Denis Villeneuve?s new DUNE (or, more accurately, DUNE PART ONE) begins the process of adapting Frank Herbert?s 1965 novel of the same name, which itself drew from the biography of T.E. Lawrence, the inspiration for another film concerned with ?desert power? and messiah mythmaking: 1962?s LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. While the two films each slot into different genres ? science-fiction and historical war story, respectively ? their narratives are remarkably similar, particularly when it comes to the white-savior overtones of their protagonists and their reverence for the desert as a visual and symbolic force. They also stand as complementary representatives of large-scale filmmaking produced some six decades apart, which we dig into in our comparison of the two films, as well as our reactions to DUNE PART ONE, and how they?re informed by our knowledge that this is only half the story. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent viewing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DUNE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: RESERVATION DOGS on FX on Hulu Tasha: MAYA AND THE THREE on Netflix Scott: Mia Hansen-Løve?s BERGMAN ISLAND Keith: Scott Z. Burns? THE REPORT Outro music: ?Weapon of Choice? by Fatboy Slim ft. Bootsy Collins Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1965 Frank Herbert novel that gave rise to Denis Villenueve?s new adaptation DUNE drew direct inspiration from the life of T.E. Lawrence, the subject of one of cinema?s towering classics: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. David Lean?s 1965 film is a celebrated, Oscar-winning classic that?s become shorthand for ?big screen epic,? but for every major set piece where Peter O?Toole?s Lawrence seems to consider himself immortal, there?s an accompanying intimate moment where he gives in to his self-doubt. It?s a complexity we see again in DUNE, and which we dig into this week in a conversation about LAWRENCE?s rich and complicated legacy. Plus, our recent episode on REMINISCENCE prompts a listener question about other, better uses of water as a symbolic force. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, DUNE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?Desert Song? by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to the cultural obsession with origin stories that?s led to the underwhelming Sopranos prequel film THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK, how much credit/blame should be placed at the feet of THE GODFATHER PART II as an originator of this storytelling fixation? That?s among the questions we consider as we parse our mixed-to-negative reactions to the newer film, and bring it into conversation with Francis Ford Coppola?s classic to compare the films? respective entwining of crime, American history, and father-son dynamics. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE GODFATHER PART II, THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK , or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Jason: ?Prime Time Panic? Fun City Edition box set (featuring FREEDOM, DREAMS DON?T DIE, and DEATH RIDE TO OSAKA) Keith: Barry Shear?s ACROSS 110TH STREET Scott: Florian Zeller?s THE FATHER Outro music: ?Core ?ngrato? performed by Dominic Chianese Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Sopranos-inspired film THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK is both a prequel and a follow-up to one of the most acclaimed and influential mafia stories ever told, a description that also applies to Francis Ford Coppola?s 1974 film THE GODFATHER: PART II. Coppola?s follow-up to his 1972 smash has a prequel embedded within its flashback structure, but its dual narrative makes it much more than just an origin story ? it?s a very different film than its predecessor, but does that make it, as the conventional wisdom goes, the superior GODFATHER? We?re joined this week by special guest and New York City cinema expert Jason Bailey to parse that argument, as well as what distinguishes PART II  within both the larger GODFATHER story and the work of Coppola during that period. Plus, we respond to some feedback inspired by our recent episode on STRANGE DAYS and other unavailable movies.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE GODFATHER: PART II, THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?Family Reunion? by The O?Jays Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like HARD EIGHT, the new Paul Schrader film THE CARD COUNTER puts a professional gambler on the road to redemption via his relationship with a confused and volatile young man, in the latest iteration of Schrader?s ?God?s Lonely Man? character. We unpack that character, along with CARD COUNTER?s view of him and his sins, with the help once again of critic and Schrader expert Vikram Murthi, before putting these two films side by side to discuss their respective approach to father-son relationships, casinos and gambling, and lives lived in limbo. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about HARD EIGHT, THE CARD COUNTER, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Works Cited: ? ?Every Paul Schrader Movie, Ranked? by Vikram Murthi (vulture.com) ? ?Cogs in the Machine: American Despair in Paul Schrader?s ?Blue Collar?? by Vikram Murthi (musings.oscilloscope.net) ? ??The Card Counter? Is a Tense Second Act to Paul Schrader?s Doomsday Period? by Charles Bramesco (insidehook.com) Your Next Picture Show: Vikram: James Foley?s AFTER DARK, MY SWEET Scott: Michael Mohan?s THE VOYEURS Keith: Jean-Pierre Melville?s BOB LE FLAMBEUR Tasha: James Wan?s MALIGNANT Outro music: ?Rambling Gambling Willie? by Bob Dylan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The uneasy pact between a professional gambler and a young man from his past in Paul Schrader?s THE CARD COUNTER recalls the surrogate father and son at the center of Paul Thomas Anderson?s debut feature HARD EIGHT. Both films follow solitary men into dark casino halls, but on very different paths to redemption. For this week?s focus on HARD EIGHT, we?re joined by freelance critic and longtime friend of the pod Vikram Murthi to debate Anderson?s approach to withholding and revealing character motivation, which of the standout performances stands out the most, and PTA?s enduring wish that the film be called by his preferred title, ?Sydney.? Plus, we respond to a listener prompt about minor characters we can?t get out of our heads. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about HARD EIGHT, THE CARD COUNTER, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?Go Down Gamblin?? by Blood, Sweat & Tears Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our recent pairing of Michel Gondry?s ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MINDS with Lisa Joy?s REMINISCENCE was actually a second-choice selection forced by the ongoing unavailability of the film we initially thought of as a slam-dunk companion to Joy?s new film: Kathryn Bigelow?s 1995 thriller STRANGE DAYS, another noir-inflected science-fiction story concerned with the intersection of technology and memory. But that film is nearly impossible to find these days (at least through official channels), which prompted this off-format discussion in which we spend some time digging into why STRANGE DAYS feels like a ?missing piece? in our modern-day discussion of both Bigelow?s career and cinema overall, particularly its daring racial and sexual politics and visceral violence. Then we widen the lens a bit to consider the overall phenomenon of impossible-to-find movies in the streaming era, and what it says about our past and present attitudes toward film preservation. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about disappearing movies, STRANGE DAYS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Works cited: ? ?The convenience trap: What the changes at Netflix reveal about an insidious trend,? by Sam Adams (avclub.com) ? ?Film preservation 2.0,? by Matthew Dessem (thedissolve.com) ? ?Song of the South: the difficult legacy of Disney?s most shocking movie,? by Scott Tobias (theguardian.com) Outro music: ?I Still Haven?t Found What I?m Looking For? by U2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where Michel Gondry?s ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND used the conceit of a memory machine in service of a science-fiction romance, Lisa Joy?s new feature debut REMINISCENCE uses a similar device in service of a science-fiction noir, but despite their different genre footholds, both are naturally fixated on the idea of revisiting memories and what they can tell us about ourselves. Despite a high-style approach reminiscent of Joy?s work on WESTWORLD, her REMINISCENCE hasn?t been particularly well-received, and we talk a bit about why in this week?s half of the pairing, before bringing it into conversation with SUNSHINE to discuss where these films align and where they diverge when it comes to memory and subjectivity, asynchronistic storytelling, and the intersection of style and substance. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, REMINISCENCE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Alain Bidard?s BATTLEDREAM CHRONICLE Scott: Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger?s RESTREPO Keith: Hsiao-Hsien Hou?s FLOWERS OF SHANGHAI Outro music: ?Memory Machine,? by Dismemberment Plan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa Joy?s new REMINISCENCE turns on a techno-magical procedure that blurs the distinction between memories and reality, a conceit that immediately reminded us of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. Michel Gondry?s 2004 film was one of our collective favorites back when it premiered, but do our memories of it hold up to the reality of a present-day rewatch? This week we re-examine our relationship to ETERNAL SUNSHINE?s unlikable protagonists and the decisions they make, and to writer Charlie Kaufman?s broader filmography. Plus, we respond to some listener feedback about recent episodes on ANNETTE and THE GREEN KNIGHT. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, REMINISCENCE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?Forget You? by Cee-lo Green Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like Francis Ford Coppola?s 1982 musical folly ONE FROM THE HEART, Leos Carax?s new rock opera ANNETTE is not interested in playing it safe, whether that means, like Coppola's film, enlisting idiosyncratic musicians for songs that challenge movie-musical convention, or enlisting a puppet to play the titular role. We?re joined again this week by our friend Joshua Rothkopf to unpack which of ANNETTE?s provocations work and which don?t, before placing it alongside ONE FROM THE HEART to discuss the two films? use of high artifice, the troubled relationships and troubling men at their centers, and how their respective engagement with sex and nudity reflects the times in which they were made. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ONE FROM THE HEART, ANNETTE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Josh: Julia Ducournau?s TITANE Genevieve: Richard Linklater?s SCHOOL OF ROCK Keith: David Bruckner?s THE NIGHT HOUSE Tasha: Bill Benz?s THE NOWHERE INN Outro music: ?So May We Start? by Sparks et al.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a self-consciously artificial musical about a troubled couple (among other things), Leos Carax?s new ANNETTE put us in mind of another original movie musical with little use for convention: Francis Ford Coppola?s 1982 folly ONE FROM THE HEART, a famous flop that also represents a singular artistic achievement. We?re joined this week by critic and old friend Joshua Rothkopf to consider how this tarnished labor of love stands the test of time, whether the film?s surplus of style is enough to offset its narrative and character deficiencies, and whether it represents Coppola?s ?midlife crisis film.? Plus, we respond to some listener questions about music that takes us out of a movie, and ?green? movies that draw us in. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ONE FROM THE HEART, ANNETTE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?Is There Any Way Out of This Dream? by Crystal Gayle and Tom Waits Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We just can?t resist discussing a new David Lowery film here at the Next Picture Show, and his latest, THE GREEN KNIGHT, gives us plenty to chew on, taking an alternately minimalist and maximalist approach to a story about honor, myth, and magic that takes place on the edges of King Arthur?s legend. Its bordering-on-abstract narrative stands in high contrast to the more expository approach seen in John Boorman?s EXCALIBUR last week, but the two films? shared source legend provides a wealth of connections between them, including their respective examinations of honor and chivalry, of nature as magic, and of the symbolic and literal power wielded by women. We get into all of that, plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about EXCALIBUR, THE GREEN KNIGHT, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Works Cited:  ? ?The Green Knight is glorious and a little baffling. Let?s untangle it.? By Alissa Wilkinson (Vox.com) ? ?Ralph Ineson spills the secrets of playing the Green Knight? By Tasha Robinson (Polygon.com) Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Janicza Bravo?s ZOLA Scott: Ra?anan Alexandrowicz?s THE VIEWING BOOTH Tasha: Edson Oda?s NINE DAYS Keith: Kon Ichikawa?s TOKYO OLYMPIAD Outro music: ?Lose Your Head? by London Grammar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new low-key fantasy fable THE GREEN KNIGHT plays with favorite David Lowery themes like time and death and memory, cross-pollinated with familiar Arthurian themes like chivalry and honor, and one era giving way to another. That combination reminded us of a similarly personal vision of Arthurian legend, albeit one working in a decidedly different tonal register: John Boorman?s 1981 fantasy epic EXCALIBUR. In this first half of the pairing, we consider the unwieldy storytelling, unpredictable performances, and unruly style of Boorman?s Arthurian passion project, and how well its big, messy approach reflects an era of big, messy change. Plus, we respond to some listener feedback that critiques some of our recent critiques.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about EXCALIBUR, THE GREEN KNIGHT, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?O Fortuna (Apocalypse Chorus Mix)? by Apotheosis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

