Director's Club

The Director's Club pays a return journey to the world of Akira Kurosawa!  Focusing this time on the second half of his career, we take a loo k at his biggest box office success, his iconic lone samurai warrior Sanjuro, the multiple great performances he got from Toshiro Mifune and Tatsuya Nakadai, and his influences on a galaxy far far away. We'll check out  the ways his later films astound on multiple levels, how he fell out of favorin the movie business and what led to one of the greatest late career resurgences in movie history!

(2:03) "The Hidden Fortress" ("Fortress", Pinback)
(15:18) "The Bad Sleep Well" ("Money & Corruption", The Kinks)
(27:36) "Yojimbo" (Theme from "A Fistful of Dollars")
(39:26) "Sanjuro" ("I Am The Sword", Motorhead)
(50:34) "High and Low" ("Going Underground", The Jam)
(1:15:56) "Red Beard" / The "Tora! Tora! Tora!" debacle ("Doctor My Eyes", Jackson Browne)
(1:38:26) "Dersu Usala" ("Sprawl II: Mountains Beyond Mountains", Arcade Fire)
(1:52:17) "Kagemusha" ("Me And My Shadow", Johnny Marvin)
(2:15:35) "Ran" (Soundtrack from "Ran")ru Takemitsu)
(2:47:09) "Dreams" ("Street of Dreams", Rainbow)

Jim here again!  Well, I can't believe, This is 40?  One day in and I can already say that it's nothing like that overlong Judd Apatow movie.  While waiting for my midlife crisis to commence, I invited my old compadre over to the recording studio for a conversation in the tradition of our old-school bonus episodes!  This time, we even play a round of Score Bits, inspired by the one and only Film Junk Podcast.  At the top, you'll hear me introduce this joyful birthday present, bookended by songs from my favorite band, The New Pornographers. 

First up, we catch you all up on how things have been for the two of us, then we review two movies that we assigned to one another.  Patrick assigned MANJI for me and I assigned one of my all-time favorites, TAKE SHELTER.  After that, Score Bits begins after a brief intermission and that is definitely a highlight for the both of us.  We challenge our sense memory, musical knowledge, and more with this wild take on "Name That Tune" revised as "Name That Movie!"  As a birthday present for one of the main reasons for the inception of this podcast, please give it a listen and enjoy the rambling digressions you came to know and love back in the day.  Brad and Al will return in a week or so with a traditional episode of course!  Thank you again to everybody for supporting me over the years and for subscribing to Director's Club!

00:00 - 04:20 - Introduction
04:21 - 04:59 - "Sing Me Spanish Techno" - New Pornographers
05:01 - 12:42 - Introduction With Patrick & Jim
12:43 - 01:07:20 - Reviews of MANJI + TAKE SHELTER
01:07:21 - 02:15:19 - Score Bits!
02:15:20 - 02:24:06 - Outro
02:24:07 - 02:25:03 - "Bleeding Heart Show" - New Pornographers

http://voicesvisions.net
http://nowplayingnetwork.net

Hello there everyone!  Jim here.  Former co-host of this here show. More is explained in the intro(s) but I decided to offer up a special bonus treat here for both Director's Club + Voices and Visions alike.  I had the pleasure of seeing a very good new film called AND THEN I GO, directed by my first guest Vincent Grashaw.  We had a great talk about the inspiration behind the film and his process. 

Then, I was absolutely honored and thrilled to talk to one of my all-time favorite actresses, Melanie Lynskey (HEAVENLY CREATURES, SHATTERED GLASS, THE INFORMANT!).  It was a short but sweet interview with a lot of great insights about being an actress, as well as singing the praises of her incredible career.  I can't encourage you enough to give this episode your time and attention, if only for another announcement that involves Patrick and I at the top here.  Thank you so much for listening and to Brad + Al for keeping the show alive and better than ever!

00:00 - 12:34 - Introduction
12:35 - 25:25 - Interview with Vincent Grashaw
25:26 - 40:15 - Interview with Melanie Lynskey

For more on AND THEN I GO:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2018111/
https://play.google.com/store/movies/details?id=2j1rD5YHnjo

We are pleased to welcome back Chicago Film Discussion Group Organizer Peter Richards as we look at the comic and kinetic career of the U.K.’s own Edgar Wright.  Best known for his trilogy of genre parodies with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, he’d also bring some wild innovations to his American offerings, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Baby Driver.  We’ll discuss them all and decide which ones are worth missing a night at the pub for.

7:52 A Fistful of Fingers / Wright's early TV work ("Fingertips Part 2", Stevie Wonder)
20:56 Shaun of the Dead ("I Walked With a Zombie", Roky Erikson)
30:05 Hot Fuzz ("Police and Thieves", The Clash)
53:41 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ("Threshold", Sex Bob-omb)
1:17:22 The World’s End / Ant-Man ("Until the End of the World", U2)
1:41:18 Baby Driver ("Baby Driver", Simon & Garfunkel)

In this episode, the Director's Club takes a trek to Hungary to check out the films of Béla Tarr, whose long shots without cutting, luscious imagery of darkness, deliberate yet poetic camera movements, and stark perspectives of man and nature has sculpted out some of the most unforgettable moments in film.  In addition to trying to describe what makes his films so special, we look at how he developed his style over decades (and with the help of several talented collaborators), and we explore the world of "contemplative cinema" of which Tarr's work is a prominent example.

00:00  Introduction to contemplative cinema and Tarr's early history
19:09  "Family Nest"
25:48  "The Outsider"
36:49  "Prefab People" / "MacBeth"
50:06  "Almanac of Fall" / Tarr's collaborators from here onward
1:08:42  "Damnation"
1:25:36  "Sátántangó"
1:43:16  "Werckmeister Harmonies"
2:07:03  "The Man From London"
2:23:01  "The Turin Horse"

In this episode, the Director's Club delves into the Green Valleys, Stagecoaches, and Long Voyages shown in the works of the legendary director John Ford.  With the help of fellow Chicago Film Discussion Group member Peter Richards (who guested on our Terence Malick episode), in Part I of our series we not only look into his classic early films, but lesser-known yet no less fascinating efforts which include silent epics, minimalist treks through the desert, dark foggy nights of the Irish soul, and even comedies starring Will Rogers, and how Ford's genius with a film image and concerns of family, history, and myth flow through them.

16:56  "The Iron Horse"  ("Mystery Train", Elvis Presley)
28:22  "Pilgrimage"  ("Pilgramage", R.E.M.)
38:39  "The Lost Patrol"  ("Desert Blues", The Allman Brothers Band)
52:35  "Judge Priest"  ("Funky Judge", The J. Geils Band)
1:03:30  "The Informer"  ("God Loves a Drunk", Richard Thompson)
1:20:33  "Stagecoach"  (Theme from "Stagecoach")
1:38:40  "Young Mr. Lincoln"  ("Young Abe Lincoln Make A Tall, Tall Man", Johnny Horton)
1:49:36  "Grapes of Wrath"  ("The Ghost of Tom Joad", Bruce Springsteen)
2:07:50  "The Long Voyage Home"  ("Ship of Fools", Robert Plant)
2:21:50  "How Green was my Valley"  ("Working In a Coal Mine", DEVO)
2:48:37  Ford's WW2 wartime shorts / "They Were Expendable"  ("Brothers In Arms", Dire Straits)
3:02:54  "My Darling Clementine"  ("Clementine", The Decembrists)

It's an action-packed episode of the Director's Club as we look at the works of Andrew Davis.  Most well-known as director of "The Fugitive", one of the greatest action movies ever made, we explore his ability to enhance a wide range of films (from those of Samuel Z. Arkoff and Chuck Norris to even Alfred Hitchcock)  and how he infuses them with great energy, character and Chicago flavor from his very first movie!

5:53 "Stony Island" ("The Stony Island Band", The Stony Island Band)
17:54 "The Final Terror" ("He's Back: The Man Behind the Mask", Alice Cooper)
25:26 "Code of Silence" ("Code of Silence", Billy Joel with Cyndi Lauper)
36:54 "Above the Law" ("Breaking the Law", Judas Priest)
50:55 "The Package" ("Back in the USSR", The Beatles)
1:01:48 "Under Siege" ("Ship to Wreck", Florence +The Machine)
1:17:39 "The Fugitive" ("Run Like Hell", Pink Floyd)
1:32:37 "Chain Reaction" ("Chain Reaction", Journey)
1:39:10 "A Perfect Murder" ("Smooth Criminal", Michael Jackson)
1:54:35 "Collateral Damage" ("Fire", The Jimi Hendrix Eperience)
2:03:08 "Holes" ("Digging in the Dirt", Peter Gabriel)
2:14:25 "The Guardian" ("Holy Diver", Dio)

Check out Jim's interview with Andrew Davis from a few years ago

Welcome to the exciting conclusion!  The Director's Club / Voices & Visions crossover continues once again! Last year around this time, it was so warm outside, we opened the windows. This time, it was cold & snowy (hence the sound of the heater throughout).  But have no fear!  Your loyal Chicago film critics are here to carry on the tradition of going back 30 years to cover a year in film that they all grew up with.  Starting from about 1985, our hosts became film fanatics with different tastes, but similiar memories of videostores, working at movie theaters, and watching many R-rated titles at a young age.  

This special 2-part bonus episode will continue every February, for every year.  For 2018 of course, we travel back to 1988 and relive the entire year.  Just about every weekend of releases are mentioned from classics like WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT to obscure discoveries like BAGDAD CAFE.  How much will Jim & Erik argue the merits of certain horror movie sequels?  Does either David Byrne or Bono come up courtesy of superfan Collin?   You'll have to listen to the 4 and a half hours of conversation to find out.

Part One Is Available Here:
http://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/blog/1988partone

Follow Collin:
https://letterboxd.com/cdsouter/list/best-of-1988/

Follow Jim:
https://letterboxd.com/nowplayingjim/list/1988-ranked/

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

The Director's Club / Voices & Visions crossover continues once again! Last year around this time, it was so warm outside, we opened the windows. This time, it was cold & snowy (hence the sound of the heater throughout).  But have no fear!  Your loyal Chicago film critics are here to carry on the tradition of going back 30 years to cover a year in film that they all grew up with.  Starting from about 1985, our hosts became film fanatics with different tastes, but similiar memories of videostores, working at movie theaters, and watching many R-rated titles at a young age.  

This special 2-part bonus episode will continue every February, for every year.  For 2018 of course, we travel back to 1988 and relive the entire year.  Just about every weekend of releases are mentioned from classics like WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT to obscure discoveries like BAGDAD CAFE.  How much will Jim & Erik argue the merits of certain horror movie sequels?  Does either David Byrne or Bono come up courtesy of superfan Collin?   You'll have to listen to the 4 and a half hours of conversation to find out.  The intermission begins at about the 02:15:00 mark and the show continues for Part Two!

Welcome to 2018!   In this episode, the Director's Club gives a look at Rob Reiner, who has one of the most two-sided careers in filmmaking history.  Through the first part, it was like he could do no wrong, putting great polish and attention to romantic comedies, coming-of-age stories, tongue-in-cheek takes on fantasy, and inventing the mockumentary. In the second half, it was like he was trying to make up for the first half (when Roger Ebert makes his negative review the title of one of his books, you know you're doing something anti-right!).   We'll take a look at the good and the bad, exploring how one guy can exist on both ends of the film quality spectrum.

9:55  "This is Spinal Tap" ("Heavy Metal Poisoning", Styx))
32:09  "The Sure Thing" ("Local Girls", Graham Parker)
38:33  "Stand By Me" ("We're Going To Be Friends", The White Stripes)
52:08  "The Princess Bride"  ("Kings and Queens", Aerosmith)
1:05:22  "When Harry Met Sally" ("Ain't Talkin' Bout Love", Van Halen)
1:18:56  "Misery" ("Every Day I Write the Book", Elvis Costello)
1:30:19  "A Few Good Men" ("When The Generals Talk", Midnight Oil)
1:46:46  "North" ("Parents Just Don't Understand", DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince)
1:57:57  "The American President" ("Naked and Famous", The Presidents of the United States of America)
2:10:25  "Ghosts of Mississippi" ("We Shall Overcome", Mahalia Jackson
2:19:01  "The Story of Us" ("If You Leave", Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark)
2:26:30  "Rumor Has It" ("Mrs. Robinson", Frank Sinatra)
2:35:27  "The Bucket List" ("The Bucket", Kings of Leon)