A collaborative exploration of cinematic rhetoric.
Taking a step behind the curtain of classic movie magic, today Alex and Jonathan discuss the techniques and creatures brought to the screen by VFX pioneer Ray Harryhausen in Mighty Joe Young (1949), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), and Clash of the Titans (1981). We discuss the evolution of… Continue reading Episode 145. History According to Harryhausen
When it comes to acting, few names loom as large in the recent history of stage or screen as that of Laurence Olivier. Alex and Jonathan discuss his contributions to the film medium through his roles in Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Richard III (1955), and Marathon Man (1976). We talk about his growth as… Continue reading Episode 140. One and Only Olivier
Kicking off season 6 of the podcast, Alex and Jonathan take a look at the films and careers of two oft-paired star performers: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We look at their films The Gay Divorcee (1934), Shall We Dance (1937), and The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), and discuss the history of each performer, the… Continue reading Episode 137. Rogers-Astaire
One of the greatest physical performers of recent filmmaking, Jackie Chan is the focus of today's discussion as Alex and Jonathan look at Drunken Master (1978), Police Story (1985), Police Story 3: Supercop (1992), and The Foreigner (2017). We talk about Jackie Chan's journey finding his on-screen persona in the wake of Bruce Lee, the… Continue reading Episode 131. Channeling Jackie Chan
From acting, to starting her own production company, to directing both film and television, Alex and Jonathan take a look at the extensive career of Ida Lupino in Hollywood's golden age through her work in High Sierra (1941), The Hitch-Hiker (1953), and The Trouble with Angels (1966). We discuss her popular acting persona as the… Continue reading Episode 112. Mother Lupino
Our Patrons voted on what silent film star we should cover and chose the great Buster Keaton! We look at three of his classic films: Sherlock Jr. (1924), The General (1926), The Cameraman (1928) and talk about the way Keaton melds comedy into various genres, hallmarks of Keaton's characters and techniques, and ways we still… Continue reading Episode 110. Blank-Face Buster
Our Patrons recently voted on what two oft-paired actors we should cover and decided on Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan! Alex and Jonathan talk about the only three films starring the two: Joe Versus the Volcano (1990), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and You've Got Mail (1998) and discuss the evolution of romantic comedies in the… Continue reading Episode 106. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and Meg Ryan and Meg Ryan
Our Patrons voted on which silent film star we should cover, so today Alex and Jonathan look into Mary Pickford's incredibly influential career in front of and behind the camera. We watch The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), Sparrows (1926), and Coquette (1929) and discuss the "little girl" persona often portrayed by Pickford, the extent… Continue reading Episode 96. Pickford’s Power: The First Queen of Hollywood
According to our recent poll for our Patrons, today Alex and Jonathan discuss the ridiculous filmography of British comedy group Monty Python: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Life of Brian (1979), and The Meaning of Life (1983). We discuss the hallmarks of Monty Python's comedy, various ways to create sketch-based films around a… Continue reading Episode 82. Mighty Preposterous Monty Python
For the first episode to focus on an actor as such, Alex and Jonathan look at three influential leading roles played by Sidney Poitier in A Raisin in the Sun (1961), A Patch of Blue (1965), and In the Heat of the Night (1967). We discuss how acting becomes highlighted in a film which is adapted from the stage, the ways that Poitier's roles reflect his own… Continue reading Episode 80. Poised Poitier
The Filmlings 