Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics

Get Shorty

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:00:00 -0000

Hollywood loves making movies about itself: on this show alone, we’ve done Sunset Boulevard, Sullivan’s Travels, and Singin’ in the Rain. Get Shorty (1995) is Elmore Leonard’s contribution to the genre, a film that was “meta” before the term became overused: we are given the illusion of spontaneity and the story–like one of Leonard’s novels–seems like it’s being made up as it moves along. This perfect 90s movie is a lighthearted and wholly enjoyable dramatization of screenwriter William Goldman’s famous description of the industry: “Nobody knows anything.”

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

If you’re interested in reading the original novel, you can find it here.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on Letterboxd and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books Network. Read Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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A Star Is Born (1937)

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0000

A Star Is Born has been filmed four times, but the first version is the best: a combination of Singin’ in the Rain and Death of a Salesman, David O. Selznick’s production drips with “movie” and artificiality, yet still delivers an ending that seems taken from Greek tragedy. No stars were harmed in the making of this film–yet the film also dramatizes the harm inflicted by a steady diet of fame. It’s not an indictment of Hollywood, but an illustration of how the machine works.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

If you’re interested in reading Dorothy Parker, Robert Carson, and Alan Campbell’s excellent screenplay, you can find it here. The collection Memo from David O. Selznick is an addictive edition of hundreds of memos, telegrams, and letters from the producer about the films he helped create, A Star Is Born among them.

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Boiling Point

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Every other movie seems to be touted as a “tour de force”--but Philip Barantini’s 2021 look at ninety minutes in the life of a chef and everyone around him really earns that praise. The entire film was shot in one take, not to be “original,” but because doing so reflects the tension and stress of the whole enterprise: a restaurant, like a film, is a complicated ecosystem in which personalities, hang-ups, failures, and backstories collide. Join us for a conversation about how the restaurant is, like so many of our jobs, a petri dish in which radically different people are placed and forced to coexist. Sometimes, things get ugly.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Adam Reiner’s The New Rules of Dining Out explains how restaurants work and complements the film like a Cabernet Sauvignon does a steak. You can also see Adam Reiner being interviewed about his book and favorite restaurant-based films here on Pages and Frames.

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His Girl Friday

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0000

The average estimated words-per-minute in a feature film is 90; His Girl Friday (1940) clocks in at 240. And yet the fast dialogue is only one of its many fascinations. Everything about it perfectly lands: the script, the casting, the camerawork, the minor players–all contribute to what can be called, without the kind of hyperbole found in the Morning Post, a perfect film. It’s as cynical as Network yet as joyful as Singin’ in the Rain and skewers the news-tainment complex with an affection for its perpetrators. Join us for an appreciation for one of the best.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Admirers of the film will enjoy this beautifully designed book edition of the original screenplay, in which the original dialogue from the film is reproduced complete with an accompanying commentary.

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Twentieth Century

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 09:00:00 -0000

Twentieth Century (1934) is a screwball comedy that moves like a runaway train and we are delightfully tied to the tracks. John Barrymore’s audacious performance as director Oscar Jaffee is awe-inspiring; Carole Lombard is equal to the task of pushing back against the man who, in a sense, created her. It’s Frankenstein meets His Girl Friday; it’s ninety minutes of screaming and yelling; it’s filled with as many coincidences as a Wodehouse novel; it’s a great portrait of theatrical types; and it’s laugh-out-loud funny from the first scene to the last. Join us for a ride!

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Michael Morrison’s John Barrymore, Shakespearean Actor tells the story of Barrymore’s triumphs as Hamlet and Richard III, which informed his performance as the overly-dramatic Oscar Jaffee.

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The Dead

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0000

“Yes, the newspapers were right: snow was general all over Ireland.” That line from James Joyce’s story is heard at the end of John Huston’s 1987 adaptation, a true family affair in which his son, Tony, wrote the screenplay and his daughter, Anjelica, played a major role. Like Huston’s first film, The Maltese Falcon (1941), The Dead is a perfect adaptation that complements the source material and enriches our understanding of it.

“The Dead” is the final story in Dubliners, James Joyce’s 1914 collection, available here.

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Wings of Desire

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Wings of Desire (1987) is a film that stays with the viewer; part of how it works is to flood the viewer’s mind with images that seem, at first, disconnected but which also take root and then resurface a day or week later when one isn’t suspecting to think about a trapeze artist or Peter Falk. More like a painting than a film, Wings of Desire flips the usual extolling of the spiritual world over the material one and asks what our lives could be like if we could see the material world as an angel. It’s a film universally loved for reasons that are difficult to articulate but certainly strong.

The Pixels of Paul Cezanne is a 2018 collection of essays by Wim Wenders which he presents his observations and reflections on the fellow artists who have influenced, shaped and inspired him.

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The Purple Rose of Cairo

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Something film fanatics often say is that a particular director’s work is really “about the movies.” Sometimes that’s true and sometimes it isn’t–but there’s no doubt that The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) is one of the “moviest” movies ever made. Every frame of it articulates the longing for life in a world superior to our own: the world of art. The problem is that the people on the screen, despite their temporary invasion of reality, eventually fade when the house lights rise.

Patrick McGilligan’s 2025 biography, Woody Allen: A Travesty of a Mockery of a Sham, is a comprehensive, sweeping, and rigorous account of Allen’s life and career.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books Network. Read Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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The Beast

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Have you ever felt that you keep making the same mistakes or that you have fallen into a pattern that could be Exhibit A as proof of reincarnation? The Beast (2023) uses all kinds of world-building and three different timelines to explore these ideas–and does so while faithfully adapting a 1903 story by Henry James. It’s the kind of film in which one could be lost in the red arrows that point out movie Easter eggs all over YouTube, but the real draw of the film is its incredible performances and how it combines intricate plotting with emotional weight.

One of the many collections of James’s stories that includes “The Beast in the Jungle,” the basis for The Beast, can be found here.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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The Trip

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0000

My Dinner with Andre (1981) is a film that uses the simple premise of two men sharing a meal as a vehicle for exploration of how we should live our lives. It asks fundamental questions about happiness and self-fulfillment that it doesn't wholly answer. The Trip (2010) uses the same premise as a way to dramatize two men earnestly debating who does the better impressions of Michael Caine, Al Pacino, and Sean Connery. But for all its playground sensibility, The Trip is not without ideas regarding how friendships are formed and sustained. Join us for a conversation about the real reason why men befriend each other and what they want from each other. Hint: it’s not sympathy, high regard, or a non-judgmental ear.

If watching The Trip makes you want to make a reservation at your favorite spot, you may want to first read Adam Reiner’s The New Rules of Dining Out: An Insider's Guide to Enjoying Restaurants.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books Network. Read Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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Miami Vice

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Many movies tell us how to watch them. Whether it’s Raiders of the Lost Ark, Casablanca, or Rear Window, movies steer the viewers to certain reactions anticipated by their directors long before the first tickets have been sold. Michael Mann’s Miami Vice does this less often than other films (including Mann’s) with spectacular results. Almost twenty years after its release, the film seems to have found a new audience that appreciates Mann’s letting the viewer take the protagonists on their own terms. It’s not a buddy-cop movie, although the cops are friends; it’s not a tale of star-crossed lovers, although that’s plainly there; and it’s not a series of wild shoot-outs, although it culminates in a classic Michael Mann action sequence. The current colloquialism “It is what it is” seems to apply here–and what Miami Vice “is” is a great film, regardless of how it’s categorized.

Jean-Baptiste Thoret’s Michael Mann:A Contemporary Retrospective examines Mann’s style, themes since he announced his presence in 1981 with Thief.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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History Is Made at Night

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Every so often, you encounter The Perfect Movie: something with a screenplay, cast, and direction that combine in a way that reminds you of what happens when everyone working on a movie gets it exactly right. History is Made at Night (1937) is one of those movies. Join us for a conversation about how a film that accelerates emotions almost to the level of farce and shifts between genres like a bored teenager with a remote control still dramatizes perfectly what it’s like to fall in love.

Hervé Dumont’s 1993 book Frank Borzage: The Life and Films of a Hollywood Romantic offers complete coverage of Borzage's entire career: the more than 100 films he made and the effect of those films on movie audiences, especially between 1920 and 1940.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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The Straight Story

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Everybody was shocked when, in 1999, David Lynch released a G-rated film with a Norman Rockwell setting that didn’t have a dark underbelly or wild reveal; if you have a David Lynch bingo card, The Straight Story is the free space. And while The Straight Story is as wholesome a film as you can find, it's never sentimental or corny. Dan thinks it’s Lynch’s best. Join him and Mike as they talk about all the ways that the film could have gone wrong and, more importantly, all the things that Lynch gets right about aging, regret, and family.

Any fan of David Lynch’s work should read Room to Dream, Lynch’s memoir that’s as unique as the man himself: the book has alternating chapters of Lynch and his official biographer telling the story of his life.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books Network. Check out Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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Excalibur

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 09:00:00 -0000

We’ve seen many attempts at transferring Mallory’s Le Morte d’Arthur and its variants onto the screen, but none of them capture the spirit of the original quite like Excalibur, John Boorman’s 1981 film that can be called, without insult, “aggressively two-dimensional.” Join us for a conversation about how Boorman makes the experience of watching a film like the experience of reading the legends. We also talk about the two best portrayals of King Arthur: Nigel Terry and Graham Chapman.

If the conversation makes you want to read the original material, you can find a great edition of Le Morte d’Arthur here.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books Network. Check out Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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The Boston Strangler

Mon, 18 Aug 2025 08:00:00 -0000

In a film in which the audience buys its tickets knowing who will play the title role, what happens when you don’t have him enter the frame until a solid hour has passed? How does the focus shift from the horrific villain to the horror felt by his victims? Richard Fleischer’s The Boston Strangler (1968) isn’t a faithful retelling of Albert DeSalvo’s crimes or an explanation of his compulsion: he’s not Raskolnikov or Buffalo Bill. Instead, the film masterfully involves its viewers in the procedure of the hunt before throwing them into what feels like a separate one-act play, a conclusion in which nothing is concluded.

Gerold Frank’s The Boston Strangler was the basis for the film: you can find the book here.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books Network. Check out Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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If I Should Die Before I Wake

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Flannery O’Connor said that stories about pious children tend to be false. She’s right, of course, but she doesn’t even say the half of it: stories about children in general tend to be false. The kids are always too brave, self-aware, or smart; they’re like the children in medieval paintings who look like miniature adults. If I Should Die Before I Wake (1952) by the Argentine director Carlos Hugo Christensen is the exception: it’s one of the best portrayals of childhood in film history as well as a truly disturbing thriller.

If this film has piqued your interest in Argentine noir, check out David George and Gizella Meneses’ Argentine Cinema: From Noir to Neo-Noir to read more about this fascinating genre.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as his many film-related author interviews on The New Books Network. You can also check out Mike Takla’s substack, The Grumbler’s Almanac, for commentary on offbeat topics of the day.

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Moonstruck

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Our episode on Moonstruck (1987) was almost never made: as with Manchester By the Sea, Dan harbored an irrational suspicion against it–but when he finally saw it, he sought forgiveness for the errors of his ways. That’s an appropriate theme to consider in light of a film saturated with Italian Catholicism that explores themes of sin and redemption, but with a light touch and in a celebratory mode. It’s a terrific film that couldn’t be made today; listen to the show to learn why.

Ira Wells’s Norman Jewison: A Director’s Life is the 2021 biography of the director who worked with almost every A-list star but who also had to often battle the studios to pursue his projects.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as the many film-related interviews on The New Books Network.

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Love and Mercy

Mon, 07 Jul 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Love and Mercy

A film by Bill Pohlad

Love and Mercy (2014) is a film that shows how the sausage is made, in terms of both the music and the man. We get to see Brian Wilson’s Kubrick-like devotion to getting Pet Sounds exactly like he wants it, as well as his becoming a whole person through the force of his future wife.

The film is a nightmare version of Peter Pan, examining a boy who won’t grow up until he finds the two things mentioned in the title. We all know from history that he does, but the film still keeps us in suspense over whether or not Wilson will make it out of a prison he has unwittingly helped to create.

Brian Wilson’s 2017 memoir, I Am Brian Wilson, is a perfect companion piece to Love and Mercy.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as the many film-related interviews on The New Books Network.

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American Gangster

Mon, 23 Jun 2025 08:00:00 -0000

American Gangster (2007) is Ridley Scott’s homage to The French Connection: it’s got the right cars, clothes, and colors and is based on another true story of an obsessed cop trying to take down a drug kingpin. The feature (or the bug, depending on how you look at it) is Denzel Washington in the title role. Is an actor so charismatic that everyone talks as if they are on a first-name basis with him actually a liability in a movie that wants to tell a story of a large-scale heroin dealer who, in the movie’s first scene, burns a man alive? Can an actor’s star power ever backfire?

John McCarty’s Bullets Over Hollywood (Grand Central Publishing, 2005) traces the gangster film and explores the enduring appeal of the genre.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as the many film-related interviews on The New Books Network.

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Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning

Tue, 03 Jun 2025 20:36:00 -0000

The eighth installment in one of the most entertaining franchises ever made, The Final Reckoning is Tom Cruise’s Return of the King. Whether it suffers from too much exposition is a matter of taste (and debated by the hosts), but both agree that the movie does what only its star can do: deliver thrills that derive from both the plot and the knowledge that what they are seeing is, in some sense, real. Buster Keaton, Jackie Chan, and Tom Cruise all make themselves as much of a character in the films as the fictional people they are portraying, which puts the viewer in a strange and wonderful place. Tom Cruise has saved the world yet again, and may (as Steven Spielberg told him) have saved the industry.

Want to read about the first film in the franchise? Renowned film editor Paul Hersch’s memoir, A Long Time Ago in a Cutting Room Far, Far Away: My Fifty Years Editing Hollywood Hits–Star Wars, Carrie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Mission: Impossible, and More details his working with Brian DePalma on the first of the eight MI films.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us any time at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as the many film-related interviews on The New Books Network.

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Heist

Wed, 28 May 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Caper movies aren’t like others involving criminals: there’s an aesthetic to a caper that’s as important to the thieves as it is to the viewers. Heist is David Mamet’s 2001 caper film that stands as his Singin’ in the Rain—an apt comparison, since “caper” meant “to dance” long before it took on its criminal meaning. Join us for an appreciation of one of Gene Hackman’s best yet least-discussed performances and of Mamet’s highly unrealistic dialogue. (Yes, you read that correctly–and we love David Mamet.)

David Mamet’s short book On Directing Film is a great companion to Heist.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find our over three hundred episodes wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies, as well as the many film-related interviews on The New Books Network.

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The Fisher King

Mon, 12 May 2025 08:00:00 -0000

It’s our 300th episode and we honor a listener request for this milestone. The Fisher King (1991) could not be made today–not because of politics or cultural changes, but because it’s impossible to neatly classify. A love story, a tale of redemption, a disturbing study of psychosis, a romantic comedy, and an Artthurian quest, the film combines genres in ways that some audiences–or at least producers–might not appreciate. But the film is hilarious, frightening, and ultimately affirming of its two lead characters’ decisions to abandon their despair and find meaning in their lives.

Interested in reading about Terry Gilliam? Check out this collection of interviews from the University of Mississippi Press.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find our hundreds of episodes here on the New Books Network or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack, Pages and Frames, where he writes about books and movies.

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Peeping Tom

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0000

“Some writers confuse authenticity, which they ought always to aim at, with originality, which they should never bother about.” So said W. H. Auden and so we see demonstrated in Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom (1960), which boldly employs every convention of the horror film in order to achieve a stunning, authentic portrait of a disturbing mind at work. But Mark is no ordinary slasher: he’s an artist who is also a perfectionist and whose compulsion to destroy is like the compulsion to create. As Mark gives his all for the sake of his art, so did Michael Powell, whose reputation never recovered from the scandal of this film. It was released in the same year as Psycho, which it resembles, yet the two audiences across the Atlantic had very different reactions to their homegrown killers.

The University Press of Mississippi offers an excellent series of collected interviews. Here’s their volume on Michael Powell.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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The Truman Show

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Picasso said that art is a lie that helps us see the truth more clearly. Hamlet, Emma, and Citizen Kane are wonderfully constructed lies so convincing that we speak as if we knew their title characters. Peter Weir’s The Truman Show (1998) investigates how this strange phenomena occurs. Under what conditions could something authentic arise from artifice–and what does it mean to have an authentic experience anyway? We all say that we’d be better off living in the real world instead of a fool’s paradise–such as the Matrix–but how much do we really believe that? Join us for a conversation about a great work of art that shows how the sausage of art is made.

The University Press of Mississippi offers an excellent series of collected interviews. Here’s their volume on Peter Weir.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please subscribe to the show and consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find our hundreds of episodes here on the New Books Network or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan Moran’s substack Pages and Frames where he writes about books and movies.

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Woman in the Dunes

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0000

In Walden (1854), Henry David Thoreau said he wanted to “drive life into a corner” and “reduce it to its lowest terms.” We often feel the appeal of that idea: to get away from civilization and really “live.” But would that always be a pleasurable series of epiphanies? Would the natural world always provide a backdrop against which we could explore our “real” selves? Thoureau also said that “a man is free in proportion to the number of things he can let alone.” Sounds good–unless that freedom from society and materialism reduces one to a new and worse kind of servant. Hiroshi Teshigahara’s Woman in the Dunes (1964) toys with these questions while simultaneously keeping its audience surprised and off-balance. It’s a movie in which everything is buried in sand and the sand is a metaphor for everything.

Woman in the Dunes is based on Kobo Ave’s novel, which you can find here. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please consider leaving us a rating or review. You can find our hundreds of episodes here on the New Books Network. Follow the show on X and on Letterboxd–and email us at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com with requests and recommendations. Also check out Dan’s substack Pages and Frames where he writes about books and movies.

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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 08:00:00 -0000

Every Western since Stagecoach seems to have been touted as “about the western.” To what degree is that true for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, George Roy Hill’s 1969 contribution to the genre? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about how the film wonderfully reminds its viewers why they love westerns as it also offers its more hip viewers a vision of an alternative lifestyle–think Easy Rider with horses.

Tom Clavin’s Bandit Heaven: The Hole-in-the-Wall Gangs and the Final Chapter of the Wild West is a look at the real-life Butch Cassidy, Sundance, Etta, and others. You can hear Dan’s interview with Tom Clavin here on the New Books Network. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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The Friends of Eddie Coyle

Mon, 24 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0000

When George V. Higgins’s first novel, The Friends of Eddie Coyle, was published in 1970, it was widely acclaimed as an insider’s look at Boston’s criminal underbelly. Three years later, Peter Yates directed Robert Mitchum in one of his best performances as the mid-level gunrunner who is tempted to help “uncle” by turning in his associates to the cops. Join Mike and Dan as they talk about how Robert Mitchum eating pie is better than a thousand bank robberies and how the dialogue for which Higgins is so rightly praised is like the kind of negotiations we make all the time at work, regardless of what we’re selling. Hide the irons inside that rustling shopping bag and give it a listen!

If you’re interested in the terrific novel upon which the film is based, you can find it here. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Please leave us a rating or review, follow us on X and Letterboxd, email us at fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com, and let us know what you’d like us to watch and discuss. Also check out Dan’s Substack site, Pages and Frames, for essays about books and films.

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American Made

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Imagine you’re in a bar, holding forth about the news of the day–maybe it’s 1985 and, like everyone else, you’re talking about Iran-Contra, Oliver North, and the CIA. As you signal to the bartender that you’re ready for another, an unassuming, somewhat chubby guy next to you smiles and says, “You really want to know how all of that went down?” Then he begins a two-hour monologue that gets crazier every twenty minutes. American Made is that monologue, shot with all the speed and adrenaline as its artistic model, Goodfellas. Mike and Dan talk about why the immediacy of first-person narrative works so well here and why it wouldn’t work at all with other people’s stories. So bury that duffel bag of cash and then give it a listen!

Those interested in a less cinematic look at Iran-Contra may want to read Firewall by Lawrence E. Walsh or Del Hahn’s Smuggler’s End:The Life and Death of Barry Seal.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for essays and short pieces about books and films.

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The Rainmaker

Mon, 27 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0000

All of the nearly three hundred episodes we’ve done so far have been enthusiastic celebrations of artists whose work we admire so greatly that we had to invent a podcast to talk about it. But in this very strange episode, we talk about a film so awful in so many ways that we are baffled by how it came from the same man who directed four unquestionable masterpieces in a row. The Rainmaker (1997) is–and we mean this without irony–a fascinating film that does everything that films like The Conversation and The Godfather Part II avoid. It works on paper: there’s Coppola, of course, but also a bestseller as its source material, Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Mickey Roarke, Danny DeVito, Jon Voight, Danny Glover, and (inexplicably) Roy Scheider. But even Sheriff Brody can’t kill this beast. Rather than offer a litany of complaints, we talk about the concept of a “shadow movie”: the movie that could have been, the one lurking beneath the film we actually see. This is the only episode in which we don’t follow our usual three-part structure, because we didn’t know if we’d be releasing this one. But we think that we can learn more about films from even one as terrible as this.

If you’re interested in the source for Coppola’s film, you can find the novel here. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0000

Every movie in our current moment, regardless of quality, seems to have spawned sequels, prequels, and reboots; in this episode, we lament that the one film that we wish had been the beginning of a series didn’t make enough money to do so. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Peter Weir’s 2003 adaptation of Patrick O’Brien’s novels, is rich, unironic, and inspiring; it’s a study of leadership, the tension between technology and human skill, and the ways in which discipline and restraint yield more genuine emotion that what we see now, when people post about their “struggles” every thirty seconds. Join us for a conversation about a film that makes its viewers wonder how they would fare as sailors and that makes them think about the shortcomings of their bosses.

The film is based on Patrick O’Brien’s Aubrey / Maturin series; Master and Commander is the novel in which the captain and doctor meet.

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Miller's Crossing

Mon, 06 Jan 2025 09:00:00 -0000

The opening scene of Miller’s Crossing (1990) tells the viewer that the film to follow is about friendship, character, and ethics–and it is, but done in such a way that the first-time viewer cannot fully appreciate the ways in which its protagonist, Tom Reagan (Gabriel Byrne), acts as if these are his private religion: a set of beliefs so secret that other characters, the viewer, and even, at times, Tom himself cannot fully articulate. That sounds very highfalutin’, but the film is also a joyful homage to the kinds of books and movies the Coen brothers enjoy. It’s also their best, which is a difficult call to make with a resume as strong as theirs. So pour yourself a glass of bootleg whisky and give it a listen!

Gabriel Byrne’s 2021 memoir Walking with Ghosts is a cut above celebrity memoirs and worth a read, even if all you know of him is Miller’s Crossing or Hereditary.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music is usually by John Deley. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for essays and short pieces about books and films.

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The Big Heat

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Just as horror films are filled with characters who never seem quite enough afraid, crime films are filled with protagonists who, at the end of the movie, never seem quite enough affected by what they have seen or unleashed. Not here. Fritz Lang’s The Big Heat (1953) follows the attempts of one cop, Steve Bannion (Glenn Ford), to clean up his department and city’s corruption. He does, but at a terrible cost. Join us for an appreciation of a noir that offers a world of moral black and white and a man who refuses to pretend there are shades of grey–until he finds himself with his hands around someone’s neck.

Fans of Fritz Lang will enjoy this collection of interviews with the director.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music is usually by John Deley; this week, it’s from the Inside Llewyn Davis soundtrack. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for an essay about this film and more writing about books and films.

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Inside Llewyn Davis

Mon, 16 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Authenticity is the factor that lets an artist connect with an audience. All the great performers have (or had) it: the Clancy Brothers make listeners feel Irish, Bob Dylan brings them along into his lifelong grudge against the world, and Pete Seeger makes them feel like they know what it’s like to be on the losing end of things, even if they are listening to “Talking Union” in an upper-East-side penthouse on $700 headphones. The title character of Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) values authenticity above everything else, but still can’t connect with an audience. What’s it like to be a folk singer who can’t bring himself down to the folk, even when he’s as talented as Llewyn? Join us for a conversation about the Coens’ look at an artist whose refusal to compromise hides his voice from listeners who would love it if they could only hear it.

The film’s published screenplay includes the complete script, song lyrics, and an interview with executive music producer T. Bone Burnett.

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A Serious Man

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0000

A Serious Man (2009) may seem much different from the Coens’ adaptation of No Country for Old Men, which they released two years earlier. But they both concern a likable man who finds himself posing questions that the universe–or any of its weisest men–cannot answer. And even if there are glimpses of answers to the question “What does Hashem, or God, want,” neither late-thirties Larry or late-sixties Sheriff Bell can read the writing on the wall (or, in the case of A Serious Man, the writing on the teeth). The film begins with a quotation from Rumi, “Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you.” Join us for a conversation about one of the Coens’ best films and a terrific look at people to whom things happen and are forced to receive the will of a God who never tips His hand about His intentions.

There’s been a great deal written about Joel and Ethan Coen; if you want to hear them talk about their work in their own words, check out this collection of interviews.

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True Believer

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Actors win awards and gain our admiration when they convince us that they have “become” someone else–it’s what we mean when we say that so-and-so “inhabits” a role. But that’s not the only benchmark: a good actor is also someone whose statements are interesting to hear and whose voice engages the listener, whether or not we “believe” that he’s really Charles Foster Kane or Norman Bates. That’s how Mike approaches James Woods in True Believer (1989). He and Dan also talk about the title and how it reflects an element of the film more interesting than the mystery at the heart of its plot. So grab that hair tie, fix that ponytail, and give it a listen!

James Woods’s character, Eddie Dodd, is based upon the lawyer Tony Serra; you might be interested in this recent biography of him.

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Blow Out

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Political noise is as American as baseball and apple pie and in this election season it’s impossible to tune it out completely: it’s on our televisions, radios, phones, and computers. Brian DePalma’s Blow Out (1981) follows a man who is able to hear something underneath all the noise: a perfect character to think about this election season. The real debate for Mike and Dan is whether or not the film makes a statement about the United States and each takes a different side. But they do agree that Blow Out is a wonderful downer and one of DePalma’s best.

In this episode, Mike mentions Don DeLillo’s Underworld, which offers a conspiratorial tone that contrasts with the one that marks Blow Out.

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The Fly

Mon, 28 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000

There’s a moment in The Fly (1986) in which Seth Brundle–well into his transformation into Brundlefly–explains that he must vomit on a donut before eating it. The camera cuts away to show Geena Davis’s reaction, which is the same reaction David Cronenberg evokes in his viewers throughout the film. Grotesque yet surprisingly moving, The Fly is more than disturbing, wonderful makeup: it’s a look at a brilliant man who cannot understand the limits of his own vision, like his colleagues Drs. Faustus, Jekyll, and Frankenstien.

Interested in hearing what Cronenberg himself has to say about The Fly and his other films? Check out this collection of interviews.

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Manchester by the Sea

Mon, 21 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000

You can’t judge a book by its cover or a movie by its poster. When Mike suggested Manchester by the Sea (2016) for the pod, Dan hooted and derided his co-host as a lover of Hallmark Holiday Classics. But after he watched Kenneth Lonergan’s brutal and sobering examination of unquenchable grief, he admitted his mistake. Join us for a conversation about a film that was mismarketed as a Man Who Learns Life Lessons matinee but which offers some of the best and most restrained performances either has seen in a long time. IMDB describes it with, “A depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy’s father dies,” but that’s like describing Citizen Kane with, “A wealthy media tycoon finds that money can’t buy happiness.”

Kenneth Lonergan’s screenplay for Manchester by the Sea can be found here; it includes an essay by Lonergan about the film.

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Out of Sight

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000

The second-best movie based on an Elmore Leonard novel, Out of Sight (1998) does what Netflix and other platforms try to do all the time: throw a bunch of stars together in an effort to increase the quality of the “content.” But those half-assed efforts never come close to Out of Sight, which has a roster of A-list actors, a terrific screenplay based on quality source material, a great score, and a director who makes us feel as cool as his characters. Like Mozart, Steven Soderbergh makes complicated artistic maneuvers look effortless–and like Elmore Leonard, Soderbergh knows the difference between good bad guys and bad bad guys.

Out of Sight was adapted by Scott Frank from Elmore Leonard’s 1996 novel, found here.

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Kramer vs. Kramer

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Robert Benton’s 1979 interior drama turned out to be one of the biggest films of the 70s. While we might appreciate Dustn Hoffman now more often than we watch his movies, this marked another example of him owning the decade. It’s his movie, despite the attempt to give balance to the two Kramers fighting for the legal and moral right to raise their son. If you haven’t seen this since it played in theaters for months and then became a cable-TV staple, it’s worth rewatching; if you’ve never seen it, give it a look. Either way, be sure to listen to our conversation (and debate) about it once you finish.

Kramer vs. Kramer was adapted from Avery Corman’s bestselling novel, found here.

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As Good as It Gets

Mon, 30 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000

For years, Dan avoided this movie, fearing it was like a Hallmark Holiday Classic or Very Special Episode of Mad About You. But after our episode on Broadcast News, Mike insisted Dan give it a watch. Join us as we talk about the ways in which the film surfs just above the sharks of sentimentality that threaten it at every plot point and offers a great combination of characters, problems, and new problems once original ones are solved.

Patrick McGilligan’s Jack’s Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson and Marc Eliot’s Nicholson are good starting points if you’re interested in the life of the actor.

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Strangers on a Train

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Strangers on a Train (1951) may not be an “obvious Hitchcock” like Vertigo, Rear Window, or North by Northwest, but it’s fascinating, rewatchable, and has everything we love in the Hitchcock canon. When Guy Haines (Farley Granger) meets Bruno Antony (Robert Walker), he learns that he might not know himself as well as he thought he did. The whole film is like a ride on the carousel at the end and we’re like the screaming kids, afraid and loving it. Hop on!

Strangers on a Train is based upon Patricia Highsnith’s novel, which you can find here.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material, including a recent essay and interview about Hitchcock, Coleridge, and Strangers on a Train.

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Croupier

Mon, 16 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Has your day today been worth narating? If it were retold in the pages of a novel, would anyone read it? Are you worthy of narration? Most of us would say that we weren’t, but that’s not the case for Jack Manfred, the title character of Croupier, Mike Hodges’ 1998 film about authorship and narcissism. Jack thinks that one must be a gambler or a croupier: one can either try to bend the universe to do what he wants it to do–or know that that’s impossible and revel in watching the losers. But is there a middle way?

In the episode, Dan mentions Steven and Frederick Barthelme’s Double Down: a terrific memoir of gambling and loss. It’s a true page-turner.

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L. A. Confidential

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000

If L. A. Confidential (1997) were two degrees campier, it would seem like Dick Tracy–but Curtis Hanson made sure to capture the spirit of James Ellroy’s novel while making its labyrinth plot understandable to viewers. Join us for a conversation about how the film examines the need for heroes yet seems to only offer them in a way to which the movies have made us accustomed. Sunlight may be the best disinfectant, but how much sunlight do we really want illuminating the institutions that hold society together? Do we want to live in Chinatown or on the set of Badge of Honor?

If you haven’t read James Ellroy’s novel, you can find it here, as well as Steven Powell’s new biography of James Ellroy, Love Me Fierce in Danger. You can also listen to Dan’s interview with Steven Powell here on the New Books Network, as well as a conversation between Dan and Steven about L. A. Confidential on the page and screen.

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For a Few Dollars More

Mon, 02 Sep 2024 08:00:00 -0000

A Fistful of Dollars (1964), For a Few Dollars More (1965), and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966) are collectively known as “The Man with No Name” trilogy and are often thought of as one long movie about the hero’s adventures, much like we think of the original three installments of Indiana Jones. Quentin Tarantino has called the third film the most well-directed film ever made, but Mike contends that For a Few Dollars More is superior to the other two. Join us for a conversation about this most dreamlike of Westerns that operates like a buddy-cop movie and reminds us the question posed by classicists, “Could Achilles beat Odysseus in a fight?” In other words, who would be more afraid of angering: Clint Eastwood or Lee Van Cleef?

If you’re interested in learning more about Leone’s work, you might want to read Alireza Vahdani’s The Hero and the Grave: The Theme of Death in the Films of John Ford, Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone.

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To Have and Have Not

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Howard Hawks’s To Have and Have Not (1944) is more Hollywood than Hemingway–something for which we should all be grateful. The film is a wonderful example–perhaps the best–of onscreen chemistry and remains wildly entertaining even aside from the onscreen courtship of Bogart and Bacall. Join us as we talk about banter as a tool of seduction, the ways in which films let us “borrow the nature” of their actors, how To Have and Have Not feels like Casablanca II, and if Howard Hawks has an odd obsession with Hoagy Carmichael.

In this episode, Dan mentions William J. Mann’s recent book Bogie and Bacall, a terrific dual biography of the stars. You can hear Dan’s interview of the author here. And if you don’t believe that the source material for the film is as bad as we say it is, you can find Hemingway’s novel here.

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Thief

Mon, 19 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Everyone loves a good heist movie that depends on the combination of cold, logical planning and some element going sideways–and Thief is one of the best. Its 1981 release date is seen in every frame and the soundtrack by Tangerine Dream makes for great nostalgic viewing. But the film has real power as a character study of a highly skilled man trying to get something beyond his reach and wants what he cannot steal. James Cann’s performance as Frank is one of his best; he even seems to channel his most famous role when he needs Frank to let off steam. Give it a listen and learn how Michael Mann answers the question of whether there is honor among thieves.

Want to read more about Michael Mann? Jean-Baptiste Thoret’s Michael Mann: A Contemporary Retrospective examines Mann’s “contemplative way of filming that combines fascination and melancholy.”

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Training Day

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Do you need to be a wolf to protect the sheep? That’s the question at the heart of Training Day (2001), in which Ethan Hawke plays the lead and Denzel Washington plays himself–at least for the first hour. What happens in the film once the sun goes down gets Mike and Dan arguing as they haven’t in a while: does the movie become yet another one where people go through a house with pistols drawn and shotgun blasts take out kitchen counters? Or is there a deeper reason why the film must end as it does? Listen and decide!

During the conversation we also bring in Meeting Evil, and The Screwtape Letters–both terrific books.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material.

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Oppenheimer

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Any director other than Christopher Nolan would have done one of two things with this material: made an Oceans Eleven at Los Alamos or a cradle-to-grave biopic. That Nolan resisted these temptations to instead use the life of his subject to explore issues of historical legacy and what happens to those who steal fire from the gods makes Oppenheimer worth all its hype. Dan talks about how Nolan managed to create suspense without action; Mike looks at the challenge of dramatizing intelligence; both talk about what they call “the Nolan scene,” a way for the director to move into the quantum realm of his story just as Oppenheimer moved into the quantum realm of physics. The form of the film suits its content and reminds us that there was a time before everybody with an internet connection assumed that they knew everything.

Oppenheimer is based on Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s American Prometheus, found here.

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Collateral

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Collateral was made in 2004, ten years after Speed—and while both films have the same story of a good guy trying to stop a killer in real time, Collateral feels decades away from the innocence of Speed. Much of that has to do with the villain, who espouses a set of assumptions about the world that we se all around us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Shark Tank. On a lighter note, the movie also ends the debate of how Superman could disguise himself with a simple pair of glasses. It’s a movie made for the hosts: Michael Mann for Mike and Tom Cruise for Dan. Jump in the taxi and give it a listen!

If you love Michael Mann, you love Heat. Mann’s new novel, Heat 2, can be found here.

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The Graduate

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0000

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to begin our descent into Los Angeles.” So begins The Graduate (1967), which everyone loves but which many of us loved for one reason when we were younger and one when we became a little more seasoned. “Plastics” is a great joke when you’re 20; how does it sound decades later? The movie hasn’t changed, but we have. It’s still terrific: Mike and Dan talk about the intelligence of the actors and the ways in which targets of the film’s satire (such as the cult of enthusiasm parents create around their kids) is even more pronounced today than when the film was made. They also talk about what many viewers seem to omit from their memories of the film’s famous ending.

Pictures at a Revolution, Mark Harris’s 2009 book, tells the story of the five Best Picture nominees in 1968, The Graduate among them. It’s a terrific read.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out the new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material.

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Auto Focus

Mon, 15 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0000

A great movie that is very difficult movie to recommend because of its subject matter, Paul Schrader’s Auto Focus (2002), the story of TV-star Bob Crane, is another of Schrader’s portraits of a man whose self-destruction we watch with admiration for the writing and unease at what we’re seeing. It’s a combination of The Lost Weekend, Reefer Madness, and Sunset Blvd. with Willem Defoe at his creepiest. But it’s much more than perfect recreations of Hogan’s Heroes or Greg Kinnear’s incredible performance: it’s a movie about the power of movies and images and of how nothing seems real until it is filmed—an idea we see all the time as people hold up their phones to record their vacations, kids’ sporting events, or office birthday parties. It’s a shocking film, but Schrader seems to have been as shocked to make it as we are to see it.

Auto Focus is based on Robert Graysmith’s The Murder of Bob Crane. If you are interested in the details of Crane’s murder—which remains a cold case—you may want to read John Hook’s Who Killed Bob Crane? The Final Close-Up. A more traditional biography of Crane that seeks to tell more than what Schrader does in Auto Focus was published in 2015.

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Manhunter

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Anthony Hopkins has defined the popular conception of Hannibal Lector and, by extension, the erudite serial killer. But before The Silence of the Lambs there was Manhunter (1986), Michael Mann’s thriller featuring the first appearance of Dr. Lecter (or Dr. Lecktor, as his name is spelled in the film). Mike loves it for its shots of men brooding over bodies of water as they make decisions and finds it “the most Michael Manliest” of the director’s output; Dan thinks the setup is great but that the film becomes unruly and less tidy than the genre demands. There’s a lot of bickering in this one, although both agree that Brian Cox is terrific.

Manhunter is an adaptation of Red Dragon, Thomas Harris’s 1981 bestseller.

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Forbidden Planet

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 08:00:00 -0000

A dramatized thought experiment like best episodes of Star Trek, Forbidden Planet (1956) is a wonderful reminder of how people in the past envisioned the future. Part prophecy—looking forward—and part analysis of the timeless human condition, the film wraps heavy ideas about the cost of knowledge and the ways we interact with our own creations into melodrama. Yes, it’s a reimagining of The Tempest, but it’s also Faust, Frankenstein, and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” from Fantasia. Join us for a conversation about the limits of technology and the ways in which anything we create bears our own failings.

If you’re interested in further reading, Dr. Morbius has many literary antecedents, from Prospero in The Tempest, to Dr. Faustus, Dr. Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll.

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After Hours

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0000

“Kafkaesque” is the word usually used to describe After Hours, Martin Scorsese’s 1985 comedy—a fair point, since there’s a scene in the film that dramatizes Kafka’s “Before the Law.” But the writer whose imagination this film really taps is Lewis Carroll: as in Alice in Wonderland, a naïve but likable young person chases a white rabbit to a different part of town, is threatened by an angry woman who wants to chop off his head, and learns, “We’re all mad here.” Join us for an appreciation of this terrific film we’ve used to test other people’s sense of humor.

If you haven’t read Lewis Carroll in a while, you can get a copy of all the Alice books here.

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Bringing Out the Dead

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0000

What is the proper—or most effective—response to a barrage of horror and pain? The closest that screenwriter Paul Schrader ever came to a comedy (albeit a very dark one), Bringing Out the Dead (1999) is low on special effects depicting medical emergencies but high on drama. Join us for a conversation about one of Scorsese’s sleepers, a movie about a man who wants to find something like religious faith in a world with no spiritual oasis. It also dramatizes the incredible cost paid a moment of peace.

The film is based on Joe Connolly’s 1988 novel, which was a minor sensation when published.

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Broadcast News

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0000

An Academy darling that has faded into the background, Broadcast News (1987) still holds up as Network’s little brother. They don’t make ’em like this anymore: light comedy about adults with adult problems. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about how the film offers something more novel than a love triangle: a talent triangle. They also talk about how the film dramatizes the challenge of people who have friends for too long and therefore can’t becoming romantically involved. When was the last time you saw that in a movie?

Brian McNair’s Journalists in Film explores how journalists have been portrayed in film, and what these images tell us about the role of the journalist in liberal democratic societies.

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American Movie

Mon, 03 Jun 2024 08:00:00 -0000

If you’ve seen Hearts of Darkness, you can better appreciate what Coppola endured while making Apocalypse Now; if you’ve seen River of Dreams, you can watch in wonder as Herzog talks about the shooting Fitzcaraldo and really moving that boat through the jungle. American Movie (1999) aims to do the same thing for Mark Borchardt’s low-budget independent horror film Coven. How you respond to American Movie depends on how you respond to Borchardt: is he simply a pretentious jerk who thinks he’s the next George A. Romero? Or is he what Thomas Gray would call “some mute inglorious Milton,” whose work deserves a wider audience?

In this episode, the guys mention the work of English poet Thomas Gray, whose famous

“Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is applied to Mark Borchardt.

Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out the new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material.

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Goodnight Mommy

Mon, 27 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Goodnight Mommy (2014) is a perfect “office movie”: one difficult to recommend to others and better when watched alone. It’s strong stuff. Young boys can be violent and ingenious, which is why the film feels like a cross between What to Expect When You’re Expecting and Lord of the Flies. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about how the film literalizes some of the metaphors we use to describe the parent / child relationship and whether or not its ending cheapens the horrors we’ve watched before approaching it. Is it better for a viewer to be held at a low boil without wholly understanding the stakes or to let the viewer in on a secret that explains everything?

The film dramatizes several ideas proposed by Sigmund Freud: here’s a robust, one-volume anthology of his most important works.

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Modern Romance

Mon, 20 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000

When looking for love, we don’t attract what we want--we attract what we are. That’s one of the many ideas dramatized in Modern Romance (1991), our third Albert Brooks film and another fanatic favorite. The story of a film editor who can’t fix the rough cut of his own life, Modern Romance uses “the Albert Brooks character” to look at how we all put on different performances to fool other people and ourselves. We also talk about the difference between “the Albert Brooks character” and “the Larry David character” and why the films of Albert Brooks push the envelope in a way that Curb only gestures at doing. So buy those sneakers from Super Dave and listen to this as you take that first lap—although, as the film shows us, you can’t outrun social rejection.

If you’re a fan of Albert Brooks, check out this terrific collection of interviews. You can also hear Dan interview the collection’s editor on the New Books Network.

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First Reformed

Mon, 13 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000

In a recent interview, Paul Schrader said he was lucky with Taxi Driver because he “caught the zeitgeist.” He may have done so again with First Reformed (2017), a film that reflects the age of extremism in which we now live. Join us for a long conversation about a person who might be called the “green Travis Bickle” and who trades in one religion for another, only to find that he can’t give his new set of beliefs as much as he thought he could.

Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) is an admirer of Thomas Merton; his renown The Seven Story Mountain (1948) tells the story of his entering Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky.

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Hobson’s Choice

Mon, 06 May 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Hobson’s Choice (1954) is the perfect example of a very specific genre: the capitalist romance. Filled with a Dickensian love of humanity and featuring one of Charles Laughton’s best performances, it’s a perfect film about a deeply complicated topic: what makes the world go round and how individual family units come together, function, and roll on. Dan compares it to The Honeymooners; Mike compares it to 2001. Give it a listen on your way to Moonraker’s!

If you love the film, you’ll want to read the original play by Harold Brighouse, subtitled “A Lancashire Comedy in Four Acts.”

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We Own the Night

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Is there anything so refreshing for a film fanatic as a film about grownups? The mid-budget We Own the Night (2007) is a tonic in a world of films costing five times the money but offering only one fifth the talent. Join Mike and Dan for an appreciation of a film without seven reversals at its ending or a series of explosions, but one about adults who find themselves in terrible situations from which they struggle to escape. It has major players in its cast but still feels like a deeply un-Hollywood movie; it’s the cinematic equivalent of a dull ache, and we mean that as a compliment. Prince of the City, Angels with Dirty Faces, and even the parable of the prodigal son make their way into the discussion. If 7-Up is the un-cola, this film is the un-Departed.

If you’re interested in the issue raised by the film concerning the war on drugs, you may want to read David Farber’s 2021 history of the cause and the costs.

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Cat People

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000

“I envy normal women—they’re free,” laments Irina Dubrovna Reed, in Jacques Tourner’s 1942 film, one as noir as Out of the Past which he would direct five years later. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about a film that explores the same subject as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and has received, justly or not, “The Criterion Treatment.” They also talk about why Paul Schrader’s 1982 remake works on paper but not on the screen. So grab your sketchbook, steal that key, and give it a listen!

You can pick up a copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here.

