Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics

"Relentlessly joyful" is one of Mike and Dan's many attempts to articulate the feel and experience of watching The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's epic time-sweeping story about a good man caught in a changing world. In this longer-than-usual episode, the conversation touches upon what's removed from the film, the importance of what remains, and how this indisputable masterpiece provokes not a single eye-roll as it inspires us to be morally courageous. When's the last time a film did that for you? Remember, the war starts at midnight, so start listening as soon as you can! 

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at [email protected]. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Every family has an Uncle Charlie--perhaps not a sociopathic serial killer who preys on widows, but close. Mike and Dan talk about Joseph Cotten's terrific performance in Hitchcock's 1943 Shadow of a Doubt and how his performance--along with the overacting of the rest of the cast--raises the issue of the ways in which family life is one sustained performance. They discuss the charm of the film lying in its not being Hitchcock's best, regardless of his calling it his favorite--a Saturday Afternoon Hitchcock as opposed to a Friday Nighter. No Country for Old Men, Psycho, Fargo, Blue Velvet, and Hemingway's story "The Killers" all come up in conversation. So knock over that glass, cut up the newspaper and hum the Merry Widow Waltz as you give it a listen!  

No widows were harmed during the making of this podcast.  

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at [email protected]. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

What are some of the most shocking moments you've seen in a film? Few are as shocking as those in Black Narcissus, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1947 example of absolute control as an artistic method and theme. After being dumbstruck by The Red Shoes, the guys had to come back for more. Listen to Mike and Dan talk about how, like The Red Shoes, the film offers alternatives without endorsing either one. Is the meaning of life found in worldliness--or abstinence? The Shining, The Turn of the Screw, The Wicker Man, and Hereditary all come into the conversation. So put on your red dress and lipstick and give it a listen!  

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at [email protected]. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Amazon recently announced it would offer a new series based on The Lord of the Rings and other works by J.R.R. Tolkien: The Rings of Power.  Dan mentions it to Mike, who winds up and offers a Master Class on what's wrong with the world.  

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm and Letterboxd @15MinFilm.  You can also contact us at [email protected], and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm.  All proceeds go right back to the show!

Opening clip courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. 

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

URL: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jackson_F_Smith/Jackson_Frederick_Smith/Cantina_Rag

What's the most shocking Pixar film? Mike argues that it's Wall-E and Dan doesn't disagree. After talking about how the film, like its title character, doesn't really fit in anywhere, the guys talk about what makes Wall-E so compelling and get into a debate about whether or not the film could--or should--sustain the silence of its first half.  Rear Window, 2001, and even Logan's Run all come into the discussion. So turn off Hello, Dolly! and turn on our episode on this strange and perfect film.  

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at [email protected]. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Everyone--even you, dear listener--can name a film that they've read about, heard about, and meant to see--but never got around to seeing. Such is the case with The Red Shoes, Powell and Pressburger's 1948 film about the triumphs and demands of following one's passion. What a movie! Mike and Dan talk about their first reactions and then get into a discussion of how the film depicts the process of artistic creation without falling into the common trap of never showing us the product. The film suggests different ways to approach one's talent, such as sacrificing everything to it or using one's experiences to fuel it. Scorsese, De Niro, Sinatra, Whiplash, and even Phil Jackson come up in the conversation. So tap that baton and begin from the top!  

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at [email protected]. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

"What's the point of doing anything worthwhile if there's nobody watching?" So asks Suzanne Stone, the seductive embodiment of television in To Die For, Gus Van Sant's 1995 satire of celebrity culture and those who would do anything to reach the paradise of being on TV--or have a million followers on Instagram. In the Season 7 premiere, Mike and Dan talk about how well Nicole Kidman plays dumb--something rarely done well in movies--and how the film's oddest scene is one of genuine emotion. Sunset Blvd., The King of Comedy, and, of course, Network all enter the conversation. So stop watching Teens Speak Out and give this a listen!

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at [email protected]. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

For the season 6 finale, Mike and Dan talk about Die Hard, the 1988 action movie that set the template for all action movies afterwards to follow. They don't debate whether or not it's a Christmas movie--it is--but instead talk about the film as a time machine, why Hans Gruber is such a great villain, and why John McClane has to bleed. Welcome to the party, pal!  

Please subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and follow us on YouTube, Twitter and Letterboxd. Please rate and review the show on Apple podcasts and contact us at [email protected]. Incredible bumper music by John Deley.

Not even his passing last year could keep Sean Connery away from the Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics studios.  Listen to this unbelievable interview in which the immortal actor talks about the James Bond franchise, his Christmas traditions, and the making of The Man Who Would Be King.  A Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics exclusive!  

Music clips: Wake & District Pipes and Drums from Raleigh, NC play Dr. Alan Armstrong's arrangement of "The Little Drummer Boy" for a Christmas tree lighting parade in Clayton, NC.

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm.  You can also contact us at [email protected]. 

When Dan learned of Martin Scorsese's planed biopic starring Jonah Hill as Jerry Garcia, he had a near-meltdown, which Mike captured on audio for your listening pleasure. 

Please follow or subscribe to the show wherever you get your podcasts and on Twitter @15MinFilm.  You can also contact us at [email protected], and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm.  All proceeds go right back to the show!

Opening clip courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter. 

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith.

URL: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Jackson_F_Smith/Jackson_Frederick_Smith/Cantina_Rag