Episodes

We launch into Andy Weir’s “Project Hail Mary” and discuss: Story & Writing, starting with tone; How budget affects storytelling; Science and art impacting the world; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “There are no nations! There is only humanity. And if we don’t come to understand that right soon, there will be no nations, because there will be no humanity.“ – Isaac Asimov Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Correction: Scorpion is actually a German rock band! (wi...

We rescue Dustin Hoffman’s “Hero” and discuss: Cinematography, revelation shots, exposure; Story & Writing, news reporting, human nature; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.“ – Plato Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! “Network” released in 1976 (IMDB) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Dirty Pretty Things” (IMDB) / “DTF St. Louis” (IMDB) T...

We celebrate Ray Mendoza + Alex Garland’s “Warfare” and discuss: Sound design, perspective, realism vs heightened sound effects; Story & Writing, screenplay notes on flow and authenticity; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Every film about war ends up being pro-war“ – Francois Truffaut Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Just War Theory (wiki) Reza Aslan CNN interview (YouTube) – religion doesn’t promote violence or peace Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommenda...

We bet on David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” and discuss: Cinematography, effective cinematography; Story & Writing, art as therapy, having a goal, story engine, mental illness onscreen; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.“ – Ernest Hemingway Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Cave paintings 17,000-22,000 years old (wiki) Watch us on YouTube! ...

We plug into Gore Verbinski’s “Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die” and discuss: Cinematography, pacing scenes for the edit; Story & Writing, thought experiments as a basis for stories, the solution to technology; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If someone picks up a third party and throws him at you down at the bottom of a deep well…may you use your ray gun to disintegrate the falling body before it crushes and kills you?“ – Robert Nozick Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon ...

We dive into Markiplier’s “Iron Lung” and discuss: Cinematography, detail shots, coloring in post; Story & Writing, pacing, exposition; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “At the risk of saying you should make a self-indulgent film for your first movie: you should make a self-indulgent film for your first movie.“ – Mark Duplass Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! IATSE puts budget under $15M as Low Budget, and there are tiers within that TBD Post – Brandon Thomas Wa...

We hail Sam Raimi’s “Send Help” and discuss: Intro: Every movie is a universe, AI vs the cost of art and creativity 00:00-17:37; Story & Writing, loglines, horror comedy expectations, exposition; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it.“ – Marilyn Monroe Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Logline (wiki) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “How (NOT) To Write Madness | Arcane vs Game Of Thrones” (...

We sneak into Brad Pitt’s “Troy” and discuss: Cinematography, scale; Story & Writing, themes, war, love, immortality; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “All war is a symptom of man’s failure as a thinking animal.“ – John Steinbeck Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Bastiat’s “That which is seen and that which is unseen” / Broken window fallacy (not to be conflated with “broken window theory” about policing) – Bastiat.org Parable of the broken window (wiki) – illust...

We commune with Nia DaCosta’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” and discuss: Story & Writing, humanity, themes; Audio mix and the problem with jump scares; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love.“ – Carl Sagan Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! *Naomie Harris plays “Selena” in 28 Days Later 28 Years Later opening sequence (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Rare Exports: ...

We invade Ethan Hawke’s “The Purge” and discuss: Story & Writing, high concept, agitating the audience, close calls; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I don’t favor violence. If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I’m also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are black people.“ – Malcolm X Notes & References: Supports us on our Pa...

We stroll through The Duffer Brothers’ “Stranger Things” Finale and discuss: Story & Writing, finales, plot armor, traditional 5-act structure for TV, dramatic moments; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Anyone who has ever been privileged to direct a film also knows that, although it can be like trying to write ‘War and Peace’ in a bumper car in an amusement park, when you finally get it right, there are not many joys in life that can equal the feeling.“ – Stanley Kubrick Notes & Re...

We uncover David Fincher’s “Zodiac” and discuss: Cinematography, angles, handheld vs stable; Story & Writing, true crime stories, identifying with the characters; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.“ – Alfred Hitchcock Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Harris Savides camera tests / Viper camera (Reddit) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “The Perfect Neighbor” (IMDB) / “Room” (IMDB) The...

We extract Ben Affleck’s “Argo” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork; Story & Writing, mini-movie method; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “God help me if I ever do another movie with an explosion in it. If you see me in a movie where stuff is exploding you’ll know I’ve lost all my money.“ – Ben Affleck Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! MYTH Series (Goodreads) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Come and See” (IMDB) / “Dungeon Crawler Carl” (Go...

We carve up Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds” and discuss: Review at 17:00 Cinematography, camera movement, the Bob Richardson special; Story & Writing, conflict through character wants; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Joan of Arc: “You say that you are my judge; I do not know if you are; but take good heed not to judge me ill, because you would put yourself in great peril.“ – Joan of Arc Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! *United Artists (wiki) – I completely bo...

We stir Tom Cruise’s “Cocktail” and discuss: Cinematography, wide angles, edge light; Story & Writing, money, whiplash; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Remember that failure is an event, not a person“ – Zig Ziglar Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Peaky Blinders scene “What line am I supposed to have crossed?” (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Don Jon” (IMDB) / “Peaky Blinders” (IMDB) The post Ep 348: “Cocktail” appeared first on The...

We clean Natalie Portman’s “The Professional” and discuss: Cinematography, widescreen; Story & Writing, Leon, the final battle; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.“ – Confucius Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “The Town” (IMDB) / “The Beast in Me” (IMDB) The post Ep 347: “The Professional” (1994) appeared first on The Pestle.

We hunt Elle Fanning’s “Predator: Badlands” and discuss: Screenwriting, methods to start a script 0:00-18:53; Cinematography, creating a visual look; Story & Writing, revealing character through actions, theme, weapons; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Sometimes I write drunk and revise sober.“ – Peter De Vries, from “Reuben, Reuben” Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Guillermo Del Toro DGA interview (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Th...

We press “REC” and discuss: Subtitles vs dubbing; Cinematography, lighting, camerawork; Story & Writing, runtime, immersion, themes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “People say you never remember anybody who dies in movies, and it’s true, you don’t. You don’t even remember people who disappear.“ – Danny Boyle Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Guillermo Del Toro DGA interview (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Bones And All” (IMDB) / “Bo...

We shred Jeremy Saulnier’s “Green Room” and discuss: Cinematography, lighting, salt & pepper; Story & Writing, moments of tension, pockets of action, grounding us, theme; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.“ – James Baldwin Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Hearts i...

We go inside “Tron: Ares” and discuss: Story & Writing, small details, exposition, likeable characters; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.“ – Mary Shelley, from Frankenstein Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! *Correction: Mary Shelley was 18-19 years old when she wrote Frankenstein. (I conflated her wi...

We clobber Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s “The Smashing Machine” and discuss: Story & Writing, exposition, stakes, finales; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I’m always asked, ‘What’s the secret to success?’ But there are no secrets. Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.“ – Dwayne Johnson Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Kuleshov Effect (wiki) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “The 400 Blows” (IMDB) / “Monster” (IMDB) T...

We spy Pierre Jeunet’s “Amélie” and discuss: Cinematography, dramatic camerawork; Story & Writing, voiceover, themes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.“ – Mahatma Gandhi Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! The Problem with Mary’s Room – thought experiment (Wiki link) “Office Zombies” (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! Art Spotlight: “The Good Ship Lollipop” (YouTube) This Week’s Recommendations: “How to Write Science Fic...

We track down Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and discuss: Cinematography, tracking shot; Story & Writing, rats, chase sequence; Music adding tone, driving the story; Performances; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Yes, we do defend our office as we do defend our homes. This is a constitutional right everybody has, and nothing’s funny about that. The only reason they get mad at the Black Panther Party when you do it is for the simple reason that we’re political.“ – ...

We trudge through Stephen King’s “The Long Walk” and discuss: Cinematography, constantly bouncing subjects; Story & Writing, themes; Reading books; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.“ – Ray Bradbury Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Task” (IMDB) / “Foundation” (IMDB) The post Ep 339: “The Long Walk” appeared first on The Pes...