I once saw a film called Sherman’s March which of course I adored. But then a year or so ago, I watched another film by the same director, Bright Leaves. For some reason, it had a profound effect on me. This episode goes into detail as to why.

Joining me throughout is Illinois archivist and historian Eric Edwards for this unconventional approach to this podcast. A lot of it edited, scripted, even EQ’d, but the most obvious difference are included excerpts from other shows. We hear a lot from Ross McElwee himself thanks to an array of interviews/clips from his own work. Best hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

The main focus is on the two films that resonated the most - Sherman’s March and Bright Leaves. But other recommendations turn up in the conversation as well with Time Indefinite and Six O’Clock News. I did revisit Photographic Memory which is harder to watch now knowing the director lost his son at a young age. Rumor has it that Ross might be working on a follow-up over 15 years later.

I think of this is as my homage to the great Karina Longworth’s You Must Remember This since I do provide quotes, context and things I uncovered throughout (works cited and linked below). It’s also a birthday gift to me. There isn’t as much of a back-and-forth approach this time but a lot of monologuing in the spirit of Ross’ work. I hope you listen even if you’ve never heard the name Ross McElwee — then track down one of the best filmmakers I’ve come across.

Thank you all for the support and for listening. There will be surprises, but now taking a short break. Have a great summer, I’ll be back in a new abode, ready to record come August and everything after.

Works / Songs / Clips Used

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What an honor and a joy it was to talk with Rachel Bellwoar, an extremely talented writer and pop culture enthusiast whose work I’ve enjoyed discovering over the years. Thanks to many mutual cinephile friends and podcasters, we crossed paths in the world of Facebook and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her on the show to talk about an underappreciated British director, Jack Clayton!

Pauline Kael praised The Innocents as "one of the most elegantly beautiful ghost movies ever made” and rightfully so. We also talk about the majority of his work since his filmography was surprisingly on the lower end. Of course we sing the praises of his renowned gothic horror masterpiece but along the way, we discover a few other works of his that we highly recommend seeking out too. Thank you Rachel for coming on the show and looking forward to a future appearance.

Just a heads up that I’ll be taking a short summer break from podcasting starting in late May, hopefully returning in August. There may be a couple of surprise episodes popping up but I’ll be moving and working on other projects for a bit. Stay tuned for the first week of May for an exciting episode before the hiatus featuring Marya Gates and Ryan McNeil, returning to talk about Martha Coolidge!

00:00 - 08:47 - Introduction

08:48 - 01:02:05 - Room At The Top / The Innocents

01:02:06 - 01:33:10 - The Pumpkin Eater / Our Mother’s House

01:33:10 - 02:03:50 - Other Clayton Films / Outro

Follow Rachel’s Work:https://rbellwoar.wordpress.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/ziggystarlog.bsky.social

Director's Club is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Not too big of a summary this time around since the title says it all and there’s a lot to get to in terms of the episode proper. Every year around late February / early March, I call upon my Chicago film critic buddies Collin Souter & Erik Childress to join me for an epic episode discussing as many movies as we possibly can, traveling back in time to cover an entire year.

In the midst of the joyful conversation are lots of clips, songs excerpts, trailers, sound effects and general weirdness from yours truly. Not to mention a Daft Punk remix after our first break around the 02:47:40 mark. Towards the end you can hear our Top 20 Favorites of 1995 as well. Thank you so much for the continued support and to Collin and Erik for ten years of this insane tradition that is always a treat to put together.

Follow Collin:https://letterboxd.com/cdsouter

https://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/christmasmoviesactually

Follow Erik:https://letterboxd.com/erikthemovieman

https://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/moviemadness

This is a celebration, not just another Director’s Club episode for a reason. Back in 1990, I became an avid fan and follower of today’s guest and he’s been on this show a couple of times in the past, most recently for the Paul Thomas Anderson Part II episode. I’m talking of course about Nick Digilio.

40 years ago, he began his career as a professional film critic, reviewing movies on Roy Leonard’s radio show. It’s also amazing to think that 40 years ago, I first fell in love with movies after seeing Back to the Future in 1985.

Nick’s 40th anniversary is a month away so I thought it would be great to relive the past, share some memories and even throw a couple of lists his way, including my biggest disagreements with him over the years and some titles I’m grateful to have discovered because of Nick too (one of which is obvious since it’s the reason he became a favorite film critic of mine).

In addition to the first 80 minutes of delightful conversation and reminiscing, we then talk for a half hour about a director he’s always considered to be underrated: Kevin Reynolds. Find out why he feels that way and seek out a couple of under-seen works of his that I had the pleasure of discovering too.

It’s an honor and a pleasure to talk with Nick to celebrate all he’s done and all he continues to do. If it weren’t for him, my life might’ve gone in a different direction so I’m grateful for his time and all the support going back to 1997.

00:00 - 04:34 - Introduction.

04:35 - 33:23 - Celebrating 40 Years Of Nick.

33:24 - 01:22:27 - Top 5 Disagreements / Discoveries.

01:22:28 - 01:54:38 - Kevin Reynolds (Underrated Director).

01:54:39 - 02:10:00 - Nick’s Events / Surprise Flashback / Outro.

Follow all-things Nick:

https://www.nickdigilio.com

https://www.classiccinemas.com/events/nicks-pix/137

https://radiomisfits.com/podcasts/nickdpodcast

https://www.patreon.com/c/NickDShow

Follow all-things Jim:

https://linktr.ee/jimlaczkowski

https://directorsclub.substack.com

Let’s forget all about inauguration day (since this comes out on January 20th, 2025) by focusing on someone who truly matters, the legendary comedic mind of Elaine May, pioneer of improv sketch comedy and so much more! We focus on all four of her directorial films and sing the praises of nearly all of them. Yes, that MAY include her last feature from 1987 that does not deserve the reputation or the critical bashing that it received upon its release.

Thank you so much to Sharon for being a delightful returning guest and nerding out with me for two hours, especially about a new all-time favorite film of mine which just happens to be Elaine May’s debut feature.

00:00 - 05:16 - Intro.

05:17 - 45:30 - May’s History / A New Leaf.

45:31 - 01:26:58 - The Heartbreak Kid / Mikey & Nicky.

01:26:59 - 02:03:28 - Ishtar / Outro.

Follow Sharon:https://mentalfilmness.comhttps://letterboxd.com/squissybox

Follow Jim: https://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowskihttps://linktr.ee/jimlaczkowski

Nearly five hours of conversation and recommendations all about the year 2024 in cinema! Bill Ackerman (host of Supporting Characters and guest host of this show) and I reveal 25 favorite films, talk about the year in general and have a lot to say as usual. In addition, you’ll get to hear thoughts from previous guest Chloe Waryan as well as a traditional song from yours truly where I sing the titles of Bill’s 40 favorites.

00:00 - 15:40 - Intro / Thoughts

15:41 - 02:50:09 - Numbers 25-11.

02:50:10 - 02:54:04 - Chloe’s Top Ten

02:54:05 - 03:45:57 - Numbers 10-6.

03:45:53 - 03:48:59 - Jim’s Song Of Bill’s List

03:49:00 - 04:55:10 - Top 5 of 2024 / Outro

Follow Bill: https://letterboxd.com/billackermanhttp://auteuristtrap.blogspot.com/2024/12/2024-40-favorites.html

Follow Jim: https://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowski/list/2024-rankedhttps://directorsclub.substack.com

favorite song of 2024 from MJ Lenderman!

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Happy holidays! Grateful to my incredibly smart and passionate guests to cover a genre I’m not as well-versed in - Hong Kong cinema particularly martial arts action. I am familiar with Buster Keaton though unlike the first time I saw Rumble In The Bronx back in 1995 at the local multiplex. Nevertheless, I know I was watching a legendary talent of the highest caliber even back then. Joining me for a discussion on the directorial work of a master stunt man, actor, singer, death-defying daredevil Jackie Chan… are newcomer Sam Inglis and returning genre champion Gabe Powers. We talk about Jackie’s debut, history and transition into the mainstream focusing on many of his standout titles. Stay tuned for the favorite films of 2024 episode in a couple weeks and thank you all for the support and for listening this year and beyond! And huge gratitude to Sam and Gabe for bringing their expertise that will likely have you jotting down titles to add to your watch list the way they did for me.

00:00 - 03:57 - Introduction / Changes To The Show In 202503:58 - 10:49 - Guest Introductions / Sam’s Origin Story10:50 - 01:34:51 - Chan’s History / Fearless Hyena / Young Master / Project A01:34:52 - 02:25:19 - Police Story / Miracles / Armour Of God II02:25:20 - 02:56:53 - Drunken Master II / Other Notable Titles / Outro

Be sure to follow Sam!https://bsky.app/profile/24fpsuk.bsky.socialhttps://letterboxd.com/24FPSUKhttps://open.spotify.com/show/17u9DSmsiByQ56LijyERooBe sure to follow Gabe!https://genregrinder.comhttps://letterboxd.com/gabepowershttps://bsky.app/profile/gabepowers.bsky.social

Subscribe to the new Substack / Bluesky / Letterboxd!https://directorsclub.substack.comhttps://bsky.app/profile/jimlaczkowski.bsky.socialhttps://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowski

Director's Club is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Hello everyone! I am no longer putting out episodes via Libsyn, they are now hosted right here at my Substack. Formerly known as the 5 Years Substack, this is now the hub for all-things Director’s Club including a new URL. Learn about all this and more during my 8-minute preamble before we get to the subject at hand - indeed a very special one since today’s guest is responsible for my favorite film of 2024 (soon to be released next year so stay tuned).

I was lucky enough to spend a half hour talking with director Joel Potrykus, responsible for films that both Patrick and I have loved in the past particularly Buzzard and Relaxer which contain the same lead actor Joshua Burge. Burge and Potrykus are co-leads in his latest film, Vulcanizadora and we talk all about the experience of putting it all together and much more. We avoid spoilers so I encourage you to listen to this interview and seek out his work ASAP. Thank you to all for listening, the continued support and looking forward to sharing all content here from this point onward.

00:00 - 08:20 - Introduction / Changes To The Show08:21 - 44:48 - Interview with Joel

Director's Club is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Have you been waiting for the Mann? Well it's been over a decade since we last discussed his work back when Patrick and I mainly covered our love for both Heat & The Insider. Cut to present time, I have recruited two of my favorite returning guests to touch upon nearly every title by Michael Mann focusing on his post-Collateral output since it wasn't covered last time. 

Grateful to both Ryan Verrill (The Disc-Connected) and Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com) for joining me for a delightful conversation about Michael Mann, from his humble beginnings to his foray into digital video and more! Next month after awards season voting ends, we'll be back with a brand new episode covering the directorial work of the legendary Jackie Chan! Stay tuned for an upcoming bonus interview episode featuring filmmaker Joel Potrykus (Vulcanizadora, Buzzard, Relaxer). 

00:00 - 04:49 - Introduction
04:50 - 50:30 - Early Michael Mann
50:31 - 01:17:20 - Middle-Period Mann 
01:17:21 - 01:44:10 - Recent Mann / Top 3 Favorites / Outro

Be sure to follow Brian!
https://bsky.app/profile/briantallerico.bsky.social
https://www.rogerebert.com/contributors/brian-tallerico
https://letterboxd.com/briantt

Be sure to follow Ryan!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChV1P_yx88ACwyXKKEOFLcw
https://letterboxd.com/disc_connected
https://bsky.app/profile/disc-connected.bsky.social

Subscribe to my Substack / Bluesky!
https://5years.substack.com
https://bsky.app/profile/jimlaczkowski.bsky.social

The spooky season is here! Why not indulge in the twisted fantasy worlds of one renowned, revered Mexican filmmaker by the name of Guillermo Del Toro! Of course I needed to enlist a super fan of his and I was lucky enough to have returning guest Chloe Waryan back on the show for another truly delightful discussion.

Chloe may very well be my go-to guest every October (well at least for next year so we can finally talk about Mike Flanagan). Not to mention, you're in for a surprise when Chloe and I introduce a bonus segment after the movie reviews that I know you'll enjoy!

We start out the first ten minutes with some recent horror discoveries from Chloe and a quick review of a documentary I got to catch at the Chicago International Film Festival. For more reviews from there, do check out my Substack linked below! Before Thanksgiving, you'll be treated to a brand new Michael Mann redux episode so stay tuned for that. Thank you so much to Chloe for coming back on and to you for listening. 

00:00 - 11:34 - Introduction / Recent Horror Recs
11:35 - 42:05 - Cronos, Mimic, The Devil's Backbone
42:06 - 01:02:47 - Blade II, Hellboys, Pacific Rim
01:02:48 - 01:24:29 - Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak
01:24:30 - 01:49:49 - Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley, Pinocchio
01:49:50 - 02:11:21 - Surprise Segment / Top 3 / Outro

Be sure to follow Chloe!
https://chloesnotscared.com

Chloe's IG
https://www.instagram.com/chloesnotscared

Subscribe to my Substack!
https://5years.substack.com

Beach Too Sandy Water Too Wet podcast!
https://www.beachtoosandy.com