Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics

After reading Maura Spiegel's terrific new biography, Sidney Lumet: A Life, Dan invited her on the show to talk about her work. She, Mike, and Dan discuss Lumet's growing up in a world of theater and television, what his triumphs have in common, and some ideas about why too many viewers might take his talent for granted. Come spend a few minutes with us talking to a great biographer about the great director of The Verdict, Prince of the City, and Network--all covered in previous episodes. 

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 last few months, Dan has been trying to get Mike to watch two Cary Grant movies: Indiscreet (1958) and The Grass Is Greener (1960).  Dan couldn't wait any longer to share his enthusiasm, so he talks to Mike about these two films, both directed by Stanley Donen, as examples of lesser-known but still-worth-seeing Cary Grant performances.  And really--are there any Cary Grant performances not worth seeing?  Listen as they talk about two films in only a few minutes! 

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.  

Terrific bumper music by Jackson Frederick Smith

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

Dan and Mike are mad as hell that more people aren't talking about Network, Sidney Lumet's 1976 masterpiece. In their discussion of a film so perfect and prophetic, the guys discuss how we all live in the world that Network creates on our screens and that Howard Beale describes and decries. As Mike says, if you get the jokes of Network, you're acknowledging that all is lost. Dan tries a new method for selecting his favorite moment and Mike compares Howard Beale to the prophet Jeremiah. Our troubles run even deeper than TV, the internet, or social media. So throw open your window, lean out, and yell, "I'm a film fanatic and I'm not going to take it any more!"  

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.

Mike and Dan talk for five minutes about Charlie Chaplin's The Kid (1921).  What makes a film truly "family friendly?"  And how can economic principles about scarcity apply to the writing of a screenplay?  Give a listen and find out! 

Follow us on Twitter @15MinFilm, email us at [email protected], and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm.  

Incredible bumper music:  Ready for Summer by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-ready-for-summer​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/yiR-hhoV9TU

What's it like to be young and in love? Is love simply a literary convention? Mike and Dan discuss one of the most moving films they've tackled so far, Jacques Demy's The Umbrellas of Cherbourg--and certainly the only film so far that's wholly sung in French. Dan explains how the musical / opera form suits the story of young lovers pulled out of Eden, Mike notes a subtlety in the subtitles, and the two of them talk about the ending in terms of how it reflects and refutes the most famous ending in film history. So get that pitch pipe, sound the C, 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.

In this five-minute One Shot, Dan talks to Mike about Police Story (1985) and the ecstasy of Jackie Chan's fight scenes and stunts.  What makes Jackie Chan different from other action heroes?  Enjoy a five-minute listen! 

Follow us on Twitter @15MinFilm, email us at [email protected], and support the show with a buck or two at Venmo @FifteenMinuteFiIm.  

Incredible bumper music:  Ready for Summer by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-ready-for-summer​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/yiR-hhoV9TU

All of our Doomsday scrolling in quarantine has naturally led the guys to the greatest (and funniest) of all Doomsday films, Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). The guys talk about the film's unmatchable performances (including whether or not Sterling Hayden is the Greatest Actor of All Time or a Guy Who Had No Idea a Film Was Being Made), The Honeymooners, The Big Lebowski, The Life of Brian, Finnegans Wake, and Infinite Jest.  So grab yourself a cocktail of rainwater and grain alcohol, forget about recalling Wing Plan R, 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.

A new feature of the show, One Shots are quick, five-minute discussions of films that Mike or Dan have seen or recently rewatched but that, for whatever reason, won't get the full fifteen-minute treatment.  On this first One Shot, Mike talks about seeing Rob Reiner's A Few Good Men (1992) for the first time in years.  What holds up?  What doesn't?  Have a listen--it's only five minutes.  

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.  

Bumper music:  Ready for Summer by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031​ Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-ready-for-summer​ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/yiR-hhoV9TU

Mike and Dan are joined by Glenn Kenny, who talks about his new book, Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas.  After explaining the genesis of the book, Glenn jumps into the 15 Minute Film Fanatics formation, discussing his overall impressions of the film, one of his favorite moments, and what he thinks of the ending. Along the way, they also discuss the film's initial test audiences, how the film portrays a closed "in or out" world of violence and sadism, and the viewer's relationship with Henry Hill. So stop making the meatballs, hide from that helicopter, and join us for an extended episode about a film that's universally admired and quoted.  

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.

Mike and Dan take off to Venice to discuss Nicholas Roeg's 1973 thriller Don't Look Now.  They talk about how the film reflects many people's conflicted approach to the supernatural and how watching a movie is like having second sight: the movie lets the viewer act like a psychic for a few moments at a time. They praise the film as one that's every bit as good as its surprise ending and, along the way, bring in 2001, The Sixth Sense, The Wicker Man, The Godfather, Macbeth--and even Animal House.  So get off that scaffold, stop chasing that red raincoat, 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.