Director's Club

cross-posted at Voices + Visions

What started back five years ago with 1985 continues. This time it’s one entire episode instead of split into two: all five and a half hours of an annual tradition co-starring yours truly, Collin Souter and Erik Childress as we run down nearly every film that came out thirty years ago. This time it’s all about 1990!

If you’re a fan of nostalgia, sound clips, trailers, 1990 songs, laugh out loud moments and memories, then you’re in for a treat. Granted we don’t cover every single title but as always, we come pretty close. To follow along with our resource / guide, feel free to click on this link. See you in a year when we’ll do it all again and thank you so much for listening and for the support.

Do not attempt to adjust your sets or turn the dial. Those voices you hear don't belong to neither Brad or Al, but original founders and returning hosts Jim and Patrick are back! Yes, after long debates, sleepless nights and several board meetings and PowerPoint presentations, your fearful leaders return to hosting duties. And they've returned with one of their favorite guests, Sergio Mims. 

Together they run through the many genres of classic Hollywood filmmaker Anthony Mann. Both Raw Deal and The Furies are the titles focused on initially but several more come up throughout the course of the discussion including Border Incident, Man of The West, Winchester 73' and more! Also returning are the parody songs, the top three lists and the What We Watched segment. Be sure to send us an email, stop by the website and stay tuned to social media for more updates and future plans for the show!

00:00 - 07:06 - Introduction
07:07 - 08:23 - What We Watched Song
08:24 - 55:29 - What We Watched This Week
55:30 - 56:10 - Director Song
56:11 - 01:47:46 - Raw Deal + The Furies
01:47:47 - 02:23:28 - Other Mann Films
02:23:29 - 02:31:25 - Top Three Mann Films / Outro

http://directorsclubpodcast.com

Brad and Al of the Director's Club finish things off as hosts with The Final Chapter of the Bergman 101, where we look at all of the efforts of Ingmar Bergman that made it to a movie screen. Even considering his earlier landmark films, Bergman's scope is wider here than ever: touching on theater, television, the opera, and even Hollywood (in "The Touch"), from period piece noirs abroad to documentaries of his island home, and an epic named "Fanny & Alexander" that just may encompass them all. Long live directors and the clubs to talk about them!

[3:08] "The Passion of Anna" ("Anna (Go to Him)", Arthur Alexander)
[14:27] "Fårö Document" ("Angel Island", The Brothers Brothers)
[22:37] "The Touch" ("Sax Time", the 'Preparation for the Affair' Theme from "The Touch")
[38:28] "Cries and Whispers" ("Whisper to a Scream", Icicle Works)
[52:56] "Scenes from a Marriage" ("We Got Married", Paul McCartney)
[1:16:29] "The Magic Flute" ("Queen of the Night Aria", W.A. Mozart)
[1:31:42] "Face to Face" ("Face to Face", Low Pop Suicide)
[1:48:49] "The Serpent's Egg" ("Snakes", The Pixies)
[2:03:02] "Autumn Sonata" ("Does Your Mother Know", ABBA)
[2:19:20] "Fårö Document 1979" ("Island", Badfinger)
[2:25:08] "From the Life of the Marionettes" ("World on a String", Neil Young)
[2:33:23] "Fanny and Alexander" ("Symphony No. 4 In D Minor", Schumann)
[3:10:20] "After the Rehearsal" ("I Was Meant for the Stage", The
Decemberists)
[3:16:40] "Saraband" ("Grow Old with Me", John Lennon)

Outro: It was usually Rufus Thomas' "Let My Baby Ride" (played as the "L'Enteracte" in Leos Carax's amazing film "Holy Motors"), but here it's a song called "There's a Last Time For Everything", by the Division of Laura Lee.

In this episode, the Director's Club hunts for the Riff Raff whose Hidden Agenda was to get the Angel's Share while the Wind Shakes the Barley as we look at the films of British director Ken Loach. Joined by "Fresh Perspective" host and founder of Cinema Femme Magazine, Rebecca Martin, we examine how he emerged from the tradition of the British "kitchen sink" drama, and then applied his emphatic technique and concerns of social issues to a variety of films, including several winners of the Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival.

[8:41] "Cathy Come Home" ("Kiss Me I'm Starving", The Heart Throbs)
[20:53] "Poor Cow" ("Poor Cow", Elton Newton-John)
[30:52] "Kes" ("Extra Ordinary", Ultra Vivid Scene)
[44:21] "Hidden Agenda" ("We Come Undone", OSI)
[58:21] "Riff Raff" ("Riff Raff", AC/DC)
[1:17:09] "My Name Is Joe" ("This Is the Day", The The)
[1:36:00] "Sweet Sixteen" ("Take Over Baby", Big Chief)
[1:51:38] "The Wind That Shakes the Barley", ("The Wind That Shakes the Barley", traditional performed by Dead Can Dance/Lisa Gerrard)
[2:08:26] "The Angel's Share" ("Raise Your Glass", P!nk)
[2:20:57] "I, Daniel Blake" ("Help the Aged", Pulp)
[2:45:00] "Sorry For Missing You" ("Keep the Line Moving", The Soundtrack of Our Lives)

It's that time! Jim and Patrick return to Director's Club for the year-end spectacular. Alongside current co-host Brad Strauss, we three run down a long list of awards, discuss our 25 favorite films of the year, and read several listener-submitted lists all while reflecting on the movie year that was. Part One is all about handing out our awards and running down numbers 25-11 on our list. Part Two is the much lengthier top ten discussion with some real surprises in store along the way. Thank you all so much for listening to this pinata of an episode and happy 2020 to all. If you want to spoil the fun, you can certainly check out all of our lists posted over on Letterboxd as well.

00:00 - 01:43:40 - #10 - #6 Favorite Films Of 2019
01:43:41 - 02:29:15 - #5 - #3 Favorite Films of 2019
02:29:16 - 03:21:57 - Top 2 Favorite Films Of 2019

Jim’s List
Patrick’s List
Brad’s List

It's that time! For the 9th time, Jim and Patrick return to Director's Club for the year-end spectacular. Alongside co-host Brad Strauss, we three run down a long list of awards, discuss our 25 favorite films of the year, and read several listener-submitted lists all while reflecting on the movie year that was. Part One is all about handing out our awards and running down numbers 25-11 on our list. Part Two is the much lengthier top ten discussion with some real surprises in store along the way. Thank you all so much for listening to this pinata of an episode and happy 2020 to all. If you want to spoil the fun, you can certainly check out all of our lists posted on Letterboxd as well.

00:00 - 50:50 - Introduction, Acting Awards, etc.
50:51 - 01:43:38 - #25 - #11 Favorite Films of 2019

Jim’s List
Patrick’s List
Brad’s List

It's time for a new take on a director previously covered by the Director's Club.  We won't keep you in suspense - It's Brian De Palma Redux!  Former DC host, Jim Laczkowski reprises his role in the spirited debate on the career of one of our more controversial subjects.  We'll cover such horror staples as "Carrie" and "Dressed to Kill" as well as contrast him to another director who may have influenced him just a bit.  We won't forget early favorites like "Phantom of the Paradise" or mainstream hits like "The Untouchables" and "Mission Impossible".  Love him or hate him, we hope you enjoy our Brian De Palma Blow Out!   

(Get your Top Ten Film selections for our annual Top Films episode by sending them to "[email protected]" by January 3, 2020!)

[8:37] "Hi Mom!"
[27:05] "Phantom of the Paradise" ("Rockin' The Paradise", Styx)
[38:38] "Carrie" ("Disco Inferno", The Trammps)
[53:35] "The Fury"
[1:00:38] "Sisters" ("Double Vision", Foreigner)
[1:13:00] "Obsession" ("Obsession", Animotion)
[1:18:44] "Dressed to Kill" ("Pick Up the Knife", Dan Baird)
[1:38:40] Blow Out (theme from movie, by PinoDonaggio)
[1:54:44] "Body Double" (Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax")
[2:06:31] "Scarface" ("Push It To The Limit", Paul Engemann)
[2:17:30] "Carlito's Way" ("Wanted Man", Ratt)
[2:27:21] "The Untouchables" ("The Untouchables Theme", Ennio Morricone)
[2:35:32] "Casualties of War" ("Beware of Darkness", George Harrison)
[2:48:02] "Bonfire of the Vanities" ("Eat the Rich", Aerosmith)
[2:55:04] "Mission Impossible" ("Mission Impossible Theme", Adam Clayton
and Larry Mullen Jr.)
[3:00:11] "Snake Eyes - Sound of The Crowd (Human League)
[3:06:15] "Raising Cain" ("Adam Raised a Cain", Bruce Springsteen)
[3:13:04] "Femme Fatale" ("Femme Fatale", Velvet Underground and Nico)

It's been a while, but the Director's Club was spending some time putting together the Part Two of our Bergman 101 Project looking at all the films of the master director. This point of his career features some of the more legendary films of all time, and with the help of Film Discussion Group co-organizer Peter Richards, we not only look through a glass darkly at classics like "The Seventh Seal", "Wild Strawberries", and "Persona", but we also encounter a dark religious fable, a horror film about artistic scrutiny, a sex farce involving The Devil, and a notable trilogy of films (not the one you may be thinking about). Take a look at our take on one of the most bountiful set of films from a single director in history!

