Together again. Gee, it's good to be together again.  Jim and Patrick return for their yearly tradition of running down favorites and highlights from the past twelve months.  In addition, they answer some emails, read many listener contributions/lists, and discuss the future.  They hand out some awards, gifts, and throw paper at one another.  Surprisingly, there isn't nearly as many puns and weird voices this time but since it became a 5-hour recording, they dependably get loopy as the show goes on.  It's a show so big, it had to be split into two parts.  Part One is here

00:00 - 01:25-  Jim's Favorite Song Of 2017
01:26 - 01:31:05 - #10 - #5 Films Of The Year
01:31:06 - 02:32:21 - #5 - #2 Films Of The Year
02:32:22 - 02:56:15 - Favorite Film Of 2017
02:56:16 - 03:00:36 - Outro / See You At The End Of 2018?
  Follow Jim & Patrick On Letterboxd:

2017 Films Ranked - JIM 2017 Films Ranked - PATRICK

 

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Together again. Gee, it's good to be together again.  Jim and Patrick return for their yearly tradition of running down favorites and highlights from the past twelve months.  In addition, they answer some emails, read many listener contributions/lists, and discuss the future.  They hand out some awards, gifts, and throw paper at one another.  Surprisingly, there isn't nearly as many puns and weird voices this time but since it became a 5-hour recording, they dependably get loopy as the show goes on.  It's a show so big, it had to be split into two parts.  Part Two Is Here! 00:00 - 01:55 - Introduction
01:56 - 02:50 - Patrick's Favorite Song Of 2017
02:51 - 11:01 - Caveats
11:02 - 20:04 - List Of Shame
20:05 - 01:01:21 - Ancillary Awards, Answering Emails
01:01:21 - 02:03:05 - #25 - #11 Films Of 2017   Follow Jim & Patrick On Letterboxd:

2017 Films Ranked - JIM 2017 Films Ranked - PATRICK

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The Director's Club wanted to finish off the year right and begin the new one with a bang, so we're having our first 2018 episode on the films of epic director Akira Kurosawa.  This episode looks at the first half of his career, looking in on his early works from "Sanshiro Sugata" through his run of masterpieces ("Rashomon", "Ikiru", "Seven Samurai", "Throne of Blood").  Hope you all have a happy new year in 2018, and that you enjoy listening to us talk about his amazing films at least half as much as we did recording it for you!

7:18  Early works: "Sanshiro Sugata 1 and 2", "The Most Beautiful", "The Men Who Tread On the Tiger's Tail" ("Black Clouds", Papa Roach)
21:48 "Drunken Angel" ("Dirty Water", The Standells)
34:04 "Stray Dog" ("Heatwave", Martha Reeves & The Vandellas)
46:20 "Rashomon" ("Black Sheets of Rain", Bob Mould)
1:10:28 "Ikiru" ("While I Shovel the Snow", The Walkmen)
1:38:50 "The Seven Samurai" ("Heavy Rain", Boris)
2:09:01 "Throne of Blood" (Theme from John Carpenter's "The Fog")

   

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Now Playing Network Master of Ceremonies (and Director's Club founder) Jim Laczkowski joins us for this episode which has us looking at the films of French Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve! With Jim's help, we look at how Villeneuve brings his unique combination of thoughtfulness, pathos, family focus, and strangeness to dramas, genre thrillers, and films across the sci-fi spectrum.  Includes lots of spiders and one talking fish.

14:23 "August 32nd on Earth" / "Maelstrom"
("Fish Heads", Barnes & Barnes)
24:26 "Polytechnique" ("Straws Pulled At Random", Meshuggah)
37:06 "Incendies" ("You And Whose Army?", Radiohead)
1:00:14 "Prisoners"  ("The Prisoner", Iron Maiden)
1:20:49 "Enemy" ("Know Your Enemy", Rage Against the Machine)
1:41:29 "Sicario" ("Perro Negro Granjero", Molotov)
2:00:08 "Arrival" ("Communication Breakdown", Led Zeppelin)
2:18:20 "Blade Runner 2049" ("Dangerous Days", Pertubator)

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In this episode the Director's Club takes a look at the films of James Whale (with the help of Fresh Perspective's Jeff Broitman).  Whale's innovations in camera movement and special effects, set of quirky character actors in supporting roles, and appreciation of the outsiders in society was put to good use in musicals, war films, and courtroom dramas, but never better than when he was making some of the most iconic horror movies in history!

00:00 Pre-film history, "Journey's End"
11:21 "Waterloo Bridge", ("Under the Bridge", Red Hot Chili Peppers
21:18 "Frankenstein", "Impatient Maiden" ("Frankenstein", The Edgar Winter Group)
48:23 "The Old Dark House", "The Kiss Before the Mirror" ("Our House", Madness)
1:11:40 "The Invisible Man" ("I'm Not There", Bob Dylan)
1:29:38 "One More River" ("Find a River", R.E.M.)
1:39:04 "Bride of Frankenstein" ("Be My Wife", David Bowie)
2:09:09 "Remember Last Night?", "The Road Back" ("Dire Wolf" The Grateful Dead)
2:17:41 "Show Boat", "The Road Back" ("Old Man River", Paul Robeson)

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The Director's Club finish our epic look at epic auteur Orson Welles, who managed to continue creating some amazing film moments despite becoming mostly exiled from the Hollywood studio system.  In Part II we look from his takes on Shakespeare with "Othello" and "Chimes At Midnight", through his acidic noir "Touch of Evil", to his 'deconstructumentary' film "F for Fake", and along the way talk about his many unfinished films (one of which may see the light of day yet).  His work proved so inspiring we not only looked to compare them to the efforts of Jacques Tati and Alfred Hitchcock, but had to invent words to describe some characters and even hairstyles in his movies!  Hope we were able to bring across the brazenly enthusiastic creativity to be found in Orson Welles' films!

0:00 Intro ("Independence Day", Bruce Springsteen)
2:23 "Othello" / The 'controversy' about "The Third Man" ("Jealousy", Queen)
26:14 "Mr. Arkadin / Confidential Report" ("Hope for the Best, Expect the Worst", Mel Brooks)
41:52 "Touch of Evil"  ("Framed", The Coasters)
1:04:47  "The Trial" ("Trapped", Jimmy Cliff)
1:23:38  "Chimes at Midnight / Falstaff"  ("Led Astray", Friction)
1:55:44 "The Immortal Story" / Welles' ongoing film projects ("Flesh for Fantasy", Billy Idol)
2:05:57 "F for Fake" ("Lies", The Knickerbockers)
2:20:20 "Filming Othello" / "The Other Side of the Wind"

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In this episode the Director's Club tries to grasp the enormity of the works of Orson Welles.  It's an extended look at the creative audacity that led to so much artistic triumph and career tragedy, and to make sense of it we include a look at his pre-film life and the many cinema endeavors that sadly never made it to the film screen.  In part 1 we look at his start working for the movie studios, from his epic "Citizen Kane" through his take on Shakespeare's "Macbeth".

00:00  Intro / Welles' early life on stage, radio attempted first films
21:15  "Citizen Kane" ("The Union Forever", The White Stripes)
57:30  "The Magnificent Ambersons" / "It's All True" ("The Village Green Preservation Society", The Kinks)
1:20:10  "The Stranger" ("The Stranger", Billy Joel)
1:33:56  "The Lady from Shanghai"
1:48:00  "MacBeth" ("Miss MacBeth", Elvis Costello)

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This episode has the Director's Club looking at the films of Alan Parker, whose atmospheric visuals, ability at world-building, affinity to and for music, and brushes with controversy are some of the themes pulsing through a wide range of films in his career.  This led us to an epic conversation which ranged from rampant praise to stupefying anger and to several extended arguments about the value of his work.  We were treated to a return visit from Chicago cinerenaissance man Collin Souter, who not only joined in the conversation from coming back from a U2 show, but provided the DC with some excellent U2 music clips to introduce each film!  Thanks for joining us, Collin!  (Warning:  Contents contain some slight audio issues and Matthew Modine)

9:20     Bugsy Malone ("Miami")
19:26   Midnight Express ("Lemon" (live)
33:59   Fame ("Original of the Species")
48:39   Shoot the Moon ("With Or Without You")
1:09:07 Pink Floyd the Wall ("Mofo")
1:35:04 Birdy ("Walk On")
1:49:31 Angel Heart ("If God Will Send His Angels")
2:02:33 Mississippi burning ("Bullet the Blue Sky")
2:24:52 Come See the Paradise ("Refugee")
2:34:59 The Commitments ("Angel of Harlem")
2:49:33 Road To Wellville ("Miracle Drug")
3:04:21 Evita ("The Ground Beneath Her Feet")
3:19:42 Angela's Ashes ("Twilight")
3:32:45 Life of David Gale ("Wake Up, Dead Man")

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In this episode the Director's Club takes a look at the works of South Korean director Bong Joon-ho, who has made several remarkable movies (often in the same movie!)  Joining us on the journey is Robert Reineke (podcaster from "Still Watching the Skies"), and we had a blast talking about the many zany and fascinating details of his films.

6:20  "Incoherence"
13:18 "Barking Dogs Never Bite"  ("Hey Bulldog")
28:24 "Memories of Murder" ("Run For Your Life")
46:32 "The Host"  ("I'm Only Sleeping")
1:04:40 "Tokyo!"
1:10:45 "Mother"  ("Your Mother Should Know")
1:33:07 "Snowpiercer"  ("Revolution")
1:58:00 "Okja"  ("Piggies")
2:16:08 Summary and Max Bong Moment

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Jim here everyone!  It's been awhile since I took the crossover approach for an episode, allowing it to exist for both Director's Club & Voices and Visions.  Since my guests today are both tremendously talented filmmakers with a lot of insights, stories and new projects to promote, I decided to include this in both feeds.  After my introduction to the proceedings, I first speak with writer/director Jonathan Milott who alongside collaborator Cary Murnion have recently made a film called BUSHWICK that couldn't be more timely.  We delve into exactly why that is as well as the history between this team who is also responsible for the indie horror/comedy COOTIES.  Even if Skype was not kind to my side of the recording, thankfully Jonathan comes through crystal clear!  BUSHWICK is worth your time and Jonathan shared a lot about the filmmaking process behind his latest action thriller.   P.S  Cary and Jonathan are not brothers.

At around the 40 minute mark, I then speak with someone I've known for quite awhile since she also happens to be the wife of one of my closest friends and former guests, Mr. Dan Solomon.  Katherine Craft is an established writer in many forms with a lot of success stories, both as an activist and as a creative artist.  Her latest endeavor involves HBO (yes that HBO) so we discuss the experience surrounding that as well as her IndieGoGo campaign for her personal project CHARLOTTE AND CHARLIE, which I hope you'll contribute to.  Both interviews provide a lot of great commentary on the art of directing, writing, within the film and theater industries, so I am positive you'll get a lot of these talks.  And be sure to follow the work of Katherine linked below!

Kat's IndieGoGo Campaign:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/charlotte-and-charlie-car

Kat's Personal Website:
http://www.katherinecraft.com/

More about Jonathan's Film, BUSHWICK:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4720702/

Jonathan & Cary's Personal Website:
http://www.caryandjon.com/about/

Jim's Interview Podcast:
http://voicesvisions.net

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