Episodes

We hit mach 10 through Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and discuss: Story & writing, do great artists steal, who is Mary Sue; Cinematography, natural lighting for continuity; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “A leader is a dealer in hope.“ – Napoleon Bonaparte Notes & References: Christopher McQuarrie iMDB The cast trained in real jets (Variety), but Tom Cruise reportedly was not allowed to touch the controls of a fighter jet (Fortune) Cast were operating the cameras (Newsweek) and...

We kick the tires and light the fires through Tony Scott’s classic “Top Gun” and discuss: Cinematography; Editing & Music, aerial combat, connecting sequences through music; Story & Writing, classic 80s plotlines; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, then there would be little hope for advance.“ – The Wright Brothers Notes & References: “Top Guns” article that inspired the film Taraninto Top Gun bit from “Sle...

We punch our faces through Sam Raimi’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and discuss: Netflix’s core problem and what their action plan should be to fix it (Timestamp: 00:00 – 36:30); Story & writing, dramatic needs and character arcs; Directing, set design, genre-bending; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Anyone can write five people trapped in a snowstorm. The question is how you get them into the snowstorm. It’s hard to write a good play because it’s hard to structure...

We drive around Karen Gillan’s “Dual” and discuss: Story & writing, tone, “boring” finale, symbolism; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “And you may ask yourself, “How do I work this?” And you may ask yourself, “Where is that large automobile?” And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful house” And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful wife.“ – Talking Heads Notes & References: Deadline Acquisitions Hypergamy – “the act or practice of a person marrying a spouse of...

We sneak into Wong Kar-Wai’s “Chungking Express” and discuss: Cinematography, step-printing, the emotional impression of motion blur; Story; Directing & Acting without lines; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I like it when somebody tells me a story, and I actually really feel that that’s becoming like a lost art in American cinema.“ – Quentin Tarantino Notes & References: • Wong Kar Wai’s writing style: “Nowadays I start from a fairly loose script and tend to write the dialogue on...

We raid Robert Eggers’ “The Northman” and discuss: Cinematography, locations, set design; Story & writing, exploring historic cultures; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “History is the autobiography of a madman.“ – Dan Carlin Notes & References: Amleth wiki Nicole Kidman’s salary was $2.5m according to ShowbizGalore.com, no idea if it’s reputable, but sounds like a paycut based on her other salaries that are in the $15m range Filming locations were in Iceland and Ireland Budget i...

We haunt David Lowery’s “A Ghost Story” and discuss: Existentialism, the end of everything; we discuss what we remember from a Q&A at a screening with director David Lowery; Story & Writing, is the film underwritten or thoughtful?; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.“ – Virginia Woolf Notes & References: Weta’s contribution to A Ghost Story – “Aside from the ghost, though, nothing in that sequence is real. Even the ground he’...

We defuse Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork, transitions; Story & writing, opening scene, what’s in a title; Interview an Army veteran brother of the pod, Justin; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.“ – General Patton Notes & References: A bomb suit can weigh over 125lbs, plus the helmet and breathing apparatus can add another 60lbs The Hurt Locker shot heavi...

Todd interviews Wes about this odyssey of creating and running The Pestle Podcast. We discuss: How to start and maintain a podcast; What goes into every Pestle episode?; A “Lightning Round” with Wes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I do not always know what I want, but I do know what I don’t want.“ – Stanley Kubrick A quick look at my Premiere Pro setup. On the left you can see I have a “TEMP” folder that contains 2 sequences, one prenamed for the mp3 file and one for the video fi...

We take the express elevator through James Cameron “Aliens” and discuss: Editing, director’s cut vs theatrical, tightening an edit to remove performance indicators; Story & Writing, differences in script-to-screen of first film and how it impacts sequel, cause & effect, offscreen action; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Don’t be evil.“ – Google Notes & References: “Alien” original screenplay HR Giger’s artwork on Alien James Cameron confirms his pitch for Alien$ Google “Don’t be ev...

We mind our manners with David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and discuss: Story & writing, structure, Mikael and Lisbeth’s strengths and weaknesses, social customs; Men getting credit for women’s contributions; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Your best and wisest refuge from all troubles is in your science.“ – Ada Lovelace Notes & References: Ada Lovelace (wiki) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 184: “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” ...

We devour & purge Brit Marling’s “Sound of My Voice” and discuss: Low-budget filmmaking, keeping the budget on screen; Cinematography, fitting the style to the story and budget; Story & writing, starting quickly, creepy moments, and cults; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof until all of the events transpire.“ – Joseph Smith Notes & References: Watchman Nee on authority: “sinning against Go...

We investigate Robert Pattinson’s “The Batman” and discuss: Cinematography, edge lighting; Story & writing, Batman’s breaks, Catwoman’s story told through her boots, and all the plot payoffs; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Any woman can fool a man if she wants to and if he’s in love with her.“ – Agatha Christie Notes & References: Unreal Engine in-camera VFX virtual production (YouTube) Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 182: “The Batman” appeared fi...

We break into Jim Caviezel’s “The Count of Monte Cristo” and discuss: Cinematography, framing, depth of field, and shutter angle; Story & writing, why comedic beats cut the tension, Edmond’s true enemy; Directing & Performance, adding significance to a moment, ending a scene with energy; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “All generalizations are dangerous, even this one.“ – Alexandre Dumas Notes & References: “Kerosene” music video Alexandre Dumas wiki Reduction cooking method There...

We pull up a seat to Sidney Poitier’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and discuss: Cinematography, eye lights, and breaking the 180 rule; Story & writing, setting the stakes, the heart of the issue, and contextualizing art; Special guest Clyde, from the “This Is Us” podcast, “Kei and Clyde: Great TV, Good Talk” podcast, and the “Star Trek Discovery Pod” podcast; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “In a truly integrated society, interracial marriage should be legal. This is not a true pr...

We sink into Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork and how it relates to the story, the sunken place, using long holds; Story & writing, social horror, rewatchability, WTF moments; Performance of Daniel Kaluuya; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.“ – HP Lovecraft Notes & References: Jason Blum interview (lots of these on YT, he does clarify ...

We grab our towel for Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and discuss: Cinematography, framing, and production design; Story & writing, hiding exposition in plain sight; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Oh, would some Power give us the gift; To see ourselves as others see us!“ – Robert Burns (paraphrased) Notes & References: Netflix book: “No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention” by Erin Meyer and Reed Hastings Robert Burns’ “The best laid plans of...

We dig into Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” and discuss: Cinematography and editing, use of detail shots; Story & writing, what is being critiqued; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no good reason.“ – Jack Handey Notes & References: Crap +1 – WordPlayer article Inspired by “bad writing” – Reddit screenwriting thread A comet went through the sun 22740 Rayleigh asteroid “...

We do the math on Marvel’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and discuss: Story & writing, using humor to hide a weak setup; Bucking the trend of superhero films; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.“ – Mother Teresa Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 176: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” appeared first on The Pestle.

We have all we need to get through “CODA” and discuss: “big dog little dog” exercise; simple exposition; strong characters; changing perspectives; and other such stuff and things and stuff. Watch us on YouTube! The post Ep 175: “CODA” (Patreon Bonus archive) appeared first on The Pestle.

We crawl up the water spout to compare and contrast “Underwater” vs “Sunshine” and discuss: best viewing order for this double-feature; the difference between the crews of Icarus II and the Roebuck; Danny Boyle vs William Eubank; giving hope and taking it away, letting moments breathe; and other such stuff and things and stuff. Notes & References: “Love” was made in William Eubank’s parent’s backyard Watch us on YouTube! The post Ep. 174: “Underwater” vs “Sunshine” (Patreon Bonus archive)...

We take a break from our normal format to interview Kevin M. Faulkner about his new novel, “The Sixth Traveler” and discuss: what does the process of working with an editor look like, how do you handle feedback and decide what to use and what to ignore, what good feedback looks like, writing habits, how do you define a draft, character naming conventions, how his scifi universe reflects reality, the possibilities of interstellar travel in the future, advice for first time writers, and o...

We break into Gareth Evans’ “The Raid: Redemption” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork; Fight choreography, fast & fluid fighting; Story & writing, simple storytelling, kick the dog, and establishing the big bad; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I found there are a lot of advantages to being on a small budget and having a small crew. You get some very intimate performances and naturalistic cinematography. I think some people get confused between development and pre-production.“ ...

We witness George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” and discuss: Cinematography, blue night, speed ramps, and packing the frame; Story & writing, fatal moments, henchmen fodder; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If you’re not a race driver, stay the hell home. Don’t come here and grumble about going too fast. Get the hell out of the race car if you’ve got feathers on your legs or butt. Put a kerosene rag around your ankles so the ants won’t climb up and eat that candy ass.“ – Dale Earnha...