Voices & Visions

Last year around this time, I spoke with the one and only Keith Gordon, actor, writer, director extraordinare.  The following is a repost.  A second conversation will be recorded soon and I wanted to post this very special episode from Director's Club / Pop Culture Club since the sequel is coming soon in the form of Episode 34.  Enjoy! From May 2016:  Welcome to a very special bonus episode of Director's Club.  These days you can find our guest directing episodes of TV shows like FARGO, DEXTER, THE LEFTOVERS, HOMELAND, MASTERS OF SEX, RECTIFY and so much more.  But if you grew up in the 80s like me, you probably recognized the talent on display in a horror film like CHRISTINE or a comedy like BACK TO SCHOOL.  What I wholeheartedly recommend are the films directed by the one and only Keith Gordon. I first saw A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, took note of the name of the director, and became a huge fan from that point on when I rented his films in the mid-to-late 90s. I am still a huge fan to this day, and this interview wa

The association between Sam Firstenberg and Menahem Golan (of Cannon Films) had started in December of 1973.  Years later, Golan and Globus hired Sam to direct what would become a huge cult classic with REVENGE OF THE NINJA. Sam knew nothing about martial arts, but learned quickly and the film, starred Sho Kosugi. Distributed by MGM to a great box-office bonanza, it set the stage for Sam's next directing assignment NINJA III: THE DOMINATION also starring Kosugi. Firstenberg eventually went on to direct BREAKIN 2: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO making him the king of sequels with a title that became a part of pop culture lexicon.  Now a new book is in the works, all about Firstenberg’s unique brand of action cinema entitled Stories from the Trenches: The Official Sam Firstenberg Book. Having grown up in the VHS era and a fan of cult classics including BREAKIN 2 and NINJA III, I had the immense pleasure of talking with a rather idiosyncratic talent that contributed a lot of entertaining hours to my teenage years back in th

One of the very first interviews I did in podcast form was with the guest of this enlightening episode.  We first spoke after the passing of Harold Ramis and now years later, we catch up and discuss his latest accomplishment in book form! Stephen Tobolowsky is a face you'll never forget, since he's been in over 100 movies not to mention TV shows and plays.  You'll recognize him from such films as GROUNDHOG DAY, SNEAKERS, MISSISSIPPI BURNING, and a personal favorite of mine MEMENTO.  He's also a podcasting storyteller of the highest caliber as well as the author of THE DANGEROUS ANIMALS CLUB and his most recent opus, MY ADVENTURES WITH GOD, which we talk about during the course of this splendid conversation with someone that I think is the epitome of a great guest.  Heck, he's a great human being in general, and I think you'll feel similarly after hearing us talk about everything from "good intentions" to "existential moments" to "near-death experiences" and much much more!   Check out Stephen Tobolowsky's We

http://tinyurl.com/dc1987film Cross-posted in the Director's Club feed PART TWO OF TWO:  Nothing's gonna stop us now!  Ladies and gentlemen, let's go back thirty years to when three film critics fell in love with going to the movies.  The mid-80s informed a lot of my taste, and much like previous years' retrospectives, it's always a blast to go back and see what holds up and what we each consider to be personal favorites from a particular year.  RogerEbert.com's very own Erik Childress and Collin Souter return for what is officially a yearly tradition that started thanks to original podcast creator Jim Laczkowski (that's me).  We started with 1985 two years ago, and plan to do this all the way up until 1999 as a bonus excursion for reflection, nostalgia, and to celebrate those 80s and 90s kids that adored film as much as we did. We go through the entire year chronologically covering titles that range from THE STEPFATHER to SPACEBALLS and everything in between (LA BAMBA, BROADCAST NEWS, WALL STREET, THE GATE

http://tinyurl.com/dc1987film Cross-posted in the Director's Club feed PART ONE (OF TWO):  You can follow the list from 1987 that we cover linked above.  Nothing's gonna stop us now!  Ladies and gentlemen, let's go back thirty years to when three film critics fell in love with going to the movies.  The mid-80s informed a lot of my taste, and much like previous years' retrospectives, it's always a blast to go back and see what holds up and what we each consider to be personal favorites from a particular year.  RogerEbert.com's very own Erik Childress and Collin Souter return for what is officially a yearly tradition that started thanks to original podcast creator Jim Laczkowski (that's me).  We started with 1985 two years ago, and plan to do this all the way up until 1999 as a bonus excursion for reflection, nostalgia, and to celebrate those 80s and 90s kids that adored film as much as we did. We go through the entire year chronologically covering titles that range from THE STEPFATHER to SPACEBALLS and every

Woody Allen has made over fifty films and there are 52 weeks in a year.  So RogerEbert.com's Collin Souter - filmmaker, friend and film critic - took it upon himself to watch one Woody Allen movie each week throughout the entire year of 2016.  It brought a lot of interesting insights and he even wrote a journal as the marathon went along.  This special episode of Voices and Visions is all about the love of cinema, the work of Woody Allen, mainly filtered through the perspective of a great critic and conversationalist.  We spent over 2 hours talking about the entire filmography of Woody Allen, starting with his first film all the way to the last.  Obviously, some titles are covered longer than others, but I think you'll enjoy this enjoyable discussion about a divisive figure in American Cinema.  Towards the tail-end of the conversation, we also reveal our Top 15 Favorite Woody Allen Films! Check Out Collin's Work: http://rogerebert.com/contributors/collin-souter https://twitter.com/collin_souter https://le

What a true joy it was to talk with someone so talented, inspirational, and spirited about being a filmmaker.  The young Emily Hagins started her career around the age of 12 creating the blueprints for what would eventually become her debut feature PATHOGEN.  It was a cult hit, and received a lot of attention and acclaim from the Austin film community -- directors and critics supported her as well as her loving parents.  She would go on to make a coming-of-age vampire movie, an indie dramedy about one of her close friends, and most recently, a teenage heist movie based on a popular young adult novel.  COIN HEIST is her latest, and it features another delightful ensemble.  Be sure to add it to your queue on Netflix or better yet, watch it now as well as her earlier work.  After hearing our conversation, I'm sure you'll want to support her just as much as I will!  00:00 - 08:27 - Introduction 08:28 - 39:24 - Interview with Emily Hagins 39:25 - 42:50 - Outro Visit Emily's Website: http://www.cheesynuggets.com

Three guests join me once again much like an earlier episode of Pop Culture Club.  Two independent filmmakers and an experimental musician talk with me about their latest work, their creative process, and much more!  First up:  Stephen Kijak is known mainly for his work as a music documentarian, covering a wide range of artists and genres.  WE ARE X is a 2016 British documentary film about the Japanese heavy metal band X Japan and its co-founder, drummer, pianist and leader Yoshiki. The film premiered on January 23, 2016, at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival to much acclaim and we have some interesting behind-the-scenes stories from Kijak. Secondly, Nathan Williams makes a standout debut film called IF THERE IS A HELL BELOW, a minimalist chase picture that takes the Edward Snowden story and mixes it with a little bit of Coen Brothers noir.  We talk about all things cinema, including influences, 70s political thrillers, and the inspiration behind this compelling tale which mainly focuses on only two characters

Welcome to Voices and Visions, formerly Pop Culture Club.  Confused?  Well, there’s an introduction to help assist you.  As you may or may not know, PCC is now V&V, and this is the first official episode under the new name.  After my 8-minute monologue at the top, I am pleased to present another wonderful singer/songwriter by the name of Kay Hanley.  If you’ve heard of the band Letters to Cleo, she is the incredibly energetic frontwoman and has always been a true blue rock star in my eyes.  For movie fans, you’ll also know her as the singing voice of Josie in the hysterical satire JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS with Rachael Lee Cook, Parker Posey, and Alan Cumming.  In addition, Kay is a songwriter for hire and has recently released a new EP with Letters to Cleo. I had the pleasure of meeting with her at the VIP show in Chicago and a couple months later, we reconnected over the phone to have a delightful conversation about her career, loss, inspiration, working in film, and what we can potentially expect from L

FORMERLY POP CULTURE CLUB:  Once again, couldn't resist including this Pop Culture Club episode in the Director's Club feed due to the level of talent involved. And hey, they happen to be directors as well of course, and very good ones. The introduction finds me reflecting on baseball, The Cubs, and the city of Chicago which segways nicely into my first guest who is from the South Side. John McNaughton got his start early on in theater, and then collaborated with talented actors to make the truly disturbing HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. Most of our conversation is about the making of that seminal horror film, but couldn't resist asking John about working with Bill Murray again as well. Secondly, I talked to Courtney Hunt who had a huge breakthrough success with FROZEN RIVER. Her latest films stars Keanu Reeves as a defense attorney who is struggling with the ethics of his position, all while trying to solve a murder case involving a young adult. I truly thought this film was a step-above most courtroom

Cross-posted on the Director's Club podcast feed RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  The Hollywood Reporter said that MEATHEAD GOES HOG WILD is "A psycho-breakdown flick that goes full-tilt violent without losing its odd, almost endearing underlying friendliness." Which is a great summation of this thought-provoking dark comedy that is somewhat inspired by one of my favorite movies AFTER HOURS. One of its creators, Sean Pierce has been on the show twice before as a guest for the Wim Wenders and Rainer Werner Fassbinder episodes. Along with Zach and Kevin, they each played a significant role in putting together an urban monster movie of sorts that's sometimes funny, sometimes disturbing, but consistently entertaining. Now that this very good film was just released on DVD and available on Amazon Prime, I figured it was a good time to catch up with this talented trio about the making of MEATHEAD, which if you look in the closing credits, you'll see my name as well as the name of this show!  A lot of interesting top

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Instead of the usual rambling intro and outro for this particular episode, I decided to let this conversation exist as is, unedited. It's a follow-up phone call to the great Allan Moyle (PUMP UP THE VOLUME). If you haven't heard Part One of our conversation, I highly encourage you to begin there first since that's how the magic began.  The description from Part One is relisted below so you get the whole story as to why these interviews mean a lot to me.  Part One:  http://popcultureclub.net/episodes/allanmoyle Well everyone, after a couple of months of waiting in anticipation, I was able to get a hold of Allan Moyle. "Who?!" you might ask.  Well, he's responsible for films such as TIMES SQUARE, EMPIRE RECORDS, NEW WATERFORD GIRL, and many more. But the film that has a special place in my heart, as listeners should know, is his 1990 teenage rebellion masterpiece PUMP UP THE VOLUME.  At the time of viewing this movie, I wasn't the biggest fan of Christian Slater, my music taste w

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Another one of my all-time favorite songwriters joins me for a half hour to talk about his career, accomplishments, and the process between composing hits for projects such as That Thing You Do, Music & Lyrics, Josie and The Pussycats and more!  Of course, Adam Schlesinger is also known as half of the songwriting team behind the indelible pop rock band Fountains of Wayne whose biggest hit "Stacy's Mom" was a riff on The Cars, another one of my favorite bands.  But really, they have so many great songs that it's hard to name or include them all.  During the episode, there are snippets of the following: "Hackensack" "She's Got A Problem" "Hate To See You Like This" "Radiation Vibe" "Red Dragon Tattoo" "Prom Theme" "Settle For Me" (from my favorite show on TV, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) "Getting Bi" (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) "All Kinds Of Time" "That Thing You Do!" "Sink To The Bottom" Huge thanks to both Dan Solomon and publicist Ken Weinstein for getting me in touch with Adam, and b

CROSS-POSTED as a bonus episode for Director's Club RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Well everyone, after a couple of months of waiting in anticipation, I was able to get a hold of Allan Moyle. "Who?!" you might ask.  Well, he's responsible for films such as TIMES SQUARE, EMPIRE RECORDS, NEW WATERFORD GIRL, and many more. But the film that has a special place in my heart, as listeners should know, is his 1990 teenage rebellion masterpiece PUMP UP THE VOLUME.  At the time of viewing this movie, I wasn't the biggest fan of Christian Slater, my music taste was limited, and I was going through my first experience of severe depression.  Then my favorite film critic, Nick Digilio of WGN Radio, reviewed PUMP in the summer of 1990. I went to see it, and my life was forever changed. It didn't cure me of depression, but it helped and gave me a renewed sense of hope.  A faith that cinema and art could also become a therapeutic, enlightening experience. I felt a connection to the character and to the material for the firs

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Welcome to an exciting edition of Pop Culture Club, in which I interview two filmmakers whose past and present work I've rather enjoyed quite a bit.  Matt Johnson is a sprightly young Canadian working in mainly a mockumentary framework for both of his wide-eyed tales of potentially misguided ambition. His latest, OPERATION AVALANCHE, is not unlike his first film only this time we are in a different era with similar characters. Recruited by the CIA in 1967, young filmmakers shoot footage of a fake moon landing after learning that NASA is losing the space race to the Russians. I had the tremendous opportunity to talk with Matt about this incredibly entertaining new film.  In addition, I also welcome Joshua Marston to the show, who had a huge hit back in 2004 with MARIA FULL OF GRACE. His latest recruits two of my favorite actors working today, Rachel Weisz and Michael Shannon, in a gradually paced story about identity and building a personal narrative.  COMPLETE UNKNOWN is a bit

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Back in 1994, I met someone that I hadn't anticipate would become a lifelong friend and collaborator.  Together, along with drummer Nathan Bohanan, we formed a band named Midian.  Our influences were all over the place, as you'll hear, but the focus of the conversation is lead singer/songwriter Art Mayes.  Art has gone through a few monikers, including college band Noon Blue Apples and then as a solo artist.  There's no denying his immense talent and vivacious spirit.  We sit down over a couple of beers and had a "spontaneous" conversation about our past together, how Art found solace in music, and what happened after Midian broke up. Sooner than later, we will collaborate again, but in the meantime, feel free to listen to this intimate conversation between two friends who definitely experienced a lot of joy and a modicum of tension back in the mid-90s.  Eventually, a collection of Art's music will be released including some of the songs you'll hear sprinkled throughout this epi

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  From "Video Killed The Radio Star" to Beyonce's "Lemonade," I have been intoxicated and dazzled by the artistry behind music videos.  Of course, I'm not alone, and my guest today could probably teach a class on the subject and hopefully will get to program a music video festival event someday.  Writer extraordinare Heather Drain joins me to discuss favorite music videos, our first experiences, growing up with MTV, and of course, the fact that many acclaimed directors got their start making videos early on.  Big names like David Fincher, William Friedkin, Spike Jonze, Jonathan Glazer, Michel Gondry, and my personal favorite, Mark Romanek, are all discussed at some point or another.  I also manage to magically insert Keri Russell (as Felicity) into the conversation, talk about the first 45RPM record I owned, and so much more including the possibility that David Cronenberg might've ghost directed a particular scene in the video for "Jeopardy" by The Greg Kihn Band.  Even at 2 and

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  A special edition of Pop Culture Club that carries on the tradition started last year.  No intro this time, since I wanted to launch right into the conversation as friend/journalist Dan Solomon, and I travel back 20 years to reminiscence about 1996.  We briefly discuss a few autobiographical memories, the year in general, and then we launch into our top ten records of 1996. Just like last time, a lot comes up within the conversation including a lengthy deconstruction of The Afghan Whigs, hip-hop and so much more!  Big thanks to Dan Solomon for spending some time talking music and favorite records, as well as some of his favorite records of this year so far, including a brief review of the new Radiohead towards the end. Thanks everyone for listening.  00:00 - 03:40 - Introduction 03:41 - 24:20 - Memories, #10, #9 24:21 - 39:47 - #8-6 39:48 - 01:08:52 - #5-2 01:08:53 - 01:28:32 - Favorite Record Of 1996, New Records, Outro Dan's Top Ten 10. Tori Amos - Boys For Pele 9.  Weezer -

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  Back in 2003 or so, I met a gentleman by the name of Tony Presley.  Since then, we've had a friendship that was built around a similar passion for songs and songwriting.  Being mutual fans of everything from Low to Super Famicom to The Innocence Mission certainly helps, but what I really want to stress is how much I have personally responded to the music he's written over the years under the moniker Real Live Tigers.  Sometimes a band, sometimes a solo road warrior, Real Live Tigers is a true inspiration, a sound that just about any DIY folk songwriter would embrace.  If you love sparse, still, haunting songs mainly built around a classical guitar often then reinvented for the stage, then give his music your attention.  Tony is a wonderful friend and I'm sure this conversation highlights his talent and enthusiasm for what he has built a niche in for over a decade.  He is a "lifer" as he says, when it comes to writing songs and hitting the road.  His most recent output is also am

RECORDED AS POP CULTURE CLUB:  I have one heck of a lineup in store for you.  For this special edition of Pop Culture Club, I talk with two directors and then one musician -- all inspired in different ways but linked via their love of music.   For the first interview, I talk with BLUE RUIN director Jeremy Saulnier about his latest foray into genre filmmaking -- this time, he tackles the world of hardcore punk rock combined with a seige picture in the visceral knockout GREEN ROOM.  Secondly, I spoke with the director of one of my favorite movies ONCE.  John Carney is perfecting the make-a-band formula with his third foray into the low-fi musical, this time it's set in the world of 1980s Dublin.  SING STREET is a true joy in every sense of the word.  Easily one of my favorite films of the year that I can't wait for others to see.  Lastly, I had the opportunity to talk with a truly gifted songwriter that I've been hoping to catch up with for quite some time.  Shelby Sifers is inspired by compassion and remains