**This episode contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, free help is available 24/7 by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or texting the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741).** Continuing our pairing of documentaries about the interior life of dark-minded artists who became celebrities without expecting it, we take up Morgan Neville?s new Anthony Bourdain exploration ROADRUNNER, which in crafting its narrative about the late chef-turned-author-turned-TV personality makes some filmmaking choices that have prompted criticism and conversation about the distinctions between documentary and journalism. Those conversations feel like echoes of some of the ones that took place around the classic film in this pairing, Terry Zwigoff?s CRUMB, back in 1995, only in a much different cultural context. We unpack what has and hasn?t changed about biographical documentary in the space between these two films, plus their respective approaches to mental illness and celebrity, and the notable voices left out of the telling of each man?s story. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CRUMB, ROADRUNNER, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes: Works Cited: ?The Anthony Bourdain Documentary Faked His Voice. Would Other Filmmakers Do the Same?? By Sam Adams (Slate.com) Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: TASTE THE NATION WITH PADMA LAKSHMI on Hulu Noel: THE PURSUIT OF LOVE on Prime Video Scott: E.L. Katz?s CHEAP THRILLS Keith: Terry Zwigoff?s LOUIE BLUIE Outro music: "Anemone" by Brian Jonestown Massacre Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new ROADRUNNER plumbs some of the darker emotional depths of the late Anthony Bourdain, and has come in for scrutiny about some of its methods for doing so. That combination reminded us of another documentary about a similarly unlikely public figure: CRUMB, Terry Zwigoff?s 1995 examination of his old friend and underground comics legend Robert Crumb, alongside some other more troubled members of his deeply troubled family. We?re joined this week by an old friend of our own, freelance critic Noel Murray, to discuss how CRUMB navigates its subject?s fraught upbringing and the often controversial ways it was manifested into art. Plus, a call from a listener prompts us to share some of our favorite ?overlooked masterpieces? that due to timing or context haven?t received their proper due. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CRUMB, ROADRUNNER, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?Fine Artiste Blues,? by R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our look at the musical happenings of the summer of 1969 shifts from upstate New York to uptown New York City to experience the Harlem Cultural Festival, rescued from historical obscurity by Amir ?Questlove? Thompson in his new documentary SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED). We?re joined once again by music critic Steven Hyden to consider how SUMMER OF SOUL works as a music documentary both in its own right and as an ?answer film? of sorts to Woodstock, the subject of the other half of this pairing. Then we bring the two films together to discuss their respective approaches to the concert film as a social document, and how the filmmakers behind them chose to depict the performers onstage as well as the audiences watching them. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WOODSTOCK, SUMMER OF SOUL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes: Works Cited: ?By the time we got to Woodstock 99? by Steven Hyden (avclub.com) Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: The Maysles? GIMME SHELTER Scott: John Badham?s SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (director?s cut) Keith: Michael Sarnoski?s PIG Steve: Garret Price?s WOODSTOCK 99: PEACE LOVE AND RAGE Get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month. Mintmobile.com/NPS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The summer of 1969 saw several large-scale music festivals, but few have crossed into the realm of myth as definitively as Woodstock, thanks in no small part to Michael Wadleigh?s landmark 1970 documentary, released less than a year after its titular event. Questlove?s new film SUMMER OF SOUL seeks to add another, less-discussed concert to the musical narrative of that summer, which we will bring into the discussion next week, but in this WOODSTOCK-focused half of our pairing we?re joined by music critic Steven Hyden to debate whether it?s possible to separate Wadleigh?s film from the broader cultural understanding of, and nostalgia for, the festival, and how the movie?s hyper-verité style meshes with its generally sunny view of an event that had an oft-overlooked dark side. Plus, we?re still getting feedback about the Scott-provoked Shrek-toversy, which means we?re continuing our ongoing discussion about criticism, fandom, and the uncomfortable relationship between them.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WOODSTOCK, SUMMER OF SOUL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?Woodstock? by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When it comes to streaming services, we?re leaving the Wild West era and entering a new one where multiple corporations with slightly varying distribution models are jockeying for dominance in an increasingly crowded landscape. Where does this leave the new films landing on these services, the audiences who want to watch them, and the fate of the theatrical model as we emerge from the past pandemic year? In this episode, originally recorded for our Patreon subscribers, Scott, Tasha, Keith, and Genevieve got together to discuss those questions as they apply to some of the major streaming services ? specifically, those that are acting as distributors of new films, rather than library-focused services. But, due to the multifaceted nature of these services, both library titles and television make their way into the discussion as well because, as Next Picture Show listeners know, no movie exists in a vacuum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like last week?s film, WEST SIDE STORY, Jon M. Chu?s new big-screen adaptation of IN THE HEIGHTS is about the American Dream, but it acknowledges that the dream isn?t one-size-fits-all?only, you know, in song! In this half of our pairing we debate how that mission squares with IN THE HEIGHTS? fundamentally optimistic outlook, before bringing the two films together to compare how they work as movie musicals, as stories about immigration, and, in different but related ways, as subjects of controversy. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WEST SIDE STORY, IN THE HEIGHTS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Keith: Francis Ford Coppola?s RUMBLE FISH Tasha: Norman Jewison?s FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Scott: Scott Frank?s A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES Genevieve: Bo Burnham?s INSIDE Outro music: ?Piragua? by Lin Manuel Miranda Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new IN THE HEIGHTS is a film derived from a Broadway hit that challenged mainstream notions about musical theater, which in addition to being a love story examines the immigrant experience through the framing of a specific Manhattan neighborhood ? all of which can also be said about Ray Wise?s 1961 Oscar behemoth WEST SIDE STORY. And so while we recognize that WEST SIDE STORY will be receiving the modern-update treatment later this year, we?re instead taking this earlier opportunity to compare two very different, yet unmistakably related, musical visions of the American Dream. This week we dig into what holds up about WEST SIDE STORY, and debate whether the film?s central love story is a limitation ? and if it is, how willing we are to overlook it in favor of the production?s other charms. Plus, we respond to some feedback inspired by our recent REAR WINDOW episode, as well as a query inspired by Scott?s recent SHREK-inspired controversy. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WEST SIDE STORY, IN THE HEIGHTS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: ?America? from West Side Story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Australian film THE DRY is an adaptation of a hit novel, set in Victoria, that considers a remote community beset by grief over a mysterious loss, all of which reminded us of Peter Weir?s Australian New Wave classic PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK; but despite those similarities in general shape, the specific contours of the two films are vastly different, particularly in their respective approaches to mystery and resolution. But there?s lots of interest to examine in that contrast, which we do in this half of the pairing focused on THE DRY and how it connects to and departs from the storytelling approach in PICNIC. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE DRY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Keith: Thomas Bezucha?s LET HIM GO Genevieve: Eric Roman Waugh?s GREENLAND Scott: Walter Hill?s STREETS OF FIRE Outro music: ?Under the Milky Way? by The Church, as performed by BeBe Bettencourt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new thriller THE DRY makes a central character of its setting, a rural Australian town plagued by a drought that?s turned it into a (literal) tinderbox, and haunted by a tragedy that threatens to send it into (metaphorical) flames. That heavily symbolic use of the Australian landscape, combined with its focus on a community in the aftermath of tragedy, struck us as an opportunity to revisit 1975?s PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, Peter Weir?s Australian New Wave classic about the disappearance of three schoolgirls and a teacher in rural Victoria, which is loaded with symbols and suggestion, but short on straightforward answers. That last part is a major point of contrast with THE DRY, which we?ll get into next week, but this week we?re basking in PICNIC?s luminous ambiguity. Plus, we respond to a listener's question about the home video format?s modern-day relevance in the culture generally, and our lives specifically.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK, THE DRY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: Kate Bush, ?Running Up That Hill? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW hangs a lantern on its obvious homage to Alfred Hitchcock?s REAR WINDOW, but how does Joe Wright?s latest fare when placed into conversation with such a vaunted comparison point? We?re joined again this week by freelance critic Roxana Hadadi to determine just that ? the answer probably will not surprise you ? as well as the two films? use of voyeurism as compulsion vs. plot device, their respective ?secret protagonists? that prove more compelling and complex than the main characters, and how WOMAN IN THE WINDOW ascribes to the Gilligan?s Island Theory of the ?second coconut bonk? (trust us, it makes sense when Tasha explains it). Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about REAR WINDOW, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Scott: Joyce Chopra?s SMOOTH TALK Tasha: Otto Preminger?s BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING and Marilyn Agrelo?s STREET GANG Keith: Basil Dearden?s THE MAN WHO HAUNTED HIMSELF Roxana: Haifaa Al-Mansour?s THE PERFECT CANDIDATE Outro music: ?I?ve Been Seeing Things? by They Might Be Giants Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joe Wright?s new adaptation of the bestselling novel THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW is hardly the first film to tip its hat to Alfred Hitchcock in general and 1954?s REAR WINDOW in particular, in no small part because Hitchcock?s film is in many ways a movie about the act of watching movies. But it can also be processed as a film about storytelling in general, or the journalistic impulse in particular, both readings of the film that we get into this week with our special guest, freelance critic Roxana Hadadi, who joins us to discuss REAR WINDOW?s tricky psychological themes and even trickier characterization. Plus, a piece of feedback about our recent episode on BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA prompts a discussion that ranges from how we process movie stereotypes to what?s good in Iranian cinema.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about REAR WINDOW, THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: Tegan and Sara, ?Living Room? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new MORTAL KOMBAT, directed by Simon McQuoid, drops a new, nobody protagonist, Cole Young, into the videogame world?s established mythology, positioning him as an outsider within a generations-spanning supernatural battle. That conceit is a big part of why we chose to pair the film with John Carpenter?s BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, but does it make for a compelling movie narrative? No, it doesn?t, and we discuss why in our debriefing on MORTAL KOMBAT, before bringing it into conversation with BIG TROUBLE to compare the two films? respective approaches to violence and the supernatural, how they each work (or don?t) in the East-meets-West tradition of Hollywood martial arts films, and how each deploys the figure of the motormouthed antihero to very different effect. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, MORTAL KOMBAT, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: ?Interior Chinatown? by Charles You Scott: Blake Edwards? A SHOT IN THE DARK Tasha: Amp Wong and Zhao Ji?s WHITE SNAKE Keith: Frank Borzage?s HISTORY IS MADE AT NIGHT Outro music: ?Mortal Kombat Anthem (Club Mix)? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The newest film iteration of MORTAL KOMBAT is a fighting fantasy with roots in the tradition of Asian martial arts movies, but with a pronounced supernatural component that pushes it deeper into the realm of the uncanny. That particular combination, along with the film?s outsider protagonist, put us in mind of John Carpenter?s BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, a 1986 action-comedy that plops a mostly hapless Kurt Russell in the middle of a chaotic conflict that moves from the streets of San Francisco?s Chinatown to an underground kingdom presided over by a malevolent spirit and supernatural warriors. This week we get into BIG TROUBLE to discuss its sloppy charm and Western tropes, and how well it handles the cultural stereotypes baked into its premise. Plus, we respond to some ?anything else in the world of film? feedback inspired by our recent episodes on RACHEL GETTING MARRIED and SHIVA BABY.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, MORTAL KOMBAT, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: John Carpenter?s Coup de Ville, ?Big Trouble In Little China? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The second half of our pairing looking at young women publicly testing the goodwill of their loved ones drops in on another awkward community function in the form of SHIVA BABY?s titular gathering. We?re joined again by film writer Jordan Hoffman to talk about Emma Seligman?s extraordinary debut feature and how it connects to Jonathan Demme?s RACHEL GETTING MARRIED in its view of familial and social expectations, filmmaking that reflects its protagonist?s anxious state, and character details that hint at even deeper dysfunction. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, SHIVA BABY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Work Cited: ?Celebrate Passover With the Very Jewish Angst of Shiva Baby,? by Jordan Hoffman (vanityfair.com) Your Next Picture Show: Keith: Monte Hellman?s THE SHOOTING and Richard Rush?s THE STUNT MAN Jordan: The Coens? A SERIOUS MAN, Paul Mazursky?s ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY, and Barry Levinson?s AVALON Scott: Joan Micklin Silver?s CROSSING DELANCEY Genevieve: Christopher Landon?s FREAKY Outro music: Neil Diamond, ?If You Know What I Mean? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new indie comedy SHIVA BABY?s focus on a young woman attending an obligatory family event and finding herself the center of attention reminded us of a similar cinematic predicament set at a very different sort of major life event: Jonathan Demme?s 2008 drama RACHEL GETTING MARRIED. Revisiting the film for this week?s pairing, along with our special guest, film writer Jordan Hoffman, was a potent reminder of the late Demme?s talent for capturing humanity and optimism onscreen, not to mention vibrant and celebratory musical performance. So this week we dig into what makes RACHEL GETTING MARRIED what one of our panelists deems ?the most Demme movie of all,? where it stands in the pantheon of onscreen weddings, and whether to categorize the cultural mishmash of Rachel's wedding as a ?melting pot? or ?cultural appropriation.? Plus, in place of feedback this week we talk about some of those other onscreen weddings, and which ones we?d most like to attend (or claim for ourselves). Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, SHIVA BABY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: Neil?s Young?s ?Unknown Legend? as performed by Tunde Adebimpe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Bob Odenkirk-starring revenge thriller NOBODY could be read as commentary on the revenge thriller form, but that may be an overly generous reading ? or it may just be because we?ve paired it this week with Steven Soderbergh?s THE LIMEY, which is much more overtly reflective about its fantasies of violence and retribution. After working through what did and didn?t work for us about NOBODY, we put it into conversation with THE LIMEY ? and by extension the long cinematic tradition of the revenge movie ? to discuss the films? respective approaches to violence, motivation, and middle age, and how they use music and location work to different effect. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LIMEY, NOBODY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Scott: Michael Verhoeven?s THE NASTY GIRL Keith: Richard C. Sarafian?s VANISHING POINT Tasha: George Romero?s THE CRAZIES Outro music: Steve Lawrence, ?I Gotta Be Me? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new NOBODY, starring Bob Odenkirk as an unlikely action star, is drawing on a long tradition of revenge movies, which means we had our pick of comparison points this week, but Steven Soderbergh?s 1999 film THE LIMEY struck us as particularly apt not just for the commentary it provides on the revenge narrative, but also for its focus on its protagonist?s relationship to his past. In this first half we dig into THE LIMEY, a film one of our panelists considers top-three Soderbergh and another considers a pale imitation of the filmmaker's better work, to debate how its fluid, almost dreamlike non-linear structure impacts the viewing experience, if its casting choices are considered ?metatextual? or ?extratextual,? and whether the film?s style overshadows its story. Plus, we respond to a listener question about movies that shifted our worldview, and some thoughts about kids? capacity for cinematic weirdness inspired by our recent episode on THE LAST UNICORN. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LIMEY, NOBODY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: The Byrds, ?It Happens Each Day? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new HBO documentary TINA touches briefly but memorably on the release of 1992?s WHAT?S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, but it?s much more focused on providing a bird?s-eye view of Tina Turner?s entire career, beyond the years she spent in a creatively fruitful but abusive partnership with Ike Turner. Watching the two films together, as we did for this week?s pairing, reveals how the films? respective documentary and narrative approaches both support and push against each other when it comes to portraying the breadth and depth of one woman?s experience. We?re joined again this week by Vulture critic Jen Chaney to discuss what makes TINA stand out among similarly structured music documentaries, before tackling how these two distinct but inherently linked films each approach the portrayal of abuse and trauma, the scope of Tina?s career, and the extraordinary onstage charisma that made her a star. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WHAT?S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, TINA, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Martin Scorsese?s SHINE A LIGHT Genevieve: Josh Greenbaum?s BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR Jen: John Hyams' ALL SQUARE Scott: HBO?s TIGER Outro music: Tina Turner, "I Can't Stand the Rain (Live)" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It?s rare that one of the films in a Next Picture Show pairing is directly addressed in the other film, but that?s the case with WHAT?S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT and the new documentary TINA, two films with distinctly different approaches tackling a common subject: the life of soul music legend Tina Turner. This week we zoom in on Tina through the lens of Brian Gibson?s 1993 biopic, a film that treats the abuse Tina received at the hands of her husband/tormenter Ike Turner as its narrative North Star. We?re joined by critic Jen Chaney to debate how well that choice works, celebrate the transformative performances by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, and discuss which of the many liberties the film takes with the historical record actually matter in the broader context. Plus, we respond to some feedback about our recent discussions of two films now vying against each other in multiple Oscar categories, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and NOMADLAND. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WHAT?S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, TINA, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: Ike and Tina Turner, ?Fool In Love? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unlike the last unicorn in the eponymous 1982 animated film by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., this week?s last-of-her-kind fantasy creature knows what happened to the rest of her kind, setting the new Disney Animation feature RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON off on a quest narrative that takes a much different shape than THE LAST UNICORN. We?re joined once again this week by John Maher to discuss RAYA?s shiny, roller-coaster-like thrills, and then compare the two films? respective journeys, the mythical beasts at their centers, and the paired dynamic of parent villains and children who switch sides. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LAST UNICORN, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Moribi Murano?s UNICO IN THE ISLAND OF MAGIC John: Isao Takahata?s THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA Tasha: ?The unsung genius of Studio Ghibli?s risk-taking realist, Isao Takahata (by John Maher, polygon.com), and Gore Verbinski?s THE RING Keith: Rob Savage?s HOST Outro music: Jhené Aiko, ?Lead the Way? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the new RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON shares far more with its Disney Animation brethren than anything made by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, those filmmakers? 1982 animated adaptation of Peter S. Beagle?s THE LAST UNICORN shares RAYA?s interest in telling a story about humanity via the plight of a fantasy creature believed to be the last of its kind ? it just goes about it in a much more idiosyncratic, often flat-out weird way. To dig into all the ways THE LAST UNICORN defies convention and expectation, we?ve brought in cultural writer and animation expert John Maher to help discuss some of the big literary themes crammed into this small and not very literary movie, the film?s penchants for both poetry and anachronism, and what to make of that Rankin/Bass animation style. Plus, we respond to some feedback about our recent discussion of JEAN DE FLORETTE, and where we personally draw the line between film and television. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LAST UNICORN, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: America, ?In the Sea? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, Lee Isaac Chung?s new feature MINARI is a story that involves family farming and scarcity of water, but its connections to Claude Berri?s 1986 tragedy JEAN DE FLORETTE go beyond plot similarities and into deeper explorations of community and outsiders. After discussing our initial reactions to MINARI we dig into those connections, as well as how the specifics of each film?s setting ? rural Arkansas and Provence, France ? shape those communities. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JEAN DE FLORETTE, MINARI, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Scott: Paul Mazursky?s ALEX IN WONDERLAND Keith: John Farrow?s WHERE DANGER LIVES Tasha: Philippe Lacôte?s NIGHT OF THE KINGS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Isaac Chung?s new MINARI centers on a family starting over in the country, a theme that got us thinking about French director Claude Berri?s 1986 film JEAN DE FLORETTE, and how its concerns of agrarian hardship in general and water scarcity in particular echo those in Chung?s film. In this half of the pairing we get into JEAN DE FLORETTE?s unsparing view of an oft-idealized provincial setting, its showy yet subtle performances, and what it reveals about French filmmaking in the 1980s. Plus, we respond to some of our favorite kind of feedback ? voicemail feedback! Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JEAN DE FLORETTE, MINARI, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: The Temptations, ?I Wish It Would Rain? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Chloe Zhao?s new NOMADLAND, Frances McDormand?s Fern ?drops out of society? not by choice, unlike the yuppie couple at the center of Albert Brooks? 1985 comedy LOST IN AMERICA, but she proves much more adept than they at surviving (perhaps even thriving?) outside the mainstream. This week we bring NOMADLAND?s view of life on the road into conversation with LOST IN AMERICA?s satirization of the impulse to pursue that lifestyle, to consider their respective approaches to dropping out of society and living without a safety net. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LOST IN AMERICA, NOMADLAND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: David Lynch?s THE STRAIGHT STORY Keith: Agnès Varda?s DAGUERREOTYPES Genevieve: The New York Times Presents FRAMING BRITNEY SPEARS Scott: Sarah Polley?s STORIES WE TELL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chloe Zhao?s new feature NOMADLAND presents a ?houseless? life on the road as a choice born half out of desperation and half out of curiosity about life outside the American mainstream, which called to mind the yuppie adventurers looking to ?drop out of society? in Albert Brooks? 1985 comedy LOST IN AMERICA. This week, Brooks? film serves as the catalyst for another Scott-Tasha showdown, as we dig into the nuances of both Brooks? comedic style and the satirical premise he sets up in LOST IN AMERICA. Plus, we respond to some feedback on our recent episodes on AMERICAN PSYCHO and PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LOST IN AMERICA, NOMADLAND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Johnny Cash, ?I?m an Easy Rider? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though Emerald Fennell has cited Mary Harron?s AMERICAN PSYCHO as one of the inspiration points for her buzzy debut feature PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, there?s not a whole lot obviously linking the films in terms of protagonist, narrative, or even their respective satirical targets. But as we discuss in this week?s comparison, both woman-directed films are deeply concerned with ideas of male privilege and toxic masculinity, make ample use of high-pop needledrops, and engage with violence in a heightened and stylized manner that underlines their thematic concerns. We get into all that, plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about AMERICAN PSYCHO, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Scott: Abel Ferrara?s MS. 45 Keith: Mary Harron/Guinevere Turner?s THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE and CHARLIE SAYS Tasha: ?Emerald Fennel Explains Herself? by Angelica Jade Bastién (Vulture.com) Genevieve: Eugene Ashe?s SYLVIE?S LOVE Outro Music: Juice Newton, ?Angel of the Morning? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN writer-director Emerald Fennell has cited AMERICAN PSYCHO as one of her cinematic reference points when creating her first debut feature, which was enough reason for us to revisit Mary Harron?s 2000 cult classic ?80s satire to see if there?s more to that comparison than the films? shared taste for dark, dark humor. First up this week, we dig into AMERICAN PSYCHO?s inscrutable protagonist and even more inscrutable ending, its approach to adapting what many considered an unadaptable Bret Easton Ellis novel, and whether the characters in this film who are not named Patrick Batemen have any lasting resonance. Plus, we respond to some feedback regarding our recent episode on Pixar?s SOUL, and another about the pandemic?s effects on our home-viewing habits. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about AMERICAN PSYCHO, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Works Cited: ? ?The Frustrating Tradition Behind Soul?s Great Flaw,? by Robert Daniels (polygon.com) ? ?Stop Telling Me To Turn My Brain Off At Movies,? by Matt Singer (screencrush.com) ? ?Pixar?s Troubled ?Soul?? by Namwali Serpell (newyorker.com) Outro Music: Huey Lewis and the News, ?Hip to Be Square? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the new ANOTHER ROUND, Thomas Vinterberg saw Alexander Payne?s 2004 middle-aged-men-drink-and-have-feelings comedy SIDEWAYS and said ?Hold my Akvavit.? After swooning for a while over Vinterberg?s film ? in particular its spectacular closing scene ? we bring it into conversation with Payne?s to consider what the two films are each driving at when it comes to their ideas about middle age, lost youth, and drinking culture, and tackle the inevitable (but perhaps uninteresting) question of ?is this alcoholism?? Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about SIDEWAYS, ANOTHER ROUND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Blake Edwards? DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES Genevieve: Steven Soderbergh?s LET THEM ALL TALK Keith: Joko Anwar?s IMPETIGORE Scott: Sergio Leone?s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST Outro Music: Scarlet Pleasure, ?What a Life? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Among other accomplishments, Thomas Vinterberg?s new ANOTHER ROUND has unseated Alexander Payne?s SIDEWAYS as the ne plus ultra of funny films about sad men drinking their way through midlife crises. In celebration of that feat, this week we?re looking back at what made SIDEWAYS so intoxicating back in 2004, discussing the film?s many small moments that carry a wealth of character, what to make of the connection between Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Maya (Virginia Madsen), and whether we feel comfortable characterizing oenophile Miles as a snob. Plus, we respond to some feedback taking us to task for our comparison of MANK and CITIZEN KANE, and inquiring about our favorite examples of a timely movie trope. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about SIDEWAYS, ANOTHER ROUND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Neil Diamond, ?Red Red Wine? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Both Pixar?s new feature SOUL and Powell and Pressburger?s 1946 fantasy-romance A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH center on a soul gone missing from heaven?s ledger because he?s anxious to get back to his life on earth, but the journeys each of them takes to get there end up drawing different conclusions about the meaning of life. This week we?re joined again by critic and 812FilmReviews founder Robert Daniels to dig into SOUL and debate whether it manages to strike the delicate tonal balance it?s reaching for, how it carries its status as the first Pixar film with a Black protagonist, and how it fits into director Pete Doctor?s filmography, before bringing MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH into the discussion to compare the two films? depictions of afterlife bureaucracy. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, SOUL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Hirokazu Koreeda?s AFTER LIFE  and Goran Dukic?s WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY Robert: Regina King?s ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Keith: Alexander Hall?s HERE COMES MR. JORDAN Scott: Benjamin Ree?s THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF Outro Music: Jon Batiste, ?Collard Greens and Cornbread Strut? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the image early in SOUL of a conveyor belt ferrying new souls into the afterlife, the new Pixar film makes clear the thematic debt it owes to Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger?s 1946 fantasy-romance A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. But there?s much more to the Powell and Pressburger film than that indelible image; in this week?s half of our pairing we dig into what lies beyond the stairway to heaven with an assist from critic and 812FilmReviews founder Robert Daniels, with whom we discuss MATTER?s central romantic relationship, its varied approach to tone, and its relationship to the afterlife, both stylistically and narratively. Plus, we respond to some feedback on our recent WOLFWALKERS episode that wonders if the film is "actually AVATAR for kids," as well as a letter seeking clarification on our collective aversion to the term ?dated.? Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, SOUL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Dolly Parton, ?Stairway to Heaven?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we say goodbye to a moviegoing year like none other, we go off-format this week for a year-end discussion about what it meant to go to the movies ? or not, as the case may be ? in a pandemic year that?s still in the midst of upending the theatrical experience as we?ve known it. We also share our hopes for our filmgoing futures; look for some glimpses of a silver lining amid the havoc 2020 has wreaked on the industry; and welcome some special guests to share their under-the-radar favorites of the year. Then, we collectively grit our teeth and present our individual Top 5 films of the year lists, despite everyone but Scott?s reluctance to commit to a ranked list in a year when there was so much we missed? and yet we still manage to find some consensus picks for the best of this remarkable year for movies. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about this year, or any year, in film by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: New Pornographers, ?Twin Cinema? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WOLFWALKERS?s consideration of the connections between humans and nature via the history and fables of Ireland is in keeping with previous films from Irish animation house Cartoon Saloon, but we?re reaching back a little further, and into a different filmmaking medium, to connect the new animated film to John Sayles?s 1994 magical realist fable THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH. After gushing a bit over WOLKWALKERS?s visual and emotional punch, we look at both films within the traditions of shapeshifting and animal myths, as well as their shared interest in broken families, controlling father figures, and the specter of British colonialism. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH, WOLFWALKERS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Darius Marder?s SOUND OF METAL Scott: Alexander Nanau?s COLLECTIVE Keith: Natalie Erika James?s RELIC Tasha: Mike Newell?s INTO THE WEST Outro Music: Aurora, ?Running With the Wolves? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like Irish animator Tom Moore?s previous films, the new WOLFWALKERS has a strong base in Irish legend and Celtic design, which, along with the film?s story about a young girl striking out on her own in a world of shapechangers and mythology, put us in mind of American filmmaker John Sayles? 1994 venture into Irish legend, THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH. In this half of the pairing we consider whether ROAN INISH falls under the heading of children?s movie or arthouse film, how it fits into Sayles? filmography, and how to contextualize, and even appreciate, its traditionalist messaging. Plus, we set the stage for next week?s WOLFWALKERS episode with a discussion of some of the non-traditional animated films that have surprised, delighted, and confounded us. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH, WOLFWALKERS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Mason Daring, ?Return to Roan Inish? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though David Fincher?s new MANK certainly makes the case for giving Herman Mankiwiecz more of the credit for CITIZEN KANE than he?s often received, it?s more interested in peeling back the layers of a complex character and exploring the many personal and cultural themes that found their way into KANE. That makes it all but impossible not to discuss the film in relation to the Orson Welles classic, which is exactly what we do this week, comparing how the two films function as biography, how they each tackle politics and cronyism, and how they use non-chronological storytelling to different effect (and success). Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CITIZEN KANE, MANK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Aaron Sorkin?s THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7  Keith: Sofia Coppola?s ON THE ROCKS and Steve McQueen?s SMALL AXE Genevieve: Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson?s SAVE YOURSELVES! Outro Music: ?Teamwork? by Bing Crosby & Bob Hope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It?s rare that a new film suggests a historical comparison point as strongly as David Fincher?s new MANK does, so we?re taking the bait and putting it in conversation with the film that is its raison d?etre: Orson Welles? towering 1941 directorial debut, CITIZEN KANE. Is there anything new to say about a film frequently hailed as the form?s crowning achievement? Perhaps not, so in this half of the conversation we dig into KANE?s legacy as much as the film itself, to consider how the film plays in the context of everything it inspired, whether it?s a useful dividing point in film history, and the ways it still manages to surprise us after all this time. Plus, Scott Tobias presents an abbreviated 2020 edition of his annual ?Movies to See? checklist, covering all the films you need to see to be conversant in this past year in film. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CITIZEN KANE, MANK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: The White Stripes, ?The Union Forever? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer-director Sean Durkin?s long-awaited followup to MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, the new THE NEST casts Jude Law and Carrie Coon as an unhappily married couple in the 1980s who relocate their family to an isolated British country estate, a move that hastens the seemingly inevitable collapse of their family unit. Though the film is separated from the setting of Ang Lee?s 1970s-set THE ICE STORM by a decade and an ocean, the two films express a similar merging of period values and family values, and build to nearly identical dark-night-of-the-soul climaxes. We get into that and more as we bring THE NEST into conversation with THE ICE STORM. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE ICE STORM, THE NEST, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Keith: George Romero?s SEASON OF THE WITCH Tasha: Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl?s PROSPECT Scott: Michael Cimino?s HEAVEN?S GATE (Director?s Cut) Outro Music: ?No Place Called Home,? by The June Brides Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices