Director's Club

In this episode we feature one of the first great directors to get his
start in early television and the helmer of such classics as "The
Manchurian Candidate" and "Seconds", John Frankenheimer. Frankenheimer had an amazing run of films in the sixties that also included "Birdman of Alcatraz" and "Seven Days in May". We talk about how his go-for-broke kinetic style not only took these films to the next level, but lead even his more questionable later films to make for a fascinating discussion. So enjoy the wild journey (including trips by train and blimp) and watch out for birds, bears, beast-men, and Burt Lancaster.

[0:00] Early TV work: "The Comedian", "Days of Wine and Roses"
[10:01] "The Young Savages" ("Youth Gone Wild", Skid Row)
[21:03] "Birdman of Alcartraz" ("Blackbird", The Beatles)
[33:58] "The Machurian Candidate" ("Solitaire", Laura Branigan)
[56:40] "Seven Days in May" ("Generals and Majors", XTC)
[1:11:35] "The Train" ("Train Kept a Rollin'", The Yardbirds)
[1:29:42] "Seconds" ("Seconds", U2)
[1:54:03] LIGHTNING ROUND: "Grand Prix", "The Extraordinary Seamen", "The
Iceman Cometh", "99 & 44/100% Dead" ("I am Lightning", Roger Daltrey)
[2:09:00] "The French Connection 2" ("Heroin", The Velvet Underground)
[2:20:32] "Black Sunday" (from John Williams' score from the film)
[2:33:16] "Prophecy" ("Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear", Elvis Presley)
[2:40:42] "52 Pick-Up" ("Don't Get Mad, Get Even", Aerosmith)
[2:50:37] "The Island of Dr. Moreau", ("I Am an Animal", Pete Townshend)
[3:06:07] "Ronin" ("Master of Puppets", Metallica)

In this episode of the Director's Club, we try to keep pace with the second half of the career of Werner Herzog.  It's a journey that moves from examinations of social issues we deal with today to artistry from the dawn of man (presented in 3D, no less!), from the Alaskan wilderness to the hearts of volcanoes to the southernmost part of the Earth itself, and leapfrogs several times over the borders of documentary and fiction filmmaking.

(8:30) "Lessons of Darkness"
(21:06) "Little Dieter Needs to Fly"
(35:26) "My Best Fiend"
(48:31) "Grizzly Man"
(1:17:05) "Rescue Dawn"
(1:30:24) "Encounters at the End of the World"
(1:46:02) "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call: New Orleans"
(2:00:15) "Cave of Forgotten Dreams"
(2:10:44) "Into the Abyss"
(2:24:24) "Salt and Fire"
(2:38:06) "Into the Inferno"

In this episode, the Director's Club takes a journey through the many amazing works of legendary independent filmmaker John Sayles.  Joined sporadically by Now Playing Network uber-guru (and Director's Club founder!) Jim Laczkowski, we explore a career filled with complex characters and stories illuminating many kinds of cultures, communities, and social concerns, all while providing a level of quality, honesty, and deep humanism to films ranging from science fiction to children's fable to sports movie, to maybe the ultimate Western mystery about the country's borders and its pasts.

(11:06) "Return of the Secaucus Seven" ("Reelin In the Years", Steely Dan)
(27:58) "Lianna" ("Be Yourself", Audioslave)
(43:52) "Baby, It's You" / Bruce Springsteen videos ("If I Was Frank Sinatra", Soulvitamins)
(58:36) "Brother From Another Planet" ("Starman", David Bowie)
(1:10:15) "Matewan" ("Fire In the Hole", Hazel Dickens)
(1:31:30) "Eight Men Out"("Born to Lose", Johnny Thunders)
(1:47:39) "City of Hope" ("Progress", Bad Religion)
(2:04:27) "Passion Fish" ("Don't Give Up", Peter Gabriel w/ Kate Bush)
(2:15:59) "The Secret of Roan Inish" ("On an Island", David Gilmour)
(2:28:41) "Lone Star" / "Men With Guns" ("I Shot the Sheriff", Eric Clapton)
(3:05:31) "Limbo" / Brief looks from "Sunshine State" through "Go For Sisters" ("Limbo", Brian Ferry)

Writer-director Preston Sturges had one of the most incandescent runs of creativity in Hollywood History, making eight remarkable films from 1940 to 1944.  In this episode of the Director's Club, we're joined by Jeff Broitman of Fresh Perspective as we take a look at the unique way Sturges could combine screwball visual antics, waterfalls of breathless dialogue, and a continuous sense of comedic innovation, while capturing the absurdity behind the rises and falls of his characters' fortunes.

(8:21) "The Great McGinty" ("I Wanna Be A Politician", The Byrds)
(28:48) "Christmas In July" ("My Lucky Day", Bruce Springsteen)
(38:14) "The Lady Eve" ("Garden of Eden", Guns N' Roses)
(54:33) "Sullivan's Travels" ("Sometimes a Fantasy", Billy Joel)
(1:21:15) "The Palm Beach Story" ("Love or Confusion", Jimi Hendrix)
(1:39:53) "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" ("Papa Don't Preach", Madonna as interpreted through Weird Al Yankovic)
(1:59:37) "Hail the Conquering Hero" (Holding Out for a Hero", Bonnie Tyler)
(2:10:45)  "The Great Moment" ("Unfinished Sweet", Alice Cooper)
(2:23:47) "The Sin of Harold Diddlebock" ("So, The Circus is Back in Town", The Cato Salsa Experience)
(2:34:31) "Unfaithfully Yours" ("Suspicious Minds", Elvis Presley)

Jim here, returning for a special conversation with a remarkably talented actor turned director. This is our third time talking and likely not to be our last. Keith Gordon who you might remember from such films as CHRISTINE, DRESSED TO KILL, BACK TO SCHOOL and many more, decided to focus primarily on directing in the late 80s / early 90s.  I wanted to have him back on to discuss the experience of directing one of my favorite shows on TV, LEGION, since I couldn't have been more excited about his work on the recent (and divisive) season 2 finale. 

We then transition into a thorough conversation on overlooked films from the decade of the 90s as well as a brief foray into Keith's favorite Coen Brothers film.  It's a must-hear for fans of Keith's past podcast appearences as well as cinephiles looking to add some titles to their queue.  Thank you so much for listening and again, thank you to the great Keith Gordon for his third appearence on the podcast(s).  

Keith Gordon Episode Archives:
https://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/archives/keithgordonarchives

Underrated Films Of The 1990s:
https://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowski/list/underrated-films-from-the-1990s

Underrated Films Of The 1980s:
https://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowski/list/underrated-films-from-the-1980s

Underrated Films Of The 1970s:
https://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowski/list/underrated-films-from-the-1970s

Underrated Films Of The 1960s:
https://letterboxd.com/jimlaczkowski/list/underrated-films-from-the-1960s

Once in a while a director comes along with such an original and distinctive vision that you can return to his work again and again and continue to discover new depths. Robert Altman is such a director and has inspired us to release our first Director's Club Redux episode. In Part 1, we cover the maverick director's breakout blockbuster M*A*S*H, all the way to his not so blockbuster take on Popeye. In between, we look at his deconstructions of Westerns (McCabe & Mrs. Miller), noirs (The Long Goodbye) and musicals (Nashville), all the way to such uncategorizable gems as 3 Women. We are pleased to welcome back Bill Ackerman, host of the Now Playing Network's Supporting Characters + From The Neighborhood as our guest for this episode.

In this episode, the Director's Club encounters environments from the dephts of the ocean up to the stars as we explore the work of screenwriter, filmmaker, and Riddick Chronicler David Twohy!  Helping immensely in our quest is Paul Freitag-Fey, a writer for Daily Grindhouse who showcases underseen films in Chicago at the Comfort Station and streaming hidden gems at http://watchthisthing.net .

With him joining in on the journey, we not only point out how Twohy puts inspired twists on genre conventions and has running themes about identity and shifting responsibilities and perspective, but bring up a wealth of other fascinating under-recognized films to check out!