[5:46] "The Seventh Seal" ("Don't Fear The Reaper", Blue Oyster Cult)
[27:41] "Wild Strawberries" ("Story of My Life", Social Distortion)
[53:28] "Brink of Life" ("Happy Birthday Blues", B.B. King)
[1:00:06] "The Magician" ("Magic Man", Heart)
[1:14:31] "The Virgin Spring" ("Cry Me a River", Ella Fitzgerald)
[1:28:44] "The Devil's Eye" ("Friend of the Devil", The Grateful Dead)
[1:40:52] "Through A Glass Darkly" ("We Call Upon the Author", Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds)
[1:59:17] "Winter Light" ("Save A Prayer", Duran Duran)
[2:23:49] "The Silence" ("Enjoy The Silence", Depeche Mode)
[2:39:23] "All These Women" ("Not for You", Pearl Jam)
[2:48:54] "Persona" ("Personality Crisis", New York Dolls)
[3:25:20] "Hour of the Wolf" ("Bark at the Moon", Ozzy Osbourne)
[3:37:28] "Shame" ("Ain't That a Shame", Fats Domino)
[3:47:22] "The Rite" ("Cracked Actor", David Bowie)

In this episode the Director's Club casts their attention to the wonderful worlds drawn by legendary animation Studio Ghibli - but not the director you expect! Because while director Isao Takahata was not as prolific as Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki, he put together a remarkable run of films in his own right, ones which pushed anime into whole new stylistic realms while touching on Japanese history and folklore to explore themes of memory, belonging, responsibility, and creative artistic transformations. Joined by "Fresh Perspective" podcast alum and animation superfan Christine Sellin, we explore what's special in his work from his first film "Horus Prince of the Sun" through the legendary "Grave of the Fireflies" to his ultimate masterwork, "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya"

[3:42] "Horus, Prince of the Sun" ("The Immigrant Song", Led Zeppelin)
[20:52] "Panda! Go Panda!" (Theme from "Panda! Go Panda!")
[30:38] "Gauche The Cellist" (6th Symphony, Ludwig van Beethoven)
[45:15] "Grave of the Fireflies" ("Goodbye Blue Sky", Pink Floyd)
[1:07:27] "Only Yesterday" ("Yesterday Girl", The Smithereens)
[1:22:00] "Pom Poko" ("Big Balls", AC/DC)
[1:39:46] "My Neighbors the Yamadas" ("Que Sera Sera", Sly and the Family Stone)
[1:52:33] "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya" ("Wandering Spirit, Mick Jagger)

The Director's Club wanted to do something special on what would have been legendary director Ingmar Bergman's 101st year, so we're putting together a three-part series we're calling Bergman 101, where we look at every full feature he made that had a theatrical release!  In Part I, we see how he made his start with melodramas but soon branched out to an astounding variety of films (like a film noir and a screwball comedy!), until he took his career to new artistic and public recognition with "Smiles of a Summer Night".  We look at the remarkable elements in these early works (including silent film segments, dream sequences, innovative montages, animation, and a stuffed cat), plus the themes and techniques that would coalesce in forming the amazing films to come!

[7:31] "Crisis" ("Big City Nights", The Scorpions)
[21:21] "It Rains on Our Love" ("Our House", Madness)
[38:06] "A Ship to India" (Papa was a Rolling Stone", The Temptations)
[49:23] "Music in Darkness" ("Blind", Talking Heads)
[55:55] "Port of Call" ("A Mistake", Fiona Apple)
[1:05:22] "Prison" ("Flagpole Sitta", Harvey Danger)
[1:17:42] "Thirst" ("Bring Me Some Water", Melissa Etheridge)
[1:23:47] "To Joy" ("Ode to Joy", Ludwig van Beethoven)
[1:36:30] "This Can't Happen Here" ("Spies Like Us", Paul McCartney)
[1:54:45] "Summer Interlude" ("Suddenly Last Summer", The Motels)
[2:07:41] "The Waiting Women", (The Waiting", Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
[2:19:45] "Summer with Monika" ("Girl", Beck)
[2:40:28] "Sawdust and Tinsel" ("Death of a Clown", The Kinks)
[2:56:33] "A Lesson in Love" ("Money, Money, Money", ABBA)
[3:07:01] "Dreams" ("Didn't It Rain", Songs: Ohia)
[3:14:00] "Smiles of a Summer Night" ("Magic Potion", Lou Johnson)