Film Optimists

We are joined once again by artist and author Adam Melster of ACM Designs to discuss Jurassic Park directed by Steven Spielberg. There is a strong case to be made that Jurassic Park is the perfect blockbuster. It's at times frightening and at times funny. It discusses important and interesting ethical questions. It does this while remaining family-friendly and well paced. The special effects are outstanding, the music is perfect, and, in case you didn't know, there's dinosaurs. The cast is led by Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, and Samuel L. Jackson.

In addition to discussing the film, Adam chats with us about his latest graphic novel entitled "Shitty Wizard". Adam has described the book as, "an amusing, fantastical, and illustrative comic tale explaining why Shitty Wizard is so shitty.”

We covered blockbusters and Hollywood classics in the last couple of episodes, so it's time for another hidden gem. Gems don't get much more hidden than Hundreds of Beavers. Hundreds of Beavers is an indie film, shot in black and white, with nearly no dialog. Sound serious? It's not. It's a ridiculous slapstick comedy that hearkens back to silent comedies like those made by Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin. It's more than a mere homage to silent comedies though. Adding some modern influences, and their own unique sensibilities, filmmakers Mike Cheslik and Ryland Tews made a hilarious film truly unlike anything you've ever seen before. Made on a shoestring budget and self distributed, the film managed to be both a critical and commercial success, ending up on many critics high-praise lists.

We're back revisiting the director that started it all for the pod, Peter Weir, and a film that attuned listeners have heard before: The Truman Show. A stylistic favorite for Megan and Seth, the 1998 cult classic stars Jim Carrey in a career-defining dramatic role. We unpack the film’s eerie foresight into reality TV, surveillance culture, and the blurred line between authenticity and performance.

We're back revisiting the director that started it all for the pod, Peter Weir, and a film that attuned listeners have heard before: The Truman Show. A stylistic favorite for Megan and Seth, the 1998 cult classic stars Jim Carrey in a career-defining dramatic role. We unpack the film’s eerie foresight into reality TV, surveillance culture, and the blurred line between authenticity and performance.

We're joined by friend and film buff Jeremy Blandin to discuss the historical war drama, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. The film stars Russell Crowe as the captain of a Royal Navy brigade that quickly becomes ensnared in a game of cat and mouse with an enemy vessel during the Napoleonic Wars. The stakes are high but the humanity is surprisingly present.

The film is one of the last directed by one our favorite directors, Peter Weir. The incredible sets, sound design, costumes, and more make Master and Commander feel in many ways more authentic than some of its contemporaries. As the late film critic Roger Ebert said in his review of the film, "It achieves the epic without losing sight of the human."

We've talked Star Wars so we are now contractually obligated to talk Star Trek. Who better to join us than our friend and Sci Fi aficionado Riley Gerberick. With 14 films from 5 decades to choose from, Riley selected Star Trek: Nemesis. Riley makes the case that Nemesis is not only an severely underrated movie, but that it is drastically better than another beloved film in the franchise. Which one? Listen to find out!

We've talked Star Wars so we are now contractually obligated to talk Star Trek. Who better to join us than our friend and Sci Fi aficionado Riley Gerberick. With 14 films from 5 decades to choose from, Riley selected Star Trek: Nemesis. Riley makes the case that Nemesis is not only an severely underrated movie, but that it is drastically better than another beloved film in the franchise. Which one? Listen to find out!

We've talked Star Wars so we are now contractually obligated to talk Star Trek. Who better to join us than our friend and Sci Fi aficionado Riley Gerberick. With 14 films from 5 decades to choose from, Riley selected Star Trek: Nemesis. Riley makes the case that Nemesis is not only an severely underrated movie, but that it is drastically better than another beloved film in the franchise. Which one? Listen to find out!

Our good friend Allie Felker joins us to discuss one of the most popular movies of all time: Star Wars! The original film was released in 1977, and the world has never been the same ever since. Everyone knows the film was written and directed by George Lucas, but who are some the unsung heroes that made Star Wars so successful? How political is Star Wars and how has our perspective of that changed since its release? Why did Lucas keep re-editing the movie to make it look worse? Hear us discuss all this and more!

On a more somber note, it is increasingly difficult not to feel helpless in this global spread of fascism. However, there are ways we can still help those less fortunate. Allie has adopted a family in Gaza whose home was destroyed. The family is raising funds to leave Gaza and try secure a future. We ask that you please Click & Donate what you can.

We're joined by special guest Muir Mulholland to discuss The Ballad of Buster Scruggs by two legendary filmmakers, the Coen Brothers. The film is a western anthology featuring 6 vignettes. The film is unlike anything the Coen Brothers have done before, yet it also feels like a culmination of everything they've accomplished in their decades long career. The cast includes Time Blake Nelson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan, Liam Neeson and many more.