Film School

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. By pretty much every significant measure, this film is the most popular movie ever made. That's an interesting distinction, given that it's an epic romanticizing the fall of the Antebellum South. Vivian Leigh is the iconic Scarlett O'Hara, and Clarke Gable plays the forever-spurned Rhett Butler in an unhappy love story. And the Civil War threatens to destroy everything. But . . . how much do we really need to romanticize the Slavery South? What place does this film hold in history, and what place does it hold today? We discuss!

You need a MacGuffin! You've probably heard that before, or at least the term. "MacGuffin." It's such a silly-sounding word. But what exactly IS a MacGuffin? And why do you need one on your story? Josh and Ira break it down for you.

Big things have small beginnings. Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif suit up for the roles of a lifetime in, arguably, the most epic of the epic era. Lawrence of Arabia still might have the most impressive cinematography ever put to film, but how does the story hold up? The performances? We discuss it all this week!

Hideaki Anno has been making Evangelion for 26 years. 2021 saw the release of the final (?) film in his theatrical film re-make of the 1995 TV series. Ira . . . has become a bit obsessed with the series and subsequent films, but IS it good? Or, is there somewhere between bad and good, or maybe even outside of those two things when it comes to ART? And OBSESSION? The recommendations took over this week, but the topic was too good to pass up diving into.

Art is messy.

The list is life. All around its margins lies the gulf.

Unquestionably, it's Spielberg's most "grown-up" film. Even more than Saving Private Ryan--which is also very grown-up--this film is about something incredibly, deeply important: we can never forget the holocaust. It's the job of "witness" or films to be difficult to watch, and this one is no exception. But, so often in witness films, the message supersedes the narrative. Does Spielberg manage to avoid that? We discuss!

How do you grab your audience? And then once you've got their attention, how do you KEEP it? Josh and Ira discuss how they keep in mind their audience's attention-span, and the tools, tips, and tricks they use to make sure they're along for the entire ride.

Also, Josh recommends The Toys That Made Us on Netflix, and Ira recommends Ted Lasso on AppleTV+, and Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount+.

Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere . . .

Hitch and Jimmy Stew are back together again with a tale of murder, mind-f*ckery, love, and obsession. All pretty much standard golden-era Hitchcock fare, but critics seem convinced that he puts it all together in some particularly spