Looking at films that explore Soviet society and culture in the 70s through 80s allows for interesting glimpses into reactions to and critiques of changes happening through communism, perestroika and glasnost. The third film in our current series was made in 1988 and explores reactions to glasnost and changes leading up to the breakdown of the USSR. It’s not really science fiction, but is an absurdist, fantastical mystery that feels very Lynchian. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we fi...
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Season 10Ep. 31
In 2001, Nikolai Viktorov restored his father’s 1981 film Per Aspera Ad Astra for its 20th anniversary. This version has new special effects and a restored soundtrack, but Viktorov also decided to excise 25 minutes of footage from the film. Apparently, this decision was to tighten everything up a bit but also to remove some of the Soviet ideologies from the story. Whichever version of the film you watch, the ideologies seem relatively light so it seems an odd choice to remove content for a resto...
Jan 14, 2021•55 min•Season 10Ep. 30
Science fiction stories often work well as a shell in which authors and filmmakers can provide social commentary without it being obvious. In the case of Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel, based on the book by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky who also wrote the screenplay, the film uses a detective story that ends up involving aliens and androids as a way to look at the closed-off nature of life under the Soviet regime. Is it a perfect film? No, but it’s a fascinating one. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelso...
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 10Ep. 28
Initially planned as a reboot of the franchise, Lakeshore Entertainment eventually decided to make the fifth and final film in the Underworld franchise to be a continuation of Selene’s story after the end of the last film. She’s separated herself from her daughter and is still out fighting lycans. But is this a direction that makes sense as the fifth and perhaps final film in the franchise? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Underworld series with Anna Foerster’s 2016 film...
Dec 31, 2020•1 hr 28 min•Season 10Ep. 27
By the time the Underworld franchise swung around to the fourth entry, it largely had a new team behind all of it. Sure, Len Wiseman was still on as producer and story and Kate Beckinsale was still leading the charge as Selene the vampire death dealer, but they join new writers, directors, crew, and cast. So how does this new direction for the franchise hold up? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Underworld series with Måns Mårlind’s and Björn Stein’s 2012 film Underworld...
Dec 24, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 10Ep. 26
According to Len Wiseman, he and his pals had been planning an Underworld trilogy right from the start with the third film being a prequel laying out the foundations of the vampire/lycan war. If that’s the case, why does this feel so sloppy? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Underworld series with the third film, Patrick Tatopoulos’ 2012 film Underworld: Rise of the Lycans . We talk about the problems with the foundation of the rules Wiseman, Danny McBride, and Kevin Gre...
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 10Ep. 24
Shortly after the clear success of Underworld , the studio signed on for two more films to round out a trilogy. Len Wiseman and Danny McBride said they’d already planned out the concept for a trilogy, but was it more a macroscopic view? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we talk about the second film in our Underworld series, Wiseman’s 2006 film Underworld: Evolution .We talk about the many problems with the film, including those which should’ve been clear for storytellers who had planne...
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 10Ep. 23
“Whether you like it or not, you’re in the middle of a war that’s been raging the better part of a thousand years. A blood feud between vampires and lycans. Werewolves.”Moving from the art department on films like Independence Day to commercials to music videos, it makes sense that Len Wiseman brings a very specific look to his films. Pairing that look with his passion for genre movies, it seems obvious that he would be the man behind the Underworld franchise. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nels...
Dec 03, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Season 10Ep. 21
In the world of horror films, Sam Raimi carries a bit of heft so the fact that he wanted to work with Alexandre Aja and produce the film Crawl with him says a lot about the film you’re walking into. It’s a creature feature. And it’s a ton of fun. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Aquatic Killers series with Aja’s 2019 alligator-attack-during-a-class-5-hurricane movie Crawl . We talk about what makes this film work so well and what Aja and his screenwriters, Michael & ...
Nov 26, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 10Ep. 20
There have been a number of stories written about the tragedy of the whaling ship The Essex. The captain wrote about it. His first mate wrote about it. And as it turns out, one of the cabin boys wrote about it as well. The recounting by this cabin boy, Thomas Nickerson, became the primary source for Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 novel “In the Heart of the Sea,” which was the source for the 2015 film version. It’s hard to argue with many of the facts as reported in the sources because they’re genera...
Nov 19, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Season 10Ep. 19
“I know that, under the circumstances, biting my head off might seem viable, but it would cheapen you.”When the name David E. Kelley pops up, its usually in relation to one of the many incredible TV shows he created – Ally McBeal, The Practice, Doogie Howser, M.D., etc. His name rarely pops up when it comes to films. That’s why it was likely a big surprise to crowds in 1999 to see his name pop up on a creature feature. Director Steve Miner, on the other hand – also someone whose name is attached...
Nov 12, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 10Ep. 18
Peruvian filmmaker Luis Llosa had been working on some films for Roger Corman before Hollywood came calling for some larger budgeted fare. After the action thriller The Specialist with Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone, he was asked to helm a creature feature back in his home turf. This film would be an early start for Jennifer Lopez as leading lady as well as Ice Cube, who had been growing his film career over the past few years. And of course, why not throw John Voight into the mix as the bi...
Nov 05, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 10Ep. 16
"Come home, Amy. I dare you.”Shortly after making his arguably unnecessary adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, David Fincher disappeared into TV land and began focusing his attentions to the Netflix TV series House of Cards. With the show’s success and immediate second season planned, it was thrilling to see him return to movies, this time with an adaptation of the incredibly popular book “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we drop our first member...
Oct 31, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Season 10Ep. 17
Roger Corman’s always made profitable films, and sometimes that meant stealing some ideas from current releases to capitalize on the similarities. That’s certainly the case with the film he produced that ripped off Steven Spielberg’s Jaws: Joe Dante’s Piranha. Often, these films fell into legal issues, but with this film, Spielberg himself gave it his blessing and Universal stopped its injunctions. With that, we’re able to enjoy and talk about one of Dante’s early films. Join us – Pete Wright an...
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr•Season 10Ep. 15
From the time artists began creating, there were those stealing their ideas. This certainly holds true in film, where some filmmakers from around the world see one movie’s success as the opportunity to rip it off and make their own version of it. True, this often leads to litigation, but that doesn’t stop some filmmakers from trying to find ways around it anyway. After all, if it’ll make a buck, it’s worth doing, right? Steven Spielberg’s Jaws was such a success that it spawned countless rip-off...
Oct 22, 2020•59 min•Season 10Ep. 14
It should come as no surprise that while making Snowpiercer, writer/director Bong Joon-Ho came up with the idea for Parasite . They’re both films that deal with social class after all. But where Snowpiercer tells its story in a dystopian, frozen sci-fi future aboard a train perpetually traveling the world, Parasite is a story grounded in reality. Perhaps that’s the reason it found a connection with so many more people. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Foreign Language Fi...
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Season 10Ep. 13
The conversations about Roma at the time of its release and discussions about awards seemed to center on the fact that it was released on Netflix with only a limited theatrical run. People were convinced it wouldn’t have a shot for this very reason, but the quality of the film proved that even a Netflix release could be considered for Best Picture. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Foreign Language Films Nominated for Best Picture series with Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 film R...
Oct 08, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 10Ep. 12
Michael Haneke is always one to provoke with his films, but rarely do they feel so personal as his 2012 film Amour. He pulled from personal experience with the suicide of his 90-year-old aunt to write the story and then crafted a film that maintains the Haneke distance even while allowing for an emotional film. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Foreign Language Films Nominated for Best Picture series with Haneke’s 2012 film Amour. We talk about why this film works even t...
Oct 01, 2020•58 min•Season 10Ep. 11
During pre-production on Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood was doing research and became curious about who it was on the Japanese side of the Battle of Iwo Jima who was leading their troops. This interest led him down a rabbit hole of curiosities that made him want to tell that story too. When he brought this up to producer Steven Spielberg, they decided that it was interesting enough to make a second film detailing that perspective. With that, Letters From Iwo Jima was born. Join us – Pete W...
Sep 24, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Season 10Ep. 10
Ang Lee has made a career of always doing something different, so it likely came as no surprise to people after his Jane Austen adaptation, his 70s period family drama, and his western that he then moved straight into a Chinese wuxia film full of magical realism. Despite the wide variance between subjects, his passion for stories full of emotion and repression is reflected in them all in some capacity. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Foreign Language Films Nominated fo...
Sep 17, 2020•1 hr 28 min•Season 10Ep. 9
By 1998’s awards season, Miramax’s marketing machine was cranking away at its hardest, and some would argue hit a point that was offensive. In the 1999 Oscar ceremony, not only did their film Shakespeare in Love usurp the odds-on favorite of Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture as well as Gwyneth Paltrow’s Best Actress award over several other arguably stronger performances, but their film Life Is Beautiful won for Best Actor, Best Score, and Best Foreign Language Film, not to mention the fact t...
Sep 10, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Season 10Ep. 8
Massimo Troisi had a driving passion to make The Postman , so much so that he put medical care off to get it made. This lead to his death immediately after principal photography, but his passion project was able to be seen by the world. But would it have the success story it has if it wasn’t for the Miramax marketing machine? Hard to say, but we don’t think so, despite it being an absolutely adorable film. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Foreign Language Films Nominate...
Sep 03, 2020•1 hr•Season 10Ep. 7
“I can’t take it! Can’t anyone help me? I can’t take it! Help me!” Starting with an image dreamed of four women in white in a red room, Ingmar Bergman was able to build the story that became his film Cries and Whispers. The film would go on to become one of his most successful films, certainly the highest-grossing film of his released in the US. But Bergman said it’s very hard to say anything about this film, so clearly the film was enigmatic to him, and perhaps made intentionally that way as we...
Aug 27, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Season 10Ep. 6
“Here we go. It’s a murder now. They’ll be calling it a plot if this drags on.” Being from Greece but raised in France, director Costa-Gavras still felt very much connected to his home country. When the democratic politician and leftist activist Grigoris Lambrakis was assassinated in 1963 by right-wing zealots, which pushed the country into mass riots and political unrest that led to a dictatorship, Costa-Gavras was inspired to tell the story cinematically. Based on a book that was a roman à cle...
Aug 20, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 10Ep. 5
Seeing a foreign language film get nominated for Best Picture may have seemed strange for those in the Academy back in the late 30s, but after seeing Jean Renoir’s film La Grande Illusion, it may have made more sense. The film was about World War I – the Great War (if there really can be such a thing) – but was made during the rise of fascism and the rumblings of World War II. Renoir preaches a humanistic take, which one might have said was too optimistic for its time, but it certainly was affec...
Aug 13, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 10Ep. 4
"Give me a twister... make it two. Hold the flies.” Coming back just a few short years later, Ice Cube sets his third film in the Friday franchise at Christmastime. It’s a fun shift in the franchise, which also shifts locations yet again to a low-end strip mall where Craig and his cousin Day-Day work as security guards. But Cube is yet again tackling the script by himself and bringing on a first-time filmmaker to bring the film to life, this time through music video director Marcus Raboy. We had...
Aug 06, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Season 10Ep. 3
"I’m about to show you who the real puff daddy is!” When Ice Cube started up his own production company, CubeVision, it made sense to jump back to the first film that he wrote, Friday, to make a sequel. After all, most sequels are guaranteed to earn back a part of what their predecessors made. But Chris Tucker had become a born-again Christian and didn’t want to be in this type of movie anymore and DJ Pooh, his co-writer, was off directing his own first movie. That didn’t stop Cube, who pushed f...
Jul 30, 2020•56 min•Season 10Ep. 2
Ice Cube’s rap career was on fire because of the work he was doing with N.W.A., but after playing Doughboy in John Singleton’s 1991 film Boyz n the Hood , he got the acting bug and wanted to do more films. He talked to N.W.A.’s publicist Patricia Charbonnet, and the two of them came up with the idea of telling a story of life in the hood that wasn’t so dark like Singleton’s film or others like it. With that, Cube and his friend DJ Pooh set to work on the script and Charbonnet cut a deal with New...
Jul 23, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Season 10Ep. 1
Toward the end of Grant’s acting career, he had stopped playing the romantic interest, concerned how his age reflected in the on-screen relationships, particularly with younger women. After this point, he only played a romantic interest one last time, and it was opposite Audrey Hepburn in Charade. Even then, he felt so uncomfortable with it that director Stanley Donen had the script changed to allow for it to be a conversation point between their characters and to have Hepburn’s character be the...
Jun 25, 2020•1 hr 15 min•Season 9Ep. 48
"I’m an advertising man, not a red herring.” When it came time to cast the lead for his new film North by Northwest, Alfred Hitchcock found himself in a pickle. He had already discussed the film with James Stewart, the star of the film he just wrapped up – Vertigo – and Stewart wanted the role. Hitchcock had another actor he’d worked with in mind – Cary Grant. Too embarrassed to tell Stewart that, Hitchcock had to put off the filming of the movie until Stewart was locked in with his next film be...
Jun 18, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Season 9Ep. 47
