Network
5 November - 59 minsThis week, we dive deeper into the role of the fourth estate, as we discuss Network, the Oscar-winning film that was meant to be a wild satire at the time it was released, but ended up uncannily predicting the future.
Some additional reading material:
Mad As Hell, Dave Itzkoff's book about Network
Directors' Guild of America post about Sidney Lumet at a 2003 screening of Network
Vanity Fair article on the legacy of Network (which includes thoughts from Aaron Sorkin)
Dave
Starring Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, and Kevin Kline. This one was a Patreon subscriber pick! Additional materials: an article about the making of Dave Kevin Kline plays Mr. Fischoeder in Bob's Burgers "clever" as an insult in Fight ClubÂ
49 mins
26 November Finished
The Candidate
Is The Candidate, in fact, the anti-West Wing? A political story that ends not with a bang, but with a question of existential dread. Interview with screenwriter Jeremy Larner in Brooklyn Magazine The trailer for Downhill Racer (1969) Jerry Seinfeld on Letterman: "You're rooting for clothes." Let us know what you thought of the film!
53 mins
19 November Finished
A Face In The Crowd
Did this movie predict Trump back in 1957? We discuss the film debut of Andy Griffith in a role so dark, anyone who knows the Andy Griffith show might experience some uncomfortable dissonance. Some goodies that came up in our conversation: The dance of joy from "Perfect Strangers" This essay about the film on the Criterion website Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter in a great scene from Broadcast News The 'ten-word-answer' scene from The West Wing What did you think of the film, on a scale of 1–10 grains of inert matter? Let us know!
51 mins
12 November Finished
Bulworth
This week, we're discussing the 1998 film Bulworth, which features a rapping Warren Beatty, a young Josh Malina, a few problematic moments, and some wonderful and strange ones, too. For a real treat, watch the music video for Ghetto Supastar, which also features a young Josh Malina! What did you think of Bulworth? Join the conversation over on our Patreon and let us know on a scale of 1–10 forced calls!
1 hour
29 October Finished