Our long national nightmare is over! Wait, no it's not. But at least here's some good news: Season 8 of ENTER THE VOID is coming! Renan and Bill are back with today's preview episode, giving you the rundown on what you need to watch to keep up with us over the next eight weeks. And a big shout-out to our fans in our Podcast Club , who picked every single one of this season's films. Here's the lineup: American Psycho (Harron, 2000) Stalker (Tarkovsky, 1979) Audition (Miike, 1999) Repo Man (Cox, 1...
Apr 04, 2018•24 min
For the final installment of the seventh season, Bill and Renan welcome back third season guest Ray Patnaude to discuss ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. Chances are good you not only have heard of it, but it's very possibly a favorite film of almost everyone you know. In this finale episode, the trio discuss how they felt about it on release and upon revisiting; the techniques director Michel Gondry and writer Charlie Kaufman deploy to make it both emotionally effective as well as dream-li...
Jan 31, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Which FUNNY GAMES is your favorite? Is it the Michael Haneke film about a bourgeois couple subjected to home invasion by a pair of sadistic killers from 1997, or the Michael Haneke film about a bourgeois couple subjected to home invasion by a pair of sadistic killers from 2007? Is either of these films your favorite telling of this particular story? In today's episode, Renan and Bill compare the two versions, try to understand what Haneke was trying to say with them, explore what is compelling a...
Jan 24, 2018•1 hr 5 min
Today we're talking about arguably 2017's most controversial film, and one of the most controversial on this podcast: Darren Aronofsky's MOTHER! (technically, mother! ) starring JLaw, JBard, Ed Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Plus, joining us to bring a skeptical point of view is Vulture's movies editor, Rachel Handler! In this episode: mother! as Biblical allegory and environmental parable; or, is the movie actually all about being a demanding artist?; the religious concept of eternal return vs....
Jan 17, 2018•1 hr 10 min
Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 WEEKEND (or WEEK-END, if you prefer) is a scathing political satire if you understand what's going on, or a long strange trip if you don't. Your hosts have been on both sides of this divide, and today they come together to talk about seeing the film as a clueless undergrad; Tarantino and Wheatley as JLG fans and other films it influenced; the automobile and capitalist society; anti-colonialist speeches with sandwiches; a digression on the legacies of Hunter S. Thompson and...
Jan 10, 2018•1 hr 5 min
To discuss Ben Wheatley's 2015 dystopian drama HIGH-RISE—based on the J.G. Ballard novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by Amy Jump, and starring Tom Hiddleston and Jeremy Irons—we welcome to the show Simon Owens, a past colleague of Bill and Renan's and a journalist based in DC. The film looks and sounds amazing, the source material is first-rate, and the acting is all around superb. So why does this movie actually make less sense than some of the crazier movies we've talked about thi...
Jan 03, 2018•1 hr
Today ENTER THE VOID considers its first (and maybe last?) Coen Brothers film, 1991's BARTON FINK, starring John Turturro and John Goodman. Examined in detail: how this movie swept Cannes and is somewhat overlooked today; what it has to say about about writers and writing; Barton Fink 's real-life influences and Hollywood wrestling pictures; its amazingly detailed Wikipedia page; and, is this a classic mind-bender of the sort this podcast is supposed to be about? Barton Fink links: Barton Fink o...
Dec 27, 2017•59 min
Nobuhiko Obayashi's 1977 HAUSU (or ハウス, or HOUSE) is possibly the most insane movie we've ever discussed on Enter The Void Podcast—and that's really saying something! This week Renan and Bill are joined by Teo Bugbee, who brought this psychedelic slapstick haunted house bubblegum horror comedy to our attention. And yet, as crazy as it is, it's also immensely enjoyable, and worthy of discussion for its distillation of childhood fears, commentary on the atom bomb, debatable feminist content, and o...
Dec 20, 2017•59 min
Alex Proyas' DARK CITY is a tough one to properly summarize. It's not just that it's part film noir, part horror and part science fiction. It's also that its critical esteem, cult status, and lasting influence have never really found a point of consensus. In this episode, Bill and Renan try to figure out how to regard the film's reputation, especially in light (so to speak) of the 2008 director's cut. Plus: if Dark City was made today, would it be a video game?; why Roger Ebert loved it so much;...
Dec 13, 2017•1 hr 12 min
Season 7 of ENTER THE VOID is nearly upon us! In today's preview episode, Renan and Bill quickly run through the list of films to be discussed over the next eight episodes, so you can watch with us and get the most out of these discussions. The films are: Dark City (Proyas, 1998) Hausu (Obayashi, 1977) Barton Fink (Coens, 1991) High-Rise (Wheatley, 2015) Weekend (Godard, 1967) mother! (Aronofsky, 2017) Funny Games (Haneke, 1997) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004) Show links: Su...
Dec 06, 2017•11 min
For the last installment of our three-part special series on TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN, we have two more interviews: Bill talks with Alex Fulton, author of a widely-read essay arguing the final two episodes are meant to be watched in sync; and Renan has a conversation with writer Alex Pappademas, formerly of Grantland, GQ, SPIN and MTV News, about the the origins of his Twin Peaks fandom, his double reaction as a fan and critic, critical response to the show, analysis of episode 8, and Fire Walk Wi...
Sep 29, 2017•1 hr 56 min
We're back with the second installment of our three-part series on TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN! In this episode, former guests Brian Gluckman ( The Congress , Oldboy ) and Mark Netter ( Videodrome , Last Year at Marienbad ) return to share their views on David Lynch's Showtime series. With Brian: the idea of television as art, whether or not there should be a season 4, and the possible influence of musicians Richard and Linda Thompson. With Mark: The Return as the summation of Lynch's career, connect...
Sep 27, 2017•56 min
Through the first 50+ episodes of its existence, ENTER THE VOID has kept its eye on the feature film. But today the show returns from its customary inter-seasonal hiatus for a very special reason: David Lynch's astonishing TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN is now over, and your hosts couldn't live with themselves if they didn't give it the consideration it deserves. In this first of three special episodes, Renan and Bill share their thoughts and feelings on the show's 18-episode run; offer their half-baked...
Sep 25, 2017•1 hr 5 min
For the final episode of season 6, Renan and Bill tackle a biggie: it's David Lynch's 2001 masterwork MULHOLLAND DR., which many view as Lynch's greatest movie, and some critics even consider the best film of the young century. In this extra-long episode, your hosts get right down to it and explain how their views on it have evolved over repeat viewings; try to explain how Diane's real world and Betty's dream world are connected; examine a few of Lynch's "10 clues" to the film; recount the film'...
Sep 06, 2017•1 hr 26 min
Starring an early career Johnny Depp with a rogue's gallery of great American and British character actors, Jim Jarmusch's 1995 DEAD MAN is one of the coolest, independentest movies around. In this episode, your hosts discuss: the widely divergent critical reactions, the similarly divisive Neil Young soundtrack, the influences of English poet William Blake and surrealist Henri Michaux, and your hosts' differing thoughts on Western films. Plus, the greatness of Tommy Boy . Film links: Dead Man on...
Aug 30, 2017•1 hr 12 min
Jim Henson and Frank Oz's 1982 film THE DARK CRYSTAL is dark, morbid, and yet still ostensibly for kids. Bill and Renan consider this movie's most terrifying elements, other beloved disturbing works intended for audiences of children, and how puppets and CGI characters can fall into the "uncanny valley." Does this movie need a Han Solo? How much can you buy a Henson puppet for? What's the deal with the upcoming Netflix series? Film links: The Dark Crystal on IMDb The Dark Crystal on Wikipedia Of...
Aug 24, 2017•57 min
As the first film of a director who only made a half-dozen films in 50 years, 1971's THX 1138 might be an obscure discovery. But as it happens, it's the directorial debut of merchandising tie-in billionaire George Lucas, and it's just weird enough to merit analysis by your loyal hosts. Today Bill and Renan ask: is THX more like Nineteen Eighty-Four or Brave New World ? is it visionary, derivative, or a combination of both? where did George Lucas find so many bald people? can we actually compare ...
Aug 16, 2017•57 min
This week your hosts consider Harmony Korine's infamous 1997 low-budget freak fest GUMMO, a hillbilly elegy of cat-killing, glue-sniffing, eyebrow-shaving and, most memorably, chair-wrestling. Loved and hated by critics, admired by one co-host as a nihilistic suburban teenager and previously avoided by the other, Korine's directorial debut is tough to get one's head around—but they try! Also addressed: Korine's career trajectory, his comic pastiche of a novel, and his legendary appearances on th...
Aug 09, 2017•51 min
Good news: this week Bill and Renan talk about Shane Carruth's 2013 transcendent sci-fi romance UPSTREAM COLOR! Bad news: now they're all out of Shane Carruth films. Famously directed, written, starring, scored and edited by Carruth himself, UC is much different than his cult debut Primer— an ETV selection in season 1—a more ethereal, impressionistic, and even mature film. Questions your hosts attempt to answer in this episode: how much does the look and feel of this film owe to Terrence Malick?...
Aug 02, 2017•1 hr 2 min
Shinya Tsukamoto's 1989 short feature TETSUO: THE IRON MAN borrows from Lynch's Eraserhead and Cronenberg's Videodrome —both films discussed in ETV's second season —and creates something entirely its own. Clocking in at a slender 67 minutes and blessedly shot in B&W to maximize gore while minimizing your hosts covering their eyes, Tetsuo is a cyberpunk-meets-splatterpunk anime come to life. Also discussed in this episode: Tsukamoto's encounters with Tarantino and Scorsese; comparisons to Evi...
Jul 26, 2017•56 min
If destruction is a form of creation, then what are we to make of the relationship between Donnie Darko (2001) and its controversial director's cut? In the first full episode of ENTER THE VOID season 6, your hosts Renan and Bill consider this box office flop and cult classic written and directed by Richard Kelly, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Jena Malone, featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, and even Seth Rogen. Topics discussed: the incredible soundtrack; the inexplicable...
Jul 19, 2017•1 hr 11 min
Like we always do about this time, it's the season 6 preview episode for ENTER THE VOID, a podcast about movies that may have nothing at all in common except completely messing with your head. Your hosts Bill and Renan are ready to tackle another 8 films, each getting a short introduction here today. But we're also doing something special: as the season gets under way, Twin Peaks: The Return is at its midpoint, so your co-hosts spend a few minutes offering their views of David Lynch's current pr...
Jul 12, 2017•29 min
The final episode of season 5 is about either the worst film David Lynch has ever made, or possibly one of his greatest—the 1992 TV-to-film crossover TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME, revealing the last seven days of Laura Palmer's troubled life, plus a lot of other strange things that don't really make sense unless, you know, they kind of do. In this episode, Renan and Bill discuss their separate paths to this film; Renan's experience of watching the complete series for the first time; Bill's long...
May 03, 2017•1 hr 24 min
From the annals of low-budget mind-trip filmmaking, today the show examines James Ward Byrkit's 2013 sci-fi drama COHERENCE. Starring a cast of unknowns, shot in a pseudo-documentary style on a very short schedule, the film is an ingenious example of economical, seat-of-your-pants filmmaking. But it's also one that divides your hosts. In this episode, Bill inexplicably compares it to the Bourne movies; Renan inexplicably compares it to The Wire ; the various fan-offered timelines are explored; t...
Apr 26, 2017•1 hr 5 min
Clearly still recording together in NYC—though they never actually say so—Bill and Renan talk EL TOPO (1970), the legendary, head-spinning "acid Western" by the irascible Alejandro Jodorowsky. The film is remarkable for many reasons: its status as the undisputed first "midnight movie", its embrace by heroes of the 70s counterculture, for being locked away for decades in a contractual dispute, and for the very very questionable (potentially criminal) circumstances regarding its production. Discus...
Apr 19, 2017•1 hr 9 min
Renan and Bill are finally back in the same room this week to discuss Lars Von Trier's 2011 science-fiction end-of-the-world-melodrama MELANCHOLIA. Their wide-ranging conversation touches on the subject of depression and the director's struggle with it; comparisons to The Tree of Life and Last Year at Marienbad ; oh, and of course Another Earth , the other movie from 2011 about a mysterious planet in Earth's orbit; Bill's rogue planet Wikipedia rabbit hole; here again is Pieter Bruegel's The Hun...
Apr 12, 2017•1 hr 16 min
ANOTHER EARTH, written and directed by Mike Cahill, written by and starring Brit Marling, and technically top-line starring William Mapother, is a 2011 sci-fi drama about bad decisions, tragic loss, difficult choices, and terrible regret. Oh, and also the appearance in the sky of, well, another Earth. In this episode, Bill and Renan talk about the limitations and innovations of low budget sci-fi, how much one can really enjoy movies about sad people, Hollywood's tendency to cast younger women an...
Apr 05, 2017•57 min
When your 1981 animated feature makes its central villain a glowing green orb called Loc-Nar that causes civilizations to rise and fall across time and space and vaporizes anyone who attempts to absorb its power... is it really fair to judge by the standards of 2017? Well, that never stopped Renan and Bill from going right ahead! In the third episode of season 5, your hosts consider the film's worldview (i.e. that of a horny teenage boy); this film's relationship to Sausage Party and The Fifth E...
Mar 29, 2017•50 min
This week your show hosts consider THE LOBSTER, a very funny and very weird 2015 black comedy directed and co-written by Yorgos Lanthimos, starring Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz. In this conversation, Bill and Renan examine the absurdist rules of the film’s future society; what the film has in common with The Sopranos , Nocturnal Animals and No Country For Old Men ; whether or not it says anything about Tinder; the uses of Colin Farrell; and which animals would your hosts want to be? Plus, Bill...
Mar 22, 2017•1 hr 2 min
For the first full episode of ETV season 5, Bill and Renan talk SOLARIS: mainly the 1972 Andrei Tarkovsky classic, but also the 2002 Steven Soderbergh remake. Although they tell the same story, they are very different films. Your hosts evaluate each film on the merits and in relation to one another, plus: their very different pacing and runtimes; how each film is dated in different ways; the pros and cons of flashbacks; which film had the better ending; the practicalities of filmmaking under Bre...
Mar 15, 2017•1 hr 4 min
