Director's Club

It's the most wonderful time of the beginning of the year! The title of this episode says it all and I'm so grateful to my two guests for joining me for this epic reflection on the film year that was 2022! Now I'll be going back to 1993 for February's retrospective episode so until then enjoy 6 hours of nerding out. Also please be sure to check out the two new podcasts soon to be added to the Now Playing Network! Thank you so much for listening to a yearly tradition that is always a complete joy! 00:00 - 22:50 - Intro / General Thoughts 22:51 - 01:07:33 - Ancillary Awards 01:07:34 - 02:17:55 - Honorable Mentions 02:17:56 - 04:16:10 - #10-#6 04:16:11 - 05:54:23 - Top 5 Films Of 2022 05:54:24 - 06:03:43 - Outro _______ Feelin Film Podcast: https://linktr.ee/FeelinFilm We Doing Filmographies: https://linktr.ee/wedoingfilmographies Uptown Song Club: https://link.chtbl.com/uptown Bill Ackerman's List: https://auteuristtrap.blogspot.com/2022/12/2022-40-favorites.html Jim Laczkowski's List: https://letterboxd.

Guest host Bill Ackerman invites author, film historian and Twitch Of The Death Nerve co-host Samm Deighan to discuss the work of Ken Russell, the visionary talent who directed groundbreaking profiles of artists for the BBC before attaining international acclaim and notoriety through bold, often controversial films like WOMEN IN LOVE, THE MUSIC LOVERS, THE DEVILS, THE BOY FRIEND, MAHLER, TOMMY and ALTERED STATES.  00:00 - 21:49 - Introduction 21:50 - 38:51 - Monitor, ELGAR and the early BBC years 38:52 - 46:30 - Early Theatrical Features and THE DEBUSSY FILM 46:31 - 59:09  WOMEN IN LOVE 59:10 - 1:09:19 DANCE OF THE SEVEN VEILS and World War II imagery 1:09:20 - 1:16:46 THE MUSIC LOVERS  1:16:47 -1:37:23 THE DEVILS 1:37:23 - 1:51:17 THE BOY FRIEND 1:51:18 - 2:00:17 SAVAGE MESSIAH and Andrzej Żuławski’s THE BLUE NOTE 2:00:18 - 2:17:10  MAHLER, TOMMY, LISZTOMANIA and VALENTINO 2:17:11 - 2:31:53 ALTERED STATES and Ken Russell in the 80s 2:31:54 - 2:44:15 WHORE and the later films of Ken Russell 2

Mindframes hosts Michael Cockerill and Dave Canfield join me for this special tribute to honor our dear friend Sergio Mims. Several years ago, I did an episode on one of his favorite directors, Michael Curtiz. Of course you are encouraged to listen to that. But I asked Mike & Dave to join me to revisit two titles in particular from Curtiz as well as recommend several others as a way of honoring the memory of Sergio. Perhaps one of these films is an all-time classic called CASABLANCA? In addition, we review a couple of recent titles like RRR and AFTERSUN. Not only that, but after our conversation, you'll get to hear Sergio one last time on this show. Over a year ago, we did a Patreon exclusive episode on THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE, only not the Curtiz version surprisingly. Wanted everyone to hear Sergio's thoughts on that excellent film since it steps things up and is more faithful to the true story than Curtiz's take. Thank you so much for listening and mucho gratitude to Mike and Dave for coming on

Normally something like this would be a bonus episode, but this is a special exception. As Erik wrote: Sergio Mims, our noted film scholar and friend, was well on his way to becoming “King Commentary” with all his official contributions to Blu-rays for Kino, Vinegar Syndrome and others. During the pandemic at the peak of lockdown, Collin Souter of Christmas Movies Actually, suggested that our good friend record one for Disney’s controversial 1940 film, Song of the South. Sergio did not hesitate and delivered something for his friends. Some of them are here to again pay brief tribute to the man who was a regular part of the Movie Madness podcast. Jim Laczkowski is joined by both Collin and the Movie Madness host, Erik Childress, to introduce this track that can now be experienced by everyone. Whether you have a version of the film to sync up with or not it doesn’t matter, because you can just sit back and soak in the words of a film lover who left us way too soon. Stay tuned for one more official episode aroun

There's something strange... in your podcast feed... but don't call me. I have no idea how it got there. Perhaps the devil? Maybe an alternate version of me came here from a different universe and placed it here? Regardless, I think a few years back I strung together some scary songs and weird sounds but I added a little bit extra to accompany it. Better live up to the title of being "craaaazy!" Can you make it thru these 40 minutes? If you want the real deal from Patrick this year for your trick or treating, then you should absolutely check out his latest Halloween Mix here if you haven't already: http://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/tracksofthedamned/halloween2022 Happy Halloween To All! Stay scarrry!

A special bonus episode is here to highlight one of the many excellent offerings from the Mental Filmness Film Festival. Hopefully the title alone is enough to get you intrigued to check out the title I’m focusing on for this conversation. Philip Józef Brubaker is my guest today and a multi-talented one at that. He has created and edited comedic shorts, experimental films, video essays, documentaries and more! His 2009 documentary BRUSHES WITH LIFE: ART, ARTISTS AND MENTAL ILLNESS won multiple awards within the film industry, screened at festivals and aired state-wide on public television.  Most recently, he has garnered a lot of acclaim and attention for his work as a video essayist (of which there are many examples of that you should track down) and of course, my first introduction to his work was due to the fact that he did an essay on work by my favorite director, Paul Thomas Anderson showcasing correlations between PUNCH-DRUNK LOVE and THE LONG GOODBYE. Now he’s hitting the festival circuit with a perso

What an episode in so many ways that it’s hard to know where to begin in even writing an introduction. The first ten minutes are mostly about me remembering a friend and film critic near and dear to many of us along with promoting and supporting an upcoming film festival as well. I hope you won’t skip over the beginning since it would mean a lot if you listened to the tribute about someone very important to my life and to the lives of many. There will be more words and a separate write-up on that to come. Of course the bulk of this episode surrounds the work of a filmmaker that also means a lot to me personally: Allan Moyle - a name I’m sure you know by now due to how many times I’ve mentioned the film PUMP UP THE VOLUME on this podcast. But what about his other work as well? My guests today are recurring co-host and Supporting Characters host Bill Ackerman and a delightful and accomplished newcomer, co-host of The Important Cinema Club Podcast, Justin Decloux.  All three of us have a lot to say about differ

Guest host Bill Ackerman invites writer Gianna D’Emilio to discuss the work of Mia Hansen-Løve, the acclaimed writer/director of films like THINGS TO COME, BERGMAN ISLAND, EDEN and GOODBYE, FIRST LOVE. In anticipation of her latest effort, ONE FINE MORNING, they take a close look at her first seven features. Read “Girlhood, Postfeminism and Contemporary Female Art-House Authorship: The “Nameless Trilogies” of Sofia Coppola and Mia Hansen-Løve” by Fiona Handyside https://www.alphavillejournal.com/Issue10/HTML/ArticleHandyside.html Read Mia Hansen-Løve in conversation with Elena Lazic on MAYA: https://elenalazic.wordpress.com/2019/03/11/my-films-are-portraits-i-try-to-make-my-characters-live-mia-hansen-love-on-maya/ Read “All Is Forgiven” by James King: https://animusmagazine.com/2021/11/26/all-is-forgiven/ Read “In Praise Of Mia Hansen-Løve’s ‘Things To Come’” by Joanna Biggs: https://www.anothergaze.com/praise-mia-hansen-loves-things-come/ Read “The Cinema of Mia Hansen-Løve Candour and Vuln

Oh hello there! This is my way of reviewing new releases once in a while and provide them here for you - monologue-style. This time I'm providing some reviews for early September including something very special: a bonus interview with the writer/director of one of the new films I’m reviewing. Neil LaBute has been making interesting features for well over 20 years and his latest is a creepy little Gothic horror film called House Of Darkness (opening on September 9th). Listen to him talk about it, then give a listen to my review along with three other titles as well. Usually these are available on Patreon but decided to include this one on the main feed as well. I also talk a lot more than usual in the intro for personal reasons concerning mental health and why there was a bit of an absence in August. Hopefully you enjoy this bonus episode right before hearing the next official episode from guest host Bill Ackerman coming within the next week. Give it up for his great work so far with the Stephen Sayadian epi

Guest host Bill Ackerman invites film/culture writer Heather Drain and writer/programmer Justine Smith to discuss the films of Stephen Sayadian (aka Rinse Dream), the singular talent behind films like NIGHTDREAMS, CAFÉ FLESH and DR. CALIGARI. As an added bonus, Bill also includes a new interview with writer/historian/film preservationist Daniel Bird, who produced the 2021 4K restoration of DR. CALIGARI and is presently working on an upcoming restoration of CAFÉ FLESH. 00:00 - 1:59:00 - Stephen Sayadian discussion w/Heather Drain & Justine Smith 1:59:00 - 2:01:55 - Daniel Bird Introduction 2:01:55 - 2:59:30 - Daniel Bird Interview 2:59:30 - 3:00:45 - Outro   Fantasia 2021: A Masterclass with the Legendary Stephen Sayadian, in conversation with Justine Smith https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7CmT7pD8rI&t=2830s Watch Wall Of Voodoo “Do It Again” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bScjfPE2_-Q Hear Stephen Sayadian, Jerry Stahl and Heather Drain talking about DR. CALIGARI on The Projection

As you'll hear during the introduction, David Lynch is an important filmmaker to me for a variety of reasons. Mary Sweeney collaborated with him for about 15 years as an editor, producer and writer. Talking with her was an absolute joy. Mary is truly an accomplished, multi-talented human being in so many ways. I was honored to spend 30 minutes with her over the phone to talk about her experiences working with Lynch and also to promote the upcoming 4K Restoration of LOST HIGHWAY, which is showing at The Music Box Theatre on August 6th featuring a Q&A after the film with Mary Sweeney in-person. Do give our short-but-sweet conversation a listen especially if you love David Lynch as much as I do. Thank you to Steve Prokopy & The Music Box Theatre for making this happen. Come To The Music Box To See LOST HIGHWAY: https://musicboxtheatre.com/films/lost-highway Come To The Music Box The Very Next Day Please: https://musicboxtheatre.com/films/roys-world-barry-giffords-chicago (I will be hosting a Q&A ri

One of my favorite cinephiles on the planet joins me today to talk about a director they were thrilled to discuss. Film writer and podcaster extraordinare Mitchell Beaupre is a regular at Filmspotting Trivia which is where our paths first crossed and I have been following their work ever since. We get to know a little more about Mitchell during the intro but mainly sing the praises of most (if not all) of the work of James Gray starting with his debut leading all the way up to AD ASTRA. For the what we watched recently segment, Mitchell brings up Coppola's THE OUTSIDERS and then I review ANONYMOUS CLUB and linked below is my interview with the director of that film Danny Cohen. So grateful to Mitchell for coming on the show and already looking forward to a return appearance in the future. Please be sure to follow their work the way I do too! Stay tuned for two new episodes coming within the next month or so from guest contributor Bill Ackerman! Mitchell On Twitter: https://twitter.com/itismitchell Mitchell O

Michael Glover Smith loves movies so much, it was inevitable that he would go on to make some of his own. Not only that, he writes about movies, teaches film classes, and has even written a book on Chicago film history. I had the immense pleasure of finally catching up with MERCURY IN RETROGRADE and shared my reaction to a casting choice during our interview here, but the bulk of the conversation surrounds his latest film, the empathic family dramedy RELATIVE.  A great ensemble of talent carries this sweet story of a Chicago-based family getting together for their son’s college graduation. A lot of tension emerges but so does a lot of compassion and concern for one another. Wait til you hear about some of the cast, especially the accomplished actors that play the parents. Michael shared a lot of interesting and unexpected connections regarding everyone and even though we talked for close to an hour, there were other questions I could’ve asked since he’s articulate/passionate about his work.  Definitely check

So you might remember him as Arnie from CHRISTINE and that's where I first became aware of the terrific talent of one writer/director/actor extraordinaire Keith Gordon. He's been on Director's Club a half dozen times which is truly an honor and a pleasure. We continue a yearly tradition where we check in and take the opportunity to nerd out about the cinema of years past. We go back to talk about a particular decade in film citing some under-seen titles that may have been underappreciated at the time. Several of these you may have heard of, but the reason I enjoy doing this is to hear Keith’s thoughts on titles such as SECONDS, POINT BLANK, THE INNOCENTS and many more! There are honorable mentions & this time, we briefly talk about what it was like working with Sheryl Lee on his great Vonnegut adaptation, MOTHER NIGHT. This is a wonderful discussion as always so if you've been a fan of our other talks, I have no doubt you'll enjoy the latest one as well. Check out the previous KG episodes / lists below! K

Bonus episodes will be ending soon! We'll be back to our regularly scheduled program in a matter of days for sure. Instead of making this a Patreon exclusive, I decided to share this with everyone since it is a special one. Once again, I’m joined by Chicago film critic Erik Childress of the Movie Madness podcast as well as co-host of The Friendship Dilemma to record a full-length feature commentary track of yet another film from 1984. The first one we did together was for another film my dad and I bonded over, THE LAST STARFIGHTER. This time, thanks to a glorious 4K release from Vinegar Syndrome, we decided to finally follow-up with another commentary for CLOAK & DAGGER. It’s a movie that means a lot to me. Join us on Davy’s journey through espionage and intrigue - a nostalgia-fueled trip through our childhoods covering everything from Atari games to our appreciation for both Dabney Coleman and Henry Thomas as a great father/son pairing that surprisingly gets very moving thanks to Tom Holland’s ingenio

Tis the season for more bonus content but soon enough Bill Ackerman will be bringing us an official director-centric episode soon. For this excursion into something besides movies, I once hosted called Voices & Visions and I would recruit friend and Austin-based journalist Dan Solomon to go back 20 years to talk about a year in music - an art form that I love every bit much as film. For this retrospective, my guests and I curate a new list of ten favorite records from that year, playing snippets of certain songs and discussing our feelings about music in general. As of 2021, I decided to include my dear friend Jason Simpson, also a writer, to join us in this endeavor. As listeners know, I've been going back 30 years to talk about the year in film with Collin Souter and Erik Childress, so I asked Jason and Dan to do the same from now on with records. 1992 was the year I officially became a musician so it's a special discussion for me, in terms of records that had a bigger impact than most even if my taste

For those who don't know, my favorite way to exercise has always been swimming. I'm slowly getting back into it as a regular part of my daily routine. Not only that, Frank Perry's THE SWIMMER is becoming an all-time favorite of mine with every viewing and I wanted to talk to a true film historian about it. Sergio Mims returns to the show for another bonus discussion on this fascinating Burt Lancaster picture from 1968 that audiences were probably not ready for at the time. As always, I learned a lot from Sergio but we talked a lot about its themes surrounding toxic masculinity, suburban angst and so much more. Grateful to Sergio for talking with me for an hour. This serves as a nice prelude to the upcoming Keith Gordon episode recording in a couple weeks about underrated films of the 1960s. Towards the end, we start talking about the state of cinema in general and even preview a couple of upcoming episodes later in the year! The next official director episode comes courtesy of new bi-monthly co-host Bill Ack

Jay Cheel is a writer/director/editor as well as a co-host of the podcast responsible for turning me into a podcaster, Film Junk. I thought why not talk with him right after dropping Episode 200 about his excellent Shudder series, Cursed Films which recently put out its second season that I highly encourage you to see. Always great to talk with such a talented, articulate filmmaker like Jay. His series, Cursed Films II covers new titles. The show explores the myths and legends behind some of Hollywood's notoriously cursed horror film productions and even tackles how the filmmakers and actors have been affected by being a part of films such as Stalker, The Wizard Of Oz, Rosemary's Baby, The Serpent & The Rainbow and ending this season with Cannibal Holocaust. Thank you so much Jay for this delightful, insightful conversation and stay tuned for more bonus content as well as Bill Ackerman's first episode as official co-host coming early next month! Also if you're in Chicago this coming weekend (May 13-19) b

Episode 200 is here (technically this is the 300th episode if you include bonus episodes). Of course, I had to invite my original co-host and dear friend Patrick Ripoll back to the show since it all began with him and I talking about Cameron Crowe in front of microphones back in January 2011. This serves as not only a celebration of the podcast but as an early birthday treat. So why not talk about two of my favorite directors over the course of two entire films they’ve made. I was never the biggest fan of David Cronenberg’s CRASH but I’m slowly coming around. Patrick was never the biggest fan of Paul Thomas Anderson’s PHANTOM THREAD either. Now he’s also warming up to it a little more. We hash it out together, ask questions, talk about specific scenes that we adore and so much more throughout this eventful 4 hour conversation. You have the option of syncing up the two movies (we instruct how along the way) or simply listen to the two of us talking about both films and the directors that made them. This was p

One of my very favorite people on the planet joins me to talk about a director that was covered a decade ago but deserves revisiting especially in light of his more recent work. The wonderful Sharon Gissy, creator of the Mental Filmness Film Festival returns to the show to talk all about groundbreaking director Todd Haynes. I know many years ago on the show I brought attention to his masterpiece SAFE but wanted to revisit it now given the times we live in and to hear Sharon’s thoughts especially on that one and several others from his filmography. We don’t dive too deep into his films that deconstruct the music biopic but we cover ones that we feel the most passionate about for sure. Though as a side note, I do also recommend his MILDRED PIERCE miniseries remake and the recent VELVET UNDERGROUND documentary though we didn’t cover those here. I also ask Sharon about her favorite portrayals of mental health in cinema and talk about a recent rewatch of GIRL, INTERRUPTED. 00:00 - 07:17 - Introduction 07:18 - 28: