Episodes

We land on “Apollo 11” and discuss: cinema verite vs direct cinema; power of editing; celluloid vs digital; and a plethora of more things such as this. Clip of the Day: Notes & References: Vanity Fair article & video Space.com featurette Wiki: Direct Cinema vs Cinema Verité Todd Douglas Miller detailing cameras, footage, scanning, et al – says it’s 10-perf 70mm film capturing the close-ups of the launch (not 35mm as I supposed) Article Interview with Todd Douglas Miller Pythagoras, Anaxa...

We slide into Judd Apatow’s “The 40 Year Old Virgin” and discuss: defining the romantic comedy genre; cinematography; comedy story structure; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Realize that sleeping on a futon when you’re 30 is not the worst thing. You know what’s worse, sleeping in a king bed next to a wife you’re not really in love with but for some reason you married, and you got a couple kids, and you got a job you hate. You’ll be laying there fantasizing about sleeping on a fu...

We take a swing at Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby” and discuss: cinematography; boxing as a metaphor; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Don’t count the days, make the days count.“ – Muhammad Ali Notes & References: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 73: “Million Dollar Baby” appeared first on The Pestle.

We scope out Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” and discuss: Camerawork, why so much handheld; Katniss as a character; Set design; Kuleshov effect; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.“ – George Orwell Notes & References: The Kuleshov Effect This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 72: “The Hunger Games” (2012) appeared first on The Pestle.

We explore Alex Garland’s “Annihilation” and discuss: Cinematography and composition; Story & theme, what is it really about; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.“ – C.S. Lewis This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 71: “Annihilation” appeared first on The Pestle.

We slice through Robert Rodriguez & James Cameron’s “Alita: Battle Angel” and discuss: VFX; story; what was learned from a Robert Rodriguez Q&A; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.“ – Isaac Asimov Notes & References: Robert Rodriguez discusses fixing Alita’s eyes This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 70: “Alita: Battle Angel” appeared first on The Pestle.

We party through “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” and discuss: cinematography, consistent framing, immersion; paradoxes of time & success; the theme & lesson of the historical figures; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life ...

We dance through Darren Aronofsky’s “Black Swan” and discuss: Super 16mm film, and how it affects the story; building tension and anxiety; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.“ – Pablo Picasso Notes & References: The Pestle Ep 5: Whiplash This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 68: “Black Swan” appeared first on The Pestle.

We orbit Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity” and discuss: cinematography, motivated camera moves; theme & symbolism; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the over wrought heart and bids it break.“ – William Shakespeare (Macbeth) Notes & References: The Pestle ep 3: “Warrior” No-Budget “slow motion” shot Couldn’t find the Einstein quote, perhaps I dreamt it… This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 67: Alfonso Cuarón’s “Gravity” app...

We limp through Jeunet’s “A Very Long Engagement” and discuss: color; story; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places. But those that will not break it kills. It kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. If you are none of these you can be sure it will kill you too but there will be no special hurry.“ – Ernest Hemingway Notes & References: Hemingway’s Death – It may be far more comp...

We journey into JRR Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and discuss: cinematography; adapting a novel; Wes’s favorite edit in the movie; we are joined by Joe Howes, actor, aerial drone filmmaker, VFX artist, WETA Digital programmer, and resident Lord of the Rings expert encyclopaedia; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “There is a dark side in all of us. And for us ‘bad’ people, the bad side dominates. I think there is a great sadness in villains, and I ha...

Yipikaye, melon farmers!! We slomo jump into “Die Hard” and discuss: is “Die Hard” the best action movie and the best Christmas movie of all time; story & theme; cinematography; we are joined by special guest badass WETA Digital programmer, and actor Joe Howes(!!!); and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.“ – Alan Rickman This Week’s Recommendations: The...

We fly through Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s oner “Birdman” and discuss: cinematography, mirror shots, motivated camera moves, upstage lighting; themes and story; acting; we are joined by special guest badass WETA Digital programmer, and actor Joe Howes(!!!); and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Life and death matters, yes. And the question of how to behave in this world, how to go in the face of everything. Time is short and the water is rising.“ – Raymond Carver Notes & References: VF...

We trek through the documentary “Free Solo” and discuss: Lens compression and how it affects the story; love and climbing; we interview Aicacia, a badass rock climber; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You come to a point in your life when you really don’t care what people think about you, you just care what you think about yourself.“ – Evel Knievel Notes & References: Aicacia’s Instagram – Follow her! View this post on Instagram I’ve spent the majority of my life feeling super...

We explore the Ridley Scott space film “The Martian” and discuss: performances; cinematography; story; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit as well as physically.“ – Stephen Hawking This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 61: “The Martian” appeared first on The Pestle.

We roll through Nicolas Winding Refn’s crime drama “Drive” and discuss: cinematography; colors and allegory of “Drive”; performances; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.“ – Buddha Notes & References: Don’t quit. This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 60: “Drive” (2011) appeared first on The Pestle.

We jam out with the Freddie Mercury biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” and discuss: the score; Queen; Wes goes off the grid using research instead of notes; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “When I’m dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance.“ – Freddie Mercury Notes & References: John Ottman on editing & scoring the film Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel interview How they recreated Live Aid – They rebuilt the stage on an air strip in London, and brought...

We journey into the anime film “Your Name.” and discuss: animation; story; we also interview Justin Kaufman, a concept artist with experience in animation; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.“ – Walt Disney Notes & References: Justin Kaufman’s Instagram Andrew Deitsch Podcast Interview with Raul Vega, Digital Instrument Creator for Hans Zimmer This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 58: “Your ...

We jam out to Bradley Cooper’s “A Star is Born” and discuss: cinematography; music; performances and story; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.“ – Kurt Cobain Notes & References: “A Star is Born” audio workflow This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 57: “A Star is Born” (2018) appeared first on The Pestle.

We explore Damien Chazelle’s “First Man” and discuss: camerawork and cinematography; story; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “The church says the earth is flat; but I have seen its shadow on the moon, and I have more confidence even in a shadow than in the church.” – Ferdinand Magellan Notes & References: This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 56: “First Man” appeared first on The Pestle.

We settle into the 2018 horror “Hereditary” and discuss: story, themes, and symbolism; acting, making the scene more than about words on the page; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “Parents are like shuttles on a loom. They join the threads of the past with threads of the future and leave their own bright patterns as they go.” – Mr. Rogers Notes & References: Renee Beale – Actress, acting coach, voiceover artist, badass Toni Collette – Oscar nomination in 2001 for The Sixth Sense ...

We explore the 2017 Best Picture nominee “Hidden Figures” and discuss: Why Hidden Figures is not a good movie; Wes rants about the problem with big budget black films; And other such stuff and things and stuff. “You’re not to be so blind with patriotism that you can’t face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.” – Malcolm X Notes & References: Aaron D. Alexander IMDB This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 54: “Hidden Figures” appeared first on The Pestle.

We investigate the 2015 Best Picture movie “Spotlight” and discuss: cinematography; composing a frame with a purpose; journalism stories; and much more! “For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?” – Jesus (Mark 8:36) Film Analysis: Let’s take a look at how they may intentionally compose images in Spotlight in a way that is more than just people talking, but that could lightly insert subtext about what is playing out within the scene itsel...

We walk through the horror movie “It Follows” and discuss: cinematography; creating tension through the choice of lens; the horror rules and symbolism of “It Follows”; and much more! “Ladies you sold 200 boxes of Girl Scout cookies as a kid and now you can’t sell your man on wearing a condom. Come on.” – Dr. Ruth This Week’s Recommendations: PBS Space Time! The post Ep 52: “It Follows” appeared first on The Pestle.