Words and Movies: Recent Episodes
Sean Gallagher & Claude Call
Sean Gallagher and Claude Call find two seemingly different movies and find the common thread between them. Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wordsandmovies/support
In this half of the episode, we look at When Harry Met Sally... and we learn that not all rom-coms are alike, even if most of them look alike and--unfortunately--sound alike.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time around we take a look at the dark side of television, starting with A Face in the Crowd (1957) and finishing up with Network (1976). Join us, won't you?
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We're wrapping up our brief series of films that can definitely be enjoyed on the individual level, but the ripple effects they caused tend to make the films that follow in their wake to be somewhat less than amazing.
And this week we begin with Halloween, from 1978 and directed by John Carpenter. Jamie Lee Curtis is a teenager who has some truly supernatural adventures in babysitting. This film set some of the slasher film template, but alas some people just have to color outside the lines.
In the next segment we'll find out what happened When Harry Met Sally...
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In Part 2 of our episode, we review The Accidental Tourist (1986), directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring William Hurt and Geena Davis. Hurt plays a man who's learning to navigate his life after a broken heart, a broken marriage and a broken leg. It's a truly delightful, quiet film that will warm your heart...but there's still an unfortunate side effect to deal with.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time around we view a pair of films that are wildly different in both tone and content. We begin with the original Halloween from 1978, directed by John Carpenter and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance. From there we go to 1989 for Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally... starring Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal. Join us, won't you?
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This is the first of two episodes where we look at a pair of films that don't have a ton in common with one another, but instead have created some cultural ripples that haven't always had a positive effect.
We begin with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), the first time we've ever gone to the 1939 well after more than 140 films reviewed. This film, directed by Frank Capra, stars James Stewart as a rather naive young man who finds himself at the center of a political storm.
Stick around for Part 2, when we talk about The Accidental Tourist.
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In this episode we review the 1981 film Thief, directed by Michael Mann and starring James Caan and Tuesday Weld. Caan plays a safecracker who's finding it quite impossible to break out of his life of crime. On the other hand, maybe he does find a way...
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we'll be looking at a pair of beloved films that have had unfortunate side effects. We'll start with 1939's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and then move on to 1988's The Accidental Tourist, a film Claude has loved ever since he attended a showing in which he was one of four people in the audience (but that wasn't a knock on the film--tune in and find out the whole story). Join us, won't you?
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Both Episode 75 and 76 (this one) have been called "allegory" episodes, but in the interest of transparency we should note that in both cases they're specifically anti-Capitalist allegories. Last time around it was Westerns, and this week we're looking at Gangster movies.
And we begin with The Long Good Friday (1981), directed by John Mackenzie and starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. Hoskins is a man who learns that respectability doesn't necessarily mean legitimacy.
In Part 2, we'll be reviewing Thief, from 1980.
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In Part 2 of our episode, The Claim (2000) was directed by Michael Winterbottom and stars Peter Mullan, Sarah Polley, Wes Bentley and Milla Jovovich. This one has a similar theme to McCabe, though the romance side is pushed a little more forward. But there are many striking similarities between the two films, as different as they are.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 76, we look at another pair of allegorical films. We begin with Thief (1981), directed by Michael Mann, and move on to The Long Good Friday (1982), directed by John Mackenzie. Join us, won't you?
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This week (and next) we'll be looking at films that use genre as an overlay for their larger message. And we begin with two films that use the Western genre to convey their messages.
We start with McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971), directed by Robert Altman and starring Warren Beatty and Julie Christie, along with several others from the Altman stable of actors. We often see this film listed as an "anti-Western" because it inverts so many tropes in the genre, and we can't really argue with that.
In Part 2, we'll look at a perhaps lesser-known film, The Claim, from 2000.
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In Part 2 of our episode, we look at There Will Be Blood (2007), directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, along with Paul Dano and Kevin J. O'Connor.
Day-Lewis is one of the early oil tycoons whose greed takes him down a strange and destructive path.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode, we look at Westerns being used as an anti-Capitalist allegory. What? Yes, indeed, just come along for the ride. We start with McCabe and Mrs. Miller, and finish up with The Claim. Join us, won't you?
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Never mind what Gordon Gekko told you, for lack of a better term. Greed almost invariably leads to a downfall of some kind, and in some cases people learn their lesson and in others, they don't.
In this episode we see both sides of that coin, and we start with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart, Tim Holt and Walter Huston. They're three Americans who are after a remote gold mine in the Sierra Madre Mountains. They encounter hardship getting there and back, and in between there's all kinds of adventures.
In Part 2 we jump to 2007 and There Will Be Blood, part of which is contemporary to Sierra Madre.
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In Part 2 of our episode, we look at A Most Wanted Man, a 2014 film directed by Anton Corbijn and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, and a host of others. Again, a powerful cast of actors.
Hoffman stars as the head of a covert German team that's trying to root out Islamic terrorist cells. While it's not a Cold War story specifically, there is some Russian involvement and Hoffman is at odds with German and American security officials regarding the ultimate goal.
In addition to being a tremendous film, it's also notable for being the last film that Philip Seymour Hoffman starred in before his untimely death. (He'd completed work for the last two Hunger Games films but we're not counting those as starring vehicles for him.)
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode, we explore the wages of greed, starting with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and finishing with There Will Be Blood. They're a pair of films that feature a couple of famous lines that have been endlessly parodied, and we'd bet few people know the original source. Join us, won't you?
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We conclude our series of spy films with another pair of movies based on the novels of John LeCarre.
In Episode 72 we had a strictly Cold War vibe going on; this time it's more of a mixed bag. So we'll start with a Cold War story with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the 2011 film directed by Tomas Alfredson and featuring an amazing ensemble cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and many more. It's a tense story that deals with a potential mole in MI-6 who may have been operating for many years.
In Part 2, we'll look at the Islamic terrorist threat to the UK in A Most Wanted Man.
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In Part 2 of our episode, we look at 1990s The Russia House, starring Sean Connery and Michelle Pfeiffer. This film, directed by Fred Schepisi, features Connery as a British Intelligence agent (wait...what?) who's looking for the author of a sensitive Soviet manuscript whose contents, if true, could mean a great deal to the Intelligence Community.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time, we stick with LeCarre novels rendered on film, with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), and A Most Wanted Man (2014), Join us, won't you?
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Our look at Spy films takes a more serious turn with this look at a pair of movies based on John LeCarre novels.
We start with The Spy Who Came In From the Cold (1965), directed by Martin Ritt and starring Richard Burton and Claire Bloom. It's a tale of a spy who chooses one more mission instead of coming in after a Cold War mission goes wrong.
In Part 2, we'll move on to The Russia House, from 1990.
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In the second half of our episode, we're reviewing the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker parody Top Secret! starring Val Kilmer playing an Elvis/Beach Boys pop star who is invited to perform in East Germany as a means of distraction from a plot to destroy NATO submarines. Typical of most ZAZ films, it's chock full of weird sight gags, bent cliches and multi-layered jokes that don't distract (much) from the main story's ability to make progress and give you an outcome you didn't realize you were invested in.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
We stick with the spy genre for a while, but on a less-comedic note as we visit several movies based on John LeCarre novels. In our next episode we start with The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) and from there we visit The Russia House (1990). Join us, won't you?
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What happens when you're an Ordinary Schmoe who suddenly gets sucked into the spy game? This is what we're exploring this week, as we look at a pair of films dedicated to the proposition that anyone can become a spy, if they're stupid enough.
We start with The In-Laws, from 1979 and directed by Arthur Hiller. Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are soon-to-be in-laws who get caught up in an international incident shortly before their children get married.
In Part 2, we'll take a peek at Top Secret! from 1984.
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In Part Two of our episode, we review Cold War, a film from 2018 that follows a couple that can't seem to get their act together, not until the very end, when it's far too late to do anything about it. Wiktor and Zula find themselves on opposite sides of several things, ultimately on opposite sides of the Iron Curtain. He's smitten enough to return to Communist Poland, sacrificing his freedom and delaying their reunion for years. She finds a way to get him released early, which ends up being a huge sacrifice for her as well. Whether it was worth it for the two of them to be together, we'll leave it for you to decide.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Episodes 71-73 will cover--or maybe it's "undercover" spy films, but we're going to start off light, with a pair of spy comedies. First up will be The In-Laws, from 1979, starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk. After that we'll look at Top Secret!, a 1984 spoof that asks what might happen if Elvis did a spy movie.
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Welcome Back! Sean and Claude took a little Spring Break and we hope you were able to do the same.
For our 70th episode, we take a peek at two films that involve couples dealing with life on the other side of the Iron Curtain. Part One features The Unbearable Lightness of Being, directed by Philip Kaufman and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche and Lena Olin. In this film we have a couple who find themselves going from the Prague Spring to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia and the events afterward. How they deal with life, love and the things that are thrown their way, you'll find quite touching.
In Part Two, we'll look at a rather star-crossed couple that finds itself on opposite sides of many different lines, in 2018's Cold War.
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In this half of the show, we jump to the early 1960s as four more icons come together ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI...(2020). This meeting is a little more contentious than in INSIGNIFICANCE, and while this meeting didn't happen, the characters and their reactions have a truthful feel that allows you to believe it would have been exactly like this.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time around, we look at love during wartime, as we screen THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING (1988), a story that takes place in the late 1960s in Prague and Switzerland. Then we skip back to post-WW2 Poland for COLD WAR (2018). Both films have similar endings but how they get there is vastly different. Join us, won't you?
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We stick with the fantasy thing for one more week, but with a different spin, as we examine a pair of films that have more of a "What If?" thing going on.
In the first half of our episode we have INSIGNIFICANCE (1985), based on the play of the same name by Terry Johnson and directed here by Nicolas Roeg. We see four almost-unnamed famous people come together in a very interesting way in the late 1950s. Whether you believe the events here could have happened is up to you, but you'll be entranced nonetheless.
In Part 2, we'll see another quartet of icons meeting in the early 1960s, in ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI...(2020).
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In this half of the episode we're talking about Hanna, directed by Joe Wright and starring Saoirse Ronan in the title role. This is truly a modern-day story, with story beats that have fairy-tale aspects to them...and a couple of scenes that are more overtly related to fairy tales.
This film was the basis for the Amazon Prime TV series of the same name, and we spend a little time exploring the differences between the two.
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We continue our series of modern-day fairy tales with The Bride With White Hair, from 1993. It's a Wuxia film with a star-crossed lovers element, and while it might be a little confusing early on, stick with it and you'll be glad you did.
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In this second half of the episode, we're reviewing Mona Lisa, a film from 1986 directed and co-written by Neil Jordan. Bob Hoskins and Cathy Tyson are an unlikely pair doing unlikely stuff.
And if you've noticed that I haven't drawn the specific parallels to the fairy tales involved, you'd be correct. You'll have to listen to the episode for that.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 68, we'll be checking out another pair of modern fairy tales, but they'll be foreign-based and a little more esoteric. First we'll screen The Bride With White Hair (1993), a Hong Kong film directed by Ronny Yu. After that we go to Scandinavia for Hanna (2011), directed by Joe Wright and the inspiration for the 2019 Netflix series. Join us, won't you?
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This is the first of two episodes where we look at fairy tales told through a modern lens. In this half, we start off with Ball of Fire (1941), directed by Howard Hawks and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Gary Cooper and a host of character actors.
Stanwyck plays a woman hiding out from the police because she's a material witness to a crime. She finds herself staying with a house full of scholars who are putting together an encyclopedia of all human knowledge. In exchange, she gives them some lessons in modern-day language and pop culture in general. And, of course, hijinks ensue when she starts falling for one of the scholars.
In the second half of the episode, we'll be looking at 1986's Mona Lisa. See you over there.
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We conclude our short series with a look at Ocean's Eleven, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and a Cast of Thousands. In both films everybody seems to be having some breezy fun, but the purpose of that fun is kind of different, and it works better here. Again, that's in our humble opinions.
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Ordinarily, when we see a film that's a remake of a previous movie, we tend to say that the original was better. But in this second of two episodes, we discuss a pair of films in which the remake was the superior version, at least in our humble opinions.
Here in Part One, we're looking at The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), directed by John McTiernan and starring Pierce Brosnan and René Russo. There are several differences between the two, but most noticeable is the chemistry between the two leads.
In Part Two, we'll be reviewing the 2001 version of Ocean's Eleven.
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In Part 2 of our episode, we go to 1988 and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, starring Michael Caine and Steve Martin, directed by Frank Oz. It's the second of FOUR different versions of this story: the original from 1964, this version, and then two which involved gender flips. Of the four, this is the best one, so say we.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
We continue this remake conceit with another pair of films that worked out better when they were remade. First up, from 1999 it's The Thomas Crown Affair, then we move forward a couple of years to Ocean's Eleven, from 2001. Join us, won't you?
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We so often complain that Hollywood has no original ideas, but then we're also forced to concede occasionally that from time to time, the remake actually does a better job of telling the story.
We don't enjoy conceding that, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
With that in mind, this is the first of two episodes taking a look at films whose remakes surpassed the originals. First one up is The Man Who Knew Too Much, from 1956. This Alfred Hitchcock-directed film leans heavily on weird coincidences to get the story rolling, but you'll feel the tension from the moment the characters do. You may not even hate hearing Doris Day sing what became her signature song.
In Part Two we'll jump to 1988 to talk about Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
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Here in Part Two, we look at the 2016 edition of Loving. This film, which was directed by Jeff Nichols, stars Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton as Mildred and Richard Loving, the real-life couple who turned their relationship into a Federal case.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Our next episode is the first of two in which we examine remakes that surpassed their originals. And we start with The Man Who Knew Too Much, from 1956, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, from 1988. See you soon!
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We return to the well of two films whose only commonality is their title. In this episode we look at Loving, from 1970 and 2016.
The first half of our episode stars George Segal and Eva Marie Saint, and was directed by Irvin Kershner. Segal stars as a freelance artist who's attempting to revitalize his career just as his marriage to Eva Marie Saint begins to fall apart. It's a serious story with a comic overlay and you'll wonder why it doesn't get more attention these days.
In Part 2 we'll look at a different film with a very different theme.
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Our conversation jumps to 1987. This No Way Out stars Kevin Costner, Gene Hackman and Sean Young in a story of Cold War intrigue. We practically guarantee that you'll be caught off-guard by the way everything resolves. Strap yourself in; we had a LOT to say.
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For the next two episodes, we'll be looking at films whose only commonality is their title.
In this episode we're screening two films titled No Way Out. In the first half, it's the 1950 version starring Sidney Poitier in his feature film debut, along with Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell and Stephen McNally. Poitier is a doctor who runs into race issues and a medical complication during his first night in a new assignment. The issue snowballs until there's a full race riot going on. Poitier's character comes up with an interesting tactic to prove he did the right thing that first night, but it nearly backfires on him.
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In Part Two of our episode, it's Starship Troopers, from 1997. Paul Verhoeven takes us to a far future society in which everyone is free so long as you're a Fascist. There are a lot of elements of Robert A. Heinlein's original story in there, but it's definitely a different plot line and a different mentality that, in hindsight, may have been more prescient than anyone suspected at the time.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode, we take a peek at a pair of films where the only thing they have in common is their title. After that, all bets are off. We'll be screening the films No Way Out, from 1950 and from 1987.
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We've covered several different kinds of adaptations, and the one thing that they have in common is that they're in some way faithful to their source material. This time around, not so much.
And that's why this episode is titled "Subversive Adaptations." In these two films, the intent of some portion of the original story has been turned on its head to give you a similar story, but perhaps with a different point of view, or to present a different message from the source.
We begin with Kiss Me Deadly, from 1955. Robert Aldrich set out specifically to attack the right-wing ethos of Mickey Spillane's story, and we benefit from a constant romp of action and intrigue from beginning to end.
In Part Two, we'll look at 1997's Starship Troopers.
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...nope, still ain't done.
From Texas we come to Boston and 2003's Mystic River, directed by Clint Eastwood. It's a powerful film about a trio of boys, one of whom is caught up in a bad situation. Many years later, this event still haunts all three of them.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Join us as we take on a couple of subversive adaptations. First up is Kiss Me Deadly, from 1955. Then we jump to 1997 or, if you prefer, the far future, with Starship Troopers. Were they good? Bad? Weird? Or did you just not get the message they were sending? Stay tuned!
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...but it sure ain't done with us.
And that's what's going on with this week's extra-packed episode. We have a couple of films wherein the characters are trying to deal with events in the distant past.
We start it off with Lone Star, from 1996. John Sayles directed this film about a sheriff who's living in his father's shadow in a small Texas border town, and a murder from many years ago.
In Part Two, we head to Boston for a dip in the Mystic River.
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In the second half of our episode, we're looking at the Oscar-winning film PARASITE, co-written and directed by Bong Joon Ho. In this film, a poor Korean family slowly infiltrates themselves into the lives of a wealthy family. That they do so isn't necessarily bad; how they do it is a little on the questionable side. But there are a lot of twists and turns in this dark comedy, and every time you think you know what's going to happen next, you'll find yourself surprised.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 61 (remember, we're a wee bit out of order, here), we visit a couple of towns where the residents think they're done with the past, but it isn't necessarily done with them. We have LONE STAR from 1996, and MYSTIC RIVER, from 2003.
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TANSTAAFL: There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
As we get back on track with our episode counts, we discover the downside of capitalism, specifically that there are people who need to take advantages of cracks in the system to get along.
In the first half of our episode we take a peek at SHOPLIFTERS, from 2018 and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. It's a look at a very unusual family in Tokyo and the steps they take to keep themselves together.
In Part 2 we jump to Korea and look at PARASITE, from a year later.
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In Part 2 of this episode, we look at the 2002 film Rabbit-Proof Fence, directed by Philip Noyce. In this film the characters aren't confronting their sins, but it's a modern-day reckoning of events that have taken place within the lifetimes of some people who are still alive today. You'll find yourself running through a gamut of emotions as you trail three young girls as they make their way across hundreds of miles of Australia on foot.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
As I noted, Episode 59 actually comes next, so we'll be back to Shoplifters and Parasite. Save all the notes you took, OK?
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What happened to Episode 59? I hear you saying. Well...I explain it at the start of the episode, but the short answer is that I had a post-production issue, so the episode will be delayed. So because Episode 60 is the last of the Around the World in 20 Films series, we decided to release this one and give you a brand-new Episode 59 next time around. And just temporarily ignore the previews for Episode 61, although in that respect they'll be accurate.
So we take a brief detour to New Zealand and Australia, for a couple of films in which past sins are confronted. Here in Part 1 we're viewing Once Were Warriors, a 1994 film directed by Lee Tamahori. In this one the sins are rather recent, in the living memories of all the characters. It's a compelling story that will pull your emotions in different directions as you work out just who the bad guy is, here.
In Part 2 we jump to Western Australia to check out the Rabbit-Proof Fence.
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In Part 2 of this week's episode, we move to Spain, for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988), directed by Pedro Almodovar. It's a movie that takes some serious subject matters and plays them for comedy, but despite that there are no false notes among all the weird coincidences we bump into.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
We return to Asia for our next episode. Our first entry is the Japanese film Shoplifters (2018), which also has some serious moments in it, but overall it's a truly adorable story. Then in Part 2 we move to Korea for Parasite (2019), which won FOUR--count 'em, four Oscars, including three pretty big ones.
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Films featuring women as the central character often have depressingly similar threads moving through them, as though women in general were monolithic beings. This time around, we continue our trip Around the World in Twenty Films with a look at two films centered on women who are affected by their jobs, but who aren't defined by them. In Part One we have When A Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960), directed by Mikio Naruse. It's a Japanese film that takes a glance askance at the Geisha life.
In Part 2, we'll move to Spain, to look in on a few Women on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown.
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In the second half of our episode we're looking at events After the Wedding, from 2006. As with most big events, people learn things about themselves--and each other--and this is no exception. But the revelation that takes place this time around has some strange implications for someone who'd come to the event for another reason altogether.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Our journey Around the World in Twenty Films continues with visits to Japan and Spain. First up is When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, from 1960. Then it's 1988's Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, a slightly misleading translation of the original title. Go watch them! Then come back here!
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Weddings are funny things, but mostly if you're not directly involved with them.
They're typically big and with that bigness comes the big drama that comes with large numbers of people coming together in one place. But there's also a commonality to these events, even if the specific rituals are different.
In this episode we continue our Around the World in Twenty Films series, first with a stop in India, to check out 2001's Monsoon Wedding, directed by Mira Nair. It's a comedy that nonetheless has a dark-ish storyline getting lighter toward the end, and a second, lighter story getting darker toward the end. We see many of the events leading up to an arranged marriage of two young people. Will the events of the movie affect the wedding itself? Who knows! (Well, we do. We saw the film and we're reviewing it, so.)
Stay tuned for Part Two when we go to another part of India, then jump to Denmark for After the Wedding, from 2006 and directed by Susanne Bier.
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In this mini-episode recorded on June 27, Sean and Claude talk about the recent staffing changes over at Turner Classic Movies and the impact it's having on people, not only the viewers but the people who are so intimately involved with the medium, such as Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg. Listen in, and worry along with us.
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In the second half of today's episode, we'll be reviewing The Edge of Heaven from 2007, directed by Fatih Akim. It's a film entirely about missed connections that will frustrate you, but eventually you manage to settle in and accept what happens (or doesn't).
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Put on your rented tuxedo, because we're going to a couple of weddings. First, from 2001, it's Monsoon Wedding, an Indian comedy-drama directed by Mira Nair. Although it takes place in India, you'll recognize most of the drama that happens when extended families find themselves in one place.
From there we're off to Denmark and 2007's After the Wedding, a 2006 Danish-Swedish drama directed by Susanne Bier. It's a complex story about people with complex motivations, and the people affected by them.
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This week we're focusing on a pair of films that feature many missed connections, giving our title a touch of irony.
In this first half we're featuring Exotica, from 1994, directed by Atom Egoyan. It's a film where two parallel storylines are tied together by a third one which, oddly enough, isn't concurrent with the other two. Egoyan plays fair, though: he leaves the clues there for you; it's up to you to pick them up and put the pieces together.
In Part Two, we'll travel from Canada to Turkey, to review 2007's The Edge of Heaven.
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As noted previously, this half of the episode focuses on 2008's The Baader-Meinhof Complex, directed by Uli Edel. It's a true-story thriller that depicts the activities of a terrorist group in West Germany over a ten-year period beginning in the late 1960s. There are times when you're drawn into the story enough that you find yourself leaning toward rooting for the bad guys, but ultimately you'll come to your senses and see that there's no other way this story could end.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
As Sean notes, for the next few episodes the films will be from different nations. The theme of next week's episode is "Only Connect" and once you see these films you'll realize why. We'll begin with Exotica, from 1994, written and directed by Atom Egoyan. It's a Canadian film but it could take place anywhere in North America. And from there we go to 1997's The Edge of Heaven, a Turkish-German drama written and directed by Fatih Akın. It's a film whose near-misses you may find frustrating, but again there's no other way for this story to go.
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Or, Claude Writes Another Too-Clever Title Prompting Sean to Send Perplexed DMs.
In this episode of our Around the World in Twenty Films series, we look at a pair of films in which German citizens are forced to confront their own past. This isn't in a whole "The Nazis were us the entire time!" kind of attitude but rather in the way that some of the tactics that were employed in the past are coming back in subtle ways to haunt their present.
And we start with The Lives of Others, from 2006, which was written and directed (his directorial debut) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It's 1984 and the fall of the Berlin Wall is still a few years away, which means that everyone in East Germany is subject to surveillance of one kind or another. It's a Communist country and everyone is equal, but clearly some people are more equal than others. And people like Georg Dreyman, a playwright of some renown, is subject to extra scrutiny not because of his political views, which generally align with the government's, but because the Minister of Culture is hot for Dreyman's girlfriend. And Gerd Wiesler, the agent assigned to monitor Dreyman, spends most of his time listening in on Dreyman's life. What happens when Dreyman's work starts to turn its political eye in another direction? We talk about that, and a bunch of other stuff in Part One of our episode.
In Part Two, we jump to the other side of the Berlin Wall and 2008's The Baader-Meinhof Complex.
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In the second half of our show, we look at Le Cercle Rouge, from 1970 and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. It's an epic-length film about a jewelry heist that will keep you guessing up until the very end.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
We reach the halfway mark with our world tour as we go to Germany. The films we're screening show different ways that the Germans confront their past. First up is The Lives of Others, a 2006 drama that takes place on the other side of the Berlin wall. Then we move forward two years to review The Baader Meinhof Complex. You may have heard of the Baader Meinhof Phenomenon, which oddly enough is only loosely related to this film.
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We continue our trip Around the World in Twenty Films with a stop in France, where we look at a couple of films largely from the criminals' point of view.
We start with 1960's Breathless, Jean-Luc Godard's innovative film starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Sebring. Belmondo plays a criminal on the run who spends some time hiding out with an old girlfriend. Some of the foreign posters kind of give away the ending to this film, but it's doubtful that this conclusion would come as a big surprise to most viewers, anyway.
In Part Two we jump to 1970 to review Le Cercle Rouge.
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In this half of the episode, we take a hard look at Performance, the 1970 film starring James Fox and Mick Jagger. They, along with Michele Breton and Anita Pallenberg, create a quartet that gets mixed up in drugs and sex to the point where minds are shattered. Most of the last 15 minutes of the film, we guarantee you will not see coming.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Episode 54 we go to France and review two movies that have crime at their center. From 1960, it's Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, followed by Le Cercle Rouge, from 1970 and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. We spend perhaps more time than necessary musing on the ending to Breathless. Come join us in the confusion, won't you?
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In this episode Sean and Claude look at a pair of films involving people and their personalities, and how they can disassociate from themselves and each other, and manage to come back together in unusual ways.
First on the slate is Ingmar Bergman's Persona, from 1966. It stars Bibi Andersson and Liv Ullman as a nurse and her patient who have been isolated in a beach house for several weeks. By the end of the film, it's unclear who has cured whom...and of what.
In Reel 53b, we continue the episode with Performance, from 1970.
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In the second half of our episode, we look at The Secret in Their Eyes, a 2009 crime-drama that comes from director Juan José Campanella, which is far superior to the 2015 American remake. It's about a mystery that takes many years to solve, and features an ending that will literally have you gasping out loud, maybe all the way through the credits.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
From South America we go to Europe, for a look at a couple of movies where peoples' minds and personalities are somehow morphed into something else. First up is Ingmar Bergman's Persona, from 1966, and then we go to 1970 and a film called Performance, directed by Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg, and featuring Mick Jagger and James Fox.
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Continuing our trip Around the World in Twenty Films, in this episode we're stopping off in South America.
We begin in an unnamed country that's almost certainly Uruguay, with the based-on-a-true-story State of Siege, directed by Juan José Campanella. It's a film whose ending you already know, but you quickly forget about as you get pulled into the storyline.
In Part 2, we'll be jumping to Chile for the crime drama The Secret In Their Eyes.
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In this second half of our episode, we take a look at 2018's Roma, a film set largely in Mexico City, despite the title.
Roma has the distinction among Cuarón's films to be released on a very limited basis in theaters, and since then exclusively on Netflix. They've done this a couple of times (see also: The Irishman), but whether this turns into a larger model remains to be seen.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
We continue south on our world tour with 1972's State of Siege, directed by Costa-Gavras, and The Secret in Their Eyes from 2009, directed by Juan José Campanella. This is a compelling pair of films with very different stories.
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Alfonso Cuarón does know his Mexico, and it shows in these two films as we begin our trip around the world.
We start with Y Tu Mama Tambien, certainly one of the horniest movies we've ever reviewed. This 2001 effort involves a pair of teenagers taking a road trip with a much older, quite attractive, married woman. There are sexy moments and there are sad moments, and there are other moments when you think you know what a character is doing, but are you ever so wrong in your guess.
In Part 2, we look at a more recent film of Cuarón's, Roma, from 2018. Join us, won't you?
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Hey, folks: The next ten episodes are going to cover a variety of foreign films from all over the world. Sean went through a very meticulous process to curate this particular list, and in this mini-episode, we're going to chat a little bit about what first got us interested in foreign films, and the criteria that he used to select these titles.
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In the second half of our episode, we spend some time with Singles, from 1992 and directed by Cameron Crowe. This film is about the lives and loves of a half-dozen young adults, most of whom live in the same apartment complex. But, of course, this has nothing to do with the NBC hit comedy Friends, which ran from 1994 to 2004. Cameron Crowe himself has said that he was approached about adapting Singles to a TV series but he turned the studio down; only a few months later, Friends gets the green light. Crazy coincidence, or what? You be the judge!
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
During the next batch of episodes, we'll be taking you around the world. And we start by going south of the border, down Mexico way. We'll be looking at Y tu mamá también, and then Roma, both directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Despite both films having the same director, we're getting a pair of very different stories. Join us, won't you?
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Holy moley, we've made it to 50 episodes!
This time around we're checking out a pair of films that were likely the basis of television shows, even though the official story is that there's no connection.
We start off with Stalag 17, directed and co-written by Billy Wilder. This 1953 film stars William Holden in an Oscar-winning performance, along with Don Taylor, Robert Strauss, Harvey Lembeck, Peter Graves, Neville Brand, Richard Erdman, Michael Moore, Sig Ruman, and Otto Preminger. Its worth noting that Strauss and Lembeck also appeared in the original Broadway production.
There are numerous elements of this film which turned up in the subsequent television show, Hogan's Heroes, which ran on CBS from 1965-1971. Those would include the fact that both productions are set in a World War Two German POW camp, both have a Sergeant Schulz, and both have a stove camouflaging an escape tunnel. (Claude noted that Hogan's Heroes is also in Stalag 17 but his memory is faulty here; Hogan and Co. were being held in Stalag 13.)
In Part Two, we take a look at another film that--on paper--has no connection to a TV series.
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In Part 2 of our episode, we jump to 2018 and the film Widows, directed by Steve McQueen and adapted from a British TV series.
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Claude really wanted to call this episode "Girls Kicking Ass," but he chickened out and didn't try to talk Sean into changing it, so "Female Thieves" it was and "Female Thieves" it remained. (Yes, we've used a few of Claude's titles, and Sean is kind enough not to roll his eyes too hard as he acquiesces.)
But the fact is, the girls do kick ass in these two films, and they don't even bother taking names, 'cause that's just going to slow them down in their pursuit of whatever they're pursuing. And while both of these films involve women and their capers, it's interesting to see that they have vastly different approaches to them, based on circumstance and motivation.
To that end, we begin with 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. It's directed by Ang Lee and stars Chow Yun Fat and Michelle Yeoh. The film is a highly-stylized Wuxia film whose action sequences are simultaneously tough to believe and breathtakingly beautiful.
In part 2, we'll jump to 2018 and Widows, directed by Steve McQueen.
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In this (more reasonable-length) half of our episode, we take a look at Michael Winterbottom's 24 Hour Party People, a story about the rise of a specific slice of the New Wave era of music in the early 1980s. It's a mostly-true story (we talk about that a little bit) told from the point of view of someone who was in the middle of it all. And again, we're getting it from a fan who's managed to inject himself into the story. It's a lot of fun and has a bit of a documentary feel because of the cinematography and the editing style. Get in there and enjoy it.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Episode 49 we check out a pair of films that involve thieves, specifically female thieves. First up is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), directed by Ang Lee. From there we check out a slightly lesser-known film called Widows, a caper film from 2018 directed by Steve McQueen that could be compared to, say, Ocean's Eleven but maybe don't make that kind of comparison. If you haven't seen it, by all means do so. You'll have a lot of fun with it.
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This may be the longest segment of an episode we've ever done, because Almost Famous is probably one of our favorite films ever, and it's kind of amazing that it took us this long to get to it. As a result we spend just a little bit over an hour talking about it.
In this episode we look at a pair of films in which the main character is a fan of the music being discussed throughout the film, and in this half, as noted above, we're starting with Almost Famous, from 2000. Cameron Crowe directed this semi-autobiographical love letter to the rock and roll era of the 1970s and the early days of arena rock. This film has everything: laughs, drama, a little sex (mostly implied), an amazing soundtrack and an ending that allows you to plug in your own satisfying ending for all of the characters.
In the second half of the show, we'll be looking at 24 Hour Party People, which deals with the rise of a specific segment of the New Wave musical era.
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In this half of the show, we spend nearly an hour talking about Pink Floyd—The Wall, based on the 1979 album The Wall, by Pink Floyd. It was directed by Alan Parker, with animated segments produced by Gerald Scarfe, based on his artwork for the original album.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time, we wrap up the musical films with a view from the fan's perspective. First we start with Almost Famous, a film we've wanted to discuss almost since Episode One. Then it's on to 24-Hour Party People, a truly quirky film from 2002 about the early days of New Wave music.
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It's the last of the "lost" episodes and the second-to-last of the series of musical episodes. In this half we look at 1979's Quadrophenia, based on the 1973 album of the same name by The Who. It's a period piece set in 1964 and it outlines the days leading up to a wild weekend for both the Mods and the Rockers as they descend upon Brighton Beach.
This part of the episode also features my 11-month-old grandson, who sat on my lap for most of the time, so you can hear him banging about on stuff and just generally noising about. He got really fussy at about the 20-minute mark, so we had to literally stop recording so I could hand him off to someone else.
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Hey, gang:
What we've got here is a brief piece on the British Film Institute's 100 Greatest Films Ever (2022 edition). The BFI has compiled this list every ten years since 1942, drawing on the opinions of film critics worldwide, and the list gets published in their magazine Sight and Sound.
Given that the film chosen for the top of the list was rather an unusual one, Sean wanted to take a few minutes to react to that, and to some of the process involved, and Claude, as usual, worked hard to keep up.
Next episode in about a week.
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In this second half of the show, we take a look at Labyrinth, starring Jennifer Connelly and David Bowie. It's directed by Jim Henson, so you know the bulk of the remaining cast is wearing a lot of felt.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
It's the last of the Lost Episodes as we present films that are based on concept albums. First, from 1979 it's Quadrophenia, and then we look at Pink Floyd: The Wall from 1982.
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It's the second of our three "Lost Episodes," and again I think we've covered all of the topics that we did the first time. The downside is that Sean wasn't feeling well when we did this re-record, and you can hear he's missing a little of his usual zip.
But don't let that stop you from enjoying our peek at a pair of musicals that have David Bowie in them, and in a singing part, besides. Both of these films are from 1986.
Our first entry is Absolute Beginners, directed by Julien Temple. It's an ambitious and enoyable film that somehow didn't catch on at the box office, but don't let that stop you from checking it out.
Then, stay tuned for Part 2, when we spend some time in the Labyrinth.
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In this half of the episode we take a look at Inside Llewyn Davis, written and directed by the Coen Brothers. In this case we have a (probably circular) story that takes place shortly before Bob Dylan first gained notoriety in the Greenwich Village area. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) was once half of a folk duo, but now he's striking out on his own, for reasons which become clear as the film progresses. It's a dark comedy with a lot of interesting coincidences, as Coen Brothers films are wont to be. But check it out; you won't be disappointed.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Episode 46 is the second of our three "Lost Episodes"; that is, they're episodes that we recorded that somehow disappeared from the hard drive. This one focuses on a pair of musical films, both from 1986, in which David Bowie plays a villainous role: first up is Absolute Beginners, directed by Julien Temple. Then in Part 2 we take you into the Labyrinth, directed by Jim Henson.
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From a musical standpoint, there's always a time you can point to and see--in retrospect--that things were about to change in a big way. In this episode we look at a pair of films that take place right before a couple of upheavals in the music industry. And interestingly enough, they take place only a couple of years apart.
In this part of the episode, we're looking at Honeydripper, the 2007 film written and directed by John Sayles, and starring Danny Glover as a southern bar owner with a nebulous past who's trying to save his business. He keeps taking advice from a mysterious figure in the town, and finds himself at the cusp of the Next Big Trend, musically.
Then stick around for part 2, when we take a look at the period of time immediately before Bob Dylan broke on to the folk scene.
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In Part II of our Lost Episode, we look at another musical set in Dublin. It's 2007's Once, written and directed by John Carney, and starring Glen Hansard (see?) and Markéta Irglová, a couple you'll root for throughout the film and never mind that she's got a husband.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode, we look at two musical films that are period pieces. Specifically, they take place shortly before a seismic shift in the music scene. First, from 2007 is the criminally-underrated Honeydripper, written and directed by John Sayles, and from there we move on to 2014's Inside Llewyn Davis, written and directed by the Coen Brothers.
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The Lost Episode has returned!
OK, we'll level with you. We had to re-record it. At any rate, this time around we're looking at two musical films that are both set in Dublin, Ireland, and coincidentally (or maybe not--you decide when the dust settles) they share a specific actor.
We start with The Commitments in Part 1, the 1991 film directed by Alan Parker. In this film we see a scruffy group of folks who aspire to become a soul band in the Atlantic/Stax/early Motown tradition. The band itself is quite large in number; large enough that Glen Hansard is billed eighth in the film. But fear not! He finds himself promoted to top billing in Part 2.
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Part Two of our episode takes us to Scotland in 2014 and Stuart Murdoch's film God Help The Girl.
"Who is Stuart Murdoch?" you ask. It's a fair question. Murdoch is the leader of the band Belle and Sebastian. And it's worth noting that in 2009 he released an album of a music project he worked on which was also titled God Help The Girl, a collection of songs about girls and young women, sung by female singers. Perhaps the most notable of those would be Catherine Ireton, who performs on about two-thirds of the album. But, I digress.
God Help the Girl (the movie) is the story of three young musicians who help each other to gain a little direction in their lives. The songs follow the traditional musical pattern of giving us what's in the characters' heads, but it's not like a musical where the action stops completely while the song is happening.
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No, you're not missing an episode. We are.
We still have no idea how it happened, but our recording of Reel 43 is completely and irrevocably lost. It's disappeared altogether.
But take heart: Sean and I are going to re-record the episode and expedite post-production and uploading so nobody loses count (and when Sean says later on "It's Episode 50!" he won't sound weird for saying so).
Anyways. This time around we're looking at a pair of movies that were directed by people who are better known for their musicianship than for being movie directors. And here in Part 1 it's a peek at David Byrne's fun and funky (and ironically titled) 1986 film True Stories. It's a warm view of the fictional town of Virgil, Texas, and the days leading up to a town-wide celebration.
In Part 2, we cross the pond to visit Glasgow and Stuart Murdoch's 2014 film God Help the Girl.
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In this second half of the episode, we look at two major phases of the life of Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson in Love and Mercy, a film from 2014 directed by Bill Pohlad.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we spend some time in Dublin, with a pair of films that have many points in common, including one that's led to an interesting theory tying them together. First up is The Commitments, Alan Parker's 1991 film about a band's rise and fall. From there we jump to 2007 to talk about a truly delightful film called Once, written and directed by John Carney, about a week in the life of a pair of struggling musicians, and the songs that underline their relationship.
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In this half of our episode, we spend the better part of an hour talking about 2007's I'm Not There, Todd Haynes' story about the life of Bob Dylan told through the viewpoints of several fictional characters, all of whom represent Dylan during different phases of his life.
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With today's episode drop, we're moving into a new mini-block of themed episodes, all of which involve music in one way or another. And in this episode we start where most people did when it came to music back in the day: in the record shop. This despite the fact that by the time either of these films came out, vinyl was considered a more or less quaint format for music.
Part 1 featured Empire Records, from 1995. Now we look at High Fidelity (2000), directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black and a couple of surprises here and there. It's a spot-on look at the near-middle-aged man's psyche just before he realizes that he can't keep on doing stuff the way he's been doing it so far. So again, by the end of the film lives change, but it just takes a little longer.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Our next episode is a fun one, as we look at a couple of biographical movies that are presented in a rather unconventional way. We'll start with 2007's I'm Not There, directed by Todd Haynes, and then move on to Love and Mercy from 2014, directed by Bill Pohlad. Interestingly, they have something in common not only with each other, but with the recent Elvis biopic, which hadn't yet been released at the time we recorded that episode. So watch this space for that detail.
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With today's episode drop, we're moving into a new mini-block of themed episodes, all of which involve music in one way or another. And in this episode we start where most people did when it came to music back in the day: in the record shop. This despite the fact that by the time either of these films came out, vinyl was considered a more or less quaint format for music.
We begin with 1995's Empire Records, directed by Allan Moyle and starring a lot of people who weren't honest-to-god stars yet, so you'll have a lot of "Ermahgerd, they're such babies here!" and you'd be correct. This is one of those films that takes place over roughly a 24-hour period (probably just a little longer), and a bunch of lives manage to change in a big way during that day.
From there we move to High Fidelity (2000), directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black and a couple of surprises here and there. It's a spot-on look at the near-middle-aged man's psyche just before he realizes that he can't keep on doing stuff the way he's been doing it so far. So again, by the end of the film lives change, but it just takes a little longer.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Our next episode is a fun one, as we look at a couple of biographical movies that are presented in a rather unconventional way. We'll start with 2007's I'm Not There, directed by Todd Haynes, and then move on to Love and Mercy from 2014, directed by Bill Pohlad. Interestingly, they have something in common not only with each other, but with the recent Elvis biopic, which hadn't yet been released at the time we recorded that episode. So watch this space for that detail.
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In this second half of Episode 40, we look at Terence Malick's The Thin Red Line, which spends its time at Guadalcanal, the first major offensive in the Pacific Theater during World War Two.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
We're finally breaking away from this series (though we hope you had fun with it) and moving into a bunch of films that have lots of music in them. First, we're taking a trip to the record store to peek in on Empire Records, directed by Allan Moyle and starring a bunch of people shortly before they became big names. Then we jump to the year 2000 and Stephen Frears' High Fidelity, starring a bunch of people who are already big names.
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World War Two may still be the one with the most films made about it. In the final part of our YCLB series, we take a look at two relatively recent films that each concentrate on the time around a specific offensive, though in different theaters.
In this first half, we're taking a long look at Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998), which begins with the Normandy Invasion and ends only about a week later (with a couple of modern-day scenes bookending the film).
But stay tuned! In the next half, we'll be jumping over to the Pacific Theater for The Thin Red Line (also from 1998) and its look at Guadalcanal.
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As promised, here's the second half of the episode, where we take a deep look at 1983's The Big Chill, co-written and directed by Lawrence Kasdan.
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Our recent decision to release an episode in two parts proved to be rather popular, since we've been getting into Epic Length shows lately. So what you'll see in the future is more of the same: both halves will be released back-to-back, so that you can listen to each segment at your leisure. Plus it should make the downloading go a little bit more quickly.
Now, over the next couple of episodes we'll still be talking as though there's going to be a break and then immediate resumption of the show, unless Claude can get clever about patching in some new audio (as he was--nearly--for this one). Then once we've used up that backlog of episodes (three more, I think), we'll be speaking more conventionally about the whole Part 1 and Part 2 of it all.
That said: this is the second-to-last in our series of film pairs where viewers are often asked to make a choice between one and the other, but we contend that You Can Like Both. Part 1 takes a look at 1980's The Return of the Secaucus Seven, written and directed by John Sayles. It wasn't the first film to be structured like this, but it seems as though this is the one that more or less set the template for the ones that followed.
In Part 2 we'll be looking at Lawrence Kasdan's The Big Chill, from 1983.As already noted, this isn't the one that defined the genre, but it did well enough at the box office that it spawned a number of imitators, including one rather whiny television show. But don't let that scare you away: this is a fun film and it holds some interesting contrasts to its predecessor.
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We continue our series of films where people are often asked to choose between one and the other, and this time around it's a little clearer WHY there's a choice to be made, but we also argue that You Can Like Both.
Really, you can.
We don't judge.
Usually.
Both of these films were released in 1964, so we open up with Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, a black comedy directed by Stanley Kubrick. On the back end, we have Fail-Safe, directed by Sidney Lumet. Both films deal with the topic of an American plane mistakenly bombing the Soviet Union and the potential consequences of such an accident. Despite the very similar plots, the way these films get to that point, and the way they handle the situation, are quite different.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Part 4 of our five-part series continues with The Return of the Secaucus 7, written and directed by John Sayles in 1979, and 1983's The Big Chill, directed and co-written by Lawrence Kasdan. In both films, people who were tight friends back in their college days reunite (for different reasons) and the intervening years have turned into a test for their relationships.
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In which we address the Frank Capra film It's a Wonderful Life, and how Mary's wish when she breaks the glass kills George's father, causes the Great Depression, sends an angel to prevent George from killing himself and helps raise the money that keeps him out of jail. In short, Mary is the twisted monster responsible for George never leaving Bedford Falls, even if it's "only" to go to prison.
OK, we're kidding. We don't talk about any of that. But we still have a great discussion.
As noted elsewhere, this is Part 2 of our two-part Episode 37. So if you're compulsive, make sure you listen to 37a first.
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When Sean first proposed this series of episodes, and the film pairs that would be involved, Claude was kind of baffled with this particular one. Both of these films are amazing, and why would anyone be forced to choose between them? They have different subject matter, different directors, different storylines...about the only thing they have in common is that they were both released in 1946.
But apparently the either/or for these films is a thing, so here we are.
Both The Best Years of Our LIves (directed by WIlliam Wyler) and It's a Wonderful Life (directed by Frank Capra) are very long films with a lot of details and such attached to them, so we spent nearly an hour on each film. That's much longer than our longest episode so far, so rather than calling it a single "overstuffed" episode, we've broken it into two episodes being released nearly simultaneously (they're a few minutes apart, to be transparent about it). In this half, we spend the time on The Best Years of Our Lives, a film that runs close to three hours without an intermission, but if you've seen the film you know that the time practically files by, because you get so caught up in the story.
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This one isn't an outtake so much as it is a little bit of extra stuff we did after recording Episode 36. But we made the template and we're gonna keep using it.
In this clip, Sean had some comments about Auteur Theory when it comes to film, and Claude mostly let him do his thing, though there's a small portion in there where he gets to say his piece as well.
Enjoy! Episode 37 will be out in just a few days.
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Once in awhile, people get weirdly divided in their loyalties to things: Coke vs. Pepsi, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, Ford vs. Chevy, Harleys vs. Hondas, and so on.
What we don't really get is how comparisons like this apply to movies. You can like this film or that film, but there's something inherently wrong with you if you like both of them. Well, we're here to explain to you exactly the opposite: two films can have different approaches to a similar theme, but you can, in fact, like both of them.
We're kicking off a series of five episodes dedicated to exactly that, and we start with High Noon (1952), starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, and about a hundred and eighty-six character actors. From there we move to 1959 and Rio Bravo, starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. Both of these are amazing films, and we go into excruciating detail to tell you why we think so. And at the end, we do express our personal preferences (which don't agree with one another), but the fact is, we love both of these films. Just...one a little bit more than the other.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 37 we bring you Part 2 of our five-part series with a pair of films that are vastly different in nearly every way, but there still seems to be insistence on one or the other. We have The Best Years of Our Lives, starring Frederic March and Dana Andrews, and It's a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, both from 1947. The Best Years of Our Lives is an epic-length film with no intermission, so be ready for that. And we know it's warming up, but go watch It's a Wonderful Life anyway, because now you have a reason to.
PS: Coke, Trek, Ford, Hondas. Thank you.
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This was a chunk of Episode 35 that went off-topic and we decided to cut it for time, but also thought most of what was said was actually kind of important. So we present you with this Bonus audio, to keep your appetite whetted. Enjoy!
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Martin Scorsese has never shied away from the fact that he is a Catholic, and that his religion oftentimes informs his work. There are few places where it's more overt than in the two films we cover this week.
First we have 1988's The Last Temptation of Christ, which portrays a side of Jesus (Willem Dafoe) that many of us suspected he had, but most of which is never portrayed in the Bible. Roughly the last third of the film gives us a "what if" scenario that had a lot of religious conservatives up in arms for awhile--and that was before anyone had even seen the film.
From there we jump forward to 2016 (and from the first century AD to the seventeenth), for Silence, starring Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver and Liam Neeson. It's not an especially famous title in the Scorsese catalog, at least not to the casual movie fan, but it's a powerful piece of work that will have you questioning your faith and that of the characters in the film.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Episode 36 is the first in a series of episodes featuring films that critics seem to think you can like one or the other but not both. Well, we argue that you can, indeed, like both, and we show you why. We start with a pair of Westerns: beginning with 1952's High Noon, and then it's on to 1959's Rio Bravo. The plots are similar enough to echo one another, but you won't think "remake" when you see the second film.
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In which we take nearly six hours of film and reduce it to about eleven minutes of synopses and and hour or so of scintillating discussion.
Robert Altman's work had a lot of "trademarks" that delineated his films: overlapping dialogue, huge casts, multiple storylines and a way to subvert whatever genre he was working in. And in this episode we look at a pair of epic-length films which do nearly all of these, but there's an interesting difference between the two.
In 1975's Nashville, Altman's multiple storylines all manage to converge on a single time and place. Then we go to 1993 and Short Cuts, where again all the stories take place in a single city, but the stories almost-not-quite intersect but still manage to remain on parallel tracks, even as the thing that ties them together is an outside force which affects each of them differently.
Sean and Claude have some great discussion in this one. Enjoy!
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
For Reel 35 we return to the world of Martin Scorsese, specifically his views on Christianity. We start with The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), which is mostly remembered nowadays for the controversy it stirred up, but it's really so much more. Then in the second half it's 2016's Silence, which has an interesting premise and an ending that will simultaneously depress you and give you hope. Join us, won't you?
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By "Modern-Day" we meant that we're looking at a pair of films that aren't the period pieces for which Akira Kurosawa is so well-known, but rather films that are set in the present day. First on your screen is 1949's Stray Dog, a police drama that follows a young detective trying hard to undo a mistake he'd made.
Then we jump to 1963's High and Low, which starts out as corporate intrigue but quickly morphs into a taut thriller. Both films feature Toshiro Mifune, because Akira Kurosawa.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we also concentrate on a single director. This time around it's Robert Altman. First up is Nashville, from 1975. Much like his earlier MASH, it's a bunch of stories looking for a movie, but it's a ton of fun. Then it's 1993's Short Cuts*, which is also multiple storylines but they manage to intersect in odd and interesting ways.
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In this episode we first take a look at The Killer, a film from 1989 directed by John Woo. It stars Chow Yun-fat, Danny Lee and Sally Yeh, and nobody's motivation is what you think it is. Are people acting out of malice, avarice, guilt or something else?
From there we move to 2002 and So Close, directed by Corey Yuen and starring Shu Qi, Zhao Wei and Karen Mok. Once again, everyone has some deeply buried motives. Perhaps they're so deep that they're only released through subtext. You really have to "read between the lines" to understand what people are thinking. Or, you could just listen to this episode and we'll tell you.
Both of these episodes are a genuine romp and you'll definitely have fun watching them.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we remain in Asia to look at a pair of films that Sean calls "Modern-Day Kurosawa," because they're set in the present day.First it'll be 1949's Stray Dog; then we look at High and Low, from 1963. Did you guess that they both star Toshiro Mifune? It's kind of a sucker bet.
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It's not our worst title, but it does get to the point.
Al Pacino and Robert DeNiro appeared in four films together. And that's if you count The Godfather Part II, in which they shared zero screen time because they appeared in separate timelines. So that really makes three, including a 2008 movie called Righteous Kill, which was bad enough that even Robert DeNiro regretted making it. And he was in What Just Happened the same year, so.
Maybe 2008 just wasn't Robert DeNiro's Year of Quality Films.
At any rate, in this episode we check out 1995's Heat, starring a couple of guys of whom you may have heard, directed by Michael Mann, and Martin Scorsese's 2019 film The Irishman, which was made for Netflix but also spent about six hours in theaters so it would qualify for Academy Awards contention. We have two very different films here which still manage to have a lot in common other than the stars.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 32, the good guys and the bad guys team up, coincidentally in Hong Kong both times. First on the projector is 1989's The Killer, and from there we move to So Close, from 2002. The Killer is a tough one to find, but fortunately you can find it on YouTube. Just go to this link and turn on the captions: https://youtu.be/K8ZSgdfQGWQ
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In this episode we're looking at two of the better examples of films based on Leonard's novels. First we're watching Jackie Brown (1997) directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Pam Grier. Jackie Brown is based on his 1992 novel Rum Punch. There are a bunch of actors in this film who you may think at first are badly miscast, but as you settle in you discover just how right they were for the parts they're playing.
After that we move on to Out of Sight (1998), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. It's based on his 1996 novel of the same name.
In both cases we get to appreciate the deft comic spin that Leonard puts on his characters even as they're talking about things that are deadly serious, to them at least. This is a long episode but there isn't much wasted time in it.
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We've got another overstuffed episode this time around as we take a look at two films from 1967.
First up is BONNIE AND CLYDE, directed by Arthur Penn and starring Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. It's a romanticized (Claude can spell it, but he can't say it) version of the story of a pair of outlaws who came to a violent end (as so many of them do). It's also the source of a bunch of tropes, from a Film Language standpoint. But that's not to take away from the impact that our other film, THE GRADUATE, had on the moviemaking industry. It was only the second film credit for Mike Nichols as a director, and while it wasn't the film debut of either Dustin Hoffman or Katharine Ross, it's the film that pushed both of them into greater prominence.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we check out two very different views of films based on the work of Elmore Leonard. First we'll be chatting about JACKIE BROWN (1997), directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Pam Grier plus a bunch of nobodies (heh). And then it's on to OUT OF SIGHT (1998), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. Neither of them really burned up the box office but they're both a great ride.
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Happy Holidays! This episode features a couple of films that have a Christmas component and happen to have "Miracle" in the title. First we look at the 1944 screwball comedy The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, directed by Preston Sturges. From there it's on to Miracle on 34th Street, the 1947 film directed by George Seaton.
Also of note is that Claude was actually RIGHT about Kris Kringle bopping Sawyer on the head with an umbrella.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our first episode of 2022, we're going to look at Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate, both from 1967 and both representative of the New Wave in American films. Have a great holiday season until then!
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Back in the World War II era, the Nazi Party was so unpopular that even the organized crime syndicates didn't care for them. (No kidding, you can look it up. Start with Meyer Lansky and the Jewish Mob in the early 1930s.) And the idea of gangsters defending their territory as "good guys" made its way to Hollywood and a couple of films featuring mob figures fighting against Nazis came out until the Hays Code reached out and noted that villains in films shouldn't be portrayed as heroes, never mind their motivation.
In this episode we look at a film made during the war, 1942's All Through the Night, directed by Vincent Sherman, and then we jump to 1991 and The Rocketeer, directed by Joe Johnston and based on the 1982 graphic novel by Dave Stevens. Both of them have fanciful elements and a bit of a comedy overlay, but in the end we understand that gangsters are True Americans.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Our next episode will be dropping shortly before Christmas, so what better time to break out a couple of Christmas miracles? We'll be checking out 1944's Miracle of Morgan's Creek, a film with a decidedly controversial topic attached to it, and 1947's Miracle on 34th Street. Join us, won't you?
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Strap in, because we're in for a funky ride.
In this episode we're looking at two films that each feature a married couple and how they cope with a wartime situation. In 1967's Weekend, Jean-Luc Godard gives us a truly awful couple in Corinne and Roland, each of whom is already plotting to kill the other as the film begins. The film as a whole is a funhouse mirror of a look at a general breakdown of society. This is NOT a film for the squeamish, and yet it's darkly comic all the way through.
Only a year later, Ingmar Bergman gave us Shame, starring Liv Ullmann and Max Von Sydow as a couple who have tried to isolate themselves from the rest of the world while a civil war rages, but unfortunately it manages to encroach upon them and change them, probably irreparably.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 27, we lighten up just a little bit as we take a look at a pair of films that feature the unlikely plot point of gangsters fighting against...Nazis? Yes, indeed. First we have All Through the Night, from 1942 (so, in the heart of the war). From there we jump to 1991 and The Rocketeer, which is actually set in pre-war California, but that's okay: Nazis were already a thing by then.
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In the 1970s, theories abounded when it came to the question of the 1963 Kennedy assassination. It probably wasn't the beginning of the Conspiracy Theory Crowd, but things certainly accelerated from there. And of course some of this stuff boiled over into Hollywood, which made a few films that touched on the events of November 22, 1963, often in the form of thinly-veiled stories.
In this episode we're looking at two of them: 1974's The Parallax View, directed by Alan J. Pakula, and Winter Kills, from 1979 (or thereabouts, you'll just have to listen in to find out why it's not more specific), written and directed by William Richert. In both of them, one person works hard to uncover the truth behind unnatural deaths...and the bigger picture that's driving everything. You may not get all the answers, but you won't be disappointed by these movies.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time around we're taking a look at a pair of foreign films that are set during unnamed wars: First up is Jean-Luc Godard's Weekend (1967), followed by Ingmar Bergman's Shame (1968). Be warned that Weekend has some disturbing images and themes.
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There are a lot of American films that have covered wars from the point of view of the soldier. In this episode, we cover a pair of films that covered real-life wars from the point of view of the journalists who were sent to cover the events. Unfortunately these journalists learn that it's tough to be objective when they discover that they're taking sides just a little more than they initially thought.
First we have Under Fire (1983), directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Nick Nolte, Gene Hackman and Joanna Cassidy. It's set in Nicaragua in the late 1970s. Next up is 1997's Welcome to Sarajevo, directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring Stephen Dillane, Woody Harrelson and Marisa Tomei. The episode is long because we have so much to talk about (we're still working on cutting it down some; hang in there and thanks for being patient.)
COMING ATTRACTIONS:Reel 25 takes a look at two conspiracy thrillers from the 1970s: First is The Parallax View, from 1974, followed by Winter Kills, from 1979 (and again a few years later). Be warned: if you like to watch the films before listening to the show, Winter Kills will be tough to find.
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We've got a righteously overstuffed episode this week as we look at three (and briefly a fourth) screen adaptations of Lousa May Alcott's Little Women. We start with the 1933 version directed by George Cukor and starring Katharine Hepburn as Jo March. Then we take a glancing blow at the 1949 adaptation before moving on to 1994's version, which was directed by Gillian Armstrong and stars Winona Ryder. Finally we wrap up with the 2019 edition, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Saoirse Ronan in the Jo March role. Each of these films has something to love, and for all the discussion there's a LOT of agreement.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we go traveling with some Foreign Correspondents. First up is a trip to Nicaragua, with 1983's Under Fire. After that we jump to 1997 when we receive a hearty Welcome to Sarajevo.
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Join us as we travel south to examine life in a couple of small towns. FIrst we're in a nondescript mid-Texas town in 1976, in Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused (1993), a bittersweet comedy that follows a bunch of teenagers through the first day of summer vacation.
Next, we move to the Florida Panhandle, but don't worry, it won't be crowded because it's the off-season. Ruby in Paradise, written and directed by Victor Nunez and also from 1993, gives us the story of a young woman who's trying hard to make it on her own.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode, we're taking a look at three different versions of Little Women (with a nod at the fourth) and examining each one's approach to the story.
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We have a pretty packed episode, as Sean shares a bunch of film history in the first half, all of which ties to the first of our films in this episode. First up on your projector is Ronin, from 1998, directed by John Frankenheimer. That gives us plenty of room to just sit back and enjoy the ride when we talk about Duplicity (2009), written and directed by Tony Gilroy. Each film takes a vastly different look at the post-service lives of spies. What do they do when they're no longer government employees? Let's go see!
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In our next episode we move away from the big cities to check out a couple of films set in relatively small towns. First we look at 1993's Dazed and Confused, directed by Richard Linklater. Then we head to the Florida Panhandle to see Ashley Judd in her first starring role, in Ruby in Paradise, also from 1993 and written/directed by Victor Nunez.
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In this episode we take a look at a pair of comedies that are set during the Great Depression: Sullivan's Travels, directed by Preston Sturges, and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, directed by the Coen Brothers. And while they couldn't be more different in overall content, they have many, MANY things in common. It's an overstuffed episode and we probably only scratched the surface.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 21 we look at the lives of some ex-spies and see how they're getting on. First up is Ronin (1998), directed by John Frankenheimer, and then we check out Duplicity (2009), directed by Tony Gilroy.
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Sean went to Boston and DIDN'T HAVE CLAM CHOWDER.
Claude went to Nashville to attend a podcasting conference.
We've had a busy few weeks, gang. But here's Reel 19, where we take on The Marx Brothers' Duck Soup (1933), directed by Leo McCarey, and Mike Nichols' Catch-22 (1970). Each film highlights the absurdities of war--how they start and how crazy it gets once you're in the thick of it.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
When Reel 20 is racked up, we'll be looking at Sullivan's Travels and O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a pair of films set during the Great Depression, yet designed to ensure that you're anything but depressed.
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This episode nearly didn't make it to you, several times. The universe may have been conspiring against us. And that's a shame because this is one over-stuffed show.
In this episode we take on 1988's Bull Durham, written and directed by Ron Shelton. Shelton's experience as a ballplayer shows in the minute details he presents to the viewer.
After that, we move on to Without Limits, directed by Robert Towne. It relates the story of Stever Prefontaine, a phenomenal track star of the early 1970s. In both of these films, there's a philosophy of sports that informs the way the character/subjects behave, and we explore both of them pretty deeply.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time around, we're looking at a couple of films that play up the more absurd side of war via comedy and satire. So if you enjoy seeing the films before we chat, you're looking for Duck Soup, the 1933 film starring the Marx Brothers, and Catch-22, the 1970 film starring Alan Arkin which is designed to confuse as much as amuse you.
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Sean and Claude close out their series on foreign films and their English-language remakes with this look at another Akira Kurosawa movie, Yojimbo (1961), and its English remake, A Fistful of Dollars (1964), directed by Sergio Leone.
It's pretty clear that Kurosawa has grown since 1954's Seven Samurai, and we talk a little more about how Kurosawa and Hollywood managed to affect and inform each other's work.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: In Reel 18 we look at a pair of sports movies, but not the usual "underdog team makes good" kind of sports movies. First up is Bull Durham (1988), followed by Without Limits (1998). And if you think these two films can't be any different, think again.
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For this episode you're going to need a lot of popcorn, movie fans, because this is an overstuffed show where we discuss a couple of very long movies. Combined, they're clocking in at over five hours and change.
First up is the 1954 film Seven Samurai, directed by Akira Kurosawa. It's a favorite of both Sean and Claude, and pretty much anyone else who happens to be somebody. Seven Samurai's influence can be seen in many, many films, from the basic plot structure to the numerous character tropes that are seen.
Seven Samurai was so popular, in fact, that numerous people wanted to make an American version of it, and in 1960 The Magnificent Seven was made and released, with John Sturges at the helm. It's worth noting here (because we didn't mention it in the show) that The Magnificent Seven is one of those films that didn't do very well, either with the critics or the box office, but it grew in stature over the years because of its star power and the soundtrack, and ultimately people came to respect the scriptwriting as well.
These are two fantastic films that, despite their length, don't waste a single frame of film and are well worth your time investment.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: We close out this series with another Kurosawa film, Yojimbo, which became Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars.
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Another outtake track, where I start complaining about the state of arts schools in this part of the country.
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Our look at non-English language films and their English counterparts continues with a review of the films Infernal Affairs (2002), co-directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. and The Departed, the 2006 film directed by Martin Scorsese.
In this case the films aren't clones of one another to the extent that we saw in the last episode, but the storylines remain quite close despite the big cultural jump from Hong Kong to Boston. But whether you watch it in English or in Chinese (or both—no reason not to watch both!), you're in for a tension-filled good time.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: Next time we get to Part 3 of this mini-series, as we look at The Seven Samurai (1954) and The Magnificent Seven (1960). Brace yourself, those are a couple of lengthy films, but well worth your time. And in-between Reels 15 and 16, there'll be another bit of bonus audio as Claude takes some time to complain about the American educational system with regard to Arts programs.
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Hi there:
This is an outtake from our past episode that I had to cut because the episode was running so long. But it was just amusing enough that I thought you'd find it fun. The only sad part is that you don't get to see Sean's face, looking for a way to respond to my weird little rant before he finally finds his answer.
Stuff like this is why I think I may have adult ADHD, because he puts up with stuff like this more often than anyone should have to, without getting paid for it.
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As we noted last week, we're accelerating the rate of episode releases for a couple of weeks to make up for the lengthy gap in our recent output.
This week is the first of a series of films in which we look at both the foreign original version and compare it to the American English edition. This week we're looking at Abre los Ojos ("Open Your Eyes") and Vanilla Sky.
Abre los Ojos is a 1997 film directed by Alejandro Amenábar, starring Eduardo Noriega and Penelope Cruz. Vanilla Sky is a 2001 remake directed by Cameron Crowe, and stars Tom Cruise and...suprise! Penelope Cruz again! Four stars and three of them pronounce their last names the same way. Not to mention that Vanilla Sky has Cameron Crowe and Cameron Diaz working together. So clearly the working environment for the latter film was a modern-day "Who's on first?" routine.
At any rate, both of these films are so close to one another in plotline that Claude only had to write up one synopsis, which was a nice break for him. And in a few days we're going to drop some bonus audio in which Claude throws a minor fit about certain streaming services. So you've got that to look forward to!
Finally, a little shout-out of thanks to Tina Cassano for her "backstage" help with getting us to understand some of the Spanish-based culture in Abre lo Ojos.
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So, where have we been?
Actually, it's Claude's fault that the episode is so late. What with school reopening, plus some personal drama coming from a couple of directions, it's been a rough few weeks and apologies all around. To make up for it, Reel 14 will also be coming out in no more than a couple of days.
At any rate, this time around we've got a couple of wonderful, bittersweet films that explore relationships between a man and a woman that go deep enough that one could even use the word "love," but which don't take that one crucial step, each for their own reasons.
First one is Wong Kar-Wei's 2000 film In the Mood for Love, which is set in 1962 Hong Kong and stars Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung as a couple who is convinced that their spouses are having an affair with one another. From there we move to a modern-day Tokyo, to see how Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray are handling things with each other, in 2003's Lost in Translation, directed by Sofia Coppola. These characters are also separated physically and perhaps emotionally from their spouses, and isolated by their inability to speak the local language.
It's worth noting (because we didn't bring it up during this over-stuffed show) that both films end the same way: with the male lead whispering something we don't hear. Go see the films if you haven't already, then come back here and listen in, and see if you don't agree with us.
Also, in the interest of full disclosure: Sean wants to note that when he worked in the video store many years ago (because, video store), Sofia Coppola was a customer in the store at least once that he knows of, but he's pretty sure she didn't bribe him to cover any of her films for this show.
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It's Women's HIstory Month!
And as our means of taking advantage of a remarkable coincidence, in today's episode we're looking at two films where the bulk of the primary cast is female. That said, the theme this week is stories related to the theater. First, we're looking at a favorite of the both of us, 1937's Stage Door, starring Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers and Adolphe Menjou. After that we jump to 1950, where we learn All About Eve, along with the likes of Anne Baxter, Bette Davis and George Sanders being more George Sanders than in any other movie.
The other thing they have in common is that Stage Door is the source of many peoples' Hepburn impression, and Eve is the source of most peoples' Davis impression. Settle in, it's a long episode but the chat is a good, productive one!
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
In Reel 13 we'll be looking at In the Mood For Love and Lost In Translation, and no, the common thread isn't that they're both set in Asia.
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In this episode we've chosen a couple of near-future films in which humanity seems doomed for one reason or another. First up in our Double Feature is 1995's 12 Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam, involving a plague, time travel, mental illness and, of course, World War One.
After the Intermission we're looking at Children of Men, co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón and released in 2006. Was there a plague? We don't know. Will this situation resolve? Again, we don't know. But for all the unknowns in this film, we get some powerful, powerful moments and we guarantee you'll want to watch this one several times.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: We're going to lighten the mood a little bit with a couple of older films: Stage Door (1937), featuring Katharine Hepburn in the role that led to so many people doing the same Katharine Hepburn impression, and All About Eve (1950), featuring Bette Davis in the role that led to so many people doing the same Bette Davis impression.
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We wrap up Sorkinfest with a look at two films for which Aaron Sorkin did NOT receive any writing credit. Bulworth, and Enemy of the State, both from 1998. Listen in as we discuss the two films on their own merits and try to figure out which parts Sorkin left his fingerprints on.
And because I can't read a calendar, Reel 11 will be released next week instead of two weeks from now.
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Next time around we're prematurely celebrating the end of the pandemic as we look at a pair of films which are set in a kind of post-apocalyptic situation: 12 Monkeys (1995) and Children of Men (2006).
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We're closing in on the end of SorkinFest as we get to Part 4 of our five-part series looking at the work of Aaron Sorkin. And this time around we're looking at a couple of films that Sorkin had a public hand in writing--or, more accurately, re-writing: 1993's Malice, starring Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin, and Moneyball, the 2011 film starring Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
These two films couldn't be more different in their subject matter or their approach to storytelling, but Aaron Sorkin has a few tricks up his sleeve that have you realizing that, even when he isn't the primary writer, he's going to manage to put his stamp on the film anyway.
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That's a little bit of a misnomer, but not by much. This episode--the third in our series of five episodes dedicated to Aaron Sorkin's work--looks at two films he worked on that told stories about specific individuals: Steve Jobs (2015), Directed by Danny Boyle, and Sorkin's film directing debut, 2017's Molly's Game. Now, with Steve Jobs, Sorkin took some of the storylines provided by Walter Isaacson's biography, and placed them into specific contexts, with the upshot being that many of the real-life counterparts found themselves saying "...yeah, that's not quite how it went," but you can blame that on Isaacson, not Sorkin.
Molly's Game, on the other hand, is based on the story as told by Molly Bloom in her book, so if there are inaccuracies, then it's either Bloom herself as the unreliable narrator, or Sorkin taking a little artistic license, or maybe it's a little of Column A and a little of Column B. Either way, what we have here is a pair of films that both work well with Sorkin's dialogue and aren't especially heavy-handed with some of the allusions they make.
COMING ATTRACTIONS: In the next episode we step back a little bit and look at two films for which Sorkin has a credit for doing re-writes.
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SorkinFest continues with the two films that Aaron Sorkin wrote after his series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was cancelled after only one season. (Interestingly, the same people who seemed kind of disappointed in Studio 60 as it aired are viewing it a little more generously in retrospect.)
First we take a look at 2007's Charlie Wilson's War, the more-or-less true story of Congressman Charlie Wilson of Texas, who manages to almost single-handedly drum up political and financial support for the Afghan people in their battle against the Soviet Union in the 1980s. This was Mike Nichols' last theatrical film, and it was a great film to go out on.
We then move on to 2010's The Social Network, directed by David Fincher. This film doesn't hew quite as closely to the way it all went down in real life, but you do get the broader outlines of the story without casting a specific good guy or bad guy, and in that respect it's a strong movie that's easy to follow despite its non-linear structure.
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It's time for SorkinFest! For the next few weeks, we're going to talk about the work of Aaron Sorkin, and in our usual fashion we're going to do it in a way that the films are paired up by common threads.
This week we're looking at the films that were directed by Rob Reiner. First up is the 1992 film A Few Good Men, starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak and Jack Nicholson. This one was adapted from Sorkin's own play script, but he's managed to make changes that make the story just as much of a mystery as a courtroom drama.
Next is The American President from 1995, starring Michael Douglas, Annette Bening and a bunch of people you'll see again when Aaron Sorkin takes a few elements of this film and turns them into his television series The West Wing. However, while The West Wing is a political show with a lot of comedy bits in it, The American President is a cross between a romantic comedy and a screwball comedy, with a political overlay on it.
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Don't you hate it when ALL your software is just being so...jerkstore?
Just me then? Okay.
In this episode we take a look at a pair of films that were adapted from books. That, in and of itself, isn't unusual, however while the usual rap on this sort of thing is "The book was better," Sean makes an argument that in this case, it's the other way around. Subplots and overly-descriptive text get excised, and the result is a tighter and brighter story in both cases, even when the subject matter isn't especially uplifting.
First, we look at 1994's Nobody's Fool, directed by Robert Benton and based on the novel by Richard Russo. Paul Newman stars in this film along with Jessica Tandy (the last film she made, if not the last of her work released), Melanie Griffith and a low-key Bruce Willis. "Low-key" in the sense that he doesn't appear in the promotional material or even the opening credits.
Next up is The Sweet Hereafter, the Atom Egoyan-directed 1997 film that convinced Sarah Polley to continue her acting career. She stars along with Ian Holm and Bruce Greenwood. It's a quiet film with a lot of subtlety to it, but all those subtle little bits pull together at the end.
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In this episode we take a look at a pair of films that center themselves around a single piece of music.
First we have 1992's The Mambo Kings, directed by Arne Glimcher. It's a bittersweet film that gives us a look at a pair of Cuban immigrants who briefly achieve success as musicians in the 1950s, due to a song that one of them has written about a lost love. There's a story to that lost love, however, that he doesn't discover until several years later. And while both Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas do a fine job, we have to give extra points to the women in this film: Maruschka Detmers, Cathy Moriarty and, in a much smaller role as the lost love and subject of the song, Talisa Soto.
Then we have Tom Hanks' directorial debut from 1996, That Thing You Do! This film also traces the brief rise and fall of a musical act based on a single song, only this one takes place in the early 1960s, in the shadow of the original Beatlemania. And while Sean and Claude share some of the Beatles allusions with you during the show, there are plenty more for you to find on your own as you watch this film. This is a fun little comedy that you can enjoy right up to the last minute...but maybe stop the playback before that last minute happens. Just trust us on this one; we'll all be a lot happier.
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Different eras of film can often be traced to specific "generations" of directors who came up together and had similar mindsets, and while that's true, sometimes they can be attached to technological advances, some of them not initially part of the industry. For example, with the rise of teen culture and a general boom in consumerism, the drive-in movie exploded in popularity, which meant that studios had to create film prints that were very bright so they could project a long distance.
This, in turn, led to advances in film stock and gave directors and cinematographers the ability to create more subtle lighting schemes. And one of the pioneers of using light and color was Gordon Willis. His cinematography shaped the look of films such as All the President's Men, Annie Hall (and several other Woody Allen films), and Pennies From Heaven. But he's probably best known for his work on the three films in the Godfather series he did with Francis Ford Coppola.
In this episode we look at the first two films (mostly) from a cinematography standpoint, and talk about how Willis's use of light and color shaped the look of the films but also heralded a change to the way movies were going to look for the foreseeable future.
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Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. were contemporaneous civil rights icons of the 1960s, and they had very different images in the eyes of the general public. In this episode we look at Spike Lee's biopic Malcolm X (1992) and Ava DuVernay's Selma (2014), which, while not a biopic specifically, gives us a close look at Dr. King's motivations and methods. And we discover that philosophically, the two were much closer together than most people think.
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We have to start at the beginning! Sean's beginning, that is. We go back to the year of his birth and check out a couple of science fiction movies that were both released in 1968, but which have very different outlooks on what the future is going to be like. Sit back and enjoy as we discuss 2001: A Space Odyssey and the original Planet of the Apes.
This being our first "real" episode, we do hope you'll forgive a couple of weird technical glitches that we've been working on, and focus instead on the great conversation we had.
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Welcome to our inaugural episode! Sean Gallagher and Claude Call introduce themselves to you and talk about what makes them so smart (hint: one of us is SMART, the other is S-M-R-T), plus what sort of stuff we'll be talking about, the overall approach we'll be taking to the films we discuss, and a preview of our first three episodes.
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