Episodes

We devour Brian Duffield’s “Whalefall” and discuss: Cinematography, visual storytelling; Story & Writing, memory lane as exposition; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.“ – Jack London Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Brian Duffield (IMDB) – “No One Will Save You”, “Spontaneous”, “Underwater”, “The Babysitter” Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Sense and Sensi...

We go a little mad over Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and discuss: Cinematography, using shadows, camera moves, visual storytelling; Story & Writing, MacGuffins, rule of resistance; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Fear isn’t so difficult to understand. After all, weren’t we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It’s just a different wo...

We level with Tom Cruise’s “Digger” and discuss: Story & Writing, satire, showing the reaction instead of the event, what makes a great monologue and a great argument on the page; Cinematography, the flat color palette and pillarbox framing, wide-angle close-ups; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it.“ – Voltaire Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! ExxonMo...

We sit (Ubu, Sit! Good dog.) through Brad Pitt’s “Heart of the Beast” and discuss: Cinematography, composing a nice image; Story & Writing, man vs nature, structure; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Learning does not make one learned: there are those who have knowledge and those who have understanding. The first requires memory and the second philosophy.“ – Alexandre Dumas, from The Count of Monte Cristo Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Heart of the Beast was fil...

We dive into Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” and discuss: Video game adaptations; Cinematography & Directing, single source lighting, building a moment; Story & Writing, choosing the right character for the story, theme?; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Look, whispered Chuck, and George lifted his eyes to heaven. (There is always a last time for everything.) Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.“ – Arthur C. Clarke Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here...

We relive Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” and discuss: Story & Writing, humor, theme; Finding a surprise supporting actor; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I used to live in a room full of mirrors; all I could see was me. I take my spirit and I crash my mirrors, now the whole world is here for me to see.“ – Jimi Hendrix Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! *Correction: Pretty sure Ramis is pronounced “RAY-miss” and not “RAY-mee” – per this CNN segment that’s how they ...

We dip into Ketchup’s “Coyote vs Acme” and discuss: Story & Writing, underdog stories, rule of threes; Based on a true story gag, favorite moments; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Turn me over, I’m done on this side!“ – Saint Lawrence, while being executed on a hot iron griddle Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! – The O.B. Evans Story – little interview I did with my grandfather – Wes – New Yorker “Coyote vs Acme” article c. 1990 – “Cliff-Hanger Justice” by Jo...

We fiddle with “The Banshees of Inisherin” and discuss: Story & Writing, clear stakes, script vs film; Performances, playing the space between the lines; Metaphors, and distracting ourselves from the inevitable; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The literal meaning of life is whatever you’re doing that prevents you from killing yourself.“ – Albert Camus Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! *Correction: story takes place in 1923 Inisheer is an island, there is no Ini...

We jackhammer Monica Barbaro’s “One Night Only” and discuss: Story & Writing, humor as a plot device, physical comedy, script vs the movie; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Nobody knows anything… Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.“ – William Goldman Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! “Double” short film from Todd & Caleb (YouTube) William G...

We ping Duncan Jones’ “Moon” and discuss: Story & Writing; Production Design; Directing; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I believe that Gandhi’s views were the most enlightened of all the political men in our time. We should strive to do things in his spirit: not to use violence in fighting for our cause, but by non-participation in anything you believe is evil.“ – Albert Einstein Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics (wiki) Cinesite’s V...

We swing through Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and discuss: Story & Writing, prologues in series, identity crisis; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience.“ – James Baldwin Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” opening – I can’t find a source of Peter Jackson choosing to not do some kind of prologue rehashing Fellowship, I don’t thi...

We call on Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” and discuss: Cinematography, composing for energy; Story & Writing, structure, setups, clear characters; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “What is perfection, anyway? It’s the death of creativity, that’s what I think, while change on the other hand, is the cornerstone of new ideas. God knows I want new ideas and new experiences.“ – Diane Keaton Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Looks like a 2-camera team (IMDB) Discovery of ...

