Ep 149. WESTERNS 101: John Ford’s Golden Era

When discussing the history of the Western genre, there is no escaping the name or work of John Ford, so today Alex and Jonathan dive in to three of Ford's landmark films: My Darling Clementine (1946), The Searchers (1956), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). We talk about the ways Western films elevate actual…

Episode 143. Pugnacious Preminger

Another legend of Hollywood's Golden Age is the spotlight for this episode as Alex and Jonathan talk about some of the classic works of Otto Preminger: Laura (1944), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and Bunny Lake is Missing (1965). We discuss how Preminger builds character driven narrative through visuals, his real and…

Episode 137. Rogers-Astaire

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…

Episode 136. Wyler, Not Wilder

To wrap up Season 5, of the podcast Alex and Jonathan talk about another one of the hard-working directors of Hollywood's Golden Age, William Wyler. We're looking at four of his post-war films, The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), Roman Holiday (1953), Ben-Hur (1959), and The Collector (1965) and discussing how Wyler's war experience…

Episode 135. Wilder, Not Wyler

Today Alex and Jonathan ask "How did Billy do it?" as we dive into the work and career of Golden Age director Billy Wilder through his films Sunset Boulevard (1950), Stalag 17 (1953), Sabrina (1954), and The Apartment (1960). We discuss the way Wilder turns a mirror back on Hollywood, the influence Ernst Lubitsch and…

Episode 115. Killing in Serial

The inexplicable draw towards the dark and twisted psyche of serial killers is the focus today as Alex and Jonathan talk about three films revolving around killers real and fictional, The Night of the Hunter (1955), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and Zodiac (2007). We discuss elements that give depth to an otherwise sensational…

Episode 114. The Movie Brats and the Modern Blockbuster

Near the end of the American New Wave a group of filmmakers burst on Hollywood with a distinct style and they have since been named "The Movie Brats." Today Alex and Jonathan discuss three films from this group: Jaws (1975), Apocalypse Now (1979), The Untouchables (1987). We talk about how Golden Age Hollywood and the…

Episode 113. Music and Manipulation Feat. Jason Harden

Music and movies have always been linked, but today Jason Harden joins the show once again to talk with Alex and Jonathan about three films which detail the life of three modern music legends, What's Love Got to Do with It (1993), Ray (2004), and Love & Mercy (2014). We talk about when depicting a…