Ep. 484 – Don't Worry Darling (with Heather Schwedel)

Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan, Michael Snydel, and Bill Graham are joined by special guest Eric Marsh to discuss David Mamet's con drama House of Games, now available to rent digitally or on The Criterion Collection. Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. The Film Stage Show is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

8 Heinä 20202h 5min

Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan, Michael Snydel, and Bill Graham are joined by special guest Beatrice Loayza to discuss Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers, now available on Netflix. One can also tune into our recent discussion of Showgirls with You Don't Nomi director Jeffery McHale on this feed. Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. The Film Stage Show is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

30 Kesä 20201h 40min

Welcome back to Intermission, a spin-off podcast from The Film Stage Show. In a time when arthouse theaters are hurting more than ever and there are a plethora of streaming options at your fingertips, we wanted to introduce new conversations that put a specific focus on the films that are foundational or perhaps overlooked in cinephile culture. Led by yours truly, Michael Snydel, Intermission is a 1-on-1 supplementary discussion podcast that focuses on one arthouse, foreign, or experimental film per episode as picked by the guest. For our seventh episode, I talked to Film Formally co-host, Will Ross, about Luis Buñuel’s shapeshifting 1970 film Tristana, which is currently available on The Criterion Channel through June 30 and available on Kanopy and on disc. Thematically comparable to much of Buñuel’s work in its broad targets, it’s a vivisection of upper-crust hypocrisy and the illogical variances of social, economic, and political systems of the time. Starring Catherine Deneuve (reuniting with Buñuel after ‘67’s Belle de Jour), the film revolves around the relationship of Tristana (Deneuve), a woman bound and incited by circumstance, and Don Lope (Fernando Reyes), a domineering old man defined by the many contradictions of his personality. The film itself then can be viewed as one long shifting power struggle that’s both self-evident and mired in layers of false nobility, emotional sadism, and perversity. And yet, despite the similarities with much of Buñuel’s filmography and its brief dalliances into unreality through its two pivotal dream sequences, Will suggested a very different approach to discussing the film–pushing back on the filmmaker’s predominant reputation as a surrealist. He’s resolute about Buñuel’s impact on surrealism through films like Un Chien Andalou, but as Will explains in the episode, he sees Tristana as the first time he could begin to decode Buñuel. Instead of leaning on particular language, he makes a strong argument that the filmmaker’s diffuse work is more a matter of nothing being wasted and a fundamental effort to buck the use of a single ideology to solve his films than a matter of surrealist trickery. This supposition served as the foundation of the episode as we discussed the many ways Tristana avoids easy avenues in representing its main characters, Buñuel’s ingenuity with textures, and the misconceptions of questioning the text when its answers are laid bare. Our discussion also touches on the nature of misanthropy and its coexistence with empathy and the lack thereof. Intermission episodes are shared exclusively with our Patreon community before being posted to The Film Stage Show's main feed. One can also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. Intermission is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

26 Kesä 20201h 15min

Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan, Michael Snydel, and Bill Graham are joined by special guest Robert Daniels to discuss Andrew Patterson's striking debut The Vast of Night which is now on Amazon Prime. We also want to direct our listeners to a resource here you can learn about ways to help out in your community in the fight against injustice and inequality: blacklivesmatters.carrd.co Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. The Film Stage Show is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

23 Kesä 20201h 50min

Welcome back to Intermission, a spin-off podcast from The Film Stage Show. In a time when arthouse theaters are hurting more than ever and there are a plethora of streaming options at your fingertips, we wanted to introduce new conversations that put a specific focus on the films that are foundational or perhaps overlooked in cinephile culture. Led by yours truly, Michael Snydel (co-host of The Film Stage Show), Intermission is a 1-on-1 supplementary discussion podcast that focuses on one arthouse, foreign, or experimental film per episode as picked by the guest. For our sixth episode, I talked to critic Vikram Murthi about Olivier Assayas’ 1994 French bildungsroman, Cold Water, which is currently available on the Criterion Channel and on disc. A dual character study of teenage restlessness against the backdrop of post-May ’68 protests, it’s a film whose knowledge of sociology, philosophy, and history is ingrained in every frame. But as Vikram posits, it’s not a film about a specific ideology as much as animated by the movements that envelop the existence of its lead characters, Gille and Christine. It’s also a film about kids who are more inspired by beat poets like Allan Ginsberg than prominent historical thinkers like Jean Jacques-Rosseau. Appropriately, the latter’s writing is the background noise in a casually dazzling sequence where the camera follows a stack of LPs passed like a crush note from the back to the front of a classroom. Despite these esoteric descriptions and Assayas’ reputation as a filmmaker who bounces between poles of formal intellectualism and metatextual flights of fancy, Cold Water is ultimately a film about teens finding freedom and life in other outlets like rock music–represented by canonical American and English artists like Roxy Music, Bob Dylan, and Creedence Clearwater Revival–joyfully trashing an abandoned house, and youthful heartbreak. Trisected into three sections, that search for freedom is exemplified through a sublime 30-minute party sequence that never feels indulgent but a necessary summit before a sighing comedown. In our full conversation, Vikram and I talked about Assayas’ refusal to judge any of his characters, the challenging but meticulous pacing, and the nature of social politics in the coming-of-age genre. Intermission episodes are shared exclusively with our Patreon community before being posted to The Film Stage Show's main feed. One can also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. Intermission is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

20 Kesä 20201h 13min

Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan, Michael Snydel, and Bill Graham are joined by special guest Odie Henderson to discuss Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods, which is now on Netflix. It's an epic, nearly three-hour discussion exploring the consciously dissonant choices of Spike Lee's movies, representations of masculine pain in film, genre tropes as a cinematic narrative shorthand, the greatness of Delroy Lindo, the process of thoughtful criticism and incorporating film history, and more. We also want to direct our listeners to this resource, where you can learn about ways to help out in your community in the fight against injustice and inequality: blacklivesmatters.carrd.co Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films.

16 Kesä 20202h 46min

Welcome back to Intermission, a spin-off podcast from The Film Stage Show. In a time when arthouse theaters are hurting more than ever and there are a plethora of streaming options at your fingertips, we wanted to introduce new conversations that put a specific focus on the films that are foundational or perhaps overlooked in cinephile culture. Led by yours truly, Michael Snydel (co-host of The Film Stage Show), Intermission is a 1-on-1 supplementary discussion podcast that focuses on one arthouse, foreign, or experimental film per episode as picked by the guest. For our fifth episode, I talked with critic Roxana Hadadi about Andrew Dominik’s 2012 recession neo-noir film, Killing Them Softly, which is currently available on Netflix. A recipient of the coveted “F” Cinemascore, Dominik’s film threw many for a loop at the time of its release–including some baffled critics who pillorized it for its rambling pacing and foregrounded messaging. Whereas Dominik’s previous film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Ford, with its nearly three-hour runtime and Roger Deakins’ photography emblematic of mythic Americana, has grown in esteem since its release, the same reappraisal hasn't been afforded to Killing Them Softly. At barely 100 minutes and beginning with a juxtaposition of white noise and snippets of a Barack Obama speech, the film appears to cut right to the point. But its framing story of a robbery gone wrong and its constant diegetic political interventions are less about economic disparity than the ways that the system has never cared about certain parts of America in the first place. That may imply that this hews to one side of the aisle politically or spiritually, but this is a movie that has no allegiance to any party or ideology. As such, it’s a movie that back in 2012 felt overly cynical or pushy, but now plays in an entirely different context. Roxana and I talked at length about these misbegotten perceptions, the unorthodox ways it views a person’s value, and how its winding dialogue builds a vision of a transactional world. Intermission episodes are shared exclusively with our Patreon community before being posted to The Film Stage Show's main feed. One can also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. Intermission is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

15 Kesä 20201h 12min

Welcome, one and all, to the latest episode of The Film Stage Show! Today, Brian Roan, Michael Snydel, and Bill Graham are joined by special guest Alissa Wilkinson to discuss Josephine Decker's Shirley, starring Elisabeth Moss, which is now available on Hulu. One can also read our interview with Decker at thefilmstage.com We also want to direct our listeners to a resource where you can learn about ways to help out in your community in the fight against injustice and inequality. Learn more here: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. For a limited time, all new Patreon supporters will receive a free Blu-ray/DVD. After becoming a contributor, e-mail podcast@thefilmstage.com for an up-to-date list of available films. The Film Stage Show is supported by MUBI, a curated streaming service showcasing exceptional films from around the globe. Every day, MUBI premieres a new film. Whether it's a timeless classic, a cult favorite, or an acclaimed masterpiece — it’s guaranteed to be either a movie you’ve been dying to see or one you’ve never heard of before and there will always be something new to discover. Try it for free for 30 days at mubi.com/filmstage.

9 Kesä 20201h 39min