Episodes
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On this weekâs episode Iâm thrilled to be rejoined by Brandon Struessnig and Bilge Ebiri, who spearhead Vultureâs annual Stunt Awards. We talked about the yearâs big winner, John Wick Chapter 4, how folks kind of have to decide for themselves how much CGI is too much CGI when determining what counts as practical and what counts as digital, and compiling the 100 most influential fight scenes of all time. Some important links for you: The winners of the 2024 stunt awards;Brandonâs tribute to Henry Kingi;The 100 most influential fights in action cinema;And a preview of The Fall Guy.If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
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This week Iâm honored to be joined by Dallas Film Commissioner Tony Armer to discuss what, precisely, a film commissioner does. On this episode he discusses his own path to getting involved in the film industry, breaks down different kinds of incentives cities and states use to woo productions, and talks about how Dallas has made itself more attractive to major productions looking for a place to shoot. We also talk a bit about Tonyâs podcast; do yourself a favor and check out the episode featuring a post-screening Q&A with cinematographer Roger Deakins, who was in town a few months back for a showing of Blade Runner 2049. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with a friend!
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Missing episodes?
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This week Iâm pleased to be joined by Abe Goldfarb, who is currently playing Otho for the touring company of Beetlejuice: The Musical and both starred in and co-directed First Time Caller (which I reviewed here). You may remember a few months back that Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert got kicked out of a showing of Beetlejuice: The Musical; well, Abe happened to be onstage when all that went down. After having a few laughs about that, we get into the world of indie filmmaking and his recently released project, First Time Caller. Turns out that one of the best ways to make money on a project like this is to make it and release it on an ad-supported streaming channel, yet more evidence that weâve torn down the whole system just to reinvent cable. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out First Time Caller and Beetlejuice: The Musical, on tour now. And make sure to share this with a friend!
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A couple years back I had Ian and Eshom Nelms on the show to talk about their new Christmas classic, Fatman. We had a great talk, so I was thrilled when their people reached out to see if Iâd like to discuss their new flick, a sort of southern revenge thriller/neo-noir by the name of Red Right Hand. We discussed getting Orlando Bloom and Andie MacDowell to play somewhat against type, how drone usage helps expand the scale and scope without blowing up the budget on a picture like this, and the unpredictable vibe of Jonathan Easleyâs script that attracted them to the project in the first place.
You can watch Red Right Hand on Apple, Amazon, YouTube, and wherever else you might watch a video on demand. Itâs worth the price of admission just to watch Andie MacDowell play a vicious southern queenpin; trust me, youâve never seen her quite like this before. If you enjoyed our chat, I hope youâll check it out. And please share this episode with a friend! -
On this weekâs episode, we have the original Bulwark Goes to Hollywood guest, Richard Rushfield of The Ankler, returning to discuss his fabulous Hollywood Field Guide. How do you assuage actors, reassure writers, and make your way through the rest of Hollywood? Richard will guide you. Plus, we discuss the state of the box office, how Oscar season is shaping up, and more! If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to share it with a friend!
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This week Julian Schlossberg returns to tell more tales of life in the arts. From reading his life story as the narrator of the new audiobook version of his memoir, Try Not to Hold It Against Me, to his work with the great Elaine May, to keeping the classic 1970s picture Mikey and Nicky in circulation, we had tons to discuss. Make sure to check out his new podcast, âJulian Schlossbergâs Movie Talk,â the first episode of which is an interview with the great F. Murray Abraham. And if you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
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This week Iâm joined by Karyn Temple, Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association, to discuss how the trade group wages the global war on intellectual property infringement. A couple of months back we had the MPAâs Terri Davies on the show to talk about the Trusted Partners Network and how the film industry could help cut down on piracy before a film is released. But what do you do when itâs out in the world and starts showing up on BitTorrents? How do you shut down feeds showing live sporting events in real-time? This is the other side of the 360-degree protection against internet piracy the MPA is striving to implement. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to share it with a friend!
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This week Iâm thrilled to be joined by Peter Biskind to discuss his new book, Pandoraâs Box: How Guts, Guile, and Greed Upended TV. From the rise of HBO to the streaming boom, how we watch TVâand what gets shown on TVâhas radically changed over the last few decades. We discuss the role of technology, advertising, and changing audience tastes, and muse about the role TVâs antiheroes played in paving the way for Donald Trump. If youâre a fan of Biskindâs previous books, Easy Riders, Raging Bulls and Down and Dirty Pictures, youâll love Pandoraâs Box. (If you havenât read Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today.) And if you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with a friend!
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Very excited to have James Emanuel Shapiro, President of U.S. distribution at XYZ Films, back on the show with a recap of all the action at Cannes and a discussion about the state of the film festival scene writ large. Then we discuss some of his upcoming releases, including the new sci-fi flick Restore Point and XYZâs exciting acquisition of Skyline: Warpath, starring action bigshots Scott Adkins and Iko Uwais.
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This week, Iâm re-joined by David Coggeshall to talk The Family Plan, AppleTV+âs high-concept action-comedy about a dad, Mark Wahlberg, who has to take his family on the run when his past life as a hitman rears its ugly head. Released over the Christmas holiday seasonâas David notes in todayâs episode, the perfect time to capture families looking for something everyone age 10 to 100 can enjoyâthe film âdebuted as the most watched movie ever,â according to Deadlineâs sources at Apple. But the film was far from a sure thing. Find out why Davidâs agents dropped him when they got the script, why the filmâs breakout character almost got cut from the picture altogether, and why CiarĂĄn Hinds is one of the best in the business.
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This week, Iâm joined by Brandon Katz to talk about Parrot Analyticsâs new report on the state of streaming and why the âwinner take allâ theory of the so-called streaming wars was always a little bit silly. We discuss what attracts viewers to the streaming services, what keeps them there once they sign up, and how Parrot Analytics measures âdemandâ for a show. If you love charts and data visualization, youâll love Parrotâs new report; I highly recommend checking it out if thatâs your cup of tea. And if you enjoyed this episode, I hope youâll share it with a friend!
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This week Iâm joined by Sam Wasson to discuss his new book The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola Story, which chronicles the making of Apocalypse Now and the rise and fall of Coppolaâs revolutionary studio, American Zoetrope. From technological innovations to the madness of Coppolaâs effort to capture Americaâs first âRock and Roll War,â the book is a fascinating glimpse into a radically different idea of filmmaking than was pursued by the Hollywood studios.
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This week Iâm thrilled to be joined by Whit Stillman, the director of, among other features, The Last Days of Disco, Barcelona, and Love and Friendship. Heâs on the show today to discuss Metropolitan and the way it has been embraced as a classic Christmas movie, as well as the evolution of the indie film business over the last 40 years or so.
If youâre in Rochester or the surrounding environs, make sure to pop over to the Dryden Theatre at the George Eastman Museum tonight for a special showing of Metropolitan with Mr. Stillman in attendance for a Q&A. If you enjoyed this chat, I strongly recommend picking up a copy of Fireflies Pressâs book, Whit Stillman: Not So Long Ago, as they are nearly sold out and will not be reprinted. (Yes, you can order it directly from the European publisher; I did and it arrived unharmed.) And if youâve never seen Metropolitan, you really should! Itâs available via streaming on the Criterion Channel and Max (aka HBO Max), and itâs also on sale for 30% off now (either individually or as part of the collection of his first three films).
If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend! -
On this weekâs episode, Scott Mendelson returns to the show to discuss how 2023 shook out at the box office, why niche films and niche audiences became more important than ever to movie theaters, and whether or not studios are hiding that Wonka, The Color Purple, and next yearâs Mean Girls remake are musicals because theyâre worried about the impact on box office. Make sure to check out Scottâs new Substack, The Outside Scoop. Iâve long loved his breakdowns of the weekend box office and look forward to seeing what heâs putting together here on Substack. And if you enjoyed thispodcast, I hope you share it with a friend!
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This week Iâm joined by Zach Schonfeld to discuss his new book, How Coppola Became Cage. Zachâs look at the early years of Nicolas Cageâs career is deeply researched, featuring interviews with directors like David Lynch (Wild at Heart), Mike Figgis (Leaving Las Vegas), and Cageâs own brother, Christopher Coppola (Deadfall). We talked about Cageâs mythmaking, his anger at being accused of benefitting from nepotism, and his befuddlement at becoming a meme, among other topics. If youâre a fan of the Raising Arizona star or need a Christmas gift for the Vampireâs Kiss fan in your life, How Coppola Became Cage is a must-have. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!
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This week, Iâm rejoined by Scott Eyman, author of Charlie Chaplin Vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided. We discussed the great silent starâs exile from America, how the press and the government conspired against Charlie Chaplin, the personal and professional perils of being prematurely anti-fascist, and why Buster Keaton seems to be more fashionable than The Tramp these days. If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to check out Scottâs book, available at all fine booksellers now. And please share it with a friend!
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This week Iâm joined by Glenn Gordon Caron, the creator and showrunner of Moonlighting, to talk about that seriesâs long-awaited arrival on streaming. We discussed the showâs creation, the discovery of Bruce Willis, how he and costar Cybil Shepherd kept up with the showâs trademark rapid-fire patter, the difficulty in clearing music rights (and how Moonlighting was one of the first shows to heavily incorporate pop music into the show), working with legends like Orson Welles and Stanley Donen, and so much more.
If youâve never watched the show, I highly recommend checking it out on Hulu; the folks at Disney have done an amazing job restoring the episodes. A handful of highlights, if youâre trying to figure out where to start:
Season 1, Episode 1: The Pilot. Tonally this is a bit different from what would follow, but itâs genuinely kind of wild to see Willis show up onscreen fully formed as Bruce Willis, Star in what was almost literally his first role.
Season 1, Episode 2: Gunfight at the So-So Corral. Again, the show is still finding its footing, but itâs a pretty good representation of the combination of smart dialogue, great casting, and clever resolutions to the onscreen mysteries.
Season 2, Episode 4: The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice. Orson Welles introduced this episodeâwhich is structured with a mysterious intro and then two dream sequences (one dreamt by Shepherdâs Maddie Hayes as a sort of MGM musical; the other by Willisâs David Addison as a sort of 1940s noir)âin part because the network was terrified no one would want to watch a black-and-white episode of TV.
Season 2, Episode 18: Camille. Whoopi Goldberg and Judd Nelson co-starred, and their mystery is all well and good, but itâs the closing sequence in which the (fourth) walls of reality come crashing in on the cast that makes this second season finale a must-watch.
Season 3, Episode 6: Big Man on Mulberry Street. The mid-show dance sequence was done by Stanley Donen, and, again, I just canât imagine what it was like to have this sequence pop up in the middle of network TV in the 1980s. Wild stuff.
Season 3, Episode 10: Poltergeist III â Dipesto Nothing. One of the showâs episodes focusing on the adventures of Ms. Dipesto (Allyce Beasley) and Mr. Viola (Curtis Armstrong), who make for a delightful pairing.
Season 4, Episode 2: Come Back Little Shiksa. Shepherd had to leave the show for a while due to her pregnancy, which led to a series of episodes that separated her and Willis. But the creators used some clever ways to get them in the same room. Plus: John Goodmanâs in this one! -
This week Iâm joined by Terri Davies. Terri heads up the Motion Picture Associationâs Trusted Partners Network, which helps studios and other partners develop best practices for avoiding leaks of films and TV shows pre-release, from pre- to post-production. We discussed her time at Sony Pictures from 2000 to 2015, a period of time during which the business of distribution was revolutionized (and digitized), how the MPA helps studios reduce the likelihood of a movie leaking before its release date, and how different solutions are tailored for content creators of different sizes. If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!
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This week Iâm joined by Walt Hickey, the author of You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything. Among the many topics discussed on this show: the surprisingly durable effect of Warner Bros.âs merchandising efforts aimed at adults; how identity and pop culture become hopelessly (and negatively) intertwined; and how violent movies can help stop violence from occurring. If you find this podcast interesting, I hope you check out Waltâs book; it has tons of charts (one of which is reproduced above) and many fascinating nuggets I simply did not have time to dig into with him today. And make sure to share this episode with a friend!
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This week Iâm rejoined by Jason Pargin to discuss his new novel, Zoey Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia, and the ways in which the futuristic panopticon he envisions for Zoey and the other citizens of Tabula Ra$a is a little like now, but moreso. We talk for a bit about how book marketing has evolved over the last decade-plus, why TikTok became a must for novelists like himself, and why despite the word âdystopiaâ being in the title of the book, he doesnât necessarily think of his vision of the near future as a downer.
Unpaid endorsement: I really enjoy Jasonâs novels (he is also the author of the John Dies at the End series), and the Zoey Ashe books (the first two of which are available on Kindle Unlimited) are pretty compulsively readable, a pleasing melange of ideas and imagery and just enough suspense from moment to moment to activate the âokay, just one more chapterâ portion of my brain. Zoey Is Too Drunk for This Dystopia is understandable if youâve not read the other books in the series, but you canât go wrong by picking up copies of the previous entries. And if you want a signed copy of his latest, you can get one from Parnassus Books in Nashville, but you have to order by Monday. - Show more