We tour Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” and discuss: Story & Writing, Zeus’ Law; Performances, dialog; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You’ve got to put everything into the one movie and just try and make a great movie because you may not get this chance again.“ – Christopher Nolan Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Edith Hamilton’s “Mythology” (Amazon) Today’s quote’s context (hollywoodreporter.com) – comment was regarding Batman Begins and questions about if...

We party with Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides” and discuss: Story & Writing, metaphors, rule of repeats; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It’s always more intriguing to imagine what’s happening, as opposed to seeing everything, because then you can use your imagination. I always wanted to be at a distance.“ – Sofia Coppola Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Sofia Coppola didn’t have the rights to the book (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommend...

We play Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” and discuss: Story & Writing, thematic cohesion, subplots, play; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.“ – Mr. Rogers Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Flow” (IMDB) / “Toy Story 3” (IMDB) Wes Evans: Actor, Filmmaker, Director, Writer; T...

We sneak up on Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” and discuss: Cinematography, blocking cars; Story & Writing, modern vs classic cinema; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “When you’re young, you look at television and think, there’s a conspiracy. The networks have conspired to dumb us down. But when you get a little older, you realize that’s not true. The networks are in business to give people exactly what they want.“ – Steve Jobs Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watc...

We play in Kane Parson’s “Backrooms” and discuss: Production design and set decoration; Story & Writing, symbolism; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.“ – James Baldwin Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Creep trailer (YouTube) Juneteenth (wiki) The Neverending Story Trailer (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Exit 8” (IMDB) / “The Boroughs” (IMDB) The post Ep 370: “Backroom...

We capture Jon Favreau’s “The Mandalorian and Grogu” and discuss: The problem with Star Wars’ endless faceless bad guys; Story & Writing, kick the dog storytelling, cute gimmicks, what makes for a good fight scene; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Use only that which works, and take it from any place you can find it.“ – Bruce Lee Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Holochess monsters in “A New Hope” (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Und...

We thirst for Curry Barker’s “Obsession” and discuss: Cinematography, story-motivated silhouettes; Sound Effects, revealing story through sound; Story & Writing, obsessions; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.“ – W.B. Yeats Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Curry Barker “The Chair” short film (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Jacob’s Ladder” (IMDB) / “Remarkably Brig...

We uncover “The Blair Witch Project” and discuss: Story & Writing, opening, ending; Experiencing the original release; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Whatever you now find weird, ugly, uncomfortable and nasty about a new medium will surely become its signature. CD distortion, the jitteriness of digital video, the crap sound of 8-bit – all of these will be cherished and emulated as soon as they can be avoided. It’s the sound of failure: so much modern art is the sound of things go...

We coordinate with Eddie Murphy’s “Boomerang” and discuss: Directing, Wardrobe as symbolism and as character; Story & Writing, intercutting sequences; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.“ – Zora Neale Hurston Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Love & Basketball” (IMDB) / “Beef” season 2 (IMDB) The post Ep 366: “Boomerang” appeared first on ...

We unravel “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” and discuss: Cinematography, sound design, creating a horror experience; Story & Writing, opening sequence, respecting the horror audience; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I’ve always been faithful to monsters. I’ve always felt they are the patron saints of our blissful imperfection.“ – Guillermo Del Toro Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! There are well over a dozen “The Mummy” films historically (IMDB) Watch us on YouTube! A...

We serve up Zendaya’s “Challengers” and discuss: Cinematography, Editing, Music, creating energy and fun; Story & Writing, sports as a metaphor; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Luck has nothing to do with it because I have spent many, many hours, countless hours, on the court working for my one moment in time.“ – Serena Williams Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! “Challengers” Screenplay link (scriptslug.com) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Th...

We find Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” and discuss: Story & Writing, finding purpose, using your inner voice; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.“ – Ralph Waldo Emerson Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watch us on YouTube! Art Spotlight: Michael Arndt’s “Insanely Good Endings” This Week’s Recommendations: “Ma...