity War / X2: X-Men United

2018-05-1701:07:541

#128: (Pt. 1) Avengers: Infinity War / X2: X-Men United
The Russo Brothers’ new, massive AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR may exist in a different cinematic universe than Bryan Singer’s 2003 sequel X2: X-MEN UNITED, but the two films use a lot of the same tricks to bring Marvel's four-color heroes to a live-action setting, and both function as middle chapters in a bigger ongoing saga. In this half of the pairing, we consider how X2’s superteam dynamics look after 15 years of subsequent superhero-movie evolution, dig into the malleability of the mutant metaphor, and wonder whether the morality of mutant freedom is as cut-and-dry as that metaphor suggests. Plus, feedback on some recent episodes and a discussion of our thought process around superhero-movie pairings.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about X2, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “X-Men Opening Theme” by Ron WassermanLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#128: (Pt. 1) Avengers: Infinity War / X2: X-Men United

2018-05-1500:54:07

#127: (Pt 2) The Rider / Close-Up
Chloe Zhao’s THE RIDER’s naturalistic synthesis of documentary and narrative has some roots in Abbas Kiarostami’s 1990 Iranian classic CLOSE-UP, but with a very different story to tell, about a very different part of the world. After discussing what made The Rider one of our favorite films of the year so far, we look at how these two films both dance on the line separating fact and fiction, through their use of non-actors, their respective sense of place, and their preoccupation with identity. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CLOSE-UP, THE RIDER, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Kay Cannon’s BLOCKERS• Scott: Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s THE ENDLESS• Keith: Francois Truffaut’s TWO ENGLISH GIRLS and MISSISSIPPI MERMAIDOutro Music: Woody Guthrie, “Gamblin’ Man”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#127: (Pt 2) The Rider / Close-Up

2018-05-0300:44:57

#126: (Pt. 1) The Rider / Close-Up
Chloe Zhao’s new THE RIDER lives in the space between the real world and a fictional world that was memorably carved out by Abbas Kiarostami’s 1990 classic CLOSE-UP, which blends documentary and narrative to find a third approach that draws on the strengths of both while committing to neither. In this half of the comparison, we dig into what makes CLOSE-UP tick, where it fits into a Western understanding of Iranian cinema, and how Kiarostami calls attention to the artificiality of filmmaking. Plus, feedback on our recent episodes on CHICKEN RUN and ISLE OF DOGS.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CLOSE-UP, THE RIDER, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#126: (Pt. 1) The Rider / Close-Up

2018-05-0100:39:21

#125: (Pt. 2) Isle of Dogs / Chicken Run
We continue our examination of stop-motion animals conspiring to escape captivity by bringing in ISLE OF DOGS, Wes Anderson’s new Japan-set homage/provocation, to see how it stacks up against Aardman Animations’ 2000 feature CHICKEN RUN. After weighing the controversy that’s arisen around ISLE OF DOGS against our own reactions to the film, we dig into what unites these two tonally distinct features, from their deployment of cinematic reference points to their ideas about human/animal interaction to their respective death machines. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CHICKEN RUN, ISLE OF DOGS, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Sergio G. Sanchez’s MARROWBONE• Keith: Plane viewing via the Starz app• Genevieve: Jeff Baena’s THE LITTLE HOURS• Scott: Christian Nemescu’s CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’SHOW NOTES:Works Cited:• “Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’ is often captivating, but cultural sensitivity gets lost in translation” by Justin Chang (latimes.com)• “Orientalism Is Alive And Well In American Cinema” by Allison Willmore (buzzfeed.com)• “Unpacking the Akira Kurosawa References in Isle of Dogs” by Charles Bramesco (vulture.com)• “Wes Anderson Explains Hayao Miyazaki’s Influence on ‘Isle of Dogs’” by Zack Sharf (indiewire.com)• “Stream These 12 Great Films From Romania” by Scott Tobias (nytimes.com)Outro Music: Cat Stevens, “I Love My Dog”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#125: (Pt. 2) Isle of Dogs / Chicken Run

2018-04-1901:02:51

#124: (Pt. 1) Isle of Dogs / Chicken Run
Is there such a thing as “auteurist animation”? That’s a question that unites this week’s pairing, which looks at two highly collaborative stop-motion animated films that nonetheless bear the fingerprints of a singular filmmaking presence: Wes Anderson’s new ISLE OF DOGS and Aardman Animations’ 2000 feature CHICKEN RUN, co-directed by Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park. In this half of the pairing we focus on CHICKEN RUN, digging into what exactly gives it that “Aardman Touch,” whether its storyline reflects its status as a US-Britain co-production, and the advantages of silicone over plasticine when it comes to chicken puppets. Plus, feedback on our recent episodes on TRON and READY PLAYER ONE.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CHICKEN RUN, ISLE OF DOGS, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. SHOW NOTES:Works Cited: “Home is a reminder that DreamWorks Animation needs an actual identity” by Tasha Robinson (thedissolve.com)Outro music: “Flip, Flop, and Fly” by Ellis HallLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#124: (Pt. 1) Isle of Dogs / Chicken Run

2018-04-1700:58:161

#123: (Pt. 2) Ready Player One / Tron (1982)
Steven Lisberger’s groundbreaking live-action Disney film TRON is one of the few 1980s properties that doesn’t get explicitly referenced in Steven Spielberg’s new adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel READY PLAYER ONE, but the earlier film makes up a significant portion of RP1’s source code. After discussing our reactions to READY PLAYER ONE, and hashing out what made Cline’s novel become so strangely controversial, we look at what connects and distinguishes these two films about life inside a video game, from their attitudes about human/computer relationships to how they approach the idea of corporate control. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about TRON, READY PLAYER ONE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Anders Walter’s I KILL GIANTS• Scott: Andrew Haigh’s LEAN ON PETE• Tasha: Rich Moore’s WRECK-IT RALPHSHOW NOTES:Works Cited:• “The Ready Player One Backlash, Explained” by Constance Grady (Vox.com)• “Ready Player One is a truly awful book. I’m really looking forward to the movie” by Todd VanDerWerff (Vox.com)• “Ernest Cline: Ready Player One” (review) by Kevin McFarland (AVClub.com)• Ernest Cline’s “Ultraman is Airwolf” (ErnestCline.com)• “Here are all the references in Ready Player One” by Abraham Riesman (Vulture.com)• “I Kill Giants director Anders Walter on making a likable fantasy with a hateful protagonist” by Tasha Robinson (TheVerge.com)• “Our film critic and the director of a movie he hated sat down and tried to work out their differences” by David Ehrlich (Indiewire.com)Outro Music: Rush, “2112 (The Temples of Syrnix)”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#123: (Pt. 2) Ready Player One / Tron (1982)

2018-04-0501:01:531

#122: (Pt. 1) Ready Player One / Tron (1982)
Steven Spielberg’s new READY PLAYER ONE turns videogaming into both a fantasy adventure and a meta-narrative about adventure fantasies, a premise that feels directly inspired — and given Ernest Cline’s source novel, almost certainly is — by Steven Lisberger’s 1982 Disney oddity TRON. Before digging into what connects the two films, we dive into TRON’s glow-y, rudimentarily CGI-ed mainframe to consider the bits and bytes that drive this fascinatingly flawed film, from its confusing religious undertones (overtones?) to its strange real world/virtual world disconnect. Plus, we continue to wade through the ocean of feedback on our episodes pairing STALKER and ANNIHILATION.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about TRON, READY PLAYER ONE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “Only Solutions” by Journey (TRON OST)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#122: (Pt. 1) Ready Player One / Tron (1982)

2018-04-0300:58:231

#121: (Pt. 2) Thoroughbreds / Diabolique (1955)
Like H.G. Clouzot’s DIABOLIQUE, Cory Finley’s directorial debut THOROUGHBREDS develops around a plot between two women who enter into a pact to murder a purely malevolent man, but to much different effect. After discussing our reactions to THOROUGHBREDS’ hyper-formal style and disconcerting ending, we dig into how the two films compare and contrast in terms of their many stylistic flourishes, their motivations for murder, and their respective killer conspiracies. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about DIABOLIQUE, THOROUGHBREDS, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Keith: Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea’s CLOUZOT’S INFERNO• Genevieve: Anna Deavere Smith and Kristi Zea’s NOTES FROM THE FIELD• Scott: Clarence Brown’s INTRUDER IN THE DUSTOutro Music: The Sweet Hurt, “All The Things”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#121: (Pt. 2) Thoroughbreds / Diabolique (1955)

2018-03-2200:49:03

#120: (Pt. 1) Thoroughbreds / Diabolique (1955)
Cory Finley’s stylish directorial debut THOROUGHBREDS follows an unlikely pairing of women as they endeavor to kill a domineering man in their life, a setup reminiscent of H.G. Clouzot’s classic 1955 shocker DIABOLIQUE, which took that premise and then applied one of cinema’s all-time greatest twists. In this half of our pairing, we dig deep into DIABOLIQUE, discussing whether its legendary ending is “spoiler-proof,” admiring the skill with which Clouzot keeps viewers off their guard (and how it differs from the approach of Clouzot’s contemporary, Alfred Hitchcock), and debating what makes for a believable on-screen drowning. Plus, a glimpse at the mountain of feedback we received on our episodes pairing STALKER and ANNIHILATION.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about DIABOLIQUE, THOROUGHBREDS, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “Deadly Valentine” by Charlotte GainsbourgLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#120: (Pt. 1) Thoroughbreds / Diabolique (1955)

2018-03-2000:44:28

#119: (Pt. 2) Annihilation / Stalker (1979)
We take another science-fiction-adjacent journey into the unknown via Alex Garland’s new ANNIHILATION, a distinctive cinematic vision that nonetheless calls back to Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 film STALKER in terms of its structure and filmmaking — if not quite the specifics of its dreamlike narrative and themes. After discussing what puzzled and delighted us about ANNIHILATION, we discuss what connects it to STALKER, and how both challenge viewers in their own way. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about STALKER, ANNIHILATION, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s LOVING VINCENT• Tasha: Duncan Jones’ MOON• Keith: Saul Bass’ PHASE IV• Scott: Travis Wilkerson’s DID YOU WONDER WHO FIRED THE GUN?SHOW NOTES:Works Cited:• “So, the lady or the tiger? 28 stories that make the audience choose the ending”  by Tasha Robinson et al (The A.V. Club) • “The original scripted ending of Annihilation sounds better” by Tasha Robinson (The Verge)• “Annihilation Co-Composer Ben Salisbury Explains How That Weird Little Melody Wound Up in the Film’s Trailer” by Marissa Matinelli (Slate.com)• Instagram account @petrifiedrainbowOutro Music: Crosby, Stills & Nash “Helplessly Hoping”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#119: (Pt. 2) Annihilation / Stalker (1979)

2018-03-0800:55:57

#118: (Pt. 1) Annihilation / Stalker (1979)
Alex Garland’s new ANNIHILATION is a loose adaptation of a novel, but its premise, themes, and style give it just as strong a connection to Andrei Tarkovsky’s 1979 philosophical science fiction film STALKER. In this half of the pairing, we venture into STALKER’s mysterious Zone on a search for meaning and metaphor within an enigmatic cinematic landscape that’s as beguiling as it is intimidating. Plus, feedback on some recent episodes that were, and episodes that might have been.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about STALKER, ANNIHILATION, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “Meditation” by Eduard ArtemievLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#118: (Pt. 1) Annihilation / Stalker (1979)

2018-03-0600:52:06

#117: (Pt. 2) The Shape of Water / The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
We return to the deep, dark waters of the id to unpack what SHAPE OF WATER director Guillermo Del Toro saw in Jack Arnold’s 1954 horror-sci-fi classic CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON that inspired him to literalize a relationship between a woman and a fish-man. After analyzing the range of reactions we had toward Del Toro’s film and debating whether it is a “snowglobe movie,” we plunge into the connections that link the two films, from the obvious character analogs to their not-so-obvious shared nostalgia. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, SHAPE OF WATER, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Keith: Joe Dante’s MATINEE• Scott: William Wyler’s MRS. MINIVER• Tasha: Agnieszka Smoczynska’s THE LUREOutro Music: Sally Hawkins, “You’ll Never Know”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#117: (Pt. 2) The Shape of Water / The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)

2018-02-2200:52:46

#116: (Pt. 1) The Shape of Water / The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
Guillermo Del Toro has made clear that his new THE SHAPE OF WATER stems directly from his obsession with 1954’s THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, and his desire to see the “romance” between the monster and leading lady work out. We unpack that desire by revisiting Jack Arnold’s horror-sci-fi classic, to consider the film’s place in the Universal Monsters pantheon and mid-century sci-fi boom alike, ponder what makes the image of a screaming woman being spirited away by a monster so enduring, and pinpoint the Herzogian echoes in the film's ill-fated excursion to the Amazon. Plus, some feedback on our recent episodes on A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE and PHANTOM THREAD.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, SHAPE OF WATER, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “Underwater Love” by Smoke CityLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#116: (Pt. 1) The Shape of Water / The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)

2018-02-2000:46:54

#115: (Pt 2) A Futile and Stupid Gesture / Wet Hot American Summer
David Wain’s new A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE brings the deconstructive spirit of his cult comedy classic WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER to the biopic formula, putting a meta, self-aware spin on the story of Doug Kenney, co-founder of The National Lampoon. After digging into the benefits and limitations of Wain’s approach as applied to a sprawling biopic-slash-portrait of a scene, we talk over how the two films work together, as points of comparison as well as contrast. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Your Next Picture Show: • Keith: Elaine May’s A NEW LEAF• Genevieve: Michael Almeryeda’s MARJORIE PRIME• Scott: Abbas Kiarostami’s 24 FRAMESOutro Music: Martin Mull, “The Time Of My Life”Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#115: (Pt 2) A Futile and Stupid Gesture / Wet Hot American Summer

2018-02-0800:50:20

#114: (Pt. 1) A Futile and Stupid Gesture / Wet Hot American Summer
David Wain’s new biopic spoof A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE had a pretty ignominious Netflix debut, but that seems in keeping with the comedic director’s history of films that are unappreciated in their time but grow a cult following — a history that was established with 2001’s WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, a Sundance flop that’s now rightly considered a comedy classic. In the first half of our comparison of the two films, we talk over our WET HOT impressions then and now, share some theories for why it didn’t hit with critics or audiences, and consider the limitations of Wain’s affectionate but ultimately insincere, sketch-comedy-influenced style. Plus, some feedback on our recent episodes on PHANTOM THREAD and I, TONYA.Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, A FUTILE AND STUPID GESTURE, or both by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Outro music: “Higher and Higher” by Craig Wedron and Theodore ShapiroArticles cited: • Tonya Harding Would Like Her Apology Now, by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (New York Times)Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

#114: (Pt. 1) A Futile and Stupid Gesture / Wet Hot American Summer

2018-02-0600:49:04

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#150: A Star Is Born, Pt. 1 - George Cukor (1954)

#150: A Star Is Born, Pt. 1 - George Cukor (1954)

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