“You’ve been a very naughty girl, Turnip-Top!”The Bellas Are Back, But Should They Have Stayed Away?Making a sequel that’s more successful than its predecessor often means the studio wants to keep the ball rolling to make even more money – even when a third film isn’t needed. With the massive success of Pitch Perfect 2, they jumped at the chance to get #3 off the ground. Does it wrap things up as a trilogy? Yes. Does it do something new and level up from the previous films? To a certain extent. ...
Oct 13, 2022•1 hr 21 min•Season 12Ep. 20
“You are such a dis-a-ca-ppointment.” Back to Barden, the Bellas, the Treblemakers and more!We’re back to talk a cappella! That’s right, we return to Barden University to rejoin the Barden Bellas as they struggle to find their new sound, deal with being shut out of the ICCAs, and decide to compete at the World Finals. Producer Elizabeth Banks takes on the director’s role here with Kay Cannon back as the writer, so why does it feel so... rehashed? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we con...
Oct 06, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 12Ep. 18
“Nothing makes a woman feel more like a girl than a man who sings like a boy.” Time to warm up those vocals, Pitches.With Pete’s history in collegiate a cappella, it’s a surprise that it took us this long to get to the Pitch Perfect trilogy, but we’re finally here. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our new series with a discussion about Jason Moore’s 2012 film Pitch Perfect. How well does Pitch Perfect perfectly capture the world of collegiate a cappella competition?With Pet...
Sep 29, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Season 12Ep. 17
"Shot in the back by Buford Tannen, over a matter of eighty dollars? What kind of a future do you call that?” We Follow Marty and Doc to the Old West in Back to the Future Part IIIBack-to-back film production doesn’t occur often because it could potentially prove costly for the production company. With the success of Back to the Future, however, Universal saw it had an audience and likely could earn back the budget if they shot the second and third films back to back. So even though largely the ...
Sep 22, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 12Ep. 14
“What’s wrong, McFly? Chicken?” Joining Marty and Doc Again in Back to the Future Part IIThe sequels weren’t part of the plan when Robert Zemeckis and team made the first Back to the Future film. With its success, however, it was inevitable for Universal to want to return to the property and build a franchise. so Zemeckis and his co-writer/co-producer Bob Gale decided to make not just one sequel but two and film them back to back. Hence, this trilogy. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as w...
Sep 15, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 12Ep. 13
"Last night, Darth Vader came down from planet Vulcan and told me that if I didn't take Lorraine out, that he'd melt my brain." We Go Back to BACK TO THE FUTUREFrom the time we first saw this film, it’s safe to say that it’s been one of our favorites. It was popular at the time and has become a cornerstone in cinematic time traveling movies. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson - as we kick off our Back to the Future trilogy series with Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 classic Back to the Future. What mor...
Sep 08, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 12Ep. 12
“Nobody criticizes my food, nobody squirts condiments on my apron, and nobody bonks me on the head with a baguette!” Let’s talk about Paddington 2!Paddington 2 had become the best-reviewed film on Rotten Tomatoes, unseating Citizen Kane, until a lone critic lobbed a negative review at it, bringing it down a peg. But what does that say about this film? Is it really one of the greatest films ever made? Or does it speak more to Paddington’s ability to find the best in people and bring the best out ...
Sep 01, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Season 12Ep. 9
It’s so easy to love Paddington Producer David Heyman had been wanting to adapt the “Paddington” series of children’s books for a while, announcing his plans to produce it in 2007. It took a bit to get it where it needed to be, but with director Paul King, they managed to get the film made and released it in 2014 to much acclaim. So how does it fare overall? Does it stand up as an exemplary adaptation of children’s books? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off our Paddington seri...
Aug 25, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 12Ep. 8
We return to Return of the Jedi Three years after the success of The Empire Strikes Back, George Lucas made his conclusion to his original Star Wars trilogy – helmed by director Richard Marquand – Return of the Jedi. How does it work as the wrap-up to this trilogy? What do we think of Luke’s cool new black duds? How about Han’s somewhat neutered character? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap up our Original Star Wars Trilogy series with Marquand’s 1983 film Return of the Jedi. We ...
Aug 18, 2022•1 hr 36 min•Season 12Ep. 5
Does The Empire Strikes Back Suffer From Middle-Film-Itis? There’s a complaint about trilogies that are designed to be one long story that the middle film suffers the most because it neither feels like it has a beginning or an ending. Is that a problem with this film? What about being a sequel? Does it do more than the original did? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our series looking at the original Star Wars trilogy with Irvin Kershner’s 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. ...
Aug 11, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 12Ep. 4
“You think there’s something wrong with me or something? You think I’m wacko or something?”Talking About John Cassavetes’ 1974 film ‘A Woman Under the Influence with our guest Tami ReikerIn this episode of The Speakeasy, we’re joined by award-winning cinematographer Tami Reiker to talk about one of her favorite movies, John Cassavetes’ 1974 film A Woman Under the Influence. This is a film Tami has often shown to directors she’s worked with as they discuss the projects that influence them and wha...
Aug 09, 2022•50 min•Season 4Ep. 1
“Only Imperial Storm Troopers are so precise.” Star Wars – The Start of Something Big For our twelfth season, we’re looking at franchises and series of films that for one reason or another, we just haven’t gotten around to yet. To start things off, we look at the original Star Wars trilogy. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we start this series with George Lucas’ 1977 classic Star Wars . What hasn’t been said by this point about Star Wars ? It’s a big question – what do we talk about in...
Aug 04, 2022•1 hr 51 min•Season 12Ep. 3
Waiter, there’s a fly in my soup...We’ve been running the show for over a decade now and want to keep going. One of the things we’re doing to keep the lights on is the addition of dynamic advertising during the episodes, both past episodes and moving forward. If you’d like to keep listening but don’t want to hear the ads, you can still support the show by becoming a member .Members get early access to all new episodes. They get our monthly member bonus episodes. Members get our Flickchart Re-Ran...
Jul 16, 2022•4 min•Season 11Ep. 84
“Did the penguin tell you to do this?” Tamra Davis came on as director for Billy Madison after they’d already been filming for a few days of production as the studio felt the original director wasn’t funny enough. Davis had already met with Sandler and they connected. Plus, it helped that she found him funny. Because of this, she ended up in the director’s seat, taking over the project and delivering a film that, like it or not, has given Sandler a solid home in mid-budget comedy production. Joi...
Jul 14, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 11Ep. 83
“How could you guys eat with a dead man at the table?” With an Oscar nomination under her belt for a short film and connections to many in Hollywood, Stacy Title was in a great position to make her first feature. She and screenwriter Dan Rosen made a black comedy that tackled liberals and conservatives along with bombastic one-way thinking with their collaboration The Last Supper . Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our 90s Comedies series with Title’s 1995 film The Last Supp...
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 11Ep. 82
“So, okay, you’re probably going, ‘Is this, like, a Noxema commercial or what?’ But seriously, I actually have a very normal life for a teenage girl.” Amy Heckerling started a project about a positive high school student for TV. She wrote several iterations before it stalled out, but when she switched agents, her new agent said it was too good for TV. So she switched it to be a feature film. And with that the foundation for Clueless was born. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continu...
Jun 30, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 11Ep. 80
“I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe I’m in a graveyard with a strange man hunting for vampires on a school night.” Fran Rubel Kuzui seems like an odd choice to end up helming a vampire comedy. Her only other film was Tokyo Pop , a drama about a young American woman trying to make it in Tokyo. But she and her husband, producer Kaz Kuzui, had found the script for Buffy the Vampire Slayer written by a then unknown writer named Joss Whedon, put the financing together with Dolly Parton’s...
Jun 23, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 11Ep. 79
“You can’t just run our lives in your sick head.” It’s clear from our two films in our current series that Susanne Bier enjoys films with complex characters dealing with complex situations. Open Hearts had two families whose lives are upturned after a car accident affects both of them. In After the Wedding , it’s a revealing toast at the wedding that turns lives upside down and forces several people to reevaluate their connections to each other. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we wrap...
Jun 16, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 11Ep. 76
“I didn’t mean for this to happen.” The Dogme 95 movement started in 1995 with the first two films made under its manifesto released in 1998. By the time Susanne Bier made her film Elsker dig for evigt – or Open Hearts as it was released in English – it was the 28th film certified as a Dogme 95 film. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we look a Bier’s 2002 film Open Hearts . What does Dogme 95 bring to Open Hearts ? Because Dogme 95 is a key component of this film, how it looks, and its ...
Jun 09, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 11Ep. 75
“In chess, the small one can become the big one. That’s why I like it.” Mira Nair seemed the perfect director to bring the true story of Phiona Mutesi to the big screen. She started her career with Salaam Bombay! , looking at the lives of children growing up in Mumbai in the late 80s. She lived in Uganda where the story took place. So when she was asked to be a part of it, it was an easy ‘yes’ from her. And luckily, with her clout and background, she was able to convince the producers and Disney...
Jun 02, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 11Ep. 72
“We’re on a mission from God.” Great car chases? Check. For this month’s member bonus episode, our members voted for a return to great car chases, and of the movies on the list, The Blues Brothers shot to the top. Is it nostalgia that draws us all back to this film over and over again? The great musical performances? Is it that strong a comedy? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we return to our Great Car Chases series to discuss John Landis’ 1980 film The Blues Brothers . It’s a Member ...
May 31, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 74
“This wave breaks 24 hours a day every day.” Dogtown and Z-Boys was a successful documentary when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, and did great for itself in its theatrical release afterward. That success spurred Stacy Peralta, the director of the film and one of the Z-boy skateboarders featured in the doc, to write a fictional telling of the story to be made as a feature film. That script went through several director’s hands – David Fincher and Fred Durst, specifically – be...
May 26, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Season 11Ep. 71
“All these years, you just looked right through me.” It was after learning to box that Karyn Kusama became interested in making a film set in the world of boxing, specifically focused on a woman learning to box. After writing the script, she found it very difficult to finance. People said it wouldn’t work unless she changed the Latina protagonist to a white woman. They said having a female protagonist was “unbelievable” and “unappealing.” Even after her producers finally found the financing, the...
May 19, 2022•56 min•Season 11Ep. 69
“What I always admired was the fight in you.” Gina Prince-Bythewood looked at her first film as a When Harry Met Sally... type of story that followed a pair of young people – Monica and Quincy – as they both worked on furthering their basketball careers. The film was supported by The Sundance Institute and Spike Lee came on as an executive producer to help get it made. We’re glad everything came together for this film because it’s wonderful. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we kick off...
May 12, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Season 11Ep. 68
“I’m a golden starfish!” Olivia Wilde has long been working as an actress before stepping her foot into directing. She made a few short films and music videos, then locked her sights on the Blacklist script Booksmart by Emily Halpern & Sarah Haskins. She had screenwriter Katie Silberman rework the script (that Susanna Fogel had already changed ) into something that painted the vision she was looking for, and off she went. The film, while not a runaway success that it should’ve been, still di...
May 05, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 11Ep. 65
“I think this makes me officially an adult. Right?” Marielle Heller’s sister had gifted her the diaristic graphic novel “The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures” by Phoebe Gloeckner, and Heller instantly connected with it. She adapted it into a play and then, with Gloeckner’s blessing and film rights, into a script. With the help of The Sundance Institute, Heller built the cast and team of creatives that would help her bring her vision to life. Join us – Pete Wright and And...
Apr 28, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 11Ep. 64
“Hit me! I’m serious, I can’t feel anything. Hit me!” Catherine Hardwicke had worked as a production designer for nearly two decades, crafting the look for such diverse films as I’m Gonna Git You Sucka , Tombstone , Tank Girl , and Three Kings, before shifting her focus to directing. It’s not often the path people take, but clearly Hardwicke knew what she wanted and came at it with a unique story she co-wrote with Nikki Reed – her ‘surrogate daughter’ as she describes her – about life as young t...
Apr 21, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Season 11Ep. 62
“Cecilia was the first to go.” Sofia Coppola had made a few short films in the mid nineties, but it was reading Jeffrey Eugenides’ 1993 novel “The Virgin Suicides” that convinced her she wanted to be a director. She wrote the adaptation on spec after reading it because she saw so clearly how she wanted to tell it, and despite some challenges with the rights, got it made. Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our ‘Coming of Age Debuts’ series with Coppola’s 2000 film The Virgin S...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 16 min•Season 11Ep. 61
“Goodbye, Snowball.” With several short films under her belt, Lynne Ramsay got her first feature film made and released in 1999. The film tells the tale of a young boy growing up in a poor neighborhood during a period in Scotland when the binmen were on strike, leaving thousands of pounds of garbage lying in the streets, yards, and roads. Growing up a child in Glasgow, Scotland, in the 70s, it makes sense that Ramsay would start with what she knows. What she created was a realistic depiction of ...
Apr 07, 2022•1 hr•Season 11Ep. 60
“It’s not unusual to move every three months.” The story of Tamara Jenkins’ Slums of Beverly Hills feels very lived in with authentic characters and situations. It makes sense that there’s a semi-autobiographical element to her film. How well does it hold up over two decades after its release? Join us – Pete Wright and Andy Nelson – as we continue our Coming of Age Debuts series with Jenkins’ 1998 film Slums of Beverly Hills . What do we think of Slums of Beverly Hills ? Jenkins has only made th...
Mar 31, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 11Ep. 58