(6:44) "Grand Tour: Disaster in Time" ("Für Elise", Ludwig van Beethoven)
(25:59) "The Arrival"  ("Here Come the Bas tards", Primus)
(46:10) "Pitch Black" ("The Sound of Silence", Simon & Garfunkel)
(1:10:20) "Below" ("Sing Sing Sing!", Benny Goodman)
(1:32:44) "The Chronicles of Riddick" ("Complicated", Avril Lavigne)
(1:50:19) "A Perfect Getaway" ("Many Tentacles Pimpin on the Keys (Escape!)", Lo Fidelity Allstars
(2:08:45) "Riddick" ("Lawless Lands", The Sword)
(2:30:43) Other recommended hidden gems and directors

For it's 150th episode, the Director's Club takes a Monumental trek through the latter films of John Ford.  With the help of Peter Richards from the Chicago Film Discussion Group, we see how through films like his 'Cavalry Trilogy', "The Sun Shines Bright", "The Searchers" and up to "Cheyenne Autumn", Ford's evolving attitudes about race, the West, and the conflict between individuals and community, between truth, sentiment, and myth, found expression in iconic performances, increasingly thoughtful stories, and in the very landscape of Monument Valley itself!

(5:57) "Fort Apache" ("Apache", The Shadows)
(26:07)  "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" ("I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair", George Jones)
(44:12)  "Wagon Master" ("I Am a Pilgrim", The Byrds)
(55:40)  "Rio Grande" ("Goin' Down To Mexico", ZZ Top)
(1:07:26) "A Quiet Man" ("Star of the County Down", Van Morrison)
(1:21:48) "The Sun Shines Bright" ("My Old Kentucky Home", performed by John Prine)
(1:41:30) "Mr. Roberts" ("In The Navy", The Village People)
(1:54:09) "The Searchers" ("Searchin'", The Coasters)
(2:21:18) "The Last Hurrah" ("The Final Countdown", Europe)
(2:39:14) "Sergeant Rutledge" ("I Stand Accused", Elvis Costello)
(2:50:53) "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" ("Democracy", Leonard Cohen)
(3:13:41) "Cheyenne Autumn" ("Exodus", Bob Marley)

The Directors Club tries to live up to the first part of its name, as in this episode we take a look at two seperate directors at once: English filmmaking brothers Martin ("In Bruges") and John Michael ("Calvary") McDonagh.  While they haven't officially worked on a film together, there are some fascinating connections of dark humor, empathy, faith, and a desire to subvert expectations that can be found when looking through their films together, from "Second Death" through the award-winning "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"

2:30 John Michael's "The Second Death" ("The Ghost In You", Psychedelic Furs)
9:43 Martin's "Six Shooter" ("Come As You Are", Nirvana)
22:05 Martin's "In Bruges" ("Bedlam in Belgium", AC/DC)
55:20 John Michael's "The Guard" ("Changing Of The Guards", The Patti Smith Group)
1:09:11 Martin's "Seven Psychopaths" ("Crazy", Gnarls Barkeley)
1:22:43 John Michael's "Calvary" ("We Shall Not Overcome", Frank Turner)
1:41:47 John Michael's "War On Everyone" ("War", Edwin Starr)
2:01:02 Martin's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" ("The Sign", Ace of Base)

Jim here again, sneaking in with a short bonus episode cross-posted with V+V.  One of the greatest joys to experience in the fine city of Chicago is sitting down to watch a screening of a classic film at The Music Box Theatre.  It has been my favorite movie theater for quite some time and when the opportunity came to talk to the general manager of this theater, I could not have been more thrilled.  Ryan Oestreich has a long history with the film industry, particularly film festival programming and theater management.  He is now able to combine both of his passions alongside Josh Goldbloom, to put together a film festival that I can't wait to cover this summer:  The Cinepocalypse! 

Ryan and I briefly cover his past experience and then we launch into our endless excitement for the many films and special events happening from June 21st to the 28th.  You can listen to us passionately talk about some of the titles we're looking forward to of course, but also be sure to visit the links below to buy a festival badge or tickets to any number of screenings coming up in about a month.  Ryan is a hard-working, energetic guest with a lot to contribute so even if you're not in the Chicagoland area and have no familiarity with the Music Box, I have no doubt that as a movie fanatic, you'll find a lot to enjoy throughout our conversation.

More About Cinepocalypse 2018

Ryan's New Music Box Podcast

Live 80s All Over Podcast Recording!

Music Box on Facebook