Phi Phenonenon

Discussion about the novel, 'Heat 2,' written by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner, which is a sequel to the 1995 film

Nicholas Meyer is a director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter. He's written over 11 books, including his Sherlock Holmes novels, the most recent of which is The Return of the Pharaoh from the Reminiscences of John H.Watson, M.D. His films as director include Time After Time, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Day After, and Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country. He lives in Santa Monica, California; more information can be found at his website.

Over the course of his career, but mainly in a period from 1950-59, French director Robert Bresson kept a notebook of advice to himself on keeping his very distinct filmmaking technique. In 1975, he published Notes to the Cinematographer, which was then translated and published in the United States two years later. In 2011, a Sight & Sound poll of 51 critics named it the second best book on filmmaking. On this episode, I'm joined by editor Keith Fraase.Keith Fraase has edited such narratives features as To the Wonder, Knight of Cups, Song to Song, Chappaquiddick, and A Mouthful of Air, along with the documentaries Voyage of Time and Long Strange Trip. His most recent edited film, Celine Song's Past Lives, is one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2023.Robert Bresson's Notes on the Cinematographer is current published in the U.S. by the New York Review Book (under the translated title Notes on the Cinematograph).

Hollywood and Wall Street have obvious reasons to be obsessed with I.P. (Intellectual Property) because its consistently proven moneymaking abilities. But, how does it actually enrich the storytelling experience? In 2008, Henry Jenkins was asking these questions in his book, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. I'm joined on this episode by Rehman Nizar Ali, as we discuss:- The Matrix (a trilogy at the point of the book's publication) as the ideal model of transmedia;- how the “mothership” transmedia model has dominated;- what the abandonment of Star Wars canon means for — up to this point — the most sophisticated canon.Also:- There are still more James Bond movies than MCU movies;- the super-hero genre, fatigued or not, as one of empowerment;- what video game to film adaptation has the best potential to work;- and Fredric Wertham's resurgent reputation.Henry Jenkins is a professor at the University of Southern California; previously, he was the director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program. He is the author and/or editor of twenty books on various aspects of media and popular culture, including Textual Poachers: Television Fans and Participatory Culture, Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture, From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and Computer Games, Spreadable Media: Creating Meaning and Value in a Networked Culture, and By Any Media Necessary: The New Youth Activism. He also co-hosts How Do You Like It So Far?, a podcast about popular culture in a changing world. More can be found on his blog.Rehman Nizar Ali is co-editor of recent films for Terrence Malick including A Hidden Life, Song to Song, and Voyage of Time. Other works include commercials for Facebook, Google, Guerlain, and most recently the museum video installation Dioses y Maquinas! You can also find him at his website.Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide is published by NYU Press, and is available online or brick and mortar bookstores.

The only features Peyton Reed has directed for the past decade have been Ant-Man films for Marvel. Before that, for a brief period in the late aughts, he was the studios go-to for adult romantic comedies. Before that, his finest (two) hour(s) — all due respect to Bring It On — was the Rock Hudson/Doris Day riff, Down With Love, a period parody filled with a digitally '60s Manhattan and pre-sexual revolution, pre-Mad Men glee. On this episode, guest Lani Gonzalez and I discuss:- Pillow Talk, the most specific parody subject for Down With Love;- the Oscar-winning lineage of Hudson/Day series;- why Lani, lover of Bring It On, disagrees about it being Reed's finest (two) hour(s).Also:- Peyton Reed's pre-MCU work, from Mr. Show to the Back to the Future Saturday morning cartoon;- how Reed turned a pitch for a pre-MCU '60s-period Fantastic Four into most of Down With Love's New York “locations”;- and his post-Love period of adult romantic comedies.Lani Gonzalez writes about film for both Book and Film Globe and, alongside her husband (and former guest-host) AJ, their blog Cinema Then and Now.Both Down With Love and Pillow Talk is available to buy and rent digitally and, also, on physical media.

Why have there been so few episodes this year? Because I've been directing a low-budget feature film since February! And Monday, we launched a crowdfunding campaign alongside a promo for the film!This episode contains a brief description of the film of influence for the feature. But also, check out the promo on YouTube

It's been a year-end tradition that me, Aaron Smith, and Ted Haycraft usually meet sometime after Christmas but before New Years at an IHOP or Denny's, recap the year among friends, and eventually get into an argument as to whether Richard Lester is the father of the music video. It happens. Every year. For the third podcasting year, we've continued away from in-person dining to the podcast episode, where the three of us talk:- why Ted after three years of doing this, forgot to make a list this year;- if Jordan Peele's Nope overrated of this generation's Jaws;- and the difference between a normal top ten list and spectacle experiences in-person at the theater.Also:- the mutual love of The Northmen from different directions;- our mutual best surprise of the year coming from late summer;- and my surprise and enthusiastic pick for #2, which barely appeared on other critics' top ten lists.Aaron Smith is the lead manager at Showplace Cinemas Newburgh in Evansville, IN.Ted Haycraft is film critic for WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.

Roughly since 2007, the assertion that Die Hard -- a movie that takes place at Christmas -- is a Christmas movie has been met with either strong support or opposition. On this episode, along with Ted Haycraft and writer/director Tyler Savage, we discuss the history of the heated debate, while also debating ourselves:- has this debate ever happened IRL, off of Twitter?;- if so, were the debaters online journalists or bots?;- have any of these IRL debates lasted any longer than three minutes?- and did the debate's resolution involve anything other than the participants realizing it all comes down to one's own definition of a “Christmas movie”?Also:- the careers of Steven E. de Souza and John McTiernan;- their assertions in the debate, along with Bruce Willis's and his mom's;- Die Hard's origin as a sequel to a novel that was adapted into The Detective, starring Frank Sinatra;- and the film as a progression in action filmmmaking.Tyler Savage's latest film, Stalker, is currently streaming on Hulu, while his first feature, Inheritance, is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. His latest short, “Oddities,” starring Adrienne Barbeau, Logan Miller, and Ariela Barer, is currently making its festival run for 2023.

Sight & Sound magazine and the British Film Institute put out their once-every-decade poll of greatest films. The top ten:1. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles2. Vertigo3. Citizen Kane4. Tokyo Story5. In the Mood for Love6. 2001: A Space Odyssey7. Beau Travail8. Mulholland Dr.9. Man with a Movie Camera10. Singin' in the RainThe poll, which first started in 1952 and had come to be the definitive film list, now has a controversial and brand new #1 film for this decade: Chantal Ackerman's 1975 piece of slow cinema. And this episode, we discuss:- the expansion of the voter-base leading to the controversy- Paul Schrader's reaction on Facebook decrying the poll being “woke”;- which titles were dropped between 2012 and 2022;- and the distinction between polls of “favorites” and “GREATEST.”Also:- how the poll ensconced Citizen Kane into the top spot for so long;- the poll's history of top tens;- the age of those top ten titles at the time each decade's poll;- and the lists' preference for titles over filmographies.The Sight & Sound/BFI list can be found here.

Though it had been widely predicted to happen sometime later this decade, China managed to surpass North America during the pandemic 2020 — during the first year of decade — in domestic box-office. A big part of that was the fact that China had built more movie theaters than North America. Permalink

George Lucas has been talking retirement since 1977. Weary of the mainstream cinema he helped to created, he began saying in interviews that he was planning on getting back to the cinema of his college days, the avant-garde “tone poems” of his U.S.C. short films, or his of his first feature, THX-1138 — even before he returned to feature directing in the 2000s, with the Star Wars prequels. Now, that Lucas has all but officially retired — not having directed a feature in 17 years — I'm joined on this episode by Dale Pollock, Lucas's first biographer, to discuss whatever happened to these post-retirement promises. We discuss:- Steve Silberman's 2005 Wired article, “Life After Darth,” which voiced all these questions, the year of Lucas's retirement;- what were the exact circumstances of Lucas opening up his life to Pollock as a biographer during the filming of Return of the Jedi;- does Lucas deserve his reputation as a tin-eared regurgitator of poppy pulp tropes;- is he not only one of the greatest editors of all-time, or — easily — one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time?Also:- the abbreviated career of his first wife and early collaborator, Marcia Lucas;- why the critical reception of the Star Wars prequels guaranteed Lucas would never return to film directing;- is Lucas making — maybe even stockpiling, these movies, unseen;- and is he setting up these experiments to be released after his death?Dale Pollock is a journalist, film producer, professor, and festival programmer. Along with writing the biography Skywalking: The Life and Times of George Lucas, he's also written for Daily Variety, the Los Angeles Times, Life, People, and Esquire. He's executive producer 13 films, including A Midnight Clear and Blaze, taught at both USC and the University of North Carolina School of Arts in Winston-Salem, and ran the RiverRun International Film Festival. More can be found at his website.

Hiatus over! When Mad Max: Fury Road came out in 2015, a 30-year gap since Beyond Thunderdome, its breathless and near-universal reception as — already — one of the greatest movies of the decade and — already — one of the greatest action movies of all-time, automatically erased the two-decade lead-up to the film's execution and completion, erasing previous versions and false starts. Yet, once the final studio greenlight came, that only began the film's arduous production. On this episode, Kyle Buchanan talks the oral history book he's written about that epic production, thusly untold and way more epic than previously thought — all leading towards the triumph as one of the best action movies of all time. We discuss:- the silent-movie, low-dialogue inspiration for whole production;- the extremely thorough pre-production, where even cameramen were given extensive audition processes;- what would Mel Gibson in Fury Road really have felt like?- or the in-sequence shooting schedule which focused the million-dollar production on, ostensibly, seconds-long inserts.Also:- how the shoot was bolstered by a crew-member and long-time Max fan named “Toast”;- the intensive storyboarding/writing process,- Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy's (pre-known, pre-excerpted) on-set tension,- and how the next Mad Max film, Furiosa, was implanted and planned from this film, starring Chris Hemsworth as a previous-revealed villain.Kyle Buchanan is a pop culture reporter and serves as the Projectionist, the awards season columnist for the New York Times. Prior, he was a senior editor at Vulture, New York Magazine's entertainment website, where he covered the movie industry. A native of Southern California, he lives in Los Angeles. Blood, Sweat & Chrome is his first book.

It's been a year-end tradition that me, Aaron Smith, and Ted Haycraft usually meet sometime after Christmas but before New Years at an IHOP or Denny's, recap the year among friends, and eventually get into an argument as to whether Richard Lester is the father of the music video. It happens. Every year. For the second podcasting year, we've migrated away from in-person dining to the podcast episode, where the three of us talk:- how Ted's disdain of making a top ten list, in a small market where most top ten films have not yet been shown, led to him creating his own year-end award categories;- with categories such as Best End Credit Tag, Needless Film of the Year, Guy Ritchie Doing Michael Mann, Overlooked Indie, and Most Insightful Documentary;- or other Ted categories like Most Fun Artsy-Fartsy Film, Deserves More Attention, or Number One Film of the Year (Question Mark?),Also:- Why that hasn't stopped Smith or me from making our own top twenty lists;- our mutual love of Mitchells vs. the Machines, which Smith has seen multiple times for his kids, and I've seen a second time just to confirm that I like it as much as the first time;- and how, despite it all, we all mutually agreed on our number one movie from 2021.Aaron Smith is the lead manager at Showplace Cinemas East in Evansville, IN.Ted Haycraft is film critic for WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.

After 32 features, Steven Spielberg has finally directed his first full-fledged musical! The director whose camera has visually danced compositionally on screen more than any other for almost 50 years, it all begs the question: Why did it take so long? And what other attempts at the musical form has he made over the years? I'm joined by Ted Haycraft as we discuss:Why the most obviously salvageablely revelatory sequence from 1979's 1941 is its muscial Jitterbug dance sequence;the cut-off Busby Berkeley opening for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with its reverse dance shots;and why the key to good musicals, from stage to screen, is musical numbers that advance the story or theme forward.Also:Why 1991's Hook should have committed to its original conception as a musical;Spielberg's intention of stuffing other musical sequences into A.I. or The Terminal;the debate over whether the new 2021 West Side Story and the original, universally considered one of the greatest movies ever made, should have have been remade,and if the 2021 version, with all its updating, might legitimately be superior.The 2021 West Side Story is currently available in theaters for who knows how long. It'll likely end up streaming on Disney+ eventually. 1941 is available on DVD and Blu-ray; as is Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in streaming and physical media, and Hook DVDs and Blu-rays. Permalink

In his magnificent second book on comics, the great critic Douglas Wolk has synthesized 60 years of continuous storytelling from Marvel Comics authors and declared it, collectively and thusly, the longest, greatest, most sustained narrative in human history — longer than any daily soap opera, Remembrance of Things Past, or the Mahābhārata. From its origins, written and drawn by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, and Jack Kirby, multiple creators have expanded and expounded its creation to synthesize multiple genres — action, super-hero, horror — to a hybrid-genre that would, ultimately, take over movies. On this episode, I'm joined with Ted Haycraft as we discuss with Wolk:Wolk's origins as a comic reader, from his first comics to his career working for a direct market store during his college years;how the Marvel Universe story works its magic through broad collaboration and improvisation,especially in a story that will never end or begins, nor is intended to ever end.Also:Which Marvel characters merited chapters in early drafts that didn't make it to the final draft;why the hardest Marvel character for Wolk to read was the Punisher;where the extra-Marvel universes of IP licenses like Conan or G.I. Joe,newuniversal,or 2099 played into his comprehensive reading;and why his son and the next generation's ethos or justice was the integral inspiration to the entire project.Douglas Wolk has been a National Arts Journalism Fellow at Columbia University and a Fellow in the USC Annenberg/Getty Arts Journalism Program, who has written about comics and music for magazines, newspapers and web sites including Time, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Believer, Entertainment Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The Village Voice, Slate and Pitchfork. His books include Reading Comics and 33 1/3: Live at the Apollo. He currently teaches at Portland State University and hosts the podcast Voice of Latveria. He lives in Portland, Oregon.Wolk's All of the Marvels is available online and at book-and-mortar booksellers everywhere. Permalink

Which is your favorite Beatle(s' documentary about making their last released album, one that ultimately documented simmering tensions that would lead to the band's breakup within a year)? The Beatles originally planned on following up their White Album recording sessions by getting back to their roots, recording without studio trickery or overdubs, and film the proceedings from January/February 1969 for a TV special. It didn't end up that way. The footage didn't show until well after the band's breakup, in 1970's 80-minute Let It Be, directed Michael Lindsay-Hogg. Out of print for decades, a long-promised restoration plan for that film morphed into the recently released three-part Get Back, directed by Peter Jackson, and clocking at 468 minutes — but without ever releasing the original film. Beatle lovers Ted Haycraft and Aaron Smith are on this episode as we discuss:- When the second volume Mark Lewisohn's mammoth All These Years three-volume Beatle biography might see the light of day;- misremembering all that Let It Be did not include of such a dramatic session;- whether or not Jackson and WETA's restoration work on the footage was overcooked;- or did Let It Be just need a subtitle track?Also:- Why Get Back is such a treasure for completists even if it's only played as background noise;- how its Thanksgiving release relitigates all questions of the Beatles' 50-year-old breakup;- (should they have made more an effort to integrate Harrison's eventual All Things Must Pass songs he offered?) (did Yoko Ono hang around way too close to Lennon during rehearsals?) (does she deserve to carry that weight she — still — gets from Beatles fans?);- and where these films stand on all-time behind-the-scenes music docs.Let It Be is not commercially available, though versions can be found online. The new three-part documentary Get Back, made from the same footage (restored and given VFX sweetener), is now streaming on Disney+.

