Episodes

We bump into Emily Ting’s “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” and discuss: Cinematography, filming in public spaces; Low budget filmmaking; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I despise formal restaurants. I find all of that formality to be very base and vile. I would much rather eat potato chips on the sidewalk.“ – Werner Herzog Notes & References: Emily Ting interview discussing shooting in public (Yam Mag) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 218: “Already Tom...

We gallop across Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” and discuss: Cinematography, recreating moonlight; Story & Writing, romance, symbolism; Directing & Performances, visual storytelling, ending a scene on a good note; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.“ – George Washington Notes & References: James Horner passed away in 2015 (HollywoodReporter) – Thanks to Seth for bringing this to our attention Battle of Stirling Bridge (wiki) Depeche M...

We’re talkin’ to Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and discuss: Story & Writing, character studies; The Ending; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I don’t think it was uncomfortable for me; I think it was uncomfortable for other people, but it wasn’t really for me. I had been an actress for a long time, I had done a lot of movies before I did ‘Taxi Driver.’ To me it was another role, and I understood the difference between making movies and actually being a person. So it wasn’t really impactfu...

We hole up with Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork, off-screen violence; Story & Writing, “single location” filmmaking, skipping the robbery; Low-budget filmmaking tips on finding locations; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You’ve gotta stand being bad if you want to be a writer, because if you don’t, you’re never going to write anything good.“ – David Mamet Notes & References: Sawyer & Co. – Great food! Diner where we filmed “Reservoir Broads” Que...

We devour Wong Kar-Wai’s “My Blueberry Nights” and discuss: Music, keeping heavy moments light; Cinematography, step-printing, lighting, reflections, shallow depth of field; Story & Writing, the thesis and antithesis, stories of broken people, transportation as a metaphor; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “We’re all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I go jogging. The body loses water when you jog, so you have none left for tears.“ – Wong Kar-Wai Notes & References: Undercranking...

We unwrap Brendan Fraser’s “The Mummy Returns” and discuss: Story & Writing, expanding the universe; Shifting the tone of a sequel; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.“ – Jonathan Swift Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 213: “The Mummy Returns” (2001) appeared first on The Pestle.

We get googly-eyed over the Daniels’ “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and discuss: Writing and Directing, crafting the edit in the script; Humor and drama, making tough subjects palatable for everyone; and other such stuff and things and stuff. A Persian King called his sages and asked them for one quote that would be accurate at all times and in all situations. They went into deep contemplation and finally told the king: “This too shall pass.“ – Persian adage Notes & References: Addendum ...

We resurrect Brendan Fraser’s “The Mummy” and discuss: Physical comedy, flourishes, and committing to the bit; Story, Writing, and keeping it PG-13, death in the shadows, exposition, progressing the action; Mummy fun facts; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I’m not funny. What I am is brave.“ – Lucille Ball Notes & References: Brendan Fraser on nearly dying on set (EW.com) Line Producer (wiki) What ever happened to Brendan Fraser? (GQ) Eating mummies as medicine (Smithsonian) M...

We target Arnold Schwarzenegger’s regular “Predator” and discuss: Cinematography, framing bodybuilders; Predator fun facts; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “This story’s gonna grab people. It’s about this guy, he’s crazy about this girl, but he likes to wear dresses. Should he tell her? Should he not tell her? He’s torn, Georgie. This is drama.“ – Ed Wood Notes & References: David Robinson’s biceps (Getty images) Stan Winston (iMDB) – worked on Terminator, T2, Jurassic Park, Alien...

We slip ‘n fall into Bong Joon Ho’s “The Host” and discuss: Monster origin story; Everyone’s a moron; Directing and editing, match cuts; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “We need to tell each other our stories. We need to show that everyone — our neighbors, our families, our community leaders — everyone we know is touched by corruption.“ – Jennifer Lawrence Notes & References: US Military dumps formaldehyde into Han River (NYT) “Once” Pestle episode When/why was Korea divided into th...

We chew on Spielberg’s “Jaws” and discuss: Cinematography, day for night; Story & writing, Quint vs Hooper, shark cage; Shark fun facts! and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It is certain that the study of human psychology, if it were undertaken exclusively in prisons, would also lead to misrepresentation and absurd generalizations.“ – Jacques Cousteau Notes & References: M. Night Shyamalan’s new film “Knock at the Cabin” trailer (YouTube) Does punching a shark in the nose work? (NYT)...

We kneel before Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and discuss: Cinematography, a grand reveal; Story & writing, new depth to an old character; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “No Hard Drugs and No Superhero Movies.“ – Leonardo DiCaprio Notes & References: Harrison Ford Reddit AMA Douglas Slocombe escaped the Nazi invasion of Poland (BB) Wilhelm Scream (Wiki) and Sound Effect (YouTube) Elle Fanning House season 2, episode 11 “Need to Know” (iMDB) Chappelle Show: Ty...

We attempt to responsibly discuss Spielberg’s “Munich” and discuss: Cinematography, heightening a moment through contrasting camerawork; Story & Writing, questions being raised, contextualizing the film; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It has perhaps always been the case that the waging of peace is the hardest form of leadership of all.“ – Queen Elizabeth II Notes & References: “The Jaunt” short story by Stephen King (GitHub) “Once” Pestle episode; “Once” opening scene Damien Ric...

We swing through Spielberg’s “Raider’s of the Lost Ark” and discuss: Cinematography, framing, blocking, cheating; Story & writing, setting up the supernatural, Indy the hero, epic failures; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The brave may not live forever – But the cautious do not live at all.“ – Richard Branson Notes & References: How Richard Branson started Virgin Atlantic Airlines Branson went to the edge of space on Virgin Galactic flight Spielberg wanted to make a James Bond fil...

We excavate Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” and discuss: Cinematography, motivated camera moves; Story & writing, exposition, dialog cues, where the original succeeds and sequels fail; Sound, combining sound design with music to heighten a moment; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It is a profound and necessary truth that the deep things in science are not found because they are useful; they are found because it was possible to find them.“ – Robert Oppenheimer Notes & References: Autoero...

We’re charmed by Chan-wook Park’s “Oldboy” and discuss: Wes’ editing process and screenwriting blues; Story & writing, the opening shot, sex scenes in movies, hallway hammer sequence; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The ax forgets, but the tree remembers.“ – Proverb Notes & References: 2013 PBS Frontline Documentary on concussions in football *I could not find any historic documents verifying/detailing the free movie theaters in South Korea Carl Idlebird – Wes’ HS band teacher! ...

We toast a bottle of wine to Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” and discuss: Story & writing, rule of threes, setting up tension, is this a metaphor?; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.“ – Roald Dahl Notes & References: “Pan’s Labyrinth” is indeed 1.85 aspect ratio – this format also of...

We cruise through Alfonso Cuarón’s “Children of Men” and discuss: Cinematography, immersing the audience; Story & writing, the real genre we’re in, who are the good guys; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I used to be very controlling with visuals and editing, and I would pretty much craft the performances; now I have learned to trust the material and the actors.“ – Alfonso Cuarón Notes & References: Featurette of the car oner (YT) – it’s a massive rig with the driver in front, and ...

We stay for Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” and discuss: Story & writing, adding texture, 90% honesty, emotional storytelling; Directing, moments of breathing, the scene with the emotional weight of the film; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.“ – Kip Thorne Notes & References: MacGuffin (wiki) – Wes note: I’m being very loose and flexible with the term here “Maltese Falcon” (trailer) Nolan handles script security in...

We fly through Pixar’s “Lightyear” and discuss: Story & writing, character and story arcs; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “KEEP IN MIND THAT progress is not always linear. It takes constant course correcting and often a lot of zigzagging. Unfortunate things happen, accidents occur, and setbacks are usually painful, but that does not mean we quit.“ – Buzz Aldrin Watch us on YouTube! Artist Spotlight: PopGum’s YouTube Channel This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 199: “Lightye...

We process Bong Joon Ho’s “Memories of Murder” and discuss: Cinematography, oner of crime scene, first frame + last frame; Story & writing, themes of misconduct; True crime, utility vs entertainment; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “What’s important at this time is to re-clarify the difference between hero and villain.“ – J. Edgar Hoover Notes & References: Hitchcock oner (Reddit thread) Real killer identified in 2019 via DNA evidence (wiki) Wrongfully accused man released after ...

We feud through Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” and discuss: Story and writing, structure, and ramping up tension with precision; Directing, delivering a meaningful line, setting up a monologue; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Just because you have superpowers, that doesn’t mean your love life would be perfect. I don’t think superpowers automatically means there won’t be any personality problems, family problems or even money problems. I just tried to write characters who are...

We mansplain Alex Garland’s “Men” and discuss: Cinematography, showing disconnect through framing; Story & writing, lessons, symbolism overload; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Ultimately, wouldn’t you rather be the person who actually finished the project you’re dreaming about, rather than the one who talks about ‘always having wanted to’?“ – J.K. Rowling Notes & References: Dunning–Kruger effect (wiki) Harpy (wiki) Freakonomics episode: “Did Domestic Violence Really Spike During...

We arrive at Mount Doom in Peter Jackson’s “The Return of the King” and discuss: Story & Writing, is there a Deus Ex Machina problem?; Sound design and music cues; and special guests Joe & Heather Howes take on our Lord of the Rings trivia challenge extravaganza; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It’s always something, to know you’ve done the most you could. But, don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope to the last.“ – Charles Dickens Notes & References: ...