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The Ladykillers

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Everyone loves gut-busting belly-laughs in a film. But sometimes, big laughs slow things down. There’s something to be said for films that amuse us for their duration. Join us for a conversation about a film that makes us smile from its first moment to its last: The Ladykillers, Alexander Mackendrick’s 1955 dark comedy starring Alec Guinness as the creepiest criminal and a young Peter Sellars as one of his gang. Dan praises the film’s economy and compares it to John Cheever’s “Reunion”; Mike explains how it reminds him of Gilbert & Sullivan. And while they dissect the film and how it manipulates the viewer, they still cannot answer the question, “Are those really Alec Guinness’s teeth?”

If you’d like to read “Reunion,” the terrific story by John Cheever to which they compare The Ladykillers, you’ll find it in this collection—which, incidentally, is a book everyone should have.

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Pan’s Labyrinth

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000

In 1965, Bob Dylan teased the squares by stating, “Something is happening but you don’t know what it is.” The same could be said for childhood and Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) is a film that takes childhood seriously—as opposed to the way it is usually portrayed in big-budget, effects-laden films. Join us for a conversation about a film sometimes compared to the work of C. S. Lewis but one we find is more like that work of Miguel de Cervantes and Hayao Miyazaki.

If you’re interested in learning more about the director of Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, and other (literally) fantastic thrillers, check out Guillermo del Toro: The Iconic Filmmaker and His Work.

Follow us on X or Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. The opening interview clip of Guillermo del Toro can be found here.

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Saboteur

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Saboteur, released in 1942, feels like it was conceived, written, filmed, and edited in the three days between Pearl Harbor and Germany’s declaring war on the United States. The villains are vaguely “totalitarian” and their goals seem to be mere anarchy rather than the political ends of any specific nation, but they spark the derring-do of a hero who wants to preserve the same things as Superman did: truth, justice, and the American way. Everyone knows that, like another film would twenty-four years later, Saboteur uses the Statue of Liberty in its climax; what many forget is how many terrific moments lead up to that famous fall. Join us for an appreciation of a Hitchcock film that, like Foreign Correspondent, deserves a wider audience, despite Dan’s not thinking it can earn a Howard Hawks Seal of Approval.

There is no shortage of books about Hitchcock: the most recent is Edward White’s The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock.

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0000

If we could undergo a procedure that would erase the painful memories from our lives, would we do it? That seems to be the question of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) until we realize that we’re asking the wrong question. The real question this film asks is why wouldn’t such a procedure ever work? Join us for a conversation about Michel Gondry’s mind-bending film that is a completely different experience when you’re 20 versus when you’re 40. Go ahead and give it a listen–then visit Lacuna so you can listen again for the first time.

If the passage from Alexander Pope’s Eloisa to Abelard reminded you of Pope’s talent, you may be interested in this quality collection of his verse. You may also want to check out this collection of essays about the film.

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Defending Your Life

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0000

We are supposed to get smarter as we get older. Do we? If the meaning of your life had to be found in nine representative days, which days would you choose? Are they the same days that your critics would select? Would you live your life differently if you had to watch yourself years later a big screen? Would you think you were as cool as you do now if you had to see yourself as a cold observer does? Defending Your Life, Albert Brooks’s version of A Matter of Life and Death, asks all of these questions and answers about half of them—pretty good for someone only using 3% of his brain. Join us for a conversation about this terrific film that, to its credit, feels like Lost in America II: The Death of David Howard. Face your fears and give it a listen!

We all love Albert Brooks’s movies—but have you read his novel? In 2012, Brooks released 2030, his own version of 1984.

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Magic

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 08:00:00 -0000

Magic is misdirection, and Richard Attenborough and William Goldman do a terrific job of misdirecting the audience in this 1978 thriller. Like The King of Comedy and Limelight, the film looks at the desperation of people who want to be recognized; unlike those films, there’s nothing funny about the hero’s struggle. Join us for a conversation about a film so unsettling that even the TV spot (featured at the start of the episode) caused people to run from their living rooms. So put down the dummy and give it a listen!

William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade (1989) and Which Lie Did I Tell? (2001) both offer the renowned screenwriter’s advice about writing films and understanding how they work—or don’t.

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Baby Face

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Baby Face is the 1933 film that created the archetypal Barbara Stanwyck character and famously laid everything bare before the production code tried to clean up Hollywood. It’s direct and “against interpretation”—but that’s what makes it so compelling. Join Tim and Dan for a conversation about how the film speaks to our current moment regarding agency, exploitation, and climbing the corporate ladder. It’s also a lot like Richard III. This may have been the first of Barbara Stanwyck’s big roles, but it was Alfred E. Green’s fifty-fourth feature, which leads to a digression about people who claim that any director did something first. So grab that suitcase of jewels, hop in the back of the ambulance, and give it a listen!

In 2015, Victoria Wilson published A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel True 1907-1940. We’re still waiting for the next volume, but at 1,056 pages, this one will keep you busy. Also check out Catherine Russell’s 2023 collection, The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck: Twenty-Six Essays on a Working Star and Dan’s interview with the author on the New Books Network.

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Conan the Barbarian

Mon, 26 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000

It’s easy for some people to laugh at Conan the Barbarian, John Milius’s 1982 film about Robert E. Howard’s most famous creation: it seems like the cinematic equivalent of middle-schoolers playing Dungeons and Dragons. But this is an honest (as in “unpretentious”) film with ideas: the pagan existentialism of Thulsa Doom, the theology of Subatai, and the difference between soldiers and warriors are all offered for the viewer’s consideration. It’s also oddly countercultural and conservative in its point of view. Join Dan and Tim for an appreciation of a wildly entertaining film that launched the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger and features one of the greatest movie soundtracks. We know the poetry of Khitai and the philosophy of Sung—so give it a listen!

Interested in reading the source material? Check out Robert E. Howard’s The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian, the first collection of Conan stories Howard wrote in the 1930s for Weird Tales magazine. You may also want to check out Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story to hear Arnold talk of how much he and James Earl Jones enjoyed working with each other.

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Tucker: The Man and His Dream

Mon, 19 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000

A genuine crowd-pleaser that couldn’t please enough crowds in 1988, Tucker: The Man and His Dream has finally found an audience. Tim defends 80s Coppola and calls out critics who dismissed his post-Godfather II output; Dan talks about the film’s enthusiasm for its subject and how that enthusiasm helps the viewer feel like those who find themselves in any great leader’s orbit. Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Wordsworth, and Emerson all find their way into the conversation. Larry David may want us to curb our enthusiasm, but even he couldn’t keep Tucker down. So hold that tiger and give it a listen!

Steve Lehto’s Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow tells the story upon which Coppola’s film is based—and has a Foreword by Jay Leno, who owns one of the 46 or 47 Tucker Torpedoes in existence. You can find more information and photos at the official Tucker Automobile Club of America.

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The Hunting Trilogy

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000

We all know the rules of the Looney Tunes universe: rabbits can outrun bullets, shots to the face don’t kill, and the laws of gravity don’t always apply. But that universe is still very much like our own, in which we all strive to be like Bugs Bunny, but are really like Daffy Duck. If there’s an aesthetic of frustration, Chuck Jones is its Shakespeare. Join us for a conversation about Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck! Rabbit, Duck!—the three cartoons that comprise what’s called “The Hunting Trilogy.” We promise it’s not one of those awful attempts by intellectuals to rhapsodize about popular art, although we do bring in Henry James at one point. Regardless of whether it’s rabbit season or duck season, give it a listen!

If you’d like to learn more about the super-genius who created these films and dozens of others, check out Chuck Jones: Conversations, an installment in the series of interview collections by the University Press of Mississippi.

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Limelight

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Being lighthearted and amusing can be a painful business. That’s one of the themes of Limelight, Charlie Chaplin’s 1952 portrait of the artist as an older man. It’s like a combination of The Red Shoes and Death of a Salesman, with elements of The Entertainer and The King of Comedy. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about the ways in which art and love prove to be antidotes to poisonous despair.

If you like Charlie Chaplin, visit the New Books Network and listen to Dan’s interview of Scott Eyman talking about his terrific book, Charlie Chaplin vs. America. You may also want to check out Charlie Chaplin Interviews, an installment in the series of interview collections by the University Press of Mississippi.

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Anatomy of a Fall

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000

We all know the rules of courtroom dramas. We welcome the confusion we feel during the case and the sense of release upon hearing the jury’s decision: this is true in Witness for the Prosecution, Anatomy of a Murder, and, of course, The Verdict. But what if the feeling of disorientation that we enjoy in the middle of these films was heightened and then examined by the director as a subject on its own? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about Anatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet’s terrific film that offers multiple readings but no guidance on how to make those readings valid. It’s exactly like The Turn of the Screw by Henry James—and exactly the opposite of Basic Instinct. So turn down those steel drums already and listen to this instead!

Robert Traver’s 1958 novel Anatomy of a Murder is the archetype to which many courtroom dramas, including this one, respond. Listeners may also want to visit the film’s official site to see how their judgment compares to that of other viewers.

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My Best Fiend

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Werner Herzog is a filmmaker with an intuitive sense for showing the right thing at the right time, whether he is offering the story of a maniacal conquistador, Count Dracula, or himself eating his own shoe. Klaus Kinski was, according to many, more monster than man and an actor who resembled the megalomaniacs he portrayed. Together, Herzog and Kinski made five films. Kinski died in 1991; in 1999, Herzog released the documentary My Best Fiend about their relationship. The film combines the ravings of Kinski with the introspection of Herzog and explores the degree to which we are entertained by other people’s volatility, how we fall in love with actors because of small gestures, and our misguided desire to believe that people who create beautiful art are beautiful themselves.

In his 2023 memoir, Every Man for Himself and God Against All, Werner Herzog tells his story in his inimitable voice. Herzog by Ebert is a terrific collection of essays about Herzog’s films by the Pulitzer Prize-winning critic. The collection Klaus Kinski: Beast of Cinema contains essays about Kinski’s films and interviews with filmmakers and actors who worked with him.

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Eyes Wide Shut

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000

In a past episode in which they discussed the films of Tom Cruise, Mike told Dan, “You’re the smartest person I know who ever made it all the way through Eyes Wide Shut.” After reading a forthcoming biography of Stanley Kubrick, Dan returned to the film and urged it on Mike, who rewatched it, but who still finds it a total failure. Dan thinks it’s a sobering and startling portrayal of a man exiled from his own Eden—a fool’s Paradise—while Mike finds every element and deviation from established structures to be both ponderous and insincere. Is the film a misunderstood look at the nightmare of not knowing one’s spouse? Or is it simply an indulgent mess? Mike and Dan agree on the quality of 99% of the films they discuss, but like true film fanatics, bicker about the other 1%. Come along for the conversation about what makes a film successful--the password is “Fidelio!”

Those on Dan’s side will want to read Eyes Wide Shut: Stanley Kubrick and the Making of his Final Film. Those on Mike’s will want to urge Syd Field’s famous Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting on their opponents.

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The Omen

Mon, 08 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Can a film do everything wrong yet still find its defenders, who not only acknowledge each of the film’s faults but find these faults endearing? Such is the case with Mike and The Omen, the 1976 Richard Donner blockbuster that—like Satan himself—has spawned sequels, remakes, and imitations. Dan tries to point out all the things that are bad about The Omen, but Mike spins each one into a perverse mark of greatness and claims that the film somehow rises above them in its high seriousness. Whether you think The Omen a terrifying morality tale or simply The Devil and Atticus Finch, give it a listen. We’ll tell you where to find the birthmark.

Interested in a great novel about a kid as awful as Damien Thorn? Check out William March’s The Bad Seed.

Follow us on X or Letterboxd. Opening music by Jerry Goldsmith from the film’s official soundtrack; closing music by Sing King. Our usual incredible bumper music is by John Deley.

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Meet John Doe

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 09:00:00 -0000

Have you seen that other Capra film in which the protagonist in a moment of crisis, attempts suicide on Christmas Eve? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about Meet John Doe (1941), a film Frank Capra made five years before It’s a Wonderful Life and which shares that film’s celebration of the common man—the John Doe—living and working and dying across the country. We know we’d all be better off—and the country would be in better shape—if we acted like the people in the John Doe Clubs, so why don’t we? How many of your neighbors do you know on a first-name basis? When’s the last time you reached out to someone you don’t know very well but you know needs a hand? Capra’s film may seem like a collection of platitudes, but it’s a cross between A Christmas Carol and Lord of the Flies and is absolutely prophetic of a film that would follow it thirty-five years later about another media-created sensation who’s mad as hell and not going to take it any more!

The University of Mississippi Press has published many volumes of interviews of notable directors; you can find the edition on Frank Capra here. And—did you know that Capra wrote a novel in 1966, not published until 2018? Neither did we. You can find Cry Wilderness here.

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The Sting

Mon, 25 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000

There’s nothing like being conned at the movies. Join Mike and Dan as they talk about George Roy Hill’s beautifully-constructed toy, The Sting. Dan explains how the long con in the film is like a theatrical production and how con games and films are similar forms of art. Mike revs up with a rant about why Pauline Kael is overrated, continues with one about how Robert Shaw is underrated, and finally claims that anyone who doesn’t like The Sting needs to sit in a room for thirty minutes and reevaluate their life choices. So turn on that player piano and give it a listen!

Paul Newman’s posthumously-released memoir, The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man, is a terrific glimpse into the actor’s thoughts and recollections on life as one of the last bona fide movie stars.

Follow us on X or Letterboxd. The bumper music for this episode is by Lord Vinheteiro: you can see the whole incredible video of his performing “The Entertainer” on an authentic-era piano here and visit his YouTube channel here.

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Donnie Darko

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000

If we had seen Donnie Darko in high school, we would been drawn to the Easter eggs throughout the film and made videos in which we pointed them out with big red arrows. But there’s more to this tale of time travel than a dorm-room discussion of free will vs. determinism: we now appreciate the ways in which Richard Kelly dramatizes teenage dread and the fear of one’s insignificance. Being a teenager often involves thinking that one’s personal dramas are like the end of the world—but what if they were? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about a film that feels as if Philip K. Dick adapted The Catcher in the Rye for the screen. It’s one of the best films about high school in America and one of three that features a large rabbit.

“Signs and Symbols,” the terrific story by Vladimir Nabokov that comes up in the episode, can be found in this collection.

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The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000

How should one deal with evil? What are people capable of doing when they are given unconstrained liberty? Why does democracy work when people run things physically away from the very people it wants to assist? These are a few of the questions that arise as one watches John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Progress and civilization are wonderful—but the train that signals them also carries a lot of moral pollution. Join Mike and Dan for a dive into this perfect Western and hear what happens when they apply the famous line, “Print the legend,” to John Ford’s, John Wayne’s, and Jimmy Stewart’s military careers. Pick up that steak and give it a listen!

Robert Matzen’s Mission: Jimmy Stewart and the Fight for Europe tells the story of Stewart’s learning to fly, joining the Army, and leading dangerous missions in the Second World War.

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Wild Strawberries

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0000

What if you could receive the adulation and respect of strangers but not from your own family-or even yourself? In Wild Strawberries (1957), Ingmar Bergman dramatizes a journey into a man’s memories, insecurities, and fears in a way that may borrow the technique of Death of a Salesman but not its final scenes or the fate of its hero. For all we hear about the bleakness of Bergman’s vision, the film is ultimately affirming. The world screams, “Physician, heal thyself”—and he does! Join us for an extended conversation that also includes how the film resembles A Christmas Carol and Casablanca.

The opening clip is Bergman talking on The Dick Cavett Show in 1971 about the final closeup of Wild Strawberries.

Admirers of Bergman’s films will want to read his autobiography, My Life in Pictures.

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I Know Where I’m Going!

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000

Samuel Johnson once asked, “What enemy would invade Scotland, where there is nothing to be got?” He must never have seen I Know Where I’m Going (1945). In their fifth examination of a Powell and Pressburger film, Mike and Dan talk about what makes this cinematic Scotland a more authentic place than England and how the film’s heroine gains maturity and depth once she abandons her itinerary. Dan brings up an American film he considers a sibling to this one; Mike praises the film’s economy; both wish they could go to the cèilidh. You can’t marry the British Chemical Company, but you can dance the Scottish, so give it a listen!

Samuel Johnson’s and James Boswell’s accounts of their travels in Scotland are a terrific read and tie in wonderfully with the film. You may also enjoy Neil Oliver’s History of Scotland, based on his BBC series.

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Spirited Away

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000

We are used to entering cinematic fantasy worlds in which we learn the rules of how the world works and then watch our hero navigate through it: think of Star Wars, Dune, The Matrix, and The Wizard of Oz, and Lord of the Rings. But Spirited Away (2001) works differently than these, with a logic that seems just out of reach and which we, like the hero, try to discern. Join Mike and Dan for an appreciation of a film about childhood that works like the real thing; the film feels as if it were created by children, and they mean that as the highest compliment. Along the way, the guys talk about left brain / right brain film structure and how Spirited Away resembles John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. So hop on the train with No-Face, and give it a listen!

Interested in a short critical study of the film? Check out Andrew Osmond’s volume in the BFI Film Classics series.

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Minority Report

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000

Minority Report (2002) is Exhibit A of how screenwriters love the premises of Philip K. Dick’s source materials and then adapt his core thought experiments into genres that get people in theatres. Mike and Dan discuss the ways in which Minority Report examines a thorny idea laden with ethical complexities while also offering Spielberg at his popcorn-selling best. We get serious questions about the ways in which solutions to enduring problems are bound by trade-offs and human fallibility—but we also get jetpacks. It’s part A Clockwork Orange and part Mission: Impossible. So put your eyes back in that baggie—it’s an audio podcast, after all—and give it a listen!

If you’re interested in the short story and the ways it differs from the film (besides the protagonist being a very un-Tom-Cruise balding and overweight guy), check out The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories. You may also be interested in the book mentioned in Part 1 of the episode: Thomas Sowell’s A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles.

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Point Blank

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 09:00:00 -0000

In 1962, Donald E. Westlake used the pseudonym Richard Stark and published The Hunter, the story of Parker, a betrayed thief who seeks vengeance with more determination than we see from the T-1000 in Terminator 2. Four years later, Lee Marvin starred in John Boorman’s Point Blank, an adaptation of The Hunter. The film renamed Parker to Walker, but also reimagined the revenge plot as one of a man unable to recover from trauma. Join Mike and Dan for an extra-long, extra-cool conversation with special guest Eric G. Wilson, author of the new BFI Classics study of Point Blank. So put on your best clackety shoes, pace the halls, and give it a listen!

If you’re a fan of crime fiction, you’ll enjoy the first of Richard Stark’s Parker novels, The Hunter, upon which Point Blank is based. Be sure to check out Eric Wilson’s terrific book about Point Blank in the BFI Film Classics series and his interview about it on New Books in Film.

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Babette’s Feast

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000

In 1965, Bob Dylan sang, “She’s got everything she needs; she’s an artist; she don’t look back.” About twenty years later, Gabriel Axel brilliantly dramatized this idea in Babette’s Feast (1987).

A film as perfect as a film can be, Babette’s Feast treats the viewer to the pleasures of autotelic endeavors: things we do for their own sake because we enjoy them. Like last week’s film, Big Night, this one welcomes us to a big table in which a chef feeds others as a work of art. Mike and Dan also talk about the characters’ assumption that austerity is the key to Heaven and how the film treats this idea without mocking the characters or setting them up for a nasty surprise, as in The Witch. So pour another glass of Amontillado, sit back, and press play!

The film is a faithful adaptation of Isak Dinesen’s 1955 story, found in the collection Anecdotes of Destiny and Ehrengard.

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Big Night

Mon, 23 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Sometimes, the idea for a film would work on paper—such is the case with Big Night (1996), a film that packs in as much real life a full novel. “Love” as a secret ingredient to a great recipe may be a cliché, but how else to explain the joy people get from cooking large meals for people they care about, gathered around a big table? Mike and Dan discuss how the two restaurants in the film offer two versions of success, why “foodies” can be irritating, and the beauty of actors who act without speaking. The restaurant may fail, but the film does not. So as you wait for that timpani to settle, give it a listen!

Stanley Tucci’s Taste: My Life Through Food is his memoir about the intersection of Italian food and families.

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Cutter’s Way

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000

There may be some dated or downright silly elements of Cutter’s Way, Ivan Passer’s 1981 mystery—but what’s great about it outweighs any of its clumsiness and stays in the viewer’s memory. Not enough people know about John Heard’s performance as the unhinged, unlikable, yet undeniably compelling Alex Cutter; this film without any scenes of military conflict is one of the best about Vietnam. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about the ways in which the title character resembles Captain Ahab physically, emotionally, and psychologically; how the film uses and then abandons Hollywood conventions; and the ways in which a convoluted murder plot doesn’t detract from complicated issues of heroism, friendship, and justice. So jump on that white horse and give it a listen!

One of our favorite memoirs of Vietnam is Things I’ll Never Forget: Memories of a Marine in Vietnam. Thom Jones’s short story collection The Pugilist at Rest contains incredible fiction about the war (and would, we imagine, be admired by Alex Cutter).

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Lost in America

Mon, 09 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000

“What makes something funny” is difficult to articulate, but Mike and Dan try with one of their favorite comedies, Albert Brooks’ Lost in America. His 1985 film about married professionals who yearn to hit the road (like they saw in Easy Rider) works because there’s nothing to rescue the viewer from the awkwardness and downward spiral of every scene. The characters’ conflicts and anxieties are hilarious—just not to them. Many of us have yearned to start life anew in a world elsewhere or live like Thoreau at Walden Pond; Lost in America cures us of that in ninety minutes. So bet the whole nest egg on 22—and after you lose it all, give us a listen as you cross the country in your RV!

Albert Brooks’ satiric novel, 2030, imagines an America in which cancer has been cured, global warming is an acknowledged reality, and people have robot companions. All seems perfect until the events of a single day change everything. This collection of interviews with Brooks examines his feature films and the challenges of making them. And if you feel like dropping out like David and Linda but can’t buy an RV, you can always read Walden instead.

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The Vanishing

Mon, 02 Oct 2023 08:00:00 -0000

If you have seen Sluizer’s original 1988 thriller—not his 1993 American remake with Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland--you’ll know exactly why we are doing it as a companion piece to Rope. You’ll also nod along with us when we praise the film’s cold precision: it’s not surprising that Sluzier states in the opening clip that Stanley Kubrick admired the film and saw it ten times. Why we often tell people to watch films but to not read anything first about them, the thrill of assembling pieces of information as we watch a film, the terrible weight of truth, and the meaning of love all come into play as Mike and Dan talk about what belongs on everyone’s top-ten list of disturbing and exhilarating films. We seem due for a comedy.

The Vanishing is based Golden Egg, a novel by Tim Krabbé, who co-authored the screenplay with Sluizer.

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Rope

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Rope (1948) may not be top-shelf Hitchcock, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t interesting and worth repeated viewings. After arguing back at those who find Jimmy Stewart miscast, Mike and Dan talk about how the film stands as another example of Hitchcock using violence to dramatize the sex lives of his characters. Mike lists the ways in which the director resembles the killer, specifically Brandon: a Nabokovian figure through which Hitchcock shows the audience what it’s like to have an artistic temperament. Another Russian, Dostoevsky, comes into the conversation when Dan talks about Philip’s complaint that his former teacher is “plating Crime and Punishment.” It’s the kind of unscripted, enthusiastic conversation you have with your friends in the car on the way home from the movies—so put down the pâté and give it a listen!

So many books have been written about Hitchcock, but the book-length interview by Francois Truffaut still stands as one of the best. It never gets old.

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Sorcerer

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 08:00:00 -0000

In 1973, William Friedkin terrorized the world with The Exorcist and then decided to make a film even more grim: a remake of George Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear. This was an audacious move, since the 1953 original was already well-loved and regarded as one of the most suspenseful films of all time. But Friedkin followed his muse and created Sorcerer (1977), which belongs in the pantheon of Great Underappreciated Films. Like The Exorcist, it’s a frightening peek into Hell; unlike that film, however, evil is pervasive rather than localized. No exorcist can cleanse Porvenir of evil; Max Von Sydow isn’t showing up any time soon. You can try to outrun the Sorcerer, but it’s like driving a truck and trying to drive away from its contents. Rarely has a completely nihilistic and sobering film experience been so exhilarating.

William Friedkin’s memoir, The Friedkin Connection, is an engaging read and includes a chapter on the making of Sorcerer.

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The Blues Brothers

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Jake and Elwood sing “Everybody Needs Someone to Love” and everybody loves The Blues Brothers: “You … me … them … everybody!” Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about John Landis’s 1980 film that has become movie comfort-food for people raised on the original SNL and others who have come to the film without any knowledge of John Belushi or Dan Ackroyd’s careers. So many comedy sketches fall flat when stretched into the length of a film, but Landis and Ackroyd avoided this when writing The Blues Brothers. How did they do it? What makes this film so rewatchable and affirming, like Singin’ in the Rain? What did Landis get right about the way to make a musical with people who were bigger celebrities than the leads of the movie? Get your four fried chickens, your dry white toast, and a Coke–and then give it a listen!

Interested in a book-length examination of The Blues Brothers? Check out Daniel de Visé’s The Blues Brothers: An Epic Friendship, the Rise of Improv, and the Making of an American Film Classic.

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The Wages of Fear

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Clouzot’s 1953 thriller may be the ultimate bait and switch, moving from a character study of four desperate men in limbo into one of the most suspenseful films ever made. The Wages of Fear shows us the triumph of human ingenuity much like Robinson Crusoe or Castaway, but it’s also a grim statement about how we all carry our deaths within us: the thing from which we try to flee every morning when we wake up is closer than we can imagine. Everything hangs by a thread, and Clouzot exposes that thread by reducing human experience to its lowest terms. That he does so in a film in which trucks move slowly and carefully–usually forbidden on the big screen–adds to the audaciousness of his vision. Join Mike and Dan for an appreciation of a film that reminds them of Seven Samurai, The Dirty Dozen, Saving Private Ryan, The French Connection, Smokey and the Bandit, Reservoir Dogs, and The Road Warrior. This movie may have a Mario and a Luigi, but there’s no Rainbow Road.

If you are interested in Henri-George Clouzot’s life and career, check out Christopher Lloyd’s book in Manchester University Press’s series on French film directors. The Very Short Introductions series by Oxford University Press includes one on French Cinema; the British Film Institute’s The French Cinema Book is an anthology of essays. You can also find our previous episode on Clouzot’s Diabolique here.

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In a Lonely Place

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Halfway through Casablanca, we learn why Rick Blaine is so cynical, angry, and embittered; we also feel glad at the end when he takes off his armor and begins that beautiful friendship. But how would we respond if we never learned why Rick acted as he does? The answer is that he’d be Dixon Steele, whom Bogart portrays so well in Nicholas Ray’s 1950 thriller In a Lonely Place. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about a Bogart film they think deserves a wider audience and how it predicts what Martin Scorsese would do twenty-six years later with Taxi Driver.

William J. Mann’s Bogie & Bacall: The Surprising True Story of Hollywood’s Greatest Love Affair, is a thoroughly interesting dual biography about the movies’ most enduring power couple. Dan recently interviewed William J. Mann for the New Books Network: listen to it here.

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The French Connection

Mon, 21 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0000

How much will a viewer tolerate? What if you took away all the quick and easy ways in which movies dole out information? What if you made the hero less-than-wholly-admirable and the villain less-than-wholly-terrible? Would audiences still come along for the ride in that brown Le Mans with Popeye Doyle as he tries to catch the sniper who missed him? William Friedkin bet that they would--and won. Join us for a conversation about The French Connection, the classic 1971 police procedural. Topics include the chase, of course, but also the ways in which Popeye Doyle is not Dirty Harry, how the film’s perfect structure allows the viewers to go through a process along with the detectives, and how Popeye resembles a great literary figure from a novel that also ends in a thrilling chase.

William Friedkin’s memoir, The Friedkin Connection, is an engaging read and includes much about the making of The French Connection. Robin Moore’s original book that inspired the film—which Friedkin claimed to never have finished reading—can be found here.

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California Split

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0000

“Drifting” seems like a great word to describe many of Robert Altman’s films, especially California Split, his 1974 buddy film with Elliott Gould and George Segal as gamblers whose friendship is strengthened by their losses. But Mike argues that the film has a deep structure—and one based on a Disney film that we’ve all seen a hundred times. Elliott Gould’s special brand of cool, how gambling relies upon a combination of conviction and control, and the ways in which the film is as interested in poker players as the game itself all come into the conversation. Go ahead—draw on that inside straight and give it a listen!

In this episode Dan reads a short passage from Frederick and Steven Barthelme’s memoir Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss, a terrific glimpse into what motivates otherwise rational people to bet thousands of dollars on the turn of a card. Frederick Barthelme’s Bob the Gambler and Paul Auster’s The Music of Chance are two of the hosts’ favorite gambling-related novels.

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Raging Bull

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 08:00:00 -0000

What is it like to experience emotions without being able to identify their sources? What happens when a person feels intense self-loathing but cannot articulate why—even as his star rises? Join Mike and Dan for an extended conversation about Raging Bull, Martin Scorsese’s 1980 masterpiece and a film that it took the guys three years of podcasting to get the nerve to tackle. Dan explains why Raging Bull is a film that Flannery O’Connor would have admired; Mike talks about what happens when the violence confined by sports to a specific place spills over into other spaces; both debate the degree to which Jake can understand himself at the end of the film. As a portrait of a soul in distress, Raging Bull is one of the best.

Peter Biskind’s terrific Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood tells the story of how Raging Bull was made and how it marked the end of one of the greatest eras in American film.

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The Great Dictator

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 08:00:00 -0000

What’s the most edgy film you’ve ever seen—one that makes you uncomfortable and doesn’t tell you how to feel or react? We’d bet that it isn’t as close to the bleeding edge as Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 The Great Dictator, his first talkie and still highest-grossing film. Chaplin’s beloved Tramp fumbling with a soup spoon is one thing; his running from stormtroopers is quite another. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about the issues raised in Chaplin’s greatest work as well as his bravery in making it.

In this episode, Dan reads a quotation by Charlie Chaplin, quoted in Scott Eyman’s terrific 2023 biography, Charlie Chaplin vs. America. (Check out the New Books Network later this fall for an interview with the author.) You can read what Chaplin himself said about The Great Dictator in this collection of interviews and his own autobiography.

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Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

Mon, 24 Jul 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Ethan Hunt’s mission in this seventh installment of the series might seem as challenging as Tom Cruise’s: to get people back in theaters for an almost three-hour movie that they know won’t be resolved at the end. But is there anything Tom Cruise can’t do? Mike and Dan react to Dead Reckoning Part One and how it fits in the chain of the Mission Impossible films. Along the way, they talk about how Tom Cruise is like Jackie Chan, why creating the character of Gabriel lets the filmmakers have an AI plot and fistfights on a train, and how a successful film franchise resembles the Grateful Dead. This episode ends with Dan going on record about what will happen in Dead Reckoning Part Two—do you agree? Listen and let them know!

Check out Amy Johnston’s How to Stunt in Hollywood for interviews with professionals who do the terrifying work for all the rest of the actors who aren’t Tom Cruise. You might also enjoy Danger on the Silver Screen, Scott McGee’s appreciation of cinema’s greatest stunts.

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The Matrix

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Do you possess ideas—or do ideas possess you? Is it better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied? Why is The Matrix so universally loved by people of all political, moral, and philosophical attitudes? Mike and Dan plug into The Matrix, the action thriller that surprised everyone who saw it in 1999 as well as first-time viewers today. What would have happened if James Cameron had directed it, how the film resembles the best installment of the Star Wars films, and how Keanu Reeves depicts the liberating effects of free will all come into the conversation. So take the red pill and give it a listen!

While filming, cast members were given assigned reading: Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulation, Kevin Kelly’s Out of Control, and Introducing Evolutionary Psychology by Dylan Evans. Keep up with the syllabus!

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Ball of Fire

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 08:00:00 -0000

When Mike casually remarked to Dan that he had just re-watched Ball of Fire, the 1941 Barbara Stanwyck / Gary Cooper screwball comedy co-written by Billy Wilder and directed by Howard Hawks, Dan replied that he had “always wanted to, but never gotten around to seeing it.” Mike made demands, Dan pressed play, and here’s their conversation about what it’s like when a friend takes one of your film recommendations and wholly enjoys it. They also talk about the ways in which dancing, slang, and falling in love are messier than entries in an encyclopedia—wonderfully so. Mike even compares this film to one by John Carpenter—and he’s 100% correct. So stop worrying about the quest for knowledge and learn how to cha-cha!

Dan has interviewed Catherine Russell on New Books in Film about her new book, The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck. You can also find a collection of interviews with Howard Hawks here and Todd McCarthy’s 2007 biography of Hawks here.

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Mulholland Drive

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 08:00:00 -0000

David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001) is in the same neighborhood as Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd and asks us to think about similar ideas: the power of self-delusion, the seductive nature of fame, and what happens to a dead dream. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about what they call “red arrow videos” on YouTube and what good directors know about their audiences. We all know that movies are illusions—but we keep falling for them anyway. So grab that blue key and give it a listen! Just watch out for the man behind Winkie’s.

Interested in David Lynch? Listen here to Courtenay Stallings interviewed on the New Books Network about her book Laura’s Ghost: Women Speak about Twin Peaks. You can find a collection of interviews with Lynch here and his autobiography here.

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Stella Dallas

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Stella Dallas, the star vehicle for Barbara Stanwyck, hinges on a thought experiment: if you knew that by pushing a button your child would be happy for the rest of her life—but the cost of this happiness was that you could never see her again—would you do it? Mike and Dan talk about King Vidor’s 1937 melodrama as an example of what movies do so well: getting viewers to understand why people make decisions that defy logic but which are emotionally reasonable. Mike calls Stella a character who exhibits the maximum of emotion with the minimum of introspection: is he correct? Skip that birthday party—no one’s coming, anyway—and give this a listen!

Dan interviewed Catherine Russell on New Books in Film about her 2023 book The Cinema of Barbara Stanwyck. You can find the interview here and the book here. If you’re interested in the 1923 novel by Olive Higgins Prouty upon which the film is based, you can find it here.

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Sunset Blvd

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 04:00:00 -0000

How would you handle years of adoration and fame? Do you think you’d still be, essentially, yourself but with a better car—or would you become a different person? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about Sunset Blvd, Billy Wilder’s 1950 look at the movie industry, the drug of fame, and what happens when the public no longer buys what a star is selling. Norma Desmond may be a figure of fun—but she’s not wrong. Network, Some Like it Hot, and the biggest trial of 1995 all enter the discussion. So tell Mr. DeMille you’re ready for your close-up and give it a listen!

You can find Joseph McBride’s recent biography of Billy Wilder here. Sam Staggs’ book-length study of Sunset Blvd can be found here.

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Heaven's Gate

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 08:00:00 -0000

After the success of The Deer Hunter in 1978, Michael Cimino wrote and directed Heaven’s Gate, the 1980 film that has been grouped with Ishtar and The Bonfire of the Vanities as an example of artistic self-indulgence that led to financial disaster. The film was universally panned and Cimino’s career never recovered. Since then, Criterion has released Michael Cimino’s Heaven’s Gate, which corrects the technical errors in the hurried theatrical release and restores the film to its full run time; the result is an epic that rises far above its bad reputation. Join Mike and Dan for an appreciation of a film that more viewers are finding to be a stunning portrait of three people navigating a new America that resembles old Europe.

Part of the film’s reputation is based upon Steven Bach’s 1985 Final Cut: Art, Money, and Ego in the Making of Heaven’s Gate, the Film that Sank United Artists. The making of the film is also discussed in Ben Elton’s 2022 Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven’s Gate, and the Price of a Vision, a terrific biography and corrective to some of the claims made in Final Cut. You can hear an interview with Ben Elton on New Books in Film here.

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Elephant Man

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 08:00:00 -0000

George Orwell said, "By fifty, every man has the face he deserves." To what degree does David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980) respond to the idea that our appearances define our moral selves? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about the ways in which the story of John Merrick resonates in contemporary reality-TV and how Meririck is trapped in a series of performances. There's a sense that Lynch does to Merrick what the characters--good and bad--do to him in the film: does Lynch get to use Merrick like the shark in Jaws but also like Helen in The Miracle Worker? Give it a listen and decide!

The film is based on two books. The first is Frederick Treves' The Elephant Man and Other Reminiscences, which you can find here. The second is Ashley Montagu's The Elephant Man: A Study in Human Dignity. Mike and Dan also talk about the play by Bernard Pomerance in which the actor playing Merrick uses no makeup--you can find that here.

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The Long Good Friday

Mon, 29 May 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Can a two-hour film accomplish what it takes several seasons of a TV show to do? We're talking to you, Sopranos. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about John Mackenzie's The Long Good Friday (1980), a film that they call the "spiritual cousin" of The Sopranos and The Friends of Eddie Coyle. They talk about how the film avoids the intuitive trap of offering a day in the life of its protagonist and instead gives us a day of absolute crisis and the ways in which Harold is like many people having a bad day at the office. Deadwood, The Shield, and even James Joyce's Ulysses all come into play. So get out of that abattoir and give it a listen!

Dan compares the film to the classic crime novel The Friends of Eddie Coyle, which you can find here. You might also enjoy Paul Elliott's Studying the British Crime Film, available here.

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Kiss Me Deadly

Mon, 22 May 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Mike has been badgering Dan for years to reevaluate Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich's now-canonical 1955 noir. Mike always loved it; Dan always thought it was overrated. Does he still think so after a fresh viewing? Join them for a conversation about how the history of a film's reception may only be partly due to the film's quality, the ways in which Kiss Me Deadly works like a dream, and the degree to which the Mike Hammer Universe differs from the MCU. Va-va-voom!

Interested in reading the original novel--with a different Mcguffin the the same box? Find it here. Here's a new biography of Mickey Spillane written by crime novelist Max Allan Collins.

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The Killers

Mon, 15 May 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Citizen Kane isn't the only film in which the lead character dies in the beginning and sets an audience in pursuit of what to make of his final moments. Mike and Dan talk about The Killers (1946), Robert Siodmak's adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's short story and a terrific noir, right down to the clackety-clack shoes. As a reformed English major, Mike talks about the "gimmick" of the film but also how that gimmick is easily defeated by Ava Gardner standing at the piano. Dan brings in John Donne, Dylan Thomas, and a man at a gas station. John Wick makes an appearance, too. So throw that broch in the soup and give it a listen!

Interested in the source material? You can read Hemingway's "The Killers" in this collection.

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Primer

Mon, 08 May 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Mike asks, "Have you ever seen a movie that tackles time travel better than Primer?" The answer is no. Tenet might handle it sexier, Back to the Future might handle it funnier, but no other film matches Primer as a compelling thought experiment. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about "red arrow videos" on YouTube, the ethics of time travel, and the ways in which--all considerations about timelines and the box aside--the film examines the question of how we spend our days.

We know you've heard this one already, but perhaps your double hasn't, so give it a listen! Just don't interact with the double or all kinds of paradoxes will occur.

Interested in reading about the science of time travel? Check out John Oliver Ryan's book here.

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Ford v Ferrari

Mon, 01 May 2023 08:00:00 -0000

What does it mean to be happy? Why do movies have such a hard time dramatizing genuine adult friendships? And why is Mike so adamant against seeing movies like Tetris or Air? Join the guys for a conversation about Ford v Ferrari, James Mangold's 2019 portrait of the artists as co-creators of something beautiful. Project managers' lack of imagination, the reason why we chase what some call a "state of flow," and the study of positive psychology all come into the discussion. So get it up to 7,000 RPMS and give it a listen!

A. J. Baime's Go Like Hell tells the story of the Le Mans race that makes the centerpiece of the film. You can find it here.

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Paths of Glory

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Everyone loves Paths of Glory, Stanley Kubrick's 1957 film too-often described as "anti-war." Mike and Dan talk about how this incredibly cynical film is more "anti-human" than "anti-war" and get into an argument about the ending--their first knock-down debate since they did Cold War about two years ago. Which of them is correct about the meaning of the singing German? Storm the Anthill and find out!

Interested in reading the terrific novel used as the source material--and seeing why Dan thinks the book ends more effectively than the film? Find it here.

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Stagecoach

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 08:00:00 -0000

Orson Welles watched one film over and over as he created Citizen Kane--this one. If there's a movie that works as a clinic on how to create tension, suggest character, manage exposition, and entertain a viewer, it's John Ford's Stagecoach (1939). Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about all the things the film does so well, how Thomas Mitchell as Doc Boone works as the movie's bellwether, and where Dallas and Ringo need to go to escape from the blessings of civilization. Alien, Arrested Development, and Seinfeld also come into the discussion. So drink a pot of black coffee, sober up, and give it a listen!

The definitive biography of John Ford--Joseph McBride's Searching for John Ford--can be found here.

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Mikey and Nicky

Sun, 09 Apr 2023 08:00:00 -0000

How good of a friend are you? Would the dependable character actor play you in a movie--or are you often resentful and jealous of your friends? Do you have that one friend with whom you've lost touch but won't call because you're too stubborn to pick up the phone? Mike and Dan talk about Mickey and Nicky (1976), Elaine May's incredibly bleak and fascinating study of a friendship gone bad. If you haven't seen this one, find it on YouTube or the Criterion Channel, watch it, and then give this a listen. We promise you'll be as entertained and enlightened as the characters are envious and conflicted. Good times!

This collection of essays about the films of Elaine May has a chapter on Mikey and Nicky.

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Punch-Drunk Love

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 08:00:00 -0000

What's it like to reveal yourself to another person? Terrifying! That's one of the topics discussed in this week's episode on Punch-Drunk Love, Paul Thomas Anderson's 2002 film that more people should have seen then and should see now. For a film about someone who has unidentified psychological issues, it's one of the most psychologically and emotionally realistic films about the common human experiences of loneliness, the desire to connect with other people, and the rush that accompanies finding someone who accepts you. So give it a listen as you cut out those Healthy Choice coupons!

Check out this recent book, The Cinema of Paul Thomas Anderson here. You can also hear Dan interview its author, Ethan Warren, on the New Books in Film podcast here.

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The Deer Hunter: When Soldiers Return, Part 2

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 08:00:00 -0000

This is this," says a clear-headed Robert De Niro in Michael Cimino's The Deer Hunter (1978), a film that resists the urge of writers, directors, and even audience members to assign grand symbolic significance to human experience. Join Mike and Dan as they talk about the film's structure, controversial ending, and the ways in which a brand of non-Hollywood love can rescue a person from a world that seems filled with Russian Roulette.

Listen to an interview on New Books in Film with Charles Elton, author of Cimino: The Deer Hunter, Heaven's Gate, and the Price of a Vision. You can find Elton's book (highly recommended) here,

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Jackie Brown

Sun, 26 Mar 2023 08:00:00 -0000

If you had the chance to break out of the movie in which you are stuck, would you take it? That's the question that propels Jackie Brown--the person and the film. Join Mike and Dan as they talk about Jackie Brown (1997), which Mike calls Quentin Tarantino's best movie. Dan talks about what makes a terrific adaptation (and offers his nominee for most perfect adaptation in film history); Mike explains how the film gestures towards an era and a genre in order to one-up them; both of them marvel at the film's incredible ending. So load up that dummy shopping bag with paperback books, switch it for the one with 500K, and give it a listen!

Interested in the Elmore Leonard novel that Tarantino used as the source? Find it here.

You can also find Quentin Tarantino's recent book, Cinema Speculation, here.

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3:10 to Yuma (2007)

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 08:00:00 -0000

"This movie should not exist" is one of the first things Dan says about James Mangold's 3:10 to Yuma--and he means it as a high compliment. A western in 2007 that isn't "about" the western? A mid-budget movie without superheroes yet still with bankable star power? And Peter Fonda in a cameo? Mike and Dan talk about how the film is a dry run for Logan, which Mangold made ten years later and how he knows what his audience craves. But it's also a movie about self-respect, father figures, and the train as an instrument of progress. Give it a listen--just don't talk to the bad guy at dinner or he's liable to sway you to his side.

Interested in the original story by Elmore Leonard? You can find his collection of addicting and satisfying Western stories here.

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Sullivan’s Travels

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 08:00:00 -0000

In their 200th episode, Mike and Dan talk about a movie about people who like movies: Preston Sturges's 1941 masterpiece Sullivan's Travels. What's an artist to do when he becomes weary of grinding out "product" and wants to make a statement? Is he merely pretentious or just not seeing the big picture on the screen? Singin' in the Rain, Animal House, Airplane, The Deer Hunter, The Grapes of Wrath, and Springsteen's run of Broadway shows all come into the conversation. So give it a listen--we promise it'll be as good as Ants in Your Plants 1939 and Hey, Hey in the Hayloft!

If you're interested in the films of Preston Sturges, check out this new book, Crooked but Never Common: The Films of Preston Sturges. You can also listen to its author, Stuart Klawans, interviewed here on New Books in Film.

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Witness for the Prosecution

Mon, 27 Feb 2023 09:00:00 -0000

"Rewatchable Murder Mysteries" is a genre with Billy Wilder's 1957 Witness for the Prosecution as one of its best; the film does all we desire from a mystery but, in the hands of Billy Wilder, so much more. Join Mike and Dan as they talk about the ways in which the film transcends its many incredible surprise endings--as Mike says, it has more endings than The Return of the King, but all of them are terrific. So forge those letters, pull on those Bermuda shorts, and give it a listen!

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube and Twitter and Letterboxd @15MinFilm. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com.

Interested in Billy Wilder? Here's Joseph McBride's 2021 biography, Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge.

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Mission Impossible: Fallout

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 05:01:00 -0000

What makes the Mission Impossible franchise so solid--and so much better than others? In this short episode, Mike and Dan talk about Tom Cruise as a stuntman, and all that that implies. Mike also has one of his finest moments as he explains why the Mission Impossible movies are superior to anything in the Marvel universe; Dan compares the series to Seinfeld. So jump on your motorcycle, ride against traffic, and give it a listen!

Terrific bumper music: Bluebird by E's Jammy Jams Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 Music provided by FreeMusic109

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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One-Shot: Heaven’s Gate

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 05:10:00 -0000

Everything you've heard about Heaven's Gate (1980) is wrong. Join Mike and Dan in this short episode in which they talk about the difference between the theatrical release of the film and the restored Criterion edition: Michael Cimino's Heaven's Gate. As Dan says, "We watch things all the time and ask, 'When is this going to get good?' I kept watching and asking, 'When is this going to get bad?'" It never does. So graduate from Harvard, put on those roller skates, give Christopher Walken a hearty punch in the nose, and give it a listen!

Terrific bumper music: Bluebird by E's Jammy Jams Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Music provided by FreeMusic109 https://youtube.com/FreeMusic109

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The Wrong Man with Special Guest Jason Isralowitz

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 05:01:00 -0000

What is it like to be accused of a crime one didn't commit--when you're not Cary Grant in North by Northwest or Robert Donat in The 39 Steps? Mike and Dan talk about Hitchcock's one film based on a real event: The Wrong Man (1956). Joining them is Jason Isralowitz, author of Nothing to Fear: Alfred Hitchcock and the Wrong Man. The three of them discuss the actual case upon which the film was based, their favorite moments in the film, and how it stands apart as a movie unique in the Hitchcock canon. Don't apply for that loan today--instead, stay home and give this a listen!

Get your copy of Nothing to Fear: Alfred Hitchcock and the Wrong Man here

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The Best Years of Our Lives: When Soldiers Return, Part 1

Fri, 10 Feb 2023 20:15:00 -0000

We've all seen and loved military family reunion videos--but what happens sometimes after the video ends and life continues? Mike and Dan talk about William Wyler's 1945 masterpiece The Best Years of Our Lives and how it answers this question with a beautifully geometric screenplay and incredible performances. It's a longer episode, but the film deserves it--just like Homer Parrish deserves to eat his pie in peace. So turn this on as you barhop through Boone City!

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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One-Shot: Rocky Balboa

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0000

"It ain't about how hard you hit." But the strength of Rocky Balboa (2006) is how hard it hits even the most cynical viewers. Join Dan in this short episode as he talks about why Rocky Balboa is the second-best of the Rocky films and how its ideas about aging and dignity resonate after the 16-year break between this and Rocky V. So tell Paulie you love him and give it a listen!

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One-Shot: The Man in the Iron Mask

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0000

In this short episode, Mike defends one of his guilty pleasures from the 1990s: Randall Wallace's much-maligned Man in the Iron Mask (1998). Why do the movies we see as kids stick with us like they do? And why can't we celebrate the cheesy soundtrack played over the credits? Mike can! All for one!

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Julius Caesar

Mon, 30 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

Listeners, film fanatics, Criterion Channel subscribers--lend us your ears! Mike and Dan come to praise the greatness of Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1953 adaptation of Julius Caesar. Everyone talks about Brando in this--and rightly so--but there are many terrific performances in what Dan calls Shakespeare's Oceans 11. So ignore that soothsayer and give it a listen--it's not the Ides of March, anyway!

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One-Shot: Kindergarten Cop

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

In this short "The 90s in 90" episode, Mike talks about Kindergarten Cop as a great 90s movie that makes everyone pine for the days of insane plots and the novelty of Arnold in street clothes. It's not a tumor--so relax and give it a listen!

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Witness

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0000

In their kickoff to Season 9, Mike and Dan examine another pair of star-crossed lovers: Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis in Peter Weir's 1995 Witness. The many ways that this movie could have been ruined by sentimentality, the ways in which the film never cheats, and its resemblance to High Noon all come into the conversation. So put on that milking hat and give it a listen!

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One-Shot: The Best of 2022

Fri, 30 Dec 2022 00:52:34 -0000

In this short episode, Mike and Dan look back and select the three movies from this year's shows that they are especially glad they discovered. At the end, they each also name one movie they saw this year that they didn't use for the show but wish they had. Thanks for listening, everyone!

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on Twitter and Letterboxd @15MinFilm. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com.

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One-Shot: Christmas with Connery 2022

Fri, 23 Dec 2022 05:46:00 -0000

Last December, Dan was lucky enough to speak to Sir Sean Connery about his fondest Christmas memories. (You can listen to that here: https://fifteenminutefilm.podbean.com/e/one-shot-dan-interviews-sean-connery/ )

We're thrilled to announce that Dan has scored another interview with the legend, who shares more memories of Christmas and also a few of his favorite songs. Don't miss this one!

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Picnic at Hanging Rock

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

How might a director dramatize the possession of forbidden knowledge? And how might the examination of a mystery simply reveal even more mysteries? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about Peter Weir's Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), a horror film (you read that correctly) that reminds them of 2001, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, and Don't Look Now. So memorize that poem, take off those gloves, and give it a listen!

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One-Shot: The Harder They Fall

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

In this short episode, Dan and Tim talk about Mark Robson's The Harder They Fall (1956), know by its alternate title, Bogart's Last Movie. But, as they both say, there's no reason to give this one a pity recommendation: it's solid stuff, a terrific look at a man who leaves his shell of cynicism to do the right thing, as we've seen in that other, lesser-known Bogart film. The fix is in--give it a listen!

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The Prestige

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

What would you give to create a work of art that dazzled everyone who saw it? What would you sacrifice? Mike and Dan talk about Christopher Nolan's The Prestige (2006) and how artistic creation and technology are like magic. So grab that chisel, bite down on the dowel, and give it a listen!

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Days of Wine and Roses

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 07:00:00 -0000

What would happen if you took a dial and turned up the consequences of the kind of drinking we see in movies all the time? You'd have Blake Edwards' Days of Wine and Roses (1962), his harrowing look at a marriage torn apart by alcoholism. "The journey to recovery" genre is still decades away, and Mike and Dan praise Jack Lemmon's, Lee Remick's, and Jack Klugman's performances in a film that stands the history of Hollywood drinking on its ear. This is a grim episode for a grim film, so pour a cup of black coffee before you give it a listen.

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Thieves’ Highway

Sun, 27 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0000

If you were a producer and a writer pitched a script to you that was a thriller about the delivery of apples, would you greenlight it? Mike and Dan praise Jules Dassin's Thieves' Highway (1949) as one of the best examples of a film that shouldn't work but does, because it follows every rule of terrific screenwriting, directing, and acting. The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, and The Road Warrior all come into the conversation about what makes a film that sounds preposterous work so incredibly well. How you like them apples?

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This Gun For Hire

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about This Gun for Hire, the 1942 breakout film for Alan Ladd and one of his many great collaborations with Veronica Lake. How the stars keep us fascinated by a plot so preposterous and how the writers of The Simpsons had to have this film in mind when creating Springfield's local villain come into play. So put on that gas mask and give it a listen!

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Hoffa

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0000

Why haven't more people seen--or been impressed by--Hoffa, Danny DeVito's 1992 film written by David Mamet and starring Jack Nicholson as the controversial President of the Teamsters? Mike and Dan offer no reasons--only enthusiasm for this terrific movie that, yes, is a wholly Hoffa-friendly portrayal, but also a terrific portrait of a man always onstage. Mike contends that Nicholson's Hoffa tops Pacino's; Dan talks about Mamet's love of the con game and how he gets away with murder in this one. So tell Bobby Kennedy to wait a few minutes and give it a listen!

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Hud (1963)

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 07:01:00 -0000

What would happen if you took the kid from Shane and had him wander in a world without Shane? Martin Ritt's Hud (1963) shows us the answer. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about the danger of Paul Newman's charisma and how this terrific film set in 1963 Texas evokes King Lear, Death of a Salesman, and, of course, Shane. Put that radio in your pocket so you can listen as you look for your womanizing uncle!

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Dracula

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

On this Halloween, join Mike and Dan for a conversation about Tod Browning's 1931 Dracula, the often-imitated adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel and the template for dozens of films. How the film can be viewed as a portrayal of addiction similar to The Man with the Golden Arm, how Van Helsing and Dracula stand as enemies, and how Dracula-inspired films mark the history of movies all come into play--as well as what Samuel Johnson said about ghosts and what Ernest Hemingway said about what happens to tough guys at night. So gather the wolfsbane, find a rosary, and give it a listen!

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Bernie

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

We expect lust, greed, and all kinds of deadly sins in our movies--but how do we react to a portrait of goodness? To what degree does a moment of sin undo the millions of others in a person's life? And why aren't people talking about this movie more than they are--which is basically not at all? Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about Bernie (2011), Richard Linklater's second film with Jack Black and one that defines description, genre, or expectations. In Cold Blood, Anatomy of a Murder, and The Brothers Karamazov all enter the scene. So cue up The Music Man, arrange that basket of soaps, set your bird clock, and give it a listen!

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Nosferatu (1979)

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan tackle their third Werner Herzog movie of the season--and their second Nosferatu. Join them as they talk about what makes Herzog's 1979 remake of what he called the greatest German film of all time and what Mike and Dan praise as the best of all the Dracula films. Mike calls Herzog "the Mozart of stilted time," Dan compares this film to part of Gulliver's Travels, and the two of them keep coming up with examples of where Herzog upsets the viewer's expectations in wonderful ways. So set your table among the rats and give it a listen!

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Rebecca

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Is Rebecca (1940) more Selznick than Hitchcock? How does it work like a rehearsal for Vertigo? And how is the house a perfect metaphor for Laurence Olivier's Maxim DeWinter? Join Mike and Dan as they talk about Hitchcock's first American film and one that--while lush and "Hollywood"--has his fingerprints all over it. Vertigo, Shadow of a Doubt, and North By Northwest come into the conversation--but so do Rosemary's Baby and Raiders of the Lost Ark. So open that secret door, touch the underwear made by the nuns in the Convent of the Sisters of St. Claire, and give it a listen!

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Aguirre

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Yes, we know the full title is Aguirre, the Wrath of God, but we want to keep consistent with our episode titles for this season. Join Mike and Dan as they talk about Werner Herzog's 1972 portrait of the conquistador as a young man. Conan the Barbarian, Goodfellas, Richard III, Deliverance, Southern Comfort, and There Will Be Blood all come into play. Herzog dramatizes what Mike likens to a startup and what Dan compares the film to what Melville called "the truest book ever written." (You'll have to listen to learn that book's title.) So kick the Emperor out of his latrine and give it a listen!

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Logan

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

What's it like to be revered as a legend but feel you're unworthy of the acclaim? Mike and Dan discuss James Mangold's Logan (2017), a movie they enjoy for its ideas as much as it's fights--even more so. How the film looks at aging, anger, self-loathing, and a man's trying to be someone he's not all come into play, as well as the many ways that the film complements last week's film, Shane. This episode also has Dan's vote for Mike's best phrase so far in the 150+ episodes they've recorded. Does Logan's death fit the world fo the film--or is it a 9 on the Borimir Scale? Zodiac, No Country for Old Men also come into play. So pull out your claws, take the shot of adrenaline, and give it a listen!

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Shane

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Everybody knows and loves George Stevens's Shane (1953) so much that its fights and characters have become something almost liturgical. Join Mike and Dan as they talk about how what we think of as a star vehicle for Alan Ladd is actually a terrific ensemble movie and how even the film's color scheme has affected our imaginations of the West. Pale Rider, The Departed, The Bishop's Wife, Unforgiven, the swinging doors that Dan's dad installed in their basement, and the poem "To Lucasta, On Going to the Wars" all enter the conversation. The guys also explain why there will never be a Shane 2: The Return. So uproot that stump, grab your soda pop and give it a listen!

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Nosferatu (1922)

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

On the hundredth anniversary of F. W. Murnau's NOSFERATU (1922), Mike and Dan talk about the film's staying power and the thrill of watching dozens of cinematic conventions being invented before your eyes. The characters are like people watching horror movies, trying to remain logical while feeling uneasy or disturbed. Alien, Jaws, Rear Window, Niagra, The Witch and even COVID-19 all enter the conversation. So levitate out of that coffin and give it a listen!

You can see a good print of NOSFERATU here

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Fitzcarraldo

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 06:00:00 -0000

A film that's both a joy and struggle to watch, Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo (1982) dramatizes the trials and triumph of a man bringing what he knows is aesthetic bliss and artistic excellence to the heart of darkness. But is he insane for thinking so? How much does he resemble Kurtz, Ahab, or Quixote? And how does watching Fitzcarraldo's attempt to bring the opera to the jungle remind us of trying to get your friends to read the books you like and see the films you admire? Don't turn everything into an opera--just give it a listen!

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Rocky

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Season 8 begins with a fanatic favorite and listener request: Rocky (1976). Mike praises the film's "unexpected subtlety" and Dan talks about how the first installment dwarfs all of its sequels--and why Rocky needs to lose in order to win. Marty, Raging Bull, and Creed all come into the conversation. So gulp those eggs, lace those Chuck Taylors, and give it a listen!

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Season 8 Teaser--with Sean Connery!

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 20:00:01 -0000

Season 8 will begin on Monday, August 29, 2022. In the meantime, check out this unbelievable promo with one of the world's most-recognizable actors!

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A Matter of Life and Death: Powell and Pressburger Part 4

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 05:01:00 -0000

If you were making a film about the afterlife, would the next world be in monochrome or technicolor? In their season 7 finale, Mike and Dan answer this question as they talk about Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death (1946), which Mike contends has "all the things that make a movie great" and which Dan describes as a "beautiful hallucination-like all the best films." The Wizard of Oz, The Matrix, The Shining, and an idea from Robert Frost's "Birches" all find their way into the conversation. So recite the works of Sir Walter Raleigh, freeze that table-tennis game, and give it a listen!

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No Country for Old Men

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 05:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan talk about one of the most faithful adaptations of any novel: the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men (2007). Join them for a conversation about how the film poses questions about maintaining one's dignity and morality in a world one no longer recognizes, the way in which the film allows the viewer to think along with the characters, and whether or not the ending is as much of a downer as it seems upon first viewing. So get those tent poles, flip that coin, and give it a listen!

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Detour

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 05:00:00 -0000

How much unease can a film pack into 68 minutes? A great amount, as Mike and Dan discuss in this week's episode on Detour (1945), Edgar G. Ulmer's noir masterpiece and certainly one of the best examples of the genre. The guys talk about the ways in which the film dramatizes the whims of whatever malevolent force controls the universe and Ann Savage's unpredictable, electrifying performance. I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang, Seinfeld, The Third Man, Raging Bull, Out of the Past, The Shining, Double Indemnity King Lear, and Goodfellas all enter the conversation about a man without any plot armor longing to escape into another movie. So stick out that thumb and see who picks you up--just be sure to listen to this episode in the car.

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In the Mood for Love

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 05:01:00 -0000

"You notice a lot of things if you look." So says Maggie Cheung in Kar-Wei Wong's fascinating In the Mood for Love (2000). Mike and Dan notice many things about this terrific film, such as how it presents adultery in a way that surprises audiences used to seeing it as a plot device or a reward for a character's misery--as in The Bridges of Madison County. How the film suggests adultery as a terrible fact and a fact that two star-crossed lovers respect, despite their anguish, is what makes it so compelling. The Apartment, Body Heat, Double Indemnity, The Scarlet Letter, Walden, and even Moby-Dick all enter the conversation in this extended episode. So grab that Thermos, fill it with noodles, and give it a listen!

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Planet of the Apes

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 05:06:00 -0000

"Does man, that marvel of the universe, that glorious paradox who sent me to the stars, still make war against his brother? Keep his neighbor's children starving?" Charlton Heston finds out when he lands on Planet of the Apes, the 1968 classic that sparked sequels, a TV show, toys, Halloween costumes, and CGI reboots, but still stands above all of them. Mike and Dan talk about their favorite moments, watching it as a kid vs. seeing it now, and the way in which the famous surprise isn't as shocking as what Dr. Zaius has in mind when he puts Taylor--and, by extension, all humans--on trial. So press play, get your stinking paws of that phone, and give it a listen! It's a madhouse--a madhouse!

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One Shot: Princeton Garden and Alamo Drafthouse

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 05:00:00 -0000

In this short episode, Mike and Dan talk about their favorite places to see movies. Dan raves about the Princeton Garden Theatre in Princeton, NJ; Mike praises the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX. Both offer terrific experiences for watching first-run and classic films and both are heavenly places for film fanatics. So get to Princeton or Austin or anywhere there's an Alamo Drafthouse and see what the fuss is about!

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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Website: https://fifteenminutefilm.podbean.com/

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Top Gun: Maverick

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 05:00:00 -0000

Ride into the danger zone with Mike and Dan as they discuss the first--and perhaps only--blockbuster popcorn movie of the season: Top Gun: Maverick. Dan defends his enjoyment of Tom Cruise's movies, Mike talks about a question the film asks that it can't answer, and both examine the ways in which Maverick has the feel of an 80s movie and the classic structure of the "Make a plan / execute the plan" movie. Jennifer Connelly's lighting, Jon Hamm's difficulty in containing Tom Cruise, and the Creed movies all come into play. So buzz the tower and give it a listen!

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A Scanner Darkly

Mon, 23 May 2022 05:01:00 -0000

Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly (2006) is a better film than Blade Runner, the adaptation often seen as the gold standard of Philip K. Dick adaptations. Join Dan and Mike for a conversation about the experience of watching this terrific and trippy interrogation of the surveillance state, the noise that permeates our lives, and the ways in which our identities are scanned and sold. Other topics include rotoscoping, John LeCarre, Primer, The Departed, and whether or not Woody Harrelson knew he was in a movie at the time of filming. So put down that Substance D, reconnect those hemispheres, and give it a listen!

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One Shot: The Northman

Wed, 18 May 2022 05:08:00 -0000

No one was as jazzed up to see The Northman as Mike and Dan. Both are great admirers of Robert Eggers's The Witch and The Lighthouse, each of which has been discussed in previous episodes. But the disaster of The Northman is more than a disappointment; it's indicative of a trend in contemporary films in which the audience is held almost in contempt. This episode doesn't follow the usual three-act structure--it's all a rant about why The Northman fails and what its failure reminds us about how films are made. Spoilers abound, for what they are worth.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/15minfilm

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Website: https://fifteenminutefilm.podbean.com/

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Le Samourai

Mon, 16 May 2022 06:00:00 -0000

"What kind of man are you?" So asks one of the people who interact with Jef Costello, existential assassin in Jean Pierre-Melville's Le Samurai (1967). Mike and Dan try to answer this question by comparing Jef to Richard Stark's serial thief Parker (and subject of John Boorman's Point Blank) and a few other figures. Melville's masterpiece uses what Dan calls a "symphony of silence" to generate real tension until the final moments, in which Jef finds himself as another performer in the nightclub where the plot began. So feed that bird, snap that hat brim, and give it a listen!

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Prisoners

Mon, 09 May 2022 06:00:00 -0000

“Pray for the best but prepare for the worst” is what Hugh Jackman’s character advises his son in Prisoners, Dennis Denis Villeneuve’s 2013 thriller. And “the worst” is what we get: this is another intense movie, like Dear Zachary or Zodiac, that you can’t indiscriminately recommend to anybody around the water cooler. Mike and Dan talk about the many terrific performances here–among them Jake Gyllenhaal’s best–as well as how the film’s strengths and weaknesses are both matters of artistic restraint. So join them for a conversation about the second-best movie in which Paul Dano is beaten senseless by the protagonist!

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All About Eve

Mon, 02 May 2022 23:35:00 -0000

The general atmosphere gets very Macbethish as Mike and Dan talk round out their Season of Mankiewicz with All About Eve (1950), Joseph L. Mankiewicz's masterpiece. The guys talk about how the film offers theatricality as a way of life and means of getting what one wants and how it both plays into and mocks our desire to hobnob with famous folks. The greatness of George Sanders, Chris Farley's interview of Paul McCartney, and Jimi Hendrix's "Room Full of Mirrors" all enter the conversation. So--of course--fasten your seatbelts and give it a listen!

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The Untouchables

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 05:00:00 -0000

When's the last time you saw a film with an all-star cast, big-name director, notable screenwriter, period sets, shootouts, explosions, snappy dialogue--and poignant moments? Mike and Dan talk about how Brian DePalma's The Untouchables (1987) combines all of these elements into a satisfying experience. Dan compares it to Shakespearean history plays and the guys then bring in Lincoln, Seven Samurai, A Man for All Seasons before asking what happened to Kevin Costner, a great straight man who's convincing and non-threatening. So pour yourself a drink, now that it's legal again, and give this a listen!

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My Cousin Vinny and More: A Talk with Dale Launer

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 05:18:00 -0000

Dale Launer has written screenplays for films that everyone has seen: Ruthless People (1985), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) and, notably, My Cousin Vinny (1992). Join Mike and Dan as they talk to Dale about screenwriting, his inspiration for Vinny Gambini (hint: it's a rock star who died in 2013), and how the torrid tale of the making and unmaking of Blind Date (1987) reflects the perils of screenwriting, producers, and too many chefs. He also shares his list of favorite screenplays. So drop that Craftsman model 1019 Laboratory Edition Signature Series torque wrench--the kind used by Caltech high energy physicists and NASA engineers--and give it a listen!

Thanks again to Dale Launer for the interview! You can check out his website here

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One Shot: The Lady Vanishes

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

After coming off of Foreign Correspondent, here's a mini-episode on another oft-overlooked yet perfect Hitchcock film: The Lady Vanishes (1938). Mike talks about his recent rewatching of this early thriller, what Dan calls "Hitchcock's Agatha Christie," and how it has the magic formula for satisfying an audience. So stir your Mexican tea and give it a listen!

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Foreign Correspondent

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan share their similar reactions to Hitchcock's 1940 espionage thriller: Why aren't more people talking about this movie? A Hitchcock film that sometimes feels as if it were directed by Howard Hawks, Foreign Correspondent is a terrific film that Mike and Dan urge their listeners to see. Adjusting for scale, it's Hitchcock's most expensive film, his Mission Impossible, but also one that has delicate moments to complicate the terrific special effects set-piece in the third act. During their conversation, the guys mention The 39 Steps, North by Northwest, The Lady Vanishes, but also The Turn of the Screw, Rosemary's Baby, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and The Little Foxes. So climb out of that high hotel window and walk the ledge into our room. We promise it'll be fun.

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One Shot: Four by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 06:01:00 -0000

Inspired by his reading Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz, A Dual Portrait and his earlier interview with its author, Nick Davis, Dan has been binging on Joe Mankiewicz films. In this short episode, Mike names the films and Dan talks about what makes them worth seeing. No other podcast delivers so much in so short a time!

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Citizen Kane with a Mankiewicz

Wed, 06 Apr 2022 06:00:00 -0000

Is there a better way to celebrate episode 150 than to talk about Citizen Kane? There is: to do so with Nick Davis, grandson of its screenwriter, Herman Mankiewicz, and author of the spectacular Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz, A Dual Portrait. Mike and Dan held off on covering Citizen Kane, waiting for the right moment to tackle it--and that moment has arrived. Mike, Dan, and Nick talk about how Kane's reputation as The Greatest Film of All Time obscures the fact that it is a joy to watch from start to finish and created at just the right time in Hollywood history. As always, the guys talk about their favorite moments; listen to this episode to see if yours are the same as theirs. (Hint: none of them chose "Rosebud.")

Thanks again to Nick Davis for joining us! You can get Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz, A Dual Portrait wherever books are sold.

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Competing with Idiots: Herman and Joe Mankiewicz

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 06:04:00 -0000

Mike and Dan interview Nick Davis about Competing with Idiots, his terrific dual portrait of his grandfather, Herman Mankiewicz, and his great-uncle, Joseph L. Mankiewicz. He talks to Mike and Dan about the impetus for the book, the Mankiewicz family dynamic, and how his understanding of these fascinating figures grew and became more complex over time. No film fanatic can miss this one!

You can get a copy of Competing with Idiots anywhere books are sold.

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Some Like It Hot

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 05:15:00 -0000

In an era of shameless, unnecessary, and unsolicited remakes, Some Like It Hot remains untouched, despite a premise that seems like low-hanging fruit for any producer seeking to explore gender-related issues. Mike and Dan talk about why Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy remains unremade and the brilliance of its three leads: Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, and Marilyn Monroe. Sigmund Freud and Wile E. Coyote sneak into the conversation. So hop in that dress, watch out for the gangster popping out of the cake, and give it a listen! We can make Manhattans!

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One Shot: Enough with Actors Changing Their Appearances

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 05:50:00 -0000

Mike and Dan react to recent stories about Jared Leto transforming himself physically for his role in House of Gucci. When will this praise of prosthetics-for-prosthetics' sake end? When will the gimmick be praised less than the performance? (Note: Dan refers to the actor who played John Merrick in David Lynch's The Elephant Man as William Hurt. The actor was, of course, John Hurt. Dan knew it as soon as it came out of his mouth but he was on a roll.) Jump out of that makeup chair and give it a listen!

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Throne of Blood

Mon, 21 Mar 2022 05:35:00 -0000

"A sword can beat another sword, but it cannot beat a thousand arrows." So says Mike in this episode on Throne of Blood (1957), Akira Kurosawa's version of Macbeth. What does Kurosawa get right--more so than many other traditional adaptations? What single plot change from the original makes Throne of Blood even more "Macbethish" (to quote Joe Mackewicz) than the original? And how does Kurosawa manipulate physical spaces to suggest the moral claustrophobia of his hero? And what in this film calls to mind the murderous couple in Double Indemnity? In so many ways, Japan is more Scottish than Scotland. So dodge those arrows and give it a listen!

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The Tragedy of Macbeth

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 05:32:00 -0000

Each new version of a famous play--especially one as well-known as Macbeth--calls to mind the ones that came before it. So how does Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth (2022) rate in light of other versions, including those in the viewers' imaginations? Dan and Mike talk about Denzel Washington's spectacular yet restrained performance and how Joel Coen's vision of the play is full of surprising choices. They also apply Hamlet's famous advice to the players to the film to better appreciate the many great performances. Lay on, Macduff, and give it a listen!

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Seven Samurai

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 07:00:00 -0000

"In the end, we've lost this battle, too." So say Kambei at the end of Seven Samurai (1954), Akira Kurosawa's often-imitated masterpiece. Mike and Dan talk about what, exactly, is lost and won, how the samurai beat the bandits but lose to peace, and how the viewer's perspective is constantly shifting in a film that's 207 minutes long but feels like 15. Every possible emotion and experience a person can have watching a film is in this one, so join Mike and Dan as they talk about as many as they can.

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Alice

Thu, 03 Mar 2022 07:00:00 -0000

What is childhood really like? Is it like how it's portrayed in The Wizard of Oz and E.T.--or is it something altogether different, like the world in Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man," where something's happening but you don't know what it is? Mike and Dan talk about Alice, the 1988 film by Jan Švankmajer that gets the feel of Lewis Carroll's books--and childhood--exactly right. "A film for children--perhaps" is how the title character describes it and the "perhaps" is what makes the film so compelling. Samuel Beckett, Zork, Tim Burton, and Mr. Bean all come into the conversation--so eat that tart, chase that white rabbit, and give it a listen!

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Oran na h-Eala: Steve Exeter and Shannon Davidson Talk about their New Film

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 11:13:00 -0000

You may know and love The Red Shoes, but how much do you know about Moira Shearer, who agreed to play Vickie Page only after a year of pursuit by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger? Dan talks to Steve Exeter, writer and director of Oran na h-Eala (2022), a film that dramatizes the struggles Shearer faced in leaving the ballet for a more flashy medium. Shannon Davidson, who plays Shearer, joins the conversation and talks about the temptations and refusal of fame. To what degree did the film do for Shearer what the red shoes did for Vickie? How do artists stay true to their visions when they are pressured to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? Join us for a conversation about this new, terrific film that Dan calls "a movie for people who love movies" and one that explores the very issues that Powell and Pressburger do in theirs.

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The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp: Powell and Pressburger Part 3

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

"Relentlessly joyful" is one of Mike and Dan's many attempts to articulate the feel and experience of watching The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's epic time-sweeping story about a good man caught in a changing world. In this longer-than-usual episode, the conversation touches upon what's removed from the film, the importance of what remains, and how this indisputable masterpiece provokes not a single eye-roll as it inspires us to be morally courageous. When's the last time a film did that for you? Remember, the war starts at midnight, so start listening as soon as you can!

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Shadow of a Doubt

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 05:02:00 -0000

Every family has an Uncle Charlie--perhaps not a sociopathic serial killer who preys on widows, but close. Mike and Dan talk about Joseph Cotten's terrific performance in Hitchcock's 1943 Shadow of a Doubt and how his performance--along with the overacting of the rest of the cast--raises the issue of the ways in which family life is one sustained performance. They discuss the charm of the film lying in its not being Hitchcock's best, regardless of his calling it his favorite--a Saturday Afternoon Hitchcock as opposed to a Friday Nighter. No Country for Old Men, Psycho, Fargo, Blue Velvet, and Hemingway's story "The Killers" all come up in conversation. So knock over that glass, cut up the newspaper and hum the Merry Widow Waltz as you give it a listen!

No widows were harmed during the making of this podcast.

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Black Narcissus: Powell and Pressburger Part 2

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

What are some of the most shocking moments you've seen in a film? Few are as shocking as those in Black Narcissus, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1947 example of absolute control as an artistic method and theme. After being dumbstruck by The Red Shoes, the guys had to come back for more. Listen to Mike and Dan talk about how, like The Red Shoes, the film offers alternatives without endorsing either one. Is the meaning of life found in worldliness--or abstinence? The Shining, The Turn of the Screw, The Wicker Man, and Hereditary all come into the conversation. So put on your red dress and lipstick and give it a listen!

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One Shot: Mike’s Meltdown about The Rings of Power

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 07:02:00 -0000

Amazon recently announced it would offer a new series based on The Lord of the Rings and other works by J.R.R. Tolkien: The Rings of Power. Dan mentions it to Mike, who winds up and offers a Master Class on what's wrong with the world.

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Letterboxd @15MinFilm. You can also contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com, and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm. All proceeds go right back to the show!

Opening clip courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

URL: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jackson_F_Smith/Jackson_Frederick_Smith/Cantina_Rag Comments: http://freemusicarchive.org/ Curator: The Beehive Recording Company Copyright: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States: http://

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WALL-E

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 07:00:00 -0000

What's the most shocking Pixar film? Mike argues that it's Wall-E and Dan doesn't disagree. After talking about how the film, like its title character, doesn't really fit in anywhere, the guys talk about what makes Wall-E so compelling and get into a debate about whether or not the film could--or should--sustain the silence of its first half. Rear Window, 2001, and even Logan's Run all come into the discussion. So turn off Hello, Dolly! and turn on our episode on this strange and perfect film.

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The Red Shoes: Powell and Pressburger Part 1

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 06:55:00 -0000

Everyone--even you, dear listener--can name a film that they've read about, heard about, and meant to see--but never got around to seeing. Such is the case with The Red Shoes, Powell and Pressburger's 1948 film about the triumphs and demands of following one's passion. What a movie! Mike and Dan talk about their first reactions and then get into a discussion of how the film depicts the process of artistic creation without falling into the common trap of never showing us the product. The film suggests different ways to approach one's talent, such as sacrificing everything to it or using one's experiences to fuel it. Scorsese, De Niro, Sinatra, Whiplash, and even Phil Jackson come up in the conversation. So tap that baton and begin from the top!

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To Die For

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 01:02:00 -0000

"What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if there's nobody watching?" So asks Suzanne Stone, the seductive embodiment of television in To Die For, Gus Van Sant's 1995 satire of celebrity culture and those who would do anything to reach the paradise of being on TV--or have a million followers on Instagram. In the Season 7 premiere, Mike and Dan talk about how well Nicole Kidman plays dumb--something rarely done well in movies--and how the film's oddest scene is one of genuine emotion. Sunset Blvd., The King of Comedy, and, of course, Network all enter the conversation. So stop watching Teens Speak Out and give this a listen!

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Die Hard

Thu, 23 Dec 2021 07:22:00 -0000

For the season 6 finale, Mike and Dan talk about Die Hard, the 1988 action movie that set the template for all action movies afterwards to follow. They don't debate whether or not it's a Christmas movie--it is--but instead talk about the film as a time machine, why Hans Gruber is such a great villain, and why John McClane has to bleed. Welcome to the party, pal!

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One Shot: Dan Interviews Sean Connery

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 07:05:00 -0000

Not even his passing last year could keep Sean Connery away from the Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics studios. Listen to this unbelievable interview in which the immortal actor talks about the James Bond franchise, his Christmas traditions, and the making of The Man Who Would Be King. A Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics exclusive!

Music clips: Wake & District Pipes and Drums from Raleigh, NC play Dr. Alan Armstrong's arrangement of "The Little Drummer Boy" for a Christmas tree lighting parade in Clayton, NC.

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm. You can also contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com.

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One Shot: Dan Rants Against Scorsese / Hill / Garcia Movie

Tue, 21 Dec 2021 06:18:00 -0000

When Dan learned of Martin Scorsese's planed biopic starring Jonah Hill as Jerry Garcia, he had a near-meltdown, which Mike captured on audio for your listening pleasure.

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm. You can also contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com, and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm. All proceeds go right back to the show!

Opening clip courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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It Happened on Fifth Avenue

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 06:26:00 -0000

Everyone has seen A Christmas Carol, The Bishop's Wife, and It's a Wonderful Life--but Mike wanted to talk about a lesser-known Christmas film that he thinks deserves more viewers: Roy Del Ruth's It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947). Join Mike and Dan as they talk about what makes the film so weird, compelling, and satisfying--and how the film asks its viewers to think about the ways that you can only hurt the ones you love. So open that manhole, climb on down, put on the millionaire's dressing gown, light a cigar, and give this one a listen!

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One Shot: Missing the Point of It‘s a Wonderful Life

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 06:24:00 -0000

Every December, Mike and Dan argue about the most beloved of Christmas films: Frank Capra's 1946 masterpiece, It's a Wonderful Life. Like all good people, Dan finds the movie charming, affirming, and a welcome reminder of life's many blessings. Mike, however, walks home from his counting house, muttering about the "leeches" (his word) who inhabit Bedford Falls. Humbug! So walk into Nick's, order a flaming rum punch (heavy on the cinnamon and light on the cloves) and give it a listen!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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The Beast

Mon, 13 Dec 2021 06:46:00 -0000

In 1988 Columbia Pictures released The Beast, a film directed by Kevin Reynolds based on a play by William Mastrosimone. It ran for a week. Dan and Mike had never heard of it until one of their listeners emailed them and told them they had to check it out. He called it "one of the best films you've never seen," and he was right. So check out The Beast (free with Amazon Prime) and then join Mike and Dan as they talk about the film's moral ambiguity, commitment to making its audience uneasy, and connections to Reservoir Dogs, Das Boot, and Apocalypse Now.

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Senna

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 07:01:00 -0000

This week, the guys take a listener request and talk about the 2010 documentary Senna, director Asif Kapadia's look at three-time Formula One champion Ayrton Senna. You could fill libraries with what Mike and Dan don't know about Formula One--so they were the perfect people to go into this cold. The film and its subject won them over in minutes and they talk in this episode about the challenge of dramatizing the desire to be a champion, the ways in which the film could have gone wrong, and the relationship between humility and dignity. So get into that McLaren MP4/5 and listen to this as you win the Grand Prix!

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One Shot: Company Original Cast Album

Thu, 02 Dec 2021 07:02:00 -0000

Stephen Sondheim died last week at the age of 91. In this short episode, Dan talks about stumbling upon D. A. Pennebaker's short documentary on the making of the original cast album of Company. This look into the recording process illuminates the challenges of recording without a live audience and of realizing every note of Sondheim's music at 5:00 AM after twelve or so hours of recording. Everybody rise!

Company: Original Cast Album is streaming on the Criterion Channel.

Opening clip: Elaine Stritch, "Ladies Who Lunch."

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Zodiac

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 07:37:00 -0000

Many films examine the nature of evil, but David Fincher's 2007 Zodiac portrays evil as unknowable, without a motive or even a face. Mike and Dan discuss Fincher's understanding of just what happens when people sit in the dark to watch a film about murder and how he teases his viewers--who know from the start that the case is unsolved--with the promise of filmic resolution. Zodiac might not be a perfect film or even Fincher's best, but it's certainly interesting and a film that grows upon the viewer. So turn on "The Hurdy-Gurdy Man" and then give this episode a listen!

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One Shot: Mike Not Impressed by Benedict Cumberbatch

Wed, 24 Nov 2021 07:00:00 -0000

For about a year, Mike has been evasive when asked about Benedict Cumberbatch. In this short episode, he unburthens himself of his feelings about the man whom some regard as one of our greatest living actors. Is Cumberbatch overrated? Is his praise undeserved? Is Mike wrong? Don your Dr. Strange cape and your Sherlock hat and give it a listen!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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No Time to Die

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 11:01:00 -0000

What's the difference between pornography and art--and where do the Bond films fall? Mike and Dan tackle No Time to Die (2021), Daniel Craig's farewell to the role. The guys break their usual rule of only discussing films they enjoy because, as Dan says in one of his many rants this week, No Time to Die is bad in a special way. They use Nicole Kidman's pre-show spot for AMC Theatres as a way into a discussion about why No Time to Die betrays the spirit of the franchise. Is No Time to Die the Bond equivalent of The Last Jedi? Is it an unnecessary and unwelcome attempt to redeem the character? And how do Parasite, Sullivan's Travels, and Raging Bull all enter the conversation? Order a vodka martini and give it a listen!

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The Departed

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 07:02:00 -0000

During this episode on Martin Scorsese's THE DEPARTED (2006). Dan quotes a friend of his who once asked, "Why would anyone ever make movies about anything other than criminals?" Good question. Mike and Dan talk about what Mike calls a "high-performance machine" of a film in which everyone is at peak performance. They discuss the film's father figures, how it resembles a Shakespearean tragedy, and how the viewer is--like the characters--taken in by those who have a talent for violence and want to leave their mark on their own corner of Boston. So order up a cranberry juice and give it a listen!

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One Shot: Lightyear

Thu, 11 Nov 2021 08:06:00 -0000

Do we really need a Buzz Lightyear origin story? Mike and Dan talk about this depressing revelation, why most reboots and origin stories don't work, and why a few of them might. To the Marketing Reports--and Beyond!

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Facebook at Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics. You can also contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com, and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm. All proceeds go right back to the show!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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Fat City

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 07:01:00 -0000

What's the last film you watched during which you had a good time feeling bad? Mike and Dan discuss John Huston's Fat City (1972), a film that feels like a steady drunk and which makes the viewer awaken with a sadness hangover. But they also love the movie and talk about how Huston never allows it to veer into a romantic tale of lost souls but, instead, offers his viewers a portrait of people who are living through the death of promise. "Maybe everybody's happy," one of the characters says. Maybe not. Whatever you think, after you spar at the Y, give this a listen: you can count on us.

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One Shot: Rocky IV Rocky vs. Drago

Thu, 04 Nov 2021 06:01:00 -0000

On November 11, the director's cut of Rocky IV will play in theatres for one night. Dan and Mike talk about Rocky vs. Drago for two minutes before one of them pulls the plug. This is not their finest hour.

Bumper music by Vince DiCola from the Rocky IV soundtrack.

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Double Feature: Angel Heart and Devil‘s Advocate

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 06:05:00 -0000

At a listener's request, Mike and Dan talk about two of our greatest living actors playing the Prince of Darkness: Robert De Niro in Angel Heart (1987) and Al Pacino in The Devil's Advocate (1997). How does this diabolical duo fare in their Satanic portrayals? Not well: as Mike says, "When you have the big guns, I expect a big gun result." But all's not gloom and doom, since both films help us better understand the challenges of screenwriting and the difficulty of sustaining suspense. Rosemary's Baby, The Screwtape Letters, Paradise Lost, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off are mentioned as Mike and Dan talk about entering scenes late, leaving them early, and Pacino's yelling, and Keanu Reeves's terrific haircut. So sell your soul and give it a listen!

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One Shot: Dune

Fri, 29 Oct 2021 05:45:00 -0000

Dan isn't crazy about Frank Herbert's novel, but Mike likes it enough that he's already seen Dune--twice. In this one shot, Mike offers some ideas about Denis Villeneuve's much-awaited (and hyped) adaptation. So enjoy some spice while you give it a listen!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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One Shot: Jurassic vs. Jaws

Thu, 28 Oct 2021 06:12:00 -0000

Dan mentioned to Mike that he could never understand the hype over Jurassic Park because "dinosaurs just aren't scary." In this mini-episode, Mike talks to Dan about how his lack of interest in dinosaurs--and love of Jaws--reveals something about movie monsters and the effects of their being perfectly rendered on a screen. The Xenomorph from Alien makes an appearance, too.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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The Bride of Frankenstein

Tue, 26 Oct 2021 06:03:00 -0000

Just in time for Halloween, Mike and Dan talk about a favorite: James Whale's 1935 sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein. Topics include the sins of Dr. Praetorius, how the film anticipates the sequels to which we've become accustomed, and why (according to Mike), this sequel is better than its predecessor--kind of like how many people feel about The Godfather, Part II. Other films mentioned include Pinocchio, The Matrix, and Jaws. So sit down for some bread, some wine, and a smoke before she shrieks at you!

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One Shot: Casino Royale

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 06:02:00 -0000

In preparation for No Time to Die, Mike and Dan do a short episode on Casino Royale, the 2006 film in which Daniel Craig first appeared as 007. What makes Daniel Craig a terrific Bond and Casino Royale on of the top films in the franchise? Push in those chips and give us a listen!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 07:01:00 -0000

In the wake of the excitement over No Time to Die, Mike and Dan take a look at a much different kind of spy thriller, Tomas Alfredson's "infuriatingly brilliant" 2011 adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. After acknowledging the film's complexity and the idea that "many first dates must have been ruined by this movie," Mike and Dan explain how the film teaches its viewers to think like a spy, how the film flips the usual motives seen in spy thrillers, and what makes for a perfect adaptation, as they think Alfredson's is. Of course, they compare it to the 1979 miniseries with Alec Guinness, heaping praise upon each. So give Karla your lighter, go for a swim, and join the guys for a conversation about a film they find fascinating and rewatchable.

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One Shot: Jerry Lewis and The Horrible Interview

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 06:00:00 -0000

In 2016, Jerry Lewis was interviewed for the millionth time--but this one became legendary for the actor's one-word answers, obvious anger, and refusal to entertain the most innocuous questions. It's fascinating. Mike and Dan talk about this trainwreck in terms of its high drama. They compare it to a Beckett play and Hemingway story in their attempts to describe what makes it so compelling.

You can see the interview here: https://youtu.be/s8SfWiNhTJo

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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Gladiator

Tue, 12 Oct 2021 07:02:00 -0000

In one of his cries to the crowd, Maximus yells, "Are you not entertained? Is that not why you are here?" Mike and Dan talk about how Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000) asks its viewers the same questions. Mike lovingly calls this the "best worst movie" (as opposed to a different Ridley Scott film that he contends is the "worst best movie"); Dan praises the film's lack of irony, and Mike argues that there is only one possible moment to choose for discussion and that Dan has chosen the wrong one. They end by noting that the writers get to have their hero/martyr cake and eat it, too. So scrape off that tattoo, sharpen that sword, and take a listen to Mike and Dan as they try to win the crowd! No tigers were harmed during the recording of this episode.

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One Shot: Mike Detests Joe Buck

Thu, 07 Oct 2021 07:05:00 -0000

Dan doesn't follow the NFL but Mike does--and when he said for the thousandth time how much he hates Joe Buck, Dan said, "Let's do a one-shot on why." So here's Mike in a three-minute speech about why Joe Buck irritates him so much. Believe it or not, DIary of a Wimpy Kid and 1984 also come up in the conversation. Go Giants!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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The Man Who Would Be King

Tue, 05 Oct 2021 08:03:00 -0000

Sean Connery and Michael Caine both called THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975) their personal favorite. Mike and Dan talk about John Huston's "romp with ideas" and how the film looks into the heart of darkness--but in a way wholly different from that which a viewer might expect. George Orwell, Socrates, Moby-Dick, and Apocalypse Now all come up in a conversation about what one of the guys calls a "colonial carnival." Hats off! Hats on! Press Play!

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One-Shot: Liz from @MrPaulMuni

Thu, 30 Sep 2021 07:49:00 -0000

In their previous episode on I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG and THE LIFE OF LOUIS PASTEUR, Mike and Dan mention the great Twitter feed, @MrPaulMuni. Join the guys in this short episode as they talk to Liz, the feed's curator and ultimate Muni fan. What makes him such a great actor? What are his best films? And how did Liz become so devoted? Give it a listen and be sure to check out @MrPaulMuni on Twitter.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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Double Feature: Two with Paul Muni

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000

In their first Double Feature episode, Mike and Dan discuss two terrific films starring Paul Muni: I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG (1932) and THE STORY OF LOUIS PASTEUR (1936). One concerns a man in the wrong place at the wrong time; the other celebrates the right man at the right time. So find the microbe, kill the microbe, and give this extended edition a listen!

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One shot: RIP Norm MacDonald

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 09:03:00 -0000

Dan and Mike try to capture what made Norm the funniest person on the planet. It's not easy, but they get as close as they can to an answer concerning the "aura of Normness" that he created in his carefully-crafted persona.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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Marty

Tue, 21 Sep 2021 08:00:00 -0000

"What do you wanna do tonight?" Listen to Dan and Mike talk about Marty, of course! In this special episode dedicated to Jeffrey Tambor, Dan tells the story of how a phone call from the great actor led to this show in which the guys talk about Ernest Borgnine's 1955 performance as shedding light on just what an actor can do. They also talk about the film's economy, its use of "the right ninety minutes," and how it avoids being too clever. The Apartment, Taxi Driver, The Honeymooners, and a story by John Cheever all make an appearance. So tell Angie to take a hike, get in that phone booth, and give us a call!

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One Shot: Godzilla vs. Kong

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 08:55:00 -0000

In this mini-episode, Mike and Dan talk about Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and why it doesn't really work--despite Dan's being revved up and ready for raucous, ravaging reptiles. They also raise an old, off-the-air argument about Baby's Day Out and why good actors appear in bad movies. Caution: Dan sings several times.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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Key Largo

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 07:03:00 -0000

After Body Heat, Mike and Dan discuss another film filled with sweaty Floridians trying to kill each other. They talk about the sadness that runs through John Huston's Key Largo (1948), a film Mike describes as "Agatha Christie by Americans" and Dan retitles Waiting for Ziggy. Hemingway, Gordon Gekko, and Huston's first film, The Maltese Falcon, all come into the conversation. So sing for your drink and give it a listen!

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Body Heat

Wed, 08 Sep 2021 07:00:00 -0000

Season 6 begins in the sweltering Florida sun as Mike and Dan talk about Lawrence Kasdan's 1981 thriller Body Heat. They are as hot for this film's nods to noir as the characters are for each other. Of course, they compare the film to its artistic ancestor, Double Indemnity, and examine how one space in the film is from 1981 while the rest of them seem from 1944. They also work in an allusion to The Big Lebowski. So smoke 'em if you got 'em, smash that window, and come on upstairs for a wild season premiere!

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The Verdict

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 10:41:00 -0000

Mike went through a period when he watched The Verdict (1982) on a loop and has now urged Dan to rewatch it for the good of the show. Join them for a conversation about what makes The Verdict great for any viewer, the decisions that great writers and directors make, and a surprise question about courtroom drama.

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Mission: Impossible

Wed, 28 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

After having such a great time with The Last Detail, Mike and Dan talk about another film written by Robert Towne: Brian DePalma's Mission: Impossible (1996). After Dan opens up about his longstanding admiration for Tom Cruise's acting chops, the guys talk about how Ethan Hunt is the American James Bond, the one moment in the film where Brian DePalma calls attention to himself, and what they imagine happens as future MI films are planned. So peel off that mask, climb aboard the bullet train, and give it a listen!

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The Last Detail

Wed, 21 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

"Don't you ever get mad at nobody? Don't you ever just wanna whomp and stomp on someone, bite off their ear, just to do it--just to get it out of your system?" So asks Buddusky (Jack Nicholson) in Hal Ashby's The Last Detail (1973), the story of two Shore Patrol sailors who escort an essentially innocent man to an eight-year stint in jail. But who's really in jail--and can someone escape? Mike and Dan have a great time talking about this "musical without music" in which the characters try to rise above the small-minded, petty people whom they encounter while fighting for their liberty. So open a Schlitz, slam that pistol on the bar, scream, "I AM THE M*^#$^!#(^% SHORE PATROL" and give it a listen!

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Episode 100

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Stunned by their getting to 100 episodes, Mike and Dan celebrate by responding to some questions from listeners near and far. Thank you to everyone who has supported the show!

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on Twitter @15MinFilm. You can also contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com, and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm. We'll use any donations to buy half and half at Ralph's.

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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One Shot: Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants

Wed, 07 Jul 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Wait--you don't know Ricky Jay, the world's greatest sleight-of-hand artist and fascinating author, raconteur, and entertainer? And you've never seen his unbelievably great Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants? Watch it at the link below--then throw your cards at the melon and give this a listen!

You can see Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants here: https://youtu.be/FtgUSUHnzLI

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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House of Games

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 06:00:00 -0000

How is falling for a con game like buying a movie ticket? What happens when we want to be conned? And what role does confidence--in the game and elsewhere--play in our daily lives? Mike and Dan talk about David Mamet's first film House of Games (1987). As always, spoiler alert: if you haven't seen it, watch it first. It's only 90 minutes and we guarantee you'll have a good time watching the film and then listening of this episode, where we connect the poker game here to the famous Nigerian prince emails.

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The Big Lebowski

Wed, 23 Jun 2021 06:01:00 -0000

Mike and Dan talk about one of their favorites for the first time: The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers' 1998 masterpiece. They begin with a seemingly obvious question--What makes this film so funny and rewatchable?--before moving into the subject of how much the Coens love movies and share that love with their viewers. Mike talks about The Dude as a soft-boiled detective and Dan picks up the thread by comparing Lebowski to Double Indemnity, The Maltese Falcon, The Big Sleep, Chinatown, and The Shield. Mike also talks about seeing it on a big screen for the first time after years of watching it on TVs. So make a White Russian and turn it on!

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Saving Private Ryan

Wed, 16 Jun 2021 06:01:00 -0000

Have we lived good lives? How could we tell? Mike and Dan talk about Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998) and how the film explores the thousand moral decisions that war forces people to make. The guys discuss the justly-famous opening segment, what the viewers want as they move through the film, and the powerful bookends that open and close one of Spielberg's best. To all those who served, thank you.

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Hard Eight

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 10:06:00 -0000

After Se7en the guys move onto the next number and ask, "How does what we know about people make us change the way we perceive them?" Mike and Dan talk about how this occurs in Paul Thomas Anderson's first film, Hard Eight (1996). What makes a P. T. Anderson picture unique, how he manipulates the viewer in a way similar to how Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) manipulates John (John C. Reilly), and how the film toys with ideas of innocence and confession are all covered here. So place your bets, blow on those dice, and bet on another great episode.

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Se7en

Wed, 02 Jun 2021 04:02:00 -0000

How does a person respond to evil? Can any response make a difference? Why bother? Mike and Dan consider these questions as they talk about David Fincher's 1995 thriller Se7en. Topics include the many things the film does so well, from small moments that reveal character (like SOmerset's refusing a cup of coffee) to bigger issues that bring to mind the work of Flannery O'Connor, Cormac McCarthy, and Ernest Hemingway. So throw that switchblade into the dartboard, smash that metronome, and give it a listen.

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One Shot: David Mamet Talks to Jeffrey Tambor

Sat, 29 May 2021 04:02:00 -0000

Playwright, screenwriter, essayist, novelist, and all-around wonderful crank David Mamet appeared on his friend Jeffrey Tambor's incredible podcast, Acting Schmacting, and gave advice to young actors about how to break into the game. As great admirers of Mamet's work, Dan and Mike listened and recorded their reactions.

You can listen to the Acting Schmacting episode here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-huary-c71c51

You can see Ricky Jay (referenced in the episode) here: https://youtu.be/FtgUSUHnzLI

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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Alien

Wed, 26 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

After Dan tells the story of his seeing Alien at the age of 11, he and Mike talk about all the things Ridley Scott's 1979 masterpiece does well: its treatment of the monster, the restraint of its effects, and its use of sci-fi and horror tropes. They also talk about the film's original title and why the sequels fall flat. Other films mentioned: Jaws, The Lighthouse, 2001, Star Wars: A New Hope (which Dan calls Star Wars: The First One), Rear Window, and The Wicker Man. So get rid of that facehugger, punch the android, and give it a listen!

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The Devil's Candy: Julie Salamon on The Bonfire of the Vanities

Wed, 19 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

Brian DePalma's 1990 adaptation of Tom Wolfe's bestseller The Bonfire of the Vanities was supposed to be a Great American Film--but things didn't work out that way. Julie Salamon's 1991 book The Devil's Candy: The Anatomy of a Hollywood Fiasco details the struggles to make the film and how the war between art and commerce was waged in the offices of studio executives and on the set. It's one of the best books ever written about how a movie is made and who-does-what behind the scenes. Mike and Dan talk to Julie Salamon about how talented, creative people with the best intentions and deepest commitment to their work can somehow create a film as widely panned as Bonfire. This is a can't-miss episode!

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Rear Window

Wed, 12 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

"Hitchcock's Hamlet" is how Mike describes Rear Window (1954), his all-time favorite film. He and Dan talk about Hitchcock and his stand-in, Jimmy Stewart, as keen observers of humanity. They also talk about what movies do to us, how the film speaks to our current screen-filled moment, and what would happen if a movie could talk back (although they don't mention The Purple Rose of Cairo). So grab that backscratcher, load up the flashbulbs, and listen to the guys talk about one of the true masterpieces they've examined in five seasons.

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One Shot: Exploding Whale

Sat, 08 May 2021 06:00:00 -0000

In November, 1970, a dead whale washed ashore the Oregon coast. After some deliberation, officials decided to blow up the carcass. KATU news ran a now-famous story about the event which has been examined, parodied, and inspired a few songs. Mike and Dan talk about the news coverage as "a perfect movie." So be sure you're far away from the blast radius and give it a listen!

Audio courtesy of KATU News. See the whole video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34&t=39s

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

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The Lady Eve

Wed, 05 May 2021 06:01:00 -0000

Are snakes necessary? Mike and Dan answer this question as they talk about Preston Struges's 1941 masterpiece The Lady Eve. Topics include the perfect stooge, the blend of literate and physical comedy, and how one of the most convoluted premises in film serves as a dead-on reflection of how millions of people enter their marriages. There's also a conversation about sex in movies, with allusions to Don't Look Now, Watchmen, North by Northwest, and The Godfather, which Mike reminds Dan has two sex scenes, not just the famous one with Michael and Apollonia. So grab the ale that won for Yale and give it a listen!

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One Shot: Orson Welles, Paul Masson, and Frozen Peas!

Tue, 04 May 2021 18:04:45 -0000

Yes, always. Everybody loves the famous outtakes of Orson Welles hawking Paul Masson wine and Findlay frozen peas. Mike and Dan talk about why these are still hilarious. Aaaaaaaaah--the French!

Orson Welles and the Frozen Peas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol5RpDEzLzY

Paul Masson outtakes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvxwf1jxdaM&t=12s

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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Mad As Hell: Dave Itzkoff on Network

Wed, 28 Apr 2021 06:01:00 -0000

Mike and Dan talk with Dave Itzkoff, author of Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies. What a movie! What a book! Dave talks about his research, what he learned about Paddy Chayefsky, and how Network predicts our contemporary media landscape. If you're a fan of Network, or of movies at all, this is a must-hear. Many thanks to Dave Itzkoff for coming on the show.

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One Shot: The Simpsons

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 06:21:00 -0000

What happened to The Simpsons? This is a question that many have asked and that Mike and Dan, who revere the show, ask in this short episode. Dan compares the later seasons to the ending of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; Mike compares the early, great seasons to The Recognitions. So grab a Duff and give it a listen!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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The Man with the Golden Arm

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 06:01:00 -0000

"A noir with no guns" is how Mike describes Otto Preminger's 1955 study of addiction and confinement. He and Dan talk about Sinatra, Jerry Garcia, and how a key scene of the film reminds them of one in Shakespeare's Othello. So put down those drumsticks and give it a listen!

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One Shot: Watchmen

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 06:00:00 -0000

People are divided about all kinds of issues these days--and one divisive issue is Zack Snyder's adaptation of Watchmen (2009). Is it as bad as the haters claim? Or is it what Mike calls a "silly exercise?" The guys talk about what makes a comic adaptation worth watching. Give it a listen before the Doomsday Clock strikes 12!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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Double Indemnity

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 10:44:00 -0000

Season 5 begins with Dan and Mike talking about Double Indemnity, Billy Wilder's 1944 masterpiece about seduction, murder, and conscience. What a movie! So light that match with your thumb, get a new ankle bracelet, and meet us on the train's observation deck for a conversation about one of our favorites.

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One Shot: Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker

Fri, 09 Apr 2021 10:54:11 -0000

After being told by his friends that he was a "grump" for not being excited about the new cut of Justice League, Mike responded that the best DC film was Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, the 2000 animated film (released in its uncut form two years later). He and Dan spend this One Shot talking about why this animated film surpasses many live-action ones without requiring $70 million dollars for a recut.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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Dear Zachary

Wed, 07 Apr 2021 04:04:00 -0000

When was the last time you had a truly cathartic film experience? Many people would respond, "When I saw Dear Zachary," Kurt Kuenne's 2008 documentary about the murder of his friend Andrew Bagby. Dan and Mike talk about why--besides its subject--the film affects viewers so viscerally and profoundly. How does "the buffer of fiction" shield us as we watch dramatizations, rather than documentaries? Give it a listen and see if you agree with the single-sentence text Dan sent Mike after he saw this for the first time.

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One Shot: The Shield

Sat, 03 Apr 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Mike just finished watching all seven seasons of The Shield, Shawn Ryan's brutal police series that ran from 2002-2008. He joins Dan in this short episode to share his reaction, comparing the show to King Lear. Spoilers abound!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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Make Way for Tomorrow

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0000

Orson Welles called Leo McCary's Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) "the saddest film ever made." Who are Mike and Dan to second-guess the great man? The guys talk about how the film defies categorization, uses the grammar of comedy to treat some unfunny business, and silences any viewer fortunate enough to spend a day with Bark and Lucy. So order two old fashioneds for two old-fashioned people and give it a listen!

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Anatomy of a Murder

Sat, 27 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0000

"If we ever turn these into a book," Mike remarks in this episode, "it'll be called Trial by Viewer." That's one of the subjects the guys discuss when they look at Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder (1959), one of the greatest courtroom-dramas of all time because it breaks some fundamental rules about the genre--and, in doing so, puts the viewer in the same uncomfortable place as the jury. So suspend judgment for now, pause that Duke Ellington CD, and settle in for a conversation about Jimmy Stewart and George C. Scott as two lawyers trying the case of the unlikable Ben Gazzara.

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Wed, 24 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0000

How much must a person sacrifice to reach a new level of skill? How much of one's emotional life must be repressed for the sake of one's art? Mike and Dan talk about how Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) poses these questions. Dan talks about the beauty of the scenery, actors, screenplay, and, of course, the fights; Mike compares the film's subtle delivery of information to the opening twenty minutes of The Searchers. Ultimately, the guys and the film ask about what we need to be happy--and how Jen may have found the answer in the film's final moments. So float down from that rooftop and give it a listen!

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Out of the Past

Sat, 20 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0000

"Baby, I don't care," says a super-cool Robert Mitchum in this week's film: Jacques Tourneur's 1947 noir classic, Out of the Past. Mike brings up Double Indemnity as a universe unlike the one in which Out of the Past takes place, Dan describes the dialogue as something like singing, and both talk about the deaf kid who opens and closes the film. So light another Chesterfield, pour some bourbon, and settle in for a conversation about a man trying to outrun time.

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Tenet

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 08:00:00 -0000

After rescuing Mike from the future, Dan finds fifteen minutes to ask him about Tenet, Christopher Nolan's 2020 espionage time-travel thriller. They tackle the common complaint that the movie is too complex, bringing in Chinatown and 2001 as foils, talk about how directing a film is like traveling through time, and the "ladder of audacity" that Nolan keeps climbing. So put on that oxygen mask, fistfight yourself, and go back in time with Mike and Dan as they have their first conversation about Tenet. Or, if you really want to get into the spirit, Tenet tuoba noitasrevnoc tsrif rieht evah yeht sa Nad dna Ekim htiw emit ni kcab og dna , flesruoy thgiftsif, ksam negyxo taht no tup.

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One Shot: Incident by a Bank

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Before this one-shot mini-episode, check out Ruben Ostlund's 2010 short film Incident by a Bank, available online. Then listen as Mike and Dan talk about bank robberies in films vs. ones in real life and the issue of "realistic" cinema. It's a terrific short that's well worth checking out before the show.

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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Sidney Lumet: A Conversation with Maura Spiegel

Wed, 10 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

After reading Maura Spiegel's terrific new biography, Sidney Lumet: A Life, Dan invited her on the show to talk about her work. She, Mike, and Dan discuss Lumet's growing up in a world of theater and television, what his triumphs have in common, and some ideas about why too many viewers might take his talent for granted. Come spend a few minutes with us talking to a great biographer about the great director of The Verdict, Prince of the City, and Network--all covered in previous episodes.

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One Shot: Indiscreet and The Grass Is Greener

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

For the last few months, Dan has been trying to get Mike to watch two Cary Grant movies: Indiscreet (1958) and The Grass Is Greener (1960). Dan couldn't wait any longer to share his enthusiasm, so he talks to Mike about these two films, both directed by Stanley Donen, as examples of lesser-known but still-worth-seeing Cary Grant performances. And really--are there any Cary Grant performances not worth seeing? Listen as they talk about two films in only a few minutes!

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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Network

Wed, 03 Mar 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike are mad as hell that more people aren't talking about Network, Sidney Lumet's 1976 masterpiece. In their discussion of a film so perfect and prophetic, the guys discuss how we all live in the world that Network creates on our screens and that Howard Beale describes and decries. As Mike says, if you get the jokes of Network, you're acknowledging that all is lost. Dan tries a new method for selecting his favorite moment and Mike compares Howard Beale to the prophet Jeremiah. Our troubles run even deeper than TV, the internet, or social media. So throw open your window, lean out, and yell, "I'm a film fanatic and I'm not going to take it any more!"

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One Shot: The Kid

Sat, 27 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan talk for five minutes about Charlie Chaplin's The Kid (1921). What makes a film truly "family friendly?" And how can economic principles about scarcity apply to the writing of a screenplay? Give a listen and find out!

Follow us on Twitter @15MinFilm, email us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com, and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm.

Incredible bumper music: Ready for Summer by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-ready-for-summer Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/yiR-hhoV9TU

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The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Wed, 24 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

What's it like to be young and in love? Is love simply a literary convention? Mike and Dan discuss one of the most moving films they've tackled so far, Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg--and certainly the only film so far that's wholly sung in French. Dan explains how the musical / opera form suits the story of young lovers pulled out of Eden, Mike notes a subtlety in the subtitles, and the two of them talk about the ending in terms of how it reflects and refutes the most famous ending in film history. So get that pitch pipe, sound the C, and give it a listen!

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One Shot: Police Story

Sat, 20 Feb 2021 09:01:00 -0000

In this five-minute One Shot, Dan talks to Mike about Police Story (1985) and the ecstasy of Jackie Chan's fight scenes and stunts. What makes Jackie Chan different from other action heroes? Enjoy a five-minute listen!

Follow us on Twitter @15MinFilm, email us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com, and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm.

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Dr. Strangelove

Wed, 17 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

All of our Doomsday scrolling in quarantine has naturally led the guys to the greatest (and funniest) of all Doomsday films, Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). The guys talk about the film's unmatchable performances (including whether or not Sterling Hayden is the Greatest Actor of All Time or a Guy Who Had No Idea a Film Was Being Made), The Honeymooners, The Big Lebowski, The Life of Brian, Finnegans Wake, and Infinite Jest. So grab yourself a cocktail of rainwater and grain alcohol, forget about recalling Wing Plan R, and give it a listen!

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One Shot: A Few Good Men

Sun, 14 Feb 2021 14:44:17 -0000

A new feature of the show, One Shots are quick, five-minute discussions of films that Mike or Dan have seen or recently rewatched but that, for whatever reason, won't get the full fifteen-minute treatment. On this first One Shot, Mike talks about seeing Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men (1992) for the first time in years. What holds up? What doesn't? Have a listen--it's only five minutes.

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm. You can also contact us at FifteenMinuteFilm@gmail.com and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm.

Bumper music: Ready for Summer by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031 Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-ready-for-summer Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/yiR-hhoV9TU

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Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan are joined by Glenn Kenny, who talks about his new book, Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas. After explaining the genesis of the book, Glenn jumps into the 15 Minute Film Fanatics formation, discussing his overall impressions of the film, one of his favorite moments, and what he thinks of the ending. Along the way, they also discuss the film's initial test audiences, how the film portrays a closed "in or out" world of violence and sadism, and the viewer's relationship with Henry Hill. So stop making the meatballs, hide from that helicopter, and join us for an extended episode about a film that's universally admired and quoted.

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Don't Look Now

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan take off to Venice to discuss Nicholas Roeg's 1973 thriller Don't Look Now. They talk about how the film reflects many people's conflicted approach to the supernatural and how watching a movie is like having second sight: the movie lets the viewer act like a psychic for a few moments at a time. They praise the film as one that's every bit as good as its surprise ending and, along the way, bring in 2001, The Sixth Sense, The Wicker Man, The Godfather, Macbeth--and even Animal House. So get off that scaffold, stop chasing that red raincoat, and give it a listen!

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The Apartment

Wed, 27 Jan 2021 09:00:00 -0000

How does a nebbish become a mensch? Mike and Dan talk about Billy Wilder's 1960 masterpiece The Apartment. Mike explains why he finds it one of the most charming films ever made, as well as a perfect example of "slickness" in the best screenplays. Dan talks about the film's suspense as on par with that of Wilder's Double Indemnity and how the film defines easy categorizing. What a movie! So grab that tennis racket, drain the spaghetti, and give it a listen!

