Which movie saved your life? Join film professor John Trafton and photographer Miles Fortune as they dive deep into the films that changed their lives and shaped the face of art and culture around the world.
John Trafton and Miles Fortune
John and Miles discuss why Jaws, 50 years later, is still a perfect film.
We're back with another installment of Unwatchable. Listen as the hosts assign each other a film that they think will make the other recoil in horror.
While co-host John recovers from surgery, listen to our classic episode "Unwatchable" from 2021. We'll be back in May with "Unwatchable: Part 2," where the hosts assign each other films they think the other would struggle to sit through.
In the latest episode, John and Miles pay tribute to the late Gene Hackman by discussing Clint Eastwood's noir-western Unforgiven (1992) and Hackman's noteworthy films.
John and Miles are back with a new installment in their recurring Los Angeles and Film series: Collateral (Michael Mann, 2004), starring Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. Listen as the two discuss the film and recount their favorite L.A. night driving moments.
In our latest episode, John and Miles chat about films they've seen recently, why Spielberg's The Fablemans is too safe, and the hilarious insanity that is Hundreds of Beavers (Mike Cheslik, 2022).
In this episode, John and Miles discuss their thoughts on the passing of director David Lynch, as well as the impact of the L.A. fires and finding courage in the face of troubling times.
Listen as John and Miles break down Robert Eggers's long-awaited Nosferatu remake, as well as some of their favorite vampire films of all time.
Listen as John and Miles discuss their favorite films and television series for 2024.
John and Miles reflect on films of 1999, 25 years on. What films made their top 5 list?
Listen as John and Miles discuss the aftermath of the election and Sean Baker's new film Anora, the perfect post-election film.
For our Halloween episode, we dive deep into one of John's favorite films, Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece Alien.
Special guest Shawn Baker from The Horror Vision podcast is back! In this episode, John, Miles, and Shawn share their top 5 directors that they wish would do a horror movie.
Miles and John sit down to talk politics and the upcoming election by taking the listeners on a personal journey through the films that help us make sense of it all.
John and Miles discuss Francis Ford Coppola's latest film Megalopolis. Did we enjoy it or did we head for the hills? Listen and find out. Follow up on instagram @thismoviesavedmylife
We're back! In this episode, John and Miles talk about films that they may have been wrong about after their first viewing. Which films did they grow to like? Which films did they eventually dislike?
We're off for early September, but we'll be back in two weeks with a new episode. In the meantime, enjoy our throwback episode from early 2021 on Food and Film, featuring restauranteur and chef Monica Dimas.
Took us long enough to do a Tarantino episode. It's here now. Listen as John and Miles discuss their experiences with Tarantino's films, from Reservoir Dogs to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Listen as John and Miles discuss the latest season of the Hulu series The Bear, as well as 70 mm film festivals, 90s music, and why Olivia Coleman would be fun to party with.
In our third and final episode of our 1994 retrospective, John and Miles are joined by filmmaker and podcaster Sam Coale (Back to the Frame Rate podcast and Walks of World) to discuss the action thriller Speed, starring Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock, and Dennis Hopper.
We are joined once again with special guest Shawn C. Baker from The Horror Vision podcast to continue our exploration of films from 1994. Listen as we talk about John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness, Charles Burnett's The Glass Shield, Kevin Smith's Clerks, and Danny Boyle's Shallow Grave.
The first part of our 1994 retrospective. Listen as John and Miles deep dive into Peter Jackson's "Heavenly Creatures," Tim Burton's "Ed Wood," Atom Egoyan's "Exotica," and Frank Darabont's The Shawshank Redemption.
In our latest episode, John and Miles talk about exploitation films of the 60s and 70s , and how these films have much to teach us about possible solutions to Hollywood's present-day crisis.
We're back. John became a Dad. Miles became a Godfather. So they decided to continue with the family theme and discuss Francis Ford Coppola's landmark film.
Miles and John chat about family films, focusing on Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master and Kore-eda's Shoplifters. We also chat about True Detective: Night Country, Fallen Leaves, and The Holdovers.
John returns to Seattle University for a live audience recording of This Movie Saved My Life with the Seattle University Filmmakers Club. Miles joins virtually from a snowbound Bellingham, and with their audience they talk about some of their favorite filmgoing experiences and university screenings.
John and Miles are joined by special guest musician Armen Yampolsky for a discussion on Maestro (Bradley Cooper, 2023), the real Leonard Bernstein, classical music in film, and biographical films.
John and Miles give their top 5 for 2023, plus honorable mentions.
For our holiday episode, Miles and John discuss their favorite Christmas films and the 30th anniversary of the release of Tombstone.
Miles watches The Big Lebowski for the first time. For our next installment of our L.A. on Film series, John and Miles talk about the Coen Brother's L.A. noir comedy, which celebrates its 25 year anniversary this year.
John and Miles discuss David Fincher's latest film The Killer alongside Jean-Pierre Melville's neo-noir masterpiece Le Samourai (1967)
We're back with our special guest, singer and songwriter Courtney Fortune, for another conversation about all things spooky and macabre. In this episode, we talk about Lamb (2021) and The Lighthouse (2019).
We're joined by podcaster and writer Shawn C. Baker from The Horror Vision podcast to talk about Fallen (1998) and 90s horror films.
John and Miles discuss Barbenheimer, other recent films they've seen, SAG/WGA strike, and a farewell to Jane Birkin, Angus McCloud, and Paul Reubens.
John and Miles talk about Indiana Jones, why Wes Anderson films are just ok, the WGA strike, and season 2 of The Bear.
In their new installment of "Los Angeles and Film," John and Miles talk about Nicolas Winding Refn's Neo-noir masterpiece Drive.
John and Miles do another all-night episode. Listen as they dive in to 4 surprise films.
John and Miles discuss the new HBO drama series The Last of Us. Listen as we talk about Mortal Kombat, panoramic spectacle, the show's scariest moment, and the best performances. We also have some questions for listeners who have played the video game.
Listen as John and Miles discuss what is great and not-so-great about films from the 1990s, focusing on The Fugitive (Andrew Davis, 1993) and Fallen Angels (Wong Kar Wai, 1995).
John and Miles discuss recent film releases, the Sundance Film Festival, and what makes a sympathetic villain.
In this end of the year episode, John and Miles discuss the magic of David Bowie: "Moonage Daydream" (Brett Morgan, 2022) and "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" (Nagisa Oshima, 1983)
John and Miles gush over Pearl (Ti West, 2022) and RRR (SS Rajamouli, 2022), and give a lukewarm reaction to White Lotus.
Happy Halloween from This Movie Saved My Life podcast! Listen as John and Miles are joined by Mile's sister: singer and songwriter Courtney Fortune. In this episode, the three of them discuss why they love horror films, as well as conversations about Possession (1981), Phenomena (1985), The Host (2006/2020), and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006). Additionally, John and Miles would like to draw their listener's attention to Cinematehran.nyc on social media, a world cinema organization showcasing important films from Iran. This Movie Saves My Life podcast stands in firm solidarity with the protests taking place in Iran. The world is watching.
Miles and John talk about Prey (2022) and The Revenant (2015): two masterful films about the dark side of America's colonial legacy, indigenous history, and environmental destruction. We also discuss recent films such as Pearl, Moonage Daydream, and The Good Boss.
Miles and John talk about the Hulu series The Bear, Jordan Peele's Nope, road trips through New England, Stephen King's scariest (audible.com) novel, and Emily the Criminal.
John and Miles explore the films of Sean Baker: Starlet (2012), Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017), and Red Rocket (2021), as well as Fellini's 8 1/2 and Top Gun: Maverick.
John and Miles are back to talk about how Gaspar Noe's Climax and HBO's Euphoria is the ultimate double feature pairing. They also discuss the A24 aesthetic and Danny Boyle's Hulu drama Pistol.
In our second installment of Los Angeles and Film, Miles and I discuss Michael Mann's epic L.A. crime drama Heat. Listen as we discuss L.A. geography and rank Pacino films based on the amount of yelling.
Miles and I travel to the Bainbridge Island Art Museum, where we are joined by special guest: writer and film programmer Tova Gannana. Listen as we discuss how to teach history with film, Marilyn Monroe, Will Smith, 50s melodrama, and much more!