Episodios

  • Documenting the Rise of Nazism

    Documenting the Rise of Nazism
    Jul 27 2024
    I’m joined this week by Thomas Doherty, Brandeis professor and author of Hollywood and Hitler, 1933-1939, and Maria Elena de las Carreras, assistant professor at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television, to talk about the recent restoration and Blu-ray release of two documentaries by Herbert Kline: Crisis: A Film of ‘The Nazi Way’ and Lights Out in Europe. Doherty and de las Carreras provided commentary tracks on the films and were kind enough to join me to discuss the historical import and context of these two important films, which chronicled the German annexation of Czechoslovakia and the beginning of Hitler’s assault on Poland.

    Both movies are available on one Blu-ray directly from Flicker Alley (or Amazon), and they are must-owns for folks interested both in documentary film from the period and World War Two more broadly; I’d heard of Crisis before but had never seen it, and it was a real treat to finally get to watch it.

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    54 m
  • Ryan Faughnder on Paramount's Big Changes

    Ryan Faughnder on Paramount's Big Changes
    Jul 20 2024
    This week I’m being rejoined by the Los Angeles Times’s Ryan Faughnder to discuss the sale of Paramount to David Ellison. What does this mean for the various arms of Viacom? Then we discussed the collapse of Redbox and the state of the box office. If you enjoyed this episode, please sign up for Ryan’s newsletter, The Wide Shot, here. It’s free! And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
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    36 m
  • Jennifer Esposito on 'Fresh Kills'

    Jennifer Esposito on 'Fresh Kills'
    Jul 13 2024
    On this week’s episode I’m joined by Jennifer Esposito, the director, writer, and star of Fresh Kills, a mob movie told from the perspective of mob wives and mob daughters. We discussed her career in the movies and how that helped prep her to stand behind the camera, why it’s hard to find audiences for original movies telling stories aimed at adults, how social media is helping build a base of support, and the powerfully feral performance of Odessa A’zion. You can watch Fresh Kills right now from the comfort of your own home on your preferred VOD provider. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
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    43 m
  • Nielsen's Ratings Evolution

    Nielsen's Ratings Evolution
    Jul 6 2024
    Often, when people discuss television viewing these days they’ll conclude their chat with something like “But we just don’t know what people are watching.” That is an increasingly outdated view of the data, however. On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Dierdre Thomas, the Chief Product Officer for Nielsen’s Audience Measurement business unit. We talked about the evolution of Nielsen’s business measuring market share, how the company captures what people are watching and where, and how overall viewing habits have changed in the streaming age.
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    36 m
  • Documenting 'How to Rob a Bank'

    Documenting 'How to Rob a Bank'
    Jun 29 2024
    On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Stephen Robert Morse and Seth Porges, the producers and directors of How to Rob a Bank. Streaming now on Netflix, the true-crime doc’s subject, Scott Scurlock (aka, the Hollywood Bandit), calls to mind Point Break in his commitment to living his life however he pleased and funding it through criminal activities. But, as Porges told me in our interview, How to Rob a Bank is also a subversion of the cinematic trope of the noble bank robber, a rejection of that idealized vision of criminality. It’s a reminder that what filmmakers portray has some impact on how we see—and take part in—the world. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to watch their movie. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
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    32 m
  • We're All 'Theatre Kids'

    We're All 'Theatre Kids'
    Jun 22 2024
    On this week’s episode, I’m joined by John DeVore, author of Theatre Kids: A True Tale of Off-Off Broadway. In addition to discussing his life in the arts and the different species of theatre children—from the stage to politics to religion, theatre kids come in all shapes and size—we also talked a bit about the evolution of media in the post-9/11, pre-iPhone age. And we went back to one of my favorite topics: why no one can behave themselves in public these days! Get off our lawns! If you enjoyed this episode, you should pick up a copy of John’s book; it’s a quick read with just the right amount of melancholy. And please share this episode with a friend!
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    45 m
  • Celebrating Bruce Willis

    Celebrating Bruce Willis
    Jun 15 2024
    On this week’s episode, I’m rejoined by Sean O’Connell to discuss his new book, Bruce Willis: Celebrating the Cinematic Legacy of an Unbreakable Hollywood Icon. Breaking down Willis’s career—which has been sadly cut short following his diagnosis of aphasia—by comedies, action movies, work with auteurs, and “Die Hards,” the book is an exhaustive look at, mostly, the highs (and some of the lows) of Willis’s career. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
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    36 m
  • Don't Panic About Movie Theaters (Yet)

    Don't Panic About Movie Theaters (Yet)
    Jun 8 2024
    On this week’s episode, I invited David Poland on so he could talk us all of the ledge about the state of theatrical exhibition. And while he didn’t quite do that—his opening words: “It’s, it’s bad! Things are bad”—he did highlight why things aren’t necessarily disastrous and how both the studios and the exhibitors can help get everything back on track. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
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    55 m