Though comic book writer Alan Moore has officially finished his final projects and begun a well-deserved retirement from the medium of sequential art, he has also full turned his eye to, among other mediums, film — which, at least in adaptations, has treated him poorly. After a cycle of hometown prequel short films, some of which were gathered in the anthology feature Show Pieces, Moore's collaboration with Northampton director Mitch Jenkins was finally released in cinemas and VOD this fall: The Show. On this episode, I'm joined by comic book/film/TV/pop culture writer Rich Johnston to discuss:- how Moore's influence from film helped his innovative comics work from his career's outset;- what early projects, like his Fashion Beast screenplay, may have taught him of writing for film;- why his best adaptation might be a Justice League Unlimited episode;- and yet, why a string of insultingly stupid adaptations, ones that often completely ignored the source material, soured him on the medium for such a long period, leading to him taking his name off V for Vendetta, the Watchmens, and The Killing Joke.And:- How, by the way of Watchmen's flashback influence on Lost, Moore influenced all modern American television;- why The Show's funny world-building works better with subtitles and rewatches;- how Edgar Wright might have contributed to The Show finished film;- and why the proposal of its prequels, feature, and five seasons (with a pilot written by and those seasons plotted by Moore), leads to the promising prospect of Moore (and Jenkins) mastering the film medium.Rich Johnston is the founder of the Bleeding Cool website, is the longest-serving digital news reporter in the world (since 1992), and is author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, and Chase Variant. He lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics, is a political cartoonist, and a father of two.The Show is available on VOD.

The workman Master of Horror, John Carpenter's career has been checkered by commercial successes and, in the midst straight-forward meat/potatoes storytelling, some truly unnerving and unsettling filmmaking. None more than his self-named “Apocalypse Trilogy,” all three of which have been punished with box-office disappointment and eventual reassessment. On this episode, editor Keith Fraase joins me and Ted Haycraft to discuss:- Why Ted, a genre-lover who was buying tickets to these films as they were released in theaters, gave up on Carpenter just before Prince of Darkness;- how Carpenter's low-budget productions and his ability to “know where to put the money” led to his box-office successes while his studio, bigger-budget films led to financial disappointment;- the oddities of Carpenter's pacing, where dread usurps payoffs or anti-climatic action.And:- Whether a lighting effect strategy revealed by Thing DP Dean Cundey ruins or enlivens the film;- how Prince of Darkness's schlocky, heady ideas culminates in a series of haunting mirror sequences and shots;- if Mouth of Madness is the best H.P. Lovecraft adaptation because its meta-apocalypse media ends with its main character realizing he's a character in a fiction from a malevolent author;- what is the current state of John Carpenter's reassessment from film fans, and is it fast or wide enough?Keith Fraase has edited such narratives features as Knight of Cups, Song to Song, and Chappaquiddick, along with the documentaries Voyage of Time and Long Strange Trip. His most recent edited film is A Mouthful of Air, currently in theaters.The Thing (1982) is currently streaming on Starz and DirectTV, while a blu-ray is available from both Universal and a Shout! Factory Collector's Edition. Prince of Darkness is currently streaming on PeacockTV and is available on blu-ray and 4k UHD/BD from Shout! Factory. In the Mouth of Madness is currently available to rent VOD and on a blu-ray Collector's Edition from (you guessed it) Shout! Factory.

We finally (finally!) have a good cinema version of Dune! Frank Herbert's 1965 novel has been the beneficiary — often “of a doubt” — of many film adaptation attempts over the years, all trying to nail its details and maximalist world-building, only to be left with the accusation of being “unfilmable.” But was this complex narrative always destined to be this way? Ted Haycraft is back for this episode to examine Dune's many big-screen attempts and iterations over the years. We discuss:- What an Arthur P. Jacobs produced, David Lean version would have looked like;- how Alejandro Jodorowsky's infamously epic pre-production, made famous by the Jordorosky's Dune documentary, would've led to the greatest incomprehensible, 16-hour Holy Mountain spiritual sequel;- and what Ridley Scott's abandoned late-'70s streamlined, Rudy Wulitzer-scripted version might have accomplished.Also:- Why did visionary filmmaker David Lynch end up being a material mismatch for such an imaginative, world-bending narrative;- what does the 2000 SyFy Channel Mini-Series nail in terms of narrative with its budgetary sacrifice of scope?;- and why is the recent theatrical Villenueve Part One the most promising explanation of not only previous influence — Star Wars, Neuromancer — but, also, of Herbert's galaxy-wide political and power explanation?The documentary Jodorowsky's Dune is available on DVD/Blu-ray and digital. David Lynch's 1984 Dune is available to stream on HBO Max, and also on DVD/Blu-ray; its “Alan Smithee”-authored “Extended Edition” is available on DVD/Blu-ray and digital; its “Alternate Extended Redux” fan edit is available on YouTube. The 2000 SyFy mini-series Frank Herbert's Dune is available only on DVD, though bootlegs pop up on YouTube. Denis Villeneuve's Dune (Part One) is currently in theaters and streaming on HBO Max through November 21.

Our second Ridley Scott episode! With his newest theatrical film, The Last Duel (at least, for two more months, until House of Gucci), already coming and going from theaters despite solid reviews, it became notable that Scott's first feature film also has “duel” in the title — The Duellists. Ted Haycraft joins this episode to talk Scott's forgotten films, both his recent outing with a Affleck/Damon (and Nicole Holofcener!) script, and his pre-Alien debut. We discuss:- why even the most dedicated cinephiles, from Ted to Edgar Wright, have blindspots of movies they haven't seen;- the tired narrative of adult movies being too smart for audiences and thusly doomed to failure;- The Last Duel's Rashomon-structure;- and when Scott's output pace went from visionary, to intermittently forgettable, and back to the occasionally brilliant, such as with The Last Duel.Also:- Scott's pre-feature experience in commercials;- why The Duellists's reliance on Kubrick's Barry Lyndon makes it Scott's only derivative film;- how many major directors' debut films did Harvey Keitel star in;- and why Scott's output pace obscures how his lesser films would be other directors' masterpieces.Though its most recent Blu-ray is out of print, The Duellists is available on VOD and other services, like Kanopy. The Last Duel is still in theaters.

After several delays, the newest James Bond film, No Time to Die, Daniel Craig's final outing, was finally released. It's gotten solid reviews, an emotional reaction (from, at least, us), and the most amount of references to what has become considered in the last few years the finest Bond outing: On Her Majesty's Secret Service. On this episode, Bond fanatic Ted Haycraft joins to talk his favorite franchise and both of these outings from it. We discuss:- when exactly did OHMSS go from punching bag to become cinephiles's favorite Bond;- George Lazenby's hated and beloved legacy;- and Steven Soderbergh's essay on the film, declaring that the film “took all the ideas of the French [N]ew [W]ave and blended them with Eisenstein in a Cuisinart to create a grammar that still tops today's how fast can you cut aesthetic.”Also:- the serialization nature of Craig's Bond films;- their relationship to the tight(er) continuity of Ian Fleming's original novels;- and if this, along with No Time to Die, are the most “emotional” entires in the series.On Her Majesty Secret Service is currently available on Pluto.tv, VOD and Blu-ray. No Time to Die is currently in theaters.

During the pandemic, most of us wanted comfort content to get us to sleep. But did we err too far away from fulfilling art, and towards escapism? On this episode Terra Fernandez and I debate a now-36-year-old book that seems to have gained — or maintained — relevance recently in the world of social media, using a debate between George Orwell (and his 1984) and Aldous Huxley (and his Brave New World) as the modern precipitator to the media environment we currently face. We discuss:- the reputation of this book, from media luminaries like Tristan Harris recommending its critique;- alternate theories of TV influence, from gatekeepers to “the cone of silence”;- Terra's experience working in advertising, on TV, online, and with branded content.Also:- how quaint the book's polemic is against Reagan post-Trump;- how dated the book's TV polemic has become, with its viewership going down;- but how prescient the book's polemic has been when applied to the internet.Terra Fernandez is a director of content partnerships in advertising. While this photo of her is indicative of her skeptical thoughts on the book, it was also, in the moment, an impression of me.Amusing Ourselves to Death is available in multiple editions, including its 20th anniversary edition, online and at brick and mortar bookstores.

Working from home, Jamie Kirkpatrick edited a solid, tight Western script that was proposed to him as “a Wal-Mart movie,” only to realize from the dailies that it was actually turning into a great movie. Months later, after successful reviews from the Venice Film Festival, writer-director Potsy Ponciroli's Western is in theaters and one of the year's best movies. In particular, one of the influences for the movie discussed between editor and director was Kevin Costner's underrated, last directorial outing, Open Range, and in particular its messy gunfight finale. On this episode, joined by Ted Haycraft, we discuss:- The wide list of Westerns Kirkpatrick studied while editing, from Blazing Saddles to Pale Rider;- two editors shop talk, particularly about editing a film remotely frame-by-frame on software that lags significantly;- then they talk shop more, particularly about Kirkpatrick's short editing schedule for Old Henry;- and then, somehow, they talk more editorial shop.Also:- Kevin Costner's tiny directorial trilogy of lengthy, cinematically-informed films, which talk back to film history;- why certain perfectly-great film's Oscar success hurts them in posterity, when they won over other beloved films (Dances With Wolves v. GoodFellas);- how many bullets are actually in a movie six-shooter, at least from an editor's standpoint;- and also: more editors' shop talk.Jamie Kirkpatrick is a New York-based editor and filmmaker. His feature editing credits include Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Ed Burns' The Groomsmen, My Friend Dahmer, We Summon the Darkness, and Critical Thinking.Open Range is available digitally to rent or buy.Old Henry is currently playing in select theaters.

During the pandemic, Austin-based prop master and art director Scott A. Reeder started messing around on TikTok, combining short but entertaining behind-the-scenes tidbits — alongside dad jokes. One-point-five million followers later, this work-based lark has turned into a phenomenon. On this episode, I'm joined by Jacob Gay, a former Evansville native who works with Scott on the CW's current Walker reboot. The three of us discuss:- How his daughter prompted Scott, who'd always been shy about telling jokes, to make his first post;-Scott's work on both generations of TV's Walker;- and how his brilliant paper/rock/scissors Good, the Bad, and the Ugly parody was overshadowed by a breakthrough walking-home-from-the-bar joke.Also:- How Reeder translated his professional craftsman expertise into a social network following;- why social networks are becoming promotional to working, below the line crew members;- and the nuts and bolts of monetizing a social media from a side-gig into a main income stream.Scott A. Reeder is a prop master and art director who's worked in TV and film (Machete, the Friday the 13th remake, Grindhouse, The Leftovers, Friday Night Lights, Panic, and Walker: Texas Ranger), including his work as co-writer/director (Boondoggle). His TIkTok, YouTube, Instagram, and various social media accounts can be found through his Linktr.ee.Jacob Gay is a production specialist working in the Austin, TX film and television community. Originally from Evansville, IN, he loves comedies, playing the mandolin and watching basketball (go Pacers!). And podcasts, too, obviously.

Del Close was an early member of the Compass Player (later Second City), an early proponent of “Yes, and” improv method, the “Harold” longform improv format, and an unironic “guru” of almost every major comedy player who came out of Chicago into Saturday Night Live into your favorite comedies of the last 40 years. Yet, why isn't he known to many, or all, and why do those who did knew him personally describe him as a “madman”? On this episode is Heather Ross, director and co-writer of the new Close documentary For Madmen Only, along with her co-producer and -editor George Mandl, and former Chicago improv student Dustin Levell. We discuss: - How Ross's doc work with women in Chicago kept her hearing stories about this “Close guy with a needle hanging out of his arm” who trained all her favorite comedians; - the closest Close had to an autobiography, the late-'80s pre-Vertigo comic Wasteland, and how its visual narrative contributed to the doc; - his degree of shock-seeking and self-mythologizing; - and why Chicago improvers from Mike Myers to Bill Murray have wanted to make a biopic out of Close's life; Also: - The difference between the ‘60s San Franciscan Harold versus the “Teaching” Harold; - the influence of the book Close's tri-authored book "Truth in Comedy" and its profound wisdom, both personally and artistically; - the ambivalent nature of being a great “guru” and having one's students surpass in levels of fame; - and why the 4-20% of genuine good improv is ephemerally like the being around your funniest friends at the lunch table in high school — you had to be there, and it can never be recreated. Heather Ross is an Emmy-Ward winning documentarian for her film "Girls on the the Wall," along with producing on the genealogy series "Who Do You Think You Are." She also directed several shorts in the “It Gets Better” series of advocacy films. George Mandl is a film editor based out of Los Angeles. He and his work can be found at his website. https://www.georgemandl.com Dustin Levell is a Chicago-based comedy writer, performer, and stage director who trained at Second City and Improv Olympic. "For Madmen Only: The Stories of Del Close" is currently available to rent or buy on VOD. And, also, on Kanopy. https://www.kanopy.com/product/madmen-only

Every child who was raised post the invention of VCR, post-DVD, post-streaming, developed the same habit, one encouraged by (a) tired and beleaguered parent(s): watching the same dumb, terrible movie, hundreds of times, over, and over, and over. For me and my brother, the movie my parents taped off HBO and left for us, one I count having watch maybe over 100 times before I was 10 years old, was Police Academy 4 (other candidates included Police Academy 3, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles I and II, and Return of the Jedi). On this episode, I'm joined by my brother, Chris Hazen, as we discuss:- this sequel to our 50th, drunken episode;- how absolutely, truly dumb this Police Academy sequel is, in terms of its reliance on skateboarding; ninjas; '80s stereotypes on gay bars and voodoo;- its before-their-day stars, in their roles (Sharon Stone, David Spade);- and the obnoxiously familiar ways we love this movie as brothers.Also:- What VHSes we had access to from our father's cabinet collection;- the power of a movie's 3rd act on a child who's only seen a few plots/movies;- the grab-bag logic of connecting this sequel to a highly successful, yearly series;- and why we, as brothers, diverted our identical movie tastes after we hit puberty.Chris Hazen lives in Newburgh, Indiana.

The kindest, humblest, most talented, best-combo film editor I've ever worked with was Mark Yoshikawa. From his humble beginnings assistant-editing for Richard Chew (Star Wars, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), to his rise through the ranks to co-picture editor for Terrence Malick (The New World, Knight of Cups), Yoshikawa's ascendancy was always measured and earned, learning through the process as he made his way to large studio blockbusters. On this episode, we talk half Mark's career, half one of his formative films, Hirokazu Kore-eda's After Life, and Kore-eda's career. And:- Mark's most recent work, Reminiscence, how it called on skills he loved such. as non-linearity, that he developed for Lisa Joy on HBO's Westworld;- how that AE ascendancy, from That Thing you Do! to Best In Show taught him the skills to “run the room” and be a calming presence in multiple editing rooms;- and why his work knowing the footage on Malick's The New World led to a picture editor promotion.Also:- Mark's formative viewing of After Life at a Los Angeles Little Tokyo festival screening;- that docu-sensibility of “movies as memory” application of both After Life and Reminiscence, and cinema as a memory as a “story that you tell yourself”;- and the true work of We-Wei and “avoiding the filmmaker's hand” in regards to finding pristine performers's genuine behavior.Mark Yoshikawa is a film editor best known for his work on The Tree of Life, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2, HBO's Westworld and the pilot to Succession. His most recently work, Reminiscence, starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson, is available in theaters and on HBO Max.Hirokazu Kore-eda's After Life is available on VOD and on physical media from Criterion.

The last pick in this series of TV G.O.A.T.s is mine and an obvious, modern one: HBO's The Wire. On this episode, joined by Ted Heycraft, we discuss:- Why a friend's recommendation of many hours of content, even why the say it a show is “the greatest,” might lead towards a long time before following up;- how the literary social novel survive into the genre of Peak TV, in which a story might take a long, boring time, to setup its reveals?;- when the payoffs start happening, how this seems like some of the most sophisticated filmed entertainment ever when it comes to cause and effect.- and how a pristinely plotted show could still do throwaway actions such as putting a reference line from Peckinpah's The Wild Bunch into ever episode of its second season.Also:- Why everyone's favorite “definitive” character from the show has their fate end in a Jesse James / Robert Ford fashion;- why the show's real definitive character, beyond the city of Baltimore itself, may have their big moment in a monologue in the show's penultimate episode;- how this murder's row of novelists filled into a writers-room leads to the first three seasons “being better than the first two Godfathers”;- the beauty of each season withholding music until its final 20 minute montage;- and if this show's legacy of delegitimizing the War on Drugs is still enough.The Wire is available from HBO, currently streaming on their MAX service, and also on Blu-ray.

Before Peak TV, what was considered the television medium's G.O.A.T.? One prominent candidate among TV critics for many years was another British import, this 1986 mini-series from the famed playwright/novelist/screenwriter Dennis Potter. On this episode, joined by Ted Heycraft, we discuss:- Why this TV mini-series works as a deep, literary genre-hybrid;- how that hybrid incorporates with Potter's distinct, self-proclaimed genre of the lipsync-musical (with examples likes Pennies from Heaven);- its relation to the American Singing Detective feature, directed by Keith Gordon.Also:- The three-level fever-dream aspect of blending detective fiction, hospital disease-feature, and autobiographical skin-disease time;- how long — and cinematically — it takes to reveal the biographical details;- why this show, previously a critical favorite, has been forgotten;- and why it ends with such a deceptively happy ending, and whether it deserves it?The Singing Detective TV series is not streaming anywhere, not even at the BBC. It is available on DVD.

Before the advent of the current Peak TV era, television has seen its reputation burnished from the low idiot box cool medium to the novelistic adult venue for sophistication that, in especially the last few years, has been collectively stealing talent from and kicking the ass of its audio/visual counterpart, cinema. How did we get to Peak TV? What were the isolated beacons of quality before the era? In this first of a three-part and — as all G.O.A.T. naturally conversations go — highly subjective series, Ted Haycraft is back to show off his pick: 1967's Kafka-esque, surreal SF spy allegory(?), The Prisoner. On this episode, we discuss:- Why its star, (mostly) pseudonym'd writer, producer, and director Patrick McGoohan became a creative force on this show;- then never replicated its creativity or success again;- if this is the birth of the mythology, Reddit show, a la Twin Peaks or Lost, that's ripe for endless speculation of its deliberate mysteries; - and… fucking Rover, man…!Also:- Why it didn't seem so obvious then that actually putting an end to a story on a television series would be so impactful;- why it actually feels modern by spinning its wheels during the middle part of its episode run;- how absolutely bonkers and bold that finale still is, much less was when it aired;- and how it formatively impacted people from then-13-year-old Alan Moore to -9-year-old Ted.The Prisoner is currently streaming on IMDb TV and Tubi, and also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

With the existential change to theatrical filmgoing after last year, many filmmakers are doing their own existential rethinks of why they do what they do. In a wide-ranging conversation, writer/director Julio Quintana is on this episode to discuss one of the more popular trilogy of non-fiction books of the last few years: Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, Homo Deus: A Brief History of the Future, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and the philosopher/historian's theories on why humans tell stories. On this episode, we discuss:- (spoiler: why storytelling might, potentially, be the organizing principle of all human civilization);- mimicry and worship in terms of the inspiration of art;- how human brains think in terms of narrative, consecutive images/sounds, and disparate events;- and Quintana's origins coming at filmmaking from both his father's engineering background and, academically, religious studies.Also:- How narratives sustain institutions around nations, religions, and corporations;- why Quintana felt his first film was a narrative worth dying for and passing on;- the sacrifices he made for audience narratives on his most recent film;- and how money and currency correlates to society's idea of value or purpose?Yuval Noah Harari's books include Sapiens (which has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide), Homo Deus, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, and his most recent, the graphic novel Sapiens: A Graphic History. His books and more can be found on his website.Julio Quintana recently co-wrote and directed Netflix's Blue Miracle, which stars Dennis Quaid, Jimmy Gonzalez, and debuted in its Top 10. He also wrote and directed 2017's The Vessel, starring Martin Sheen, currently available on VOD.

After a teenage publishing career of film fandom and criticism, Sam Irvin's first professional job came on the set of Brian De Palma's The Fury. Quickly, and for the next few years, he would become De Palma's assistant and a jack of all trades on movies from Fury to Dressed to Kill, before starting his own directing career and eventually coming back to film writing. On today's episode, joined once again by Ted Haycraft, we discuss:- Irvin's early career writing about Hammer films and interviewing actors like Vincent Price and Emma Peel;- his first contact with De Palma, then casting Carrie alongside George Lucas (who was then casting Star Wars) by inviting him to a film festival at his college;- and how that led to Irvin braving a phone call asking to work on The Fury.Also:- Interacting with the established crew for The Fury's Chicago crew;- why it's difficult to see the first film one worked on objectively;- his work with a young filmmakers Mark Romanek and Keith Gordon on Fury, Home Movies, and Dressed to Kill;- how Irvin progressed this to his first short and feature films.Sam Irvin is a veteran director, producer and screenwriter for movies and television who began his career as the assistant to Brian De Palma. His directing credits include Guilty as Charged (Rod Steiger, Lauren Hutton, and Heather Graham), Out There (Bill Campbell and Billy Bob Thornton), Elvira's Haunted Hills (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), and Fat Rose and Squeaky (Louise Fletcher and Cicely Tyson). Irvin also co-executive produced Bill Condon's Academy Award-winning motion picture, Gods and Monsters, and wrote the book, Kay Thompson: From Funny Face to Eloise. Irvin also teaches graduate courses on directing at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic arts and resides in Los Angeles.The Fury is currently streaming on Starz and available on VOD and Blu-ray.

Director Jonathan Demme had the reputation as one of the most humanist filmmakers — meaning his films had the ethos of “no one is evil” and everyone had their reasons. In that regard, Rachel Getting Married might have been his masterpiece of this ethos. On today's episode, I'm joined by the film's editor, Tim Squyres, in an episode that double as both a career retrospective and a deep-dive into the film. We talk:- his second feature as editor being Ang Lee's first as feature director;- how he's since edited every Lee film except one;- the sequential art origins behind Lee's Hulk film adaptation;- the tech specs and future of High Frame Rates. Also:- why the freeform shooting of Rachel led to many technical challenges;- why Demme, like Lee, never gave him notes during shooting;- his other work with Demme, an adaptation of Ibsen's A Master Builder;- and how close Squyres came to editing Demme's final film, Ricki and the Flash.Tim Squyres is a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Editing (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Life of Pi). Along with a career-spanning collaboration with director Ang Lee, he's also edited for Jonathan Demme, Robert Altman, Akiva Goldsman, Angelina Jolie, and Stephen Gaghan. He lives in Maplewood, New Jersey.Rachel Getting Married is available on VOD, digital, and Blu-ray from Sony Pictures.

Quentin Tarantino's ethos was once described, efficiently, by the online writer Film Crit Hulk thusly: “Never hate a movie.” That ethos never had a better distillation than the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood except for one joyous example — its novelization. On this episode I'm joined again by Tyler Coates and Ted Haycraft to discuss the expansion of the beloved movie. We talk:- the “literary” value of Tarantino's prose;- how Tarantino mixes film criticism with that prose;- which character benefits most from the novel's expansion of the film;- and why part the value of Tarantino releasing something new is his promotional circuit interviews.Also:- The reputation the 2019 film has developed two years out;- the (innocuous?) oddity of there being no people of color in the movie;- how the movie will likely age if its historical context is forgotten;- and the fates of the characters after the end credits and last page.Tyler Coates is currently an editor for the Hollywood Reporter. Past work has appeared in The Awl, Brooklyn Magazine, Esquire, GOOD, Gothamist, Nylon, Out, Town & Country, and the Village Voice. His work can also be found out at his website.The paperback novel of Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is currently available from Harper Collins.

With Charles Grodin's passing two weeks ago, an appreciation of his under-appreciated career can't neglect what is most inarguable his finest cinematic (two-)hour(s): Martin Brest's 1988 buddy comedy co-starring Grodin and Robert De Niro, in his first studio starring comedy role. Ted Haycraft and I are joined by the film's editor Billy Weber on this episode, which triples as not only an appreciation of the film, but also the careers of director Brest and Weber's. We discuss:- what childhood movie inspired Billy's only directed feature;- how his circuitous path through older editor's union rules led him to watching The Exorcist 150 times;- why helping a then-film student Brest while working in Taxi Driver's editing room didn't necessarily lead to future work;- but being rejected by a director for not having “box-office success” opened up his schedule to edit Beverly Hills Cop for Brest.Also:- why the film's centerpiece scene is the reunion might be the key to the genre “gumbo” that makes the film so rewatchable;- how Billy's interest in improv acting helped him blur the line between editing naturalistic and star-making performances;- the version of Brest's Gigli that was a good film before studio reshoots; - and how stupid it is that that film's questionable reputation has left Brest where “no one will take his calls.” This one's full of some great stories.Billy Weber is a two-time Oscar nominee entering his sixth decade editing features. He's worked on multiple films for such directors as Terrence Malick, Martin Brest, Walter Hill, Tony Scott, and Warren Beatty. His credits include, among others: Badlands, Days of Heaven, The Warriors, Beverly Hills Cop I and II, Top Gun, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, The Thin Red Line, Bulworth, Rules Don't Apply, and The Predator.Midnight Run is streaming on HBO Max and available on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory.

As an editor and a drummer, I've been banging the drum — literally in many instances — about the connection between the two. Director/drummer combos range from Stanley Kubrick to Bob Fosse to Damien Chazelle. On today's episode I'm joined by Heath Metzger, drummer for the beloved Evansville/Newburgh band Mock Orange, who edits some of the band's projects, and Christopher Roldan, an editor who used to drum for the Himalayans, which featured a pre-Counting Crows Adam Duritz. On this episode, we discuss:- Why drumming concepts like rhythm, release, syncopation, and sustains overlap in film editing;- Metzger's ever-expanding “hobby” of editing the band's projects being informed by his drumming;- how Roldan overcame a youthful need to be “perfect” to come back to playing drums in recent years;- and how an interest in guitar players and melody really opens things up when figuring out more colorful rhythms and beats. Also:- Why Chris thinks this topic is obvious- (spoiler: he's worked on projects where every editor is also a drummer);- if editing is has more in common with live music or studio playing;- similarities in pacing setlists, album tracklists, and feature films;- and how Mock Orange's new guitar player, also a well-respected local drummer himself, is changing live playing for Heath.Heath Metzger is drummer for Mock Orange and had a hand in editing their newest concert special, the “Virtual Intertainment Computer Special.” Tickets for the event are currently on sale and the special will be available VOD for 24 hours starting May 25. You can find out more about Mock Orange at their website, where their latest releases, The Record Play 20th Anniversary Reissue and The Bridge EP, are available. Chris Roldan has edited on narrative films for directors Richard Linklater and Terrence Malick, documentaries (A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story, Abortion: Stories Women Tell), along with television shows for HBO, Facebook, Jerry Bruckheimer Television, TNT, Oxygen, TLC and the Discovery Channel. He is also an editing instructor at the University of Texas and was voted one of its top ten professors in 2015. You can find out more at Roldan's website.

The podcast's first Pulitzer Prize-winning guest! (/brag), author Glenn Frankel joins me (and, once again, Ted Haycraft) to discuss his new book, the third and final of his trilogy of cowboy movies and the historical era from which they emerged — 1969's Best Picture Oscar winner and its only X-rated one, Midnight Cowboy. On this episode, we talk:- why Frankel was drawn to the movie as a way to write about the homophobia and New York City of the era;- how his book works as one of the first biographies of Cowboy novelist James Leo Herlihy (and a touching one as well);- the nuts and bolts of researching and writing a book like this;- and Frankel's remarkably concise, compartmentalized, yet encyclopedic style of writing the biography of a film's creation, life, and legacy.Also:- the intensity and serendipity of the chemistry between Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman;- the story of why United Artist's head Arthur Krim actually secretly rejected Cowboy's initial R-rating;- why director John Schlesinger deserves to be considered in the pantheon of Bogdanovich, Coppola, or Scorsese;- and why, despite its Best Picture Oscar, why Midnight Cowboy is to this day an underrated film.Glenn Frankel is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of two other books on film and the eras in which they were made: The Searchers: The Making of an American Legend and High Noon: The Hollywood Blacklist and the Making of an American Classic. A former Washington Post reporter and bureau chief in London, South Africa, and Jerusalem, his other books include Beyond the Promised Land: Jews and Arabs on the Hard Road to a New Israel and Rivonia's Children: Three Families and the Cost of Conscience in White South Africa. You can find out more at his website.Ted Haycraft is film critic for Evansville's WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.Shooting Midnight Cowboy is published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, and is available online or at brick-and-mortar bookstores. Midnight Cowboy the film is currently streaming on Cinemax, available on VOD, and on DVD and Blu-ray from Criterion.

The one entry in Michael Mann's filmography that the director rarely speaks about is his second theatrical feature and his one foray into fantasy, an unfortunate experience both with its production and post-production. On this episode, I'm joined by Ted Haycraft and Lani Gonzalez as we discuss:- why a movie can't necessarily be categorized as a “mess” when the studio cuts its director's cut by over half its length;- how, maybe, Mann “bit off more than he can chew” from a production standpoint;- Tangerine Dream's amazing ethereal proto-'80s synth score;- why Mann's filmmaking is so expressionistically visual or existential brilliant to some;- and why it's so humorless, turgid, or joylessly masculine to others.Also:- How this movie mixes so many genuinely impressive FX shots with cheesy, incomplete ones;- all the mythological early acting of now-seminal actors like Gabriel Byrne and Ian McKellen;- a deep dive into the number of times Mann has recut his films;- and a deep dive into the number of times there has(n't) been scripted humor or lightness in a Mann film.Ted Haycraft is film critic for Evansville's WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.Lani Gonzalez writes about film for both Book and Film Globe and, alongside her husband (and former guest-host) AJ, their blog Cinema Then and Now.The Keep is available on VOD to rent and is also available on DVD in Australia.

Deliverance author James Dickey's final novel, an intense and primal WWII story about a crashed Air Force gunner trying to make his way through the Tokyo firebombing north to Alaska, was published in 1993 and promptly given to top shelf screenplay attempts at this nearly dialogue-free story. The first was in 1996 by David and Janet Peoples, fresh off the critical and commercial hit 12 Monkeys, with David himself having solo won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar (Unforgiven) the year of the novel's publication. The second was in a soon-to-be legendary adaptation from 1998 by the Coen Brothers, set to star Brad Pitt, follow up The Big Lebowski, and be their (then) most expensive film. On this episode, I'm joined again by writer/director Tyler Savage, as we discuss:- the legendary status of the Coen Brothers' version for its dialogue-free silence;- how the Peoples' version accomplishes the same non-verbal silent cinema;- the Peoples' uses of the intrinsically cinematic storytelling technique of the reversal;- if either team felt trapped by their past of writing overt violence;- how many of the elements of this elemental, task-oriented novel ended up in the Coens' other literary adaptation, Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men.- and if this movie will ever be made.Also:- the difference between how an accomplished screenwriter (team) who won't direct writes versus- how a writer/director team who might eventually direct writes;- how to write visuals for a visual medium where the blueprints are in textblocks;- if the screenplay format is really designed for making a good film or simply pleasing agents and gatekeepers;- and my problems with the format (spoiler: the “play” part of the word screenplay).Tyler Savage's second directed-feature, Stalker, which he also co-wrote, will be released by Vertical Entertainment in the United Kingdom on May 21 and in the United States on June 18. He also wrote and directed Inheritance, along with associate producer credits on Song to Song, Knight of Cups, and Voyage of Time.Both screenplay drafts are available to find with some judicious Googling. An adaptation of the book is still in development from Vertigo Entertainment. Dickey's original novel is itself still in print and available everywhere.

Two filmmakers' filmmakers, ones who both honed their craft in '60s low-budget B drive-thru movies before achieving gradual and undeniable acclaim, died this past week: Monte Hellman and Richard Rush. I'm joined by Ted Haycraft to discuss Hellman's most celebrated film and, arguably, Rush's most interesting one. On this episode we discuss:- how Two-Lane was greenlit in the wake of Easy Rider, only to be abandoned by the studio on release and for decades after;- its European vibe as a race movie where no one wants to win;- the chiseled minimalism of its screenplay by Rudy Wulitzer;- Warren Oates' rambling, engaged performance;- and Hellman's varied resume, including everything from RoboCop to Head to Reservoir Dogs to an added prologue for the network television premiere of A Fistful of Dollars in 1977.Also:- If Richard Rush invented the technique of racking focus;- how Getting Straight is depressingly still relevant today;- my seesawing views on this admittedly literate film over repeated viewings;- and whether or not the movie is speaking for itself through Harry (Elliott Gould) when he's yelling at women who talk back to him.Haycraft is film critic for Evansville's WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.Two-Lane Blacktop is not currently streaming or available on VOD. Physical media is available from Criterion.Getting Straight is available on VOD, with physical media is available from Sony.

Though born in Chicago, Budd Boetticher was adopted and raised in Evansville, making him somewhat inarguably its most notable filmmaking resident. Ted Haycraft is back and joined by writer Robert Nott, author of The Films of Budd Boetticher, to discuss the director's movies with Randolph Scott, and more:- Boetticher's influence on filmmakers Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino (who named a Kill Bill character after Budd), and Martin Scorsese (who highlighted The Tall T in his Personal Journey Through American Movies);- his high school (spoiler alert: he went to the same one as someone on this podcast);- if Boetticher was the first Western filmmaker to use terse dialogue or morally ambiguous antagonists;- and what his films presents to younger viewers now.Also:- His bullfighting exploits, performed and filmed, before and after the Ranown Cycle;- if the minimalism or violence of his Westerns is the bridging link between John Ford and Sergio Leone;- what Boetticher's career would have been like it his success had extended into the '60s or '70s;- and the mythologizing he did in the final 20 years of his life on the film festival circuit.Haycraft is film critic for Evansville's WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.Robert Nott has been a reporter for the Santa Fe New Mexican for more than fifteen years. Among his other books are The Films of Randolph Scott, He Ran All the Way: The Life of John Garfield, Last of the Cowboy Heroes: The Westerns of Randolph Scott, Joel McCrea, and Audie Murphy, and the short story collection The Squatters & Others.His book The Films of Budd Boetticher is available from McFarland & Company. A DVD boxset of the same name, containing the films The Tall T, Decision at Sundown, Buchanan Rides Alone, Ride Lonesome, and Comanche Station is available from Sony.

Famed as the movie that destroyed a studio and an Oscar-winner, writer/director Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate got its reputation replenished with a Criterion edition in 2012. But why do some sophisticated film-viewers still view it as an eye-roll-worthy indulgence? On this episode is Michael Epstein, director of the documentary Final Cut: The Making and Unmaking of Heaven's Gate, as we discuss:- United Artists' executive Steven Bach's book, Final Cut: Art, Money, and Ego in the Making of Heaven's Gate, from which Epstein adapted his doc;- if this book is the greatest making-of-a-movie book, or merely the best one written by an insider;- the bogus narrative that the movie destroyed UA;- how the book contributes to the narrative of Gate as an indulgent slog;- an alternate theory on how inflation destroyed American politics and film in the 1970s;- and why it doesn't matter how much was spent on a piece of art years, decades, or centuries ago.Also:- How Epstein's doc precipitated Gate's 2004 restoration and DVD release;- why Cimino's perfectionism, now timeless, is still treated as a negative;- whether or not the film could have survived if its “internal rhythms” were cut down;- my edible-enhanced screening last year where I declared the movie “one of the greatest movies ever made”;- what enhancement actually led to that declaration (spoiler: not the edibles);- and the identity of the mysterious “Famous Director” Bach covertly discussed replacing Cimino with if he'd gone through with firing the writer/director mid-shoot.Michael Epstein is an Academy Award-nominated filmmaker whose work has been awarded two George Foster Peabody awards, two Primetime Emmys, a Writers Guild Award, a Clio, as well as numerous other distinctions. His films include House Two, Combat Diary: The Marines in Lima Company, along with the John Lennon docs LennoNYC and John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky. He's also the writer/host of the Murder in House Two podcast.The 216-minute director's cut of Heaven's Gate is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Criterion. Its 219-minute Premiere cut is available on VOD and on DVD from MGM. The 149 theatrical cut briefly showed up on MGM's HD channel but is, apparently, only available on the Region 2 DVD. Director Steven Soderbergh's 106-minute “immoral and illegal” “Butcher's Cut” is available to stream on his website, Extension 765.

From the stages of Broadway musicals came one of the most adventurous and innovative editorial directors, and that adventurousness peaked with Bob Fosse's 1979 autobiographical film. On this episode is the esteemed editor Keith Fraase, discussing:- the 8½-inspired sub-genre of directors making autobiographical movies about them making movies;- the Fosse/Verdon mini-series;- Sam Wasson's book from which it's based;- Fosse's streak of Cabaret through Jazz as a model of the American musical maturing on film;- how the hell a Broadway choreographer learned to edit like that;- and how the answer actually makes sense.Also:- how legendary editor Alan Heim felt constrained by the shooting style;- Fosse's influence on Michael Jackson;- Keith's foundational love of the Jesus Christ Superstar film;- and how engaging in an autobiographical production doesn't quite solve ones problems in life.Keith Fraase has edited such narratives features as Knight of Cups, Song to Song, and Chappaquiddick, along with the documentaries Voyage of Time and Long Strange Trip. He lives in New York City, NY with his family.All That Jazz is not currently streaming or available to rent online, but is on DVD and Blu-ray from Criterion.

How does a movie get into Netflix's Top 10, seemingly out of nowhere — especially an indie production? On this episode writer/director Anna Elizabeth James and editor F. Brian Scofield talk their film Deadly Illusions, which recently spent almost a week as the #1 film on Netflix both domestically and internationally. (As of this writing, it's still #5 worldwide.) We discuss:- how the strong reactions of Film Twitter betray that viewers compulsively kept watching;- James's realization of needing to go “rogue” to make movies this distinct, hate-watching;- how much of the institutional and interpersonal film criticism “isn't helpful” to new voices;- and Scofield's work tying to balance a tone of real/unreal or straight/camp.Also:- how normal story structure of rising tension/climax/denouement models a male orgasm;- how Illusions' structure models a female's;- the beatifically committed performance of star Greer Grammar;- the therapeutic value of other voices in film culture;- why the Internet reacted so strongly to the film's ending;- and exclusive (BOOM!) news about the potential Deadly Illusions sequel.Along with this recent Netflix hit Anna Elizabeth James has written and directed Emma's Chance, also starring Grammar. A graduate of the University of Southern California, you can find out more about her work at her website or the website for her production company, Kiss & Tale Productions.F. Brian Scofield, also a graduate of USC, is an editor and filmmaker who's edited films for Terrence Malick, Warren Beatty, and other independent filmmakers. Along with other editing projects, he's currently working on his first feature, Be Not Afraid.Deadly Illusions is exclusively streaming on Netflix.

Another cross-over episode! I'm joined by podcaster Ryan Whitten to discuss this new/old cut of the infamous sophomore film from the the creative and once-promising Richard Kelly, a cut first shown and panned by critics at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival before being reedited into a shorter and (supposedly) more coherent domestic version that was panned by critics in 2007. On this episode we discuss:- how helpful it might be to read the volumes I-III of the film's graphic novels (with the Cannes cut comprising volumes IV-VI of the story);- if claims that the movie is still “unfinished” are an excuse or legit;- how over-explanation has helped both Southland and Donnie Darko's cult film status;- the influence of writers Thomas Pynchon, Kurt Vonnegut, or Philip K. Dick (including parallels between Southland and the novel Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said).Also:- if this is the most superior difference between released cuts since Brazil's “Love Conquers All” version;- Kelly's popular spec script Bessie about a genetically sentient cow;- apocalyptic suicidal ideation in his films;- how much WWE training went into the Rock's performance;- whether or not it's worth it to meet a difficult movie more than halfway;- and if Kelly might be back towards reclaiming that early promise as a high concept, high intellect writer/director.Ryan Whitten hosts the American Werewolf in Vancouver podcast along with co-hosting the Spicy Boyz podcast, the latter of which is currently on hiatus. He's based out of Vancouver, BC, where he produces film.The Cannes cut of Southland Tales is available on a Blu-ray from Arrow.

Four years before Pulp Fiction set off a trend of quirky, violent crime films in the '90s, writer/director George Armitage adapted the first of Charles Willeford's Hoke Moseley novels with this violent, titularly Miami-based gem starring a gorgeous and unhinged Alec Baldwin. On this episode former guests Kyle Smith and Tyler Savage discuss:- this 1990 Jonathan Demme-produced film;- its exuberant personality;- the long-lasting influence of Willeford (Tarantino initially said he was aiming for the author with Pulp Fiction);- and Armitage's career from Roger Corman, Gross Point Blank, and the chaotically studio-edited The Big Bounce.Also:- Fred Ward's late-'80s/early-'90s streak;- alternate castings over the years for Hoke Moseley;- whether Jennifer Jason Leigh is playing an under- or overage sex worker;- and the rise and fall of that '90s crime film trend.Kyle Smith is writer/director of the films Blue Highway and Turkey Bowl, which debuted at the 2011 SXSW Film Festival. Currently in development on his third feature, you can find Kyle and his film thoughts on Letterboxd.After playing the festival circuit in a pandemic-ravaged festival season, Tyler Savage's second directed-feature, Stalker, which he also co-wrote, will be released Vertical Entertainment in early 2021. Savage also wrote/directed Inheritance, along with associate producer credits on Song to Song, Knight of Cups, and Voyage of Time.Miami Blues is available on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory (though it's sold out on their website) and streaming on Amazon Prime.

The best way we thought to celebrate the great writer Mark Harris's new book Mike Nichols: A Biography, a book about the famed director filled with the instructive anecdotes he used as tools for directing actors, was to find the best examples the public has to those anecdotes in Nichols' own voice. In the DVD audio commentaries for Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate, and Catch-22, all conducted by audio commentary-innovator Steven Soderbergh, Nichols masterclasses his way through his celebrated first three films as director. On today's episode, Ted Haycraft is back to discuss:- how innovative it was for a commentary to have Nichols to discuss his perceived failures on Catch-22;- if these first three films were indeed his peak, his reputation on New York stage and on film as the “Michael Jordan” of directing actors;- how he runs a rehearsal;- and what particular directing questions and techniques he reveals in these commentaries.Also:- Last year's oral-history biography Life Isn't Everything: Mike Nichols, as Remembered by 150 of His Closest Friends by Ash Carter and Sam Kashner;- Nichols's editor Sam O'Steen's great book on editing Cut to the Chase: Forty-Five Years of Editing America's Favorite Movies;- Soderbergh's other incisive commentaries for his and others' films;- how Elizabeth Taylor inspired a scene on a toilet in Catch-22;- if The Graduate is the Citizen Kane of the American New Wave;- and where Nichols stands among that New Wave.Ted Haycraft is film critic for Evansville's WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.The Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? commentary is available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive. The Graduate commentary is available from Criterion on DVD and Blu-ray. Catch-22's commentary is available from Paramount on DVD.

Literary-cinematic powers unite! Ted Haycraft is back to talk about this 2013 film, Cormac McCarthy's follow-up to both his novel and the film of No Country for Old Man, a spec script that quickly garnered director Ridley Scott and a cadre of stars' participation — and promptly disappointed critics and audiences. On this episode we discuss:- that disappointment;- whether or not audiences were expecting No Country II;- the odd roundabout effectiveness of the film's long philosophical dialogue scenes;- Scott's speed as a shooter;- and what that speed and decisiveness has done for his recently filmography. Also:- The film's infamous centerpiece sex scene;- its portrayal of women characters as guileful or smarter than its men;- whether this is an arthouse Bond film;- McCarthy's first screenplay The Gardener's Son;- speculation on his next novel The Passenger;- its relation to his first non-fiction work;- and the origin of language and the unconscious.Ted Haycraft is film critic for WFIE-14 and co-hosts Cinema Chat on its Midday show. He can also be found on Cinema Chat's Facebook page.The Counselor is available on VOD.

Lani Gonzalez is back to discuss her favorite film star and his (un)surprisingly(?) charming 1964 film, Grant's penultimate screen appearance, also his last starring role, and the willingness for the most debonair branded film-star to finally show silver hair, beard stubble, and an untucked shirt. Also:- the juvenile delinquency of director Ralph Nelson;- Oscar-winning writer Peter Stone's varied career;- Leslie Caron;- her character's curiosity for the taste of blood;- and two recent Grant biographies, The Making of a Hollywood Legend by Mark Glancy (which Lani reviewed for Book & Film Globe) plus Scott Eyman's A Brilliant Disguise (which I kinda skimmed).And:- Lani's favorite theatrical screening of Grant's Charade;- trying to locate where the crop-duster sequence from North by Northwest would've taken place on IN-41;- roles Grant turned down throughout his 40 years of commercial success;- how his early vaudeville led him to master physical comedy;- his wives;- LSD;- and Lani's picks for Grant's best, worst, and most underrated films.Gonzalez writes about film for both Book and Film Globe and, alongside her husband (and former guest-host) AJ, their blog Cinema Then and Now.Father Goose is currently available on the Criterion Channel under the banner of “Cary Grant Comedies.” But hurry quick, as it's leaving February 28.

Anniversary episode! I get drunk with my big brother and talk about movies we liked when we were kids.

It's obviously not just the film industry that's having trouble during the pandemic; the music industry's working bands have found their main revenue stream of touring currently not an option for this last year. On this episode is Laura Colwell and Stephen Salisbury of the Austin, TX band Sun June, who, between their dreamy “regret pop” and self-directed videos, have a foot in both industries. Here we discuss:- these two Bay Area concert docs of the late '60s;- Janis Joplin and Otis Redding's iconic performances in the former;- the snuff film aspects of the latter;- the forced-mythologized bookending of both;- their cameramen directors D.A. Pennebaker and the Maysles Bros;- and other contributors such as Shelter's co-director and -editor Charlotte Zwerin.Also:- How Sun June literally started out in an editing room;- what their working band entails now with members across multiple cities;- rock critic Robert Christgau's clear-eyed essay “Anatomy of a Love Festival”;- what Albert Maysles told me when I interviewed him in 2000;- how wildly different the industry was financially between now and 1967;- and what techniques these docs can have for a modern band making their own videos and controlling their own image.Colwell, along with being lead singer and keyboard player for Sun June, works in the film industry and has edited features and docs, including Also Starring Austin, about the city's history on film. Salisbury, Sun June's guitarist, also worked in the film industry on films such as Knight of Cups, Song to Song, and the doc Becoming Leslie. He is currently in the graduate program studying microbiology at the University of North Carolina. They both also write songs for the band.Sun June's sophomore album, Somewhere, was just released via Run For Cover and Keeled Scales. You can find out more at the band's website, such as where to stream live performances and, when bands can do so again, tour dates. Checking out their videos page is also highly recommended, too.Monterey Pop and Gimme Shelter are both, respectively, streaming on HBO Max and both, respectively, physically on the Criterion Collection.