Director's Club

I have one heck of a lineup in store for you.  A format that I hope to do more of as the year continues.  For this special edition of Pop Culture Club, I talk with two directors and then one musician -- all inspired in different ways but linked via their love of music.   For the first interview, I talk with BLUE RUIN director Jeremy Saulnier about his latest foray into genre filmmaking -- this time, he tackles the world of hardcore punk rock combined with a seige picture in the visceral knockout GREEN ROOM. 

Secondly, I spoke with the director of one of my favorite movies ONCE.  John Carney is perfecting the make-a-band formula with his third foray into the low-fi musical, this time it's set in the world of 1980s Dublin.  SING STREET is a true joy in every sense of the word.  Easily one of my favorite films of the year that I can't wait for others to see. 

Lastly, I had the opportunity to talk with a truly gifted songwriter that I've been hoping to catch up with for quite some time.  Shelby Sifers is inspired by compassion and remains politically active, socially conscious and has also crafted some of my favorite pop songs that I hope you'll also check out as well.  This is easily the most excited I've been for a Pop Culture Club episode to date with three names I know you'll want to know more about after hearing them talk so eloquently about their art.  Thank you so much for listening, and please visit the links below to learn more about each project!

00:00 - 08:52 -  Introduction
08:53 - 17:33 -  Jeremy Saulnier (GREEN ROOM) interview
17:34 - 20:36 -  Nowhere Mind Indiegogo Campaign
20:37 - 33:51 -  John Carney (SING STREET) Interview
33:52 - 34:53-  "Are You Devo?" - Shelby Sifers
34:54 - 01:22:28 - Shelby Sifers Interview
01:22:29 - 01:24:44 - Outro

Jeremy Saulnier's GREEN ROOM:
http://greenroom-movie.com
https://www.facebook.com/GreenRoomMovie/

John Carney's SING STREET:
http://www.filmnation.com/sing-street/
https://www.facebook.com/singstreetmovie/

Shelby Sifers:
https://soundcloud.com/shelbysifers
https://www.facebook.com/shelbysifersmusic/

Other songs featured:
"A Battle Ends"
"Try To Understand"
"Make Up Your Mind"

Shelby kindly would like to remind people to research candidates, from the local level on up, and to VOTE as it's an election year and to find a cause to donate time, talent or money to.

Her nonprofit day job: http://MSSPAN.org
Her nonprofit moonlighting: http://bighousebooksms.org
NOWHERE MIND -- INDIEGOGO -- SUPPORT THIS FILM:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nowhere-mind-feature-film--2#/

As always please visit the podcast network to support all the great shows there:
http://nowplayingnetwork.net
[email protected]

I'm back!  This time I needed a lot of help (and defense) of a director I'm not that high up on.  I certainly don't consider myself an outright detractor, but this is a bit of a departure since most episodes this year so far have been glowingly positive.  I am joined by first-time guest Erix Antoine, a filmmaker and avid fan of genre films, to enlighten each other on the rather divisive M. Night Shyamalan. We cover it all from the good to the bad to the Happening. 

00:00 - 07:45 - Introduction
07:46 - 17:15 - Introduction With Erix
17:16 - 19:04 - Director Song
19:05 - 48:31 - First Experiences, Praying With Anger, Wide Awake
48:32 - 01:34:19 - The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable
01:34:20 - 01:34:39 - Signs Score Snippet
01:34:40 - 02:32:18 - Signs, The Village
02:32:19 - 03:28:24 - Lady In The Water, Happening, Last Airbender, The Visit
03:28:25 - 03:33:29 - Top 3 Lists / Outro

Erix's Film Production Company:

http://pachamamafilms.com

Next month, I will be joined by two very special guests.  For the month of May, I have recruited two individuals who mean a lot to me.  First up is Nick Digilio of WGN Radio, and we're gonna finally have an episode on the much-anticipated and highly celebrated Martin Scorsese.  Then, in late May, co-host and compadre Patrick Ripoll returns to talk about the one and only Spike Lee.  Two of NY's finest in one month!  Also stay tuned for a very special bonus episode in the days to come.  Until next time, send emails to [email protected], and be sure to visit http://nowplayingnetwork.net for a variety of terrific pop-culture podcasts from top-notch hosts.  Thanks again so much for all your support!

Hey guys!  Jim here.  Well, I'm nowhere to be found in this episode other than the ad and parody song. I had to take a couple weeks off, so I enlisted the help of two of my favorite previous guests to take the helm for an epic examination of a favorite Canadian filmmaker of theirs.  Bill Ackerman and Al Kwiatkowski took it upon themselves to discuss the entire filmography of one Atom Egoyan, whose two films EXOTICA and THE SWEET HEREAFTER were highly acclaimed in the late 90s and well worth your time.  But what about the films prior to those two as well as his latter work?  Listen in on an incredibly enlightening discussion on a filmmaker you should definitely become more familiar with, if you're not already!   Much gratitude to Bill and Al for their hard work and for their terrific conversation that you won't want to miss.  Once again, this episode is sponsored by Freshbooks, please support the show with a 30-day free trial:  http://gofreshbooks.com/directorsclub

*in case you're one of the earlier downloaders of this episode, you'll notice there was a little gap right around the discussion around Felicia's Journey. thankfully that has since been edited out. apologies for missing it before!

00:00 - 03:02 - Introduction
03:03 - 04:36 - Director Song
04:37 - 01:16:51 - Next Of Kin, Family Viewing, Speaking Parts, Adjuster, Calendar
01:16:52 - 01:39:53 - Exotica
01:39:54 - 01:40:33 - The Sweet Hereafter Score
01:40:34 - 02:16:02 - The Sweet Hereafter, Felicia's Journey, Ararat
02:16:03 - 02:58:33 - Where The Truth Lies, Adoration, Chloe
02:58:34 - 03:17:15 - Devil's Knot, The Captive, Remember
03:17:16 - 03:23:04 - Top 3 Lists / Outro

I will be returning in two weeks to talk M. Night Shyamalan with a brand new guest.  We'll definitely be covering as much as we can, and then in May, two very big episodes indeed will be coming your way.  Please visit http://nowplayingnetwork.net subscribe to all of the great shows on the network.  Keep those emails coming:  [email protected]

After a few changes in format and roster, Director's Club has finally settled on a new format. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Aaron Sorkin is joining the network!  His first contribution is to Director's Club for all of you to hear today, and I could not be more excited about the changes he's made.

Not only is Mr. Sorkin a part of the team, but he even asked former co-host Patrick Ripoll and a couple other previous guests, to come back for the first episode under our new format. We talk about director David Lean and so much more. More to say during the introduction but thank you to all for listening and for your support. It's going to be a much better show from here on out!

Another classic director that we've been meaning to feature on the show for quite some time is finally covered. I also decided it's been way too long since we got a different perspective, other than one of the male variety.  Kate Blair, holds a Master's in Cinema, writes reviews for Tiny Mix Tapes, has a blog titled Selective Viewing and turns out to be one of the more insightful guests I've had on the show.  We cover a whole lotta Hitchcock in just under three hours, and yet, there is still so much more to see for round two in the not-so-distant future.  Which titles would you like us to review for Part 2?  Send an email and let us know!  For this first outing, we talk about THE 39 STEPS, THE LADY VANISHES, SHADOW OF A DOUBT, NOTORIOUS, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, REAR WINDOW, THE WRONG MAN, VERTIGO, PSYCHO and THE BIRDS.  But that's the tip of the iceberg.  We briefly mention a couple more we've seen and enjoyed as well as touch upon how Kate fell in love with movies.  Expect return visits from this guest in the future, and hope you enjoy our discussion on the master of suspense!

00:00 - 06:18 - Introduction**
06:19 - 17:11 - Introduction With Kate
17:12 - 18:32 - Hitchcock Song*
18:33 - 1:03:28 - Experiences, 39 STEPS, LADY VANISHES, SHADOW OF A DOUBT
01:03:29 - 01:03:59 - Intermission / Spellbound Score Excerpt
01:04:00 - 01:35:42 - NOTORIOUS, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, REAR WINDOW
01:35:43 - 02:44:26 - THE WRONG MAN, VERTIGO, PSYCHO, THE BIRDS
02:44:27 - 02:55:12 - Top 5 Hitchcock Films / Outro

I'm taking a short spring break and have asked two of my favorite cinephiles to talk about a director without my presence!  The next episode will be on Atom Egoyan and will feature the return of Bill Ackerman and Al Kwiatkowski as they deconstruct EXOTICA, THE SWEET HEREAFTER and a whole lot more.  I will return in mid-April for another episode TBD, and eventually in early May, an episode featuring WGN's Nick Digilio and myself talking about Martin Scorsese will finally happen!  Until then, I encourage all of you to leave a review on ITUNES, send me an email at:  [email protected], and of course, subscribe to all the great shows over at NowPlayingNetwork.net!  Thank you so much for listening.  Don't forget:  What titles would you like us to review for Hitch Part 2?  Send an email and let us know!  This episode has been brought to you by Freshbooks!  Here's the link to where you can try this terrific software free for 30 days: http://gofreshbooks.com/directorsclub

*credit goes to Jen Schmidt for the inspiration

**Also I don't know why I said David Blair when referring to Bill Ackerman's first guest on Supporting Characters. CORRECTION: The name of Bill's guest is Daniel Bird.

For a career as incredible and expansive as Sidney Lumet's, I needed the help of two guests.  Managing Editor Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com, as well as returning guest fresh from the Kubrick episode, Al Kwiatkowski, join me live to dissect the classics starting with 12 ANGRY MEN and modestly jumping around his filmography to focus on the more well-known gems from his career.  Some of the outliers and underrated choices will be saved for a Lumet sequel episode possibly due as early as next year. 

For this round, we mainly touch upon SERPICO, PRINCE OF THE CITY, NETWORK, DOG DAY AFTERNOON, Q&A, THE VERDICT, RUNNING ON EMPTY, and BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD.  Cannot thank my guests enough for joining me and hope you enjoy the 2-hour talk, despite leaving out a film or two from his catalog you may personally wish we had brought up.  Don't worry, since it very well may come up for round two!  Finally, this episode was brought to you by Freshbooks!  Please visit http://www.GoFreshBooks.com/DirectorsClub to support the show and to try out an amazing program for small businesses to help you organize, create invoices and so much more!

00:00 - 7:56 - Introduction
7:57 - 9:57 - "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" Score / Intro With Brian & Al
9:58 - 11:00 -  Director Song
11:01 - 51:31 - First experiences, 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon
51:32 - 1:20:51 - Network, Prince Of The City, The Verdict
1:20:52 - 1:47:53 - Running On Empty, Q&A, Before The Devil Knows You're Dead
1:47:54 - 1:54:30 - Top 3 Lumet Films / Outro / "Prince of the City" Score

In about two weeks, my friend Kate Blair and I will FINALLY be tackling the career of Alfred Hitchcock for what will definitely be the first in a series of episodes on the legendary director.  Then I will be taking the rest of March off for my own personal spring break and to focus on getting more interviews lined up for both podcasts!  Please send any feedback to [email protected], Visit: nowplayingnetwork.net to support this show as well as the other wonderful shows on the network like Movie Madness and Vinyl Emergency.

I decided to put together a quick 90-minute episode here just as a bonus treat, in which you can hear some snippets of other audio endeavors from the past, but after about a half hour, you'll get to hear both myself and guest Nat Almirall review the latest horror sensation THE WITCH.  It's chock-full of spoilers so best see the movie first before hearing our take on what it all means.  An official episode of Director's Club will come next, followed by a new Pop Culture Club interview episode come the 2nd week of March!  Thanks as always for listening.

00:00 - 06:47 - "Letter From An Occupant" - New Pornographers, Introduction
06:48 - 20:04 - 2 WGN Radio Experiences
20:05 - 26:11 - Interview Excerpt From The LizyT Radio Show In Canada
26:12 - 26:42 - The Witch Score
26:43 - 1:25:13 - The Witch Review (SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS)
1:25:14 - 1:28:34 - Outro

Be sure to visit NowPlayingNetwork.net for updates on all the shows featured on the network, including Vinyl Emergency and the recently launched Movie Madness hosted by Erik Childress.  Be sure to check out Nick Digilio's Monday Morning Movie Reviews over at WGN Radio.  For the next episode in a week, returning champion Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com, will join me to dive into what will inevitably be the first chapter in discussing the work of the legendary Sidney Lumet!  Then only one episode will come out in March (since I'm taking a spring break of sorts), and that will be the long overdue Alfred Hitchcock extravaganza!  As always, send feedback and comments to: [email protected].  Thanks again for listening, subscribing, and rating the show on ITunes!  Also, please subscribe to Pop Culture Club below since it now has its own RSS feed: 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-culture-club/id1049380254

One of my dearest friends Collin Souter returns to the show to talk about one of his favorite filmmakers, George Miller.  He's a director that Collin has been singing the praises of since the very beginning, and since his latest and some might say his greatest film has received every accolade in the book, we figured it's a perfect time to discuss his entire filmography.  I have a lot of personal things to say about the brilliance of LORENZO'S OIL while we both feel that BABE: PIG IN THE CITY is right up there with the MAD MAX films.  

00:00 - 04:43 - Introduction
04:44 - 14:29 - Introduction With Collin
14:30 - 15:22 - George Miller Song
15:23 - 36:51 - 1st experience, Mad Max
36:52 - 37:21 -  Road Warrior Score Snippet
37:22 - 01:08:44 - Road Warrior, Twilight Zone, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
01:08:45 - 01:33:06 - The Witches Of Eastwick, Lorenzo's Oil
01:33:07 - 01:33:42 - "That'll Do" - Peter Gabriel
01:33:43 - 02:15:45 - Babe, Babe: Pig In The City, Happy Feet, Happy Feet 2
02:15:46 - 02:37:07 - Mad Max: Fury Road
02:37:08 - 02:45:00 - Top 3 George Miller Films / Outro  
(stay til the very end for an amusing little Easter Egg)

Be sure to visit NowPlayingNetwork.net for updates on all the shows featured on the network, including Vinyl Emergency and the recently launched Movie Madness hosted by Erik Childress.   For the next episode in about two weeks, returning champion Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com, will join me to dive into what will inevitably be the first chapter in discussing the work of the legendary Sidney Lumet!  Then only one episode will come out in March (since I'm taking a spring break of sorts), and that will be the long overdue Alfred Hitchcock extravaganza!  Send feedback to: [email protected].  Thanks again for listening, subscribing, and rating the show on ITunes!

RATE THE SHOW ON ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/directors-club/id414288912

For Episode 101, I figured it was time to finally tackle another big-name director that's been highly requested and anticipated.  The legendary and very influential Stanley Kubrick is discussed in epic proportions with a wonderful new addition to the Director's Club guest list.  Al Kwiatkowski joins me as we attempt to dissect nearly all of Kubrick's work, realizing that he had to skip over a couple of his films in the interest of time and for the inevitable sequel episode in a year or so.  Keep in mind that about five minutes into the 2001 discussion, something truly bizarre happened to the sound file that cannot be explained.  I left a snippet of it in there for you to hear for yourselves followed by the re-recorded conversation that happened a couple days later.  So without further ado, here is a truly special conversation for your listening pleasure.  

00:00 - 04:36 - Introduction
04:37 - 07:51 - Introduction With Al
07:52 - 08:52 - Stanley Kubrick Song
08:53 - 01:06:38 - 1st experience, Fear Desire, Killer's Kiss, Killing, Paths Of Glory
01:06:39 -01:39:13 -  Spartacus, Lolita, Dr. StrangeLove
01:39:14 - 01:39:47 - Eyes Wide Shut Score Snippet
01:39:48 - 02:46:22 - 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange
02:46:23 - 03:29:23 - (Very Briefly) Full Metal Jacket, Eyes Wide Shut
03:29:24 - 03:36:26 -  Our Top 3 Stanley Kubrick Films, Outro

In two weeks, the one and only George Miller, recently knighted by critics as one of the greatest action directors of all time, will be up for discussion alongside friend and film critic Collin Souter.  Until then, please please do send your emails and feedback to:  [email protected].  Leave a review on ITunes, tell your friends about the show.  Lots of great directors and episodes for 2016 to come!

ITUNES:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/directors-club/id414288912

LETTERBOXD:
http://letterboxd.com/instantjim/
http://letterboxd.com/cinemal/

WEBSITES:
http://directorsclubpodcast.com
http://nowplayingnetwork.net

Pop Culture Club is back again, here on the newly launched Now Playing Network!  I know I said this before, but this will be the last episode that is available through both the Director's Club feed, and the regular Pop Culture Club feed.  This time I mean it so please subscribe via ITunes to Pop Culture Club separately. 

So I once opened for a musician that instantly became a favorite of mine. Her name is Karrie Hopper, and most recently, her and her sister formed a band called The Room Outside.  They went on two tours, got a lot of positive press, and rightfully so.  Their self-titled debut was my favorite record of that year.  A conversation about Karrie's songwriting process and influences has been long overdue, and I'm so happy to share it with you now. Please do buy her two records linked below and support everything she does.  At the end of the interview, I play a song that has recently become one of my favorite songs ever written.  I play it in its entirety in hopes that it'll motivate you to buy the entire record, preferably on vinyl if you have a record player.  Thank you so much for listening, and all my gratitude goes out to Karrie for inspiring me for nearly a decade now.

Songs Featured:
"Busy Mind" - The Room Outside
"Tuesday" - Karrie Hopper
"Hollow Log" - Beck
"Twilight Song" - Karrie Hopper
"Heaven" - The Room Outside
"The Middle Of Nowhere" - The Room Outside
"On Fire" - The Room Outside (my favorite)

Buy The Room Outside:
http://keeledscales.storenvy.com/products/10203681-the-room-outside
https://theroomoutside.bandcamp.com/

Follow Them On Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/theroomoutside

Buy Karrie's First Record:
http://www.nobodysfavoriterecords.com/013.html