Episodes

We dissect Bong Joon Ho’s “Mickey 17” and discuss: Story & Writing, Mickey’s metaphor, creepers; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “We don’t own the planet Earth, we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife.“ – Steve Irwin Notes & References: Arcadia (wiki) – refers to a vision of pastoralism and harmony with nature Darius Khondji essay (YouTube) Darius Khondji (IMDB) – Se7en, Delicatessen, The City of Lost Children, Midnight in Paris, Uncut Gems, Bardo Watch us on YouTube...

We bet big on Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Eleven” and discuss: Cinematography, subtlety, and bounce lighting; Story & Writing, heist rules, problems and solutions, rule of repeats; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Oh, I just wish someone would try to hurt you so I could kill them for you.“ – Frank Sinatra Notes & References: Correction: Based on BTS footage looks like the dinner table scene wasn’t a “Bob Richardson Special”, but that it was lit from the tabletop’s lantern! Somehow...

We rush towards Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and discuss: Cinematography, broad lighting and portraits; Story & Writing, layers, freezing time, power of groups, Celine’s writing process; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Women have served all these centuries as looking glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size.” – Virginia Woolf Notes & References: Celine Sciamma BAFTA writing lecture (YouTube) Jacob R...

We gather ’round Tarsem Singh’s “The Fall” and discuss: Cinematography, transitions, locations, power of choreography; Story & Writing, layers of stories, stuntmen, how we all tell our own stories; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “When we give someone our time, we actually give a portion of our life that we will never take back.“ – Alexander the Great Notes & References: Tarsem Singh was born in Jalandhar, India “The Fall” took 4 years to shoot, and shot in 28 countries (per IMDB) O...

We baptize Jennifer Lopez’s “The Cell” and discuss: Cinematography, realizing dream states; Story & Writing, metaphors, redeeming broken people; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The goal of education is not to increase the amount of knowledge but to create the possibilities for a child to invent and discover.“ – Jean Piaget Notes & References: • The opening sequence was shot in the Namibia desert. Edward’s valley with the trees is in Dead Vlei, Hardap, Namibia; the shipwreck is the...

We ingest Neil Burger’s “Limitless” and discuss: Wes discusses the color grading process on his new short film 00:00-29:00; Story & Writing, opening scenes, voiceover, structure, exposition; Cinematography, inserts as storytelling, color for storytelling, how voiceover impacts the coverage; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “What will limit us is not the possible evolution of technology, but the evolution of human purposes.“ – Stephen Wolfram Notes & References: Rihanna “Work” (YouT...

We take 30 seconds with Michael Mann’s “Heat” and discuss: Cinematography, dolly moves, unmotivated lighting; Sound, shootout realism, sound design, Moby music; Story & Writing, good guys and bad guys, runtime; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You must learn to be slow in a hurry.“ – Wyatt Earp Notes & References: Heat (wiki) – Originally scripted in 1979, and eventually adapted into a TV Pilot that was shot and rejected by NBC, but the pilot aired in 1989 as a TV Movie called “L.A....

We commission Adrien Brody’s “The Brutalist” to discuss: Cinematography, oners, breaking up the frame with style and tone; Story & Writing, immigration, symbolism; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “When you get to know a lot of people, you make a great discovery. You find that no one group has a monopoly on looks, brains, goodness or anything else. It takes all the people – black and white, Catholic, Jewish and Protestant, recent immigrants and Mayflower descendants – to make up Amer...

We bless the “City of God” and discuss: Cinematography, contrast, perspective; Story & Writing, voiceover; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Find the toughest guy in the room. Embrace him like a brother. And then slam his head against the wall.“ – Al Capone Notes & References: Chicken cam was apparently a camera mounted to a broom stick, but I cannot find the source of this info or any BTS. “Maybe Felipe confused reality with fiction, because his performance was extraordinary” (sta...

We bolt through Ron Howard’s “Rush” and discuss: Cinematography, contrast; Story & Writing, voiceover, setting up stakes, character arcs; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.“ – Mario Andretti Notes & References: Anthony Dod Mantle (iMDB) – has also shot Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later “Rush” budget was $38m Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 305: “Rush” (2013) appeared first on The Pes...

We tap Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” and discuss: Cinematography, wide framing; Story & Writing, character development, plague; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “To write something you have to risk making a fool of yourself.“ – Anne Rice Notes & References: Ignaz Semmelweis (PBS.org) – Tried to convince doctors to wash their hands to reduce childbed fever; “Dr. Semmelweis’s behavior became more and more erratic and he was finally committed to an insane asylum on July 30, 1865.” So clar...

We put Wes Anderson’s “Rushmore” front and center to discuss: Cinematography, center framing; Story & Writing, dry humor, heart; Todd recounts his experience of working as a background extra in Rushmore; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything“ – Bill Murray Notes & References: Rushmore was shot in 50 days, Royal Tenenbaums was shot in 60 days, Moonrise Kingdom in 40 days, Grand Budapest Hotel in 50 days, French Dispatch in 50 day...

We conjure both seasons of League of Legends’ “Arcane” and discuss: Story & Writing, building character, moments vs montages; Music, animation, favorite moments; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.“ – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Notes & References: Alex Seaver – the name of the musician Todd and I keep butchering “Bridging the Rift” on YouTube – Arcane’s making of documentary, it’s excellent “What could’ve been” problem solving video – Alex ...

We creep into Hugh Grant’s “Heretic” and discuss: Cinematography, shooting in small spaces, dramatic reveals; Story & Writing, self-talk as exposition, philosophical stories; Special Guest Hamish Purdy talks about working on Heretic, and set decoration; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I think that when you consider the beauty of the world and you wonder how it came to be what it is, you are naturally overwhelmed with a feeling of awe.“ – Richard Dawkins Notes & References: HamishP...

We traverse Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” and discuss: Story & Writing, comparing the original 2008 Jonathan Nolan draft vs the final co-written draft with Christopher Nolan; Special Guest Raul Vega talks scoring films, creating digital instruments for Hans Zimmer, and working on the music of Interstellar with Hans Zimmer; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “To continue to work, to continue to love what you do, is certainly a contributing element to one’s longevity and health.“ – ...

We combat Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” and discuss: Story & Writing, sequels, comparing II to the original; Cinematography, how running multiple cameras and fewer takes can impact the story; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The technology keeps moving forward, which makes it easier for the artists to tell their stories and paint the pictures they want.“ – George Lucas Notes & References: “Arcane” trailer (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 299...

We consume a chill pill to discuss Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” and discuss: Cinematography; Story & Writing; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I don’t pretend we have all the answers. But the questions are certainly worth thinking about.“ – Arthur C. Clarke Notes & References: Filming the Leopard scene (2001italia.it) An in-depth breakdown at the projector process (thepropgallery.com) – they designed a new projector that could use 8×10″ slides Watch us on YouTube! Th...

We grin at Naomi Scott’s “Smile 2” and discuss: Cinematography, editing, and sound, jumpscares; Story & Writing, theme, exposition; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Do you remember when you found out you wouldn’t live forever? People don’t talk about this, but everybody had to go through it because you’re not born with that knowledge.“ – David Cronenberg Notes & References: Smile (2022) box office did 105M domestic, and 217M global on a 17M budget Rosemarie DeWitt (iMDB) Jack Reyno...

We evoke Sam Raimi’s original “The Evil Dead” and discuss: Getting your reps in; Cinematography, interesting angles; Comparing to the sequel; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Jim Cameron is proof that if you are good, you’ll get promoted.“ – Roger Corman Notes & References: The Evil Dead budget was 350k (in 2024 this would be 1.2m) *Checked “Evil Dead” 2013 – they definitely have the tree/vine assault “The Exorcist” was released in 1973 Tom Savini (wiki) – legendary makeup fx a...

We camp at Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead II” and discuss: Letting the movie dictate the terms of the experience; Cinematography, style, story, and budget; Story & Writing, cut to the chase, motivating character choices; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I’m too obsessed that the people who say critical things about me are right, even though I’m getting to do something I love.“ – Sam Raimi Notes & References: Evil Dead II budget was 3.5m (in 2024 this would be 9.7m) Interesting Q&A about u...

We sparkle through Richard Kelly’s “Donnie Darko” and discuss: Story & Writing, we try to figure out what’s it all about; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If you have abandoned one faith, do not abandon all faith. There is always an alternative to the faith we lose. Or is it the same faith under another mask?“ – Graham Greene Notes & References: “The Orville” Poem (YouTube) Jake Gyllenhaal (iMDB) – Okay, so after checking his IMDB he had “The Day After Tomorrow” but that was an en...

We take the mask off of Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie à Deux” and discuss: Cinematography, blocking; Story & Writing, Arthur vs Joker, judging the viewer; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The trees here are in misery, and the birds are in misery. I don’t think they sing. They just screech in pain.“ – Werner Herzog Notes & References: Reality Testing (wiki) – Continual reality testing directed by therapists can help educate clients on how to habitually examine their own thought patte...

We stop time in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis” and discuss: We, uh, review Megalopolis; Story & Writing, exposition, melodrama; Afterwards we’ll rank our top 5 or 10 films; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!” – Percy Bysshe Shelley from the poem “Ozymandias” Watch us on YouTube! Top 5/10 Films: Todd’s Top 5: Interstellar Back to the Future Warrior Shawshank Redemption The Godfather Part 2 Wes’ Top 10: Interstellar Good Will Hunting L...

We floor it through Keanu Reeves’ “Speed” and discuss: Cinematography, motivated camera movement, dramatic angles; Story & Writing, heightened storytelling, packing in the action, Jack & Annie; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If you spend enough time with yourself in silence, you’ll be surprised what goes through your head.“ – Sandra Bullock Notes & References: Production on “Speed” lasted from September 7, 1993 to December 23, 1993 The Premiere of Speed was indeed at the Chinese ...