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Bonus Episode: Dr. Who for Americans

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 09:00:00 -0000

Since the guys just did an episode on Sorry We Missed You, they thought they'd stay across the pond a bit longer and catch up with the hosts of Strangers in Space to get schooled in the basics of Dr. Who. So get away from the Daleks, jump in the TARDIS, and join Mike and Dan as they learn about the show from three experts--all in about 15 minutes!

Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

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Sorry We Missed You

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 09:00:00 -0000

How do you navigate a world in which nothing seems secure? Mike and Dan discuss Ken Loach's Sorry We Missed You (2020), his portrait of a family dealing with the stresses of the gig economy. For a film that seems under-directed, this descent into a middle-class Dante's Inferno works so well because of Loach's skill and the actors' performances. The guys talk about how the film is about fear more than greed, the social reality of bodily functions, and the ways in which the characters try to hold onto their dignity--and each other. So drop those keys and give it a listen!

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The Incredible Shrinking Man

Thu, 14 Jan 2021 01:18:00 -0000

Mike and Dan kick off season 4 with The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957). Mike talks about how we respond to different kinds of characters and how our response to the title character's predicament is dependent on his size; Dan talks about how the film points out how childhood has disappeared from contemporary life. The guys also mention Clash of the Titans, My Left Foot, and what makes what would be a fine Twilight Zone episode a more stirring look at our relationship to the universe. So run from the cat, kill that spider, and give it a listen!

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Remember the Night

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 16:07:00 -0000

Everybody knows some George Bailey, Kevin, and John McClane help to make the season bright--but Mike and Dan urge everyone to take a look at Mitchell Leissen's 1940 comedy Remember the Night, written by Preston Sturges and starring Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck. So watch the film (it's free on Peacock and TCM), pour some eggnog, and listen to this short bonus episode. Merry Christmas!

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Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Wed, 23 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Not having seen it in decades, Mike and Dan revisit Philip Kaufman's 1978 Invasion of the Body Snatchers, his terrific remake of the 1956 classic. They praise the film's soundscape with many examples, from the famous screech to the sound of Donald Sutherland's scissors. Dan mentions the terrific use of garbage trucks and Mike talk about the uncanny valley as applied to the pod-people. Of course, they talk about the ending--an ending that works so well because "it hurts." They also talk about the strange experience of watching this film in our time of COVID.

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The Ring

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Remember the commercials for The Ring where we saw audiences' reactions to the jump scares? Does the film hold up almost 20 years later? Mike and Dan talk about Gore Verbinski’s 2002 hit and discuss improbability in films vs. novels, television as a “vast wasteland,” the Momo Challenge (remember that?) and Ringu, the 1998 film upon which The Ring is based. So adjust that tracking and give us a listen.

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On Not Covering The Exorcist

Sun, 20 Dec 2020 15:12:00 -0000

In a season dedicated to horror movies, William Freidkin's The Exorcist (1973) seems a natural--practically a requirement. So why aren't the guys--who admire this film--doing an episode on it? Check out this bonus 5-minute episode.

--- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/15minutefilmfanatics/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/15minutefilmfanatics/support

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The Haunting

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0000

"They don't make 'em like this anymore" is Mike's take on Robert Wise's The Haunting (1963). He and Dan talk about whether this is the case and how this terrific film hovers between Poltergeist and The Turn of the Screw. Mike makes a claim to which Dan responds, "One hundred percent! One hundred percent! One hundred percent!" and the two talk about how a modern film would have treated the spiral staircase scene. Of course, The Shining is mentioned--but so is Bringing Up Baby.

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Diabolique

Wed, 16 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0000

What makes a rewatchable thriller? Mike and Dan discuss H. G. Clouzot's Diabolique (1955) as a great example of world-building that makes a fun murder plot even better. Mike talks about how Clouzot's emphasizing "unbearable normalcy" adds to the mystery; Dan compares the film to Rope, Notorious, and the novels of Elmore Leonard. Mike uses his favorite word ("diachronically") and Dan reads a quotation about the film from the Book of Ebert. Remember that Clouzot's film contains a famous spoiler alert at the end--here's ours at the beginning.

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Seconds

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan respond to a listener who urges them to watch and discuss Seconds (1966), John Frankenheimer's thriller about a man who attempts to remake his identity. They talk about what constitutes a person and how we build our identities in ways that defy simple lists of characteristics. Dan brings up Hamlet and Citizen Kane; Mike brings up Hereditary. Finally, the two are joined in a bonus segment by Tim, the very listener who suggested the movie, to see what he thinks of their conversation. So let us know what you'd like us to watch and maybe we'll have you on the show!

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Rosemary's Baby

Mon, 07 Dec 2020 08:00:00 -0000

The 50th episode arrives! Everyone remembers Roman Polanski's 1968 Rosemary's Baby as "the devil baby movie," but it's so much more. Mike and Dan talk about how much the film resembles Parasite in terms of "Zillo porn" and its portrayal of people who would do anything for a good breakfast nook. It's also like Vertigo with its midway-through reveal which sets up the viewer for the final, more troubling image. All this and more in an episode where the guys can't stop talking about how every aspect of the film is perfect--even the international Satanists.

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The Cabin in the Woods

Sun, 06 Dec 2020 20:20:00 -0000

Mike and Dan discuss Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods (2011) as an antidote to the horror films that Hollywood churns out year after year. Mike talks about how much the film resembles other work by Joss Whedon as well as (thanks to Bradley Whitford) The West Wing; Dan praises the film as something other than a simple parody. Both contend that the viewers are like the Ancient Ones, eager for the same sacrifices and tropes that keep the world turning.

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An American Werewolf in London

Mon, 30 Nov 2020 08:00:00 -0000

While the rest of the US spent time cooking and eating with family and friends (quarantine permitting), Mike and Dan recorded this week's episode on An American Werewolf in London (1981), the John Landis horror-comedy that set the standard for transformation scenes. Dan compares the film to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Mike talks about why London is the perfect setting for an American Werewolf, and the two talk about pub scenes, British types, and the glories of pre-CGI special effects. Stay off the moors and listen!

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Beetlejuice

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0000

After the grueling experience of Hereditary, Mike and Dan talk about something lighter: Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988). Was Michael Keaton Jim Carrey before Jim Carrey? Does the film stand up on its own and not simply as a "seasonal" TV rerun? And is Tim Burton really like a blind squirrel who found a nut with this project? Give it a listen!

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Hereditary

Mon, 16 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan gather the courage to talk about Ari Aster's terrifying and deeply unsettling Hereditary (2008). After a conversation about whether or not Aster could be the next Kubrick, the guys get into an argument about the last thirty seconds of the film: are they necessary? Or does the "treehouse scene" undermine the tension and release some of the dread that the film has created over its first two hours? The guys are as split on this as a set of drunken uncles at a Thanksgiving dinner arguing about the 2020 election, but their banter is more entertaining.

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The Wicker Man

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 09:00:00 -0000

For years, Mike has been urging Dan to see Robin Hardy's The Wicker Man (1973)--and Dan finally has. Topics of discussion include Deliverance, the blessings of low-budgets, self-immolation, movie marketing, Santa Claus, Hitchcock, Dostoevsky, A Clockwork Orange, how phones work in movies, The Planet of the Apes, the 23rd Psalm, Full Metal Jacket, and the film's brilliant merging of a detective story with existential dread. Dan sings a few bars and Mike offers the sobering thought that all of us need to have our ducks in a row, especially when they are in cages.

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Poltergeist

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 11:10:00 -0000

Run away from the light! Go into the light! Whatever you do, check out this episode. Mike arrives demanding an apology from Dan for what he complained about in It Chapter 1 but doesn't mind in Tobe Hooper's Poltergeist (1982). Dan meets him halfway. The guys haven't seen this since they were 10 or 12 and talk about why the film holds up and how it's different to watch it as an adult. Topics of discussion include Spielberg's fingerprints, Jaws with ghosts, the face-melting scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and, again, how characters should behave in horror movies (or monster movies).

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It: Chapter 1

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Is Andy Muschetti's It: Chapter 1 (2017) a monster movie or a horror movie--and why does that matter? The guys talk about he absence of any good adults in Stephen King's world, the way that the film treats adolescence, the lack of genuine fear in movies, and the analogy Tim Curry: Bill Skarsgard:: Jack Nicholson: Heath Ledger. Dan also mispronounces Hereditary as Heredity, but give him a break: he's still afraid of that one.

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The Devil All the Time

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan kick off season 3--one devoted to horror, suspense, and monsters--with Netflix's The Devil All the Time (2020). One of the pair admires the performances; the other argues (with a secret list) that the film contains everything wrong with contemporary movies. Join Mike and Dan as they board the Netflix Original Movie bandwagon.

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The Silence of the Lambs

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike finish Season 2 with a Film Fanatic's Favorite: Jonathan Demme's 1991 The Silence of the Lambs. What makes this movie so rewatchable--despite its having all of the elements of every other serial killer movie? Mike offers his Theory of Three Villains, Dan points out something he noticed about camera placement, and the two of them talk about why Buffalo Bill is much more terrifying than Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Freddie Kruger, The Candyman, Chucky, and Saw all put together. If you love the film, give it a listen. If you don't love it, they don't know what to tell you.

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Raising Arizona

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike talk about the Coen brothers' second film, Raising Arizona (1987). Dan compares the opening to that of Up and Mike talks about H.I.'s attempt to sound dignified. Are, as Dan claims, the light touches and moments funnier than the jokes? Is, as Mike argues, the car chase one of the best in movie history? And what about the letter grades that the guys give to each Coen brothers film?

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The Godfather Part 3

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 21:34:00 -0000

Is Godfather 3 all that bad? As Michael tries to redeem himself, can a viewer find anything redeemable in Coppola's 1990 conclusion to his trilogy? Mike and Dan talk to their first guest: Professor Jon Lewis, author of Whom God Wishes to Destroy: Francis Ford Coppola and the New Hollywood. They ask Professor Lewis about his take on the film and wether it suffers from what Mike calls a "lack of urgency." There are also some interesting digressions about the career of Al Pacino, the 70s as the perfect decade in which Coppola could work, The Irishman, and the degree to which Godfather 3 pushes the postmodern envelope. Special thanks to Professor Lewis for the visit!

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The Red Turtle

Mon, 24 Aug 2020 09:55:00 -0000

What does a person need to be happy? To answer this, the guys discuss the first animated film of the podcast, Michael Dudok de Wit's The Red Turtle (2016). After offering some allegorical readings of the film, Dan insists that they "talk turtle" and get into how the film does what Thoreau did at Walden: reduce life to its lowest terms. All of us are, in some way, on that island being taunted by that turtle. Mike then insists on talking about the title. What is there to say about a title so direct? Tune in and find out!

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Vertigo

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Yes, the episode goes long, but the subject is, after all, a masterpiece: Vertigo (1958). Mike explains why it's the second-greatest time-travel film of all time, Dan argues that the film has the best kiss in movie history, and both talk about how the most convoluted plots can help great artists explore the most basic, recognizable emotions. It takes one's whole life to watch Vertigo, so think of this episode as a signpost to navigate one of Hitchcock's best.

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Sweet Smell of Success

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike tackle Alexander Mackendrick's 1957 Sweet Smell of Success. Mike gives his reasons why the film should not work on paper--but does beautifully--and Dan recalls previous episodes about character-driven suspense and how the film makes the seduction of a cigarette girl more suspenseful than any secret agent disarming a bomb. How the film nails the culture of celebrity and how "we get the celebrities we deserve" are in here, too. Match me, Sidney, and give it a listen!

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Taxi Driver

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan go long on this one, but ask for your pardon--they are, after all, discussing Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976) and have a lot to say. Much of the episode is an argument about how the viewer is meant to regard Travis, part of which results in Mike asking, "Well, then why does Travis look in the rear-view mirror?" and Dan responding, "BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU DRIVE." Is Travis a sociopath with a death wish who has decided to act before he's hired as a cabbie--or is he a frustrated searcher for meaning in a cesspool of a city? Take a listen and let us know which one of us is the square.

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Badlands

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan square off in this episode about Terrence Malick's 1973 film Badlands. Dan admits to never having seen it before Mike asked him to watch it for the podcast. What follows is one of the few complete knock-down arguments in the show's history, all recorded here for your pleasure or fury, depending on how you regard the movie.

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The Last Waltz

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Continuing with the concert-movie theme, Dan and Mike discuss Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz (1978). No arguments here: the two gush over the movie and how it serves as a fitting elegy of the Woodstock era. They evaluate the guest stars, talk about their favorite songs, and carefully use the word "peak" when discussing Bob Dylan. The show ends with some talk about Robbie Robertson's claim that the road is an "impossible way of life" and how the joy of the musicians seems to undermine that statement.

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Stop Making Sense

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Mike knew that Dan liked Talking Heads and Dan knew the same about Mike--but this is their first conversation about Jonathan Demme's 1984 concert film. Mike analyzes "Naive Melody" as he compares David Byrne to a fun uncle showing you a magic trick and the two come up with a theory on why this is the best concert movie of all time. (Note the lack of qualifiers and caveats in that last sentence.)

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Take Shelter

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 08:00:00 -0000

A perfect quarantine film, Jeff Nichols's Take Shelter (2011) examines the struggles of a man trying to protect his family from an unspecified natural disaster. Dan and Mike talk about how the film dramatizes the protagonist's struggle with schizophrenia--or the burden of being a prophet. Either way, it's an impossible situation in a harrowing film.

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The Conversation

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan have a secretly-recorded conversation about The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola's 1974 examination of wiretapping, privacy, and conscience. Dan notes that the film takes its spiritual themes seriously; Mike talks about Gene Hackman's remarkable performance. Dan confesses to thinking there was a mistake in the screenplay but then realizing that what he first assumed was lazy writing turned out to be just the opposite. Take a listen to our show about the film Coppola made between The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

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Heat

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 08:00:00 -0000

In the previous episode, Mike doubled-down his Pacino bet and challenged Dan to watch Heat (1995) for the first time in 25 years. Dan did and surprises Mike with his reaction. Dan talks about the cleanliness of the film, Mike explains why it could be renamed Oceans 1 and Dan asks why we sometimes qualify our praise with phrases like, "a great crime movie." Is Heat a good movie, period? Listen to find out!

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Sea of Love

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 20:38:00 -0000

Mike suggested that they cover Pacino's 1989 thriller Sea of Love. Before he watched it, Dan texted Mike everything he remembered about the film, based on the last time he saw it 31 years ago. Of the seven things he remembered, one became a source of debate. So is Sea of Love a great "popcorn movie?" Or is it a cringefest of Pacino missing the mark for 90 minutes? Does playing a detective involve more than loosening one's tie? Listen and choose your side.

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Prince of the City

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 08:00:00 -0000

During a quarantine in which long, depressing movies are mana from Heaven, Mike and Dan discuss Prince of the City (1981), Sidney Lumet's sprawling morality play about a corrupt cop who flips and tries to have his moral cake and eat it, too. Dan applies one of Mike's remarks on Lawrence of Arabia to this film, which they both heartily recommend as a movie that reminds the viewer of The Shield and countless late 70s movies in which money in manilla envelopes is slid across restaurant tables.

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Lawrence of Arabia

Mon, 25 May 2020 08:00:00 -0000

Mike comes out swinging, stating his "fierce loyalty" to David Lean's 1962 epic. Dan throws some softballs: is it too long? Does Lean insist upon his hero's greatness more than he dramatizes it? And is Lean unable to really articulate what the story of Lawrence is "about?" Mike responds to all of these and more while carrying a man across the Sun's Anvil!

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The Shining

Mon, 18 May 2020 11:27:00 -0000

Shelly Duvall rocks this but Mike and Dan still can't explain those posters in Scatman Crothers's room.

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True Grit

Mon, 11 May 2020 09:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike kick off season 2 with a look at the Coen Brothers' True Grit (2010). They talk about the greatness of Charles Portis, why this version of the novel is better than the 1969 adaptation with John Wayne, and the subject of remakes in general. They end by theorizing about why the Coens reversed the last two lines of the novel. Fill your hand!

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Bonus Episode: Sneak Peek of Season 2

Wed, 18 Mar 2020 20:20:00 -0000

Mike and Dan talked about 20 movies this season, but there are plenty more they want to cover. Here. they each bring a list of 10 or so titles and see what the other guy thinks of them. Tony Curtis pops up twice, along with Quentin Tarantino, Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, Ingmar Bergman, Howard Hawks, and Clint Eastwood. Our friend from The Lighthouse, Willem Defoe, resurfaces, too. Thanks for listening and please suggest new titles and follow the show @15minfilm. We're really grateful for all the downloads and plays this first season! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/15minutefilmfanatics/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/15minutefilmfanatics/support

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The Dinner

Mon, 16 Mar 2020 10:36:00 -0000

In the finale of season 1, Mike and Dan discuss The Dinner (2014), Ivano De Matteo's adaptation of Herman Koch's novel. Dan talks about how the film is like a judo throw, Mike zeroes in on a minor character whom he finds diabolical, and each asks a question that (finally) makes the other guy stop jabbering for a minute.

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Singin’ in the Rain

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 03:11:00 -0000

Mike and Dan practically burst into song about Singin' in the Rain (1952). Dan asks why it's different from so many other--perhaps all other--Hollywood musicals and Mike offers that the movie does what only movies can do. So say, "Good Morning!" and give it a listen!

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Bonus Episode: ADMIT ONE

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 20:06:00 -0000

Dan and Mike talk about going to the movies: what they like about movie theaters and what drives them up the wall: trailers, noises, and other people. Trigger warning: opinions pile up faster than empty soda cups.

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The Lighthouse

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 14:50:00 -0000

After their usual pre-show cocktails of lamp-oil and honey, Mike and Dan sit in open-mouthed amazement at Robert Eggers's The Lighthouse (2019). Dan compares the film to works by a slew of writers; Mike argues that the strength of this and The Witch earn the director the right to be known by his last name; the two discuss what Mike calls the "associative logic" of the film and the psychological condition of "batshit craziness." Monkey pump!

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They Shall Not Grow Old

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 02:34:00 -0000

Mike and Dan talk about Peter Jackson's 2018 documentary They Shall Not Grow Old. They discuss what colorizing footage from World War I does for the viewer, Jackson's admirable restraint, and the significance of the film's haunting title.

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The Godfather Part II

Wed, 19 Feb 2020 10:00:00 -0000

Mike and Dan agree that Godfather II is a perfect film by any measure and wish they had more than 15 minutes in which to do it justice. After Dan proposes they just do every future episode about Godfather II, they talk about Hyman Roth as a perfect villain, Michael losing his soul, and the brilliance and dramatic puzzle of the film's final image.

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Cold War

Sat, 15 Feb 2020 01:10:00 -0000

Mike and Dan discuss Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War (2018). How is falling in love like entering another country? What kind of man thinks he can corral a woman like Zula? And what happens in the film's final moments? Listen to Mike and Dan have their first big argument about the film's final images.

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The In-Laws

Wed, 12 Feb 2020 10:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike gush over what may be one of the funniest films ever made: Arthur Heller's The In-Laws (1979). After Dan compares the film to Seinfeld, Mike notes a cast member who appears in both works. They also talk about who is the true straight man and how the film doubles down just when one would expect it to fizzle. This was Marlon Brando's favorite comedy and it's one of theirs, too.

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From Russia with Love

Sat, 08 Feb 2020 10:00:00 -0000

In this early episode, Mike and Dan look back to the second Bond film, From Russia with Love (1963). Dan gives Mike a Bond Rorschach test, the two share their favorite Bond moments from the film, and Mike offers a theory about why the 007 movies are better than the novels.

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Knives Out

Wed, 05 Feb 2020 10:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike discuss Rian Johnson's Knives Out (2019). They tackle what separates a good mystery from a great one, Daniel Craig in his soon-to-be serial role, and a surprise of the film not related to the plot. Warning: spoilers abound for many other films and mystery novels.

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The Long Goodbye

Sun, 02 Feb 2020 17:18:00 -0000

Mike pressures Dan to finally watch Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye (1973). The two discuss what makes brilliant casting, the allure of Hollywood detectives, and the code of the private eye.

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The Dark Knight Rises

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 00:35:00 -0000

Mike finally sees The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and talks to Dan about Occupy Gotham City and the French Revolution.

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Homicide

Sun, 26 Jan 2020 16:32:00 -0000

Dan and Mike talk about David Mamet's Homicide (1991). Hear Mike's reaction as a first-time viewer and Dan's explanation of the ending. The two also talk about movie death scenes, cop movies, and how Joe Mantegna walks the walk.

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On the Waterfront

Fri, 24 Jan 2020 13:00:00 -0000

Everyone knows the taxi scene, but there's much to admire about On the Waterfront (1954). Mike rolls his eyes a bit when Dan complains about a plot point and the two then talk about Brando, Jimmy Stewart, and Gilligan's Island.

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Parasite

Wed, 22 Jan 2020 02:56:00 -0000

Mike calls Dan because he finally saw Parasite (2019) and needs to talk about it. They discuss the film as an homage to Hitchcock and how the title applies to everyone on-screen and off.

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There Will Be Blood

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:32:00 -0000

Mike and Dan tackle Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 film. MIke calls it a descent into hell; Dan drinks his milkshake.

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The Witch

Sun, 19 Jan 2020 15:00:00 -0000

Dan and Mike discuss what makes "The Witch" (2015) frightening and whether or not they wouldst like the taste of butter.

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The Godfather

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 14:35:00 -0000

Dan and Mike discuss the iconic film's greatest scenes, moral tensions, and Al Pacino's admirable restraint.

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Jaws

Sun, 12 Jan 2020 22:03:00 -0000

Dan and Mike discuss how everyone loves Jaws -- but do they love it for the right reasons? Don't go in the water until you've listened all the way through!

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FIFTEEN-MINUTE FILM FANATICS (Trailer)

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 20:16:00 -0000

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Million Dollar Baby

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 19:33:00 -0000

Mike and Dan talk for the first time about Million Dollar Baby (2004). Will they agree or will one end up in the corner spitting into a bucket?

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The Irishman

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 18:06:00 -0000

Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics is a podcast in which two friends and film fans talk about movies. Each episode is in three parts: gut reactions, key scenes, and big takeaways. In their first episode, one calls The Irishman (2019) a brilliant encapsulation of Scorsese's career; another doesn't go so far, calling it a film by "director emeritus" Martin Scorsese. Whose side will you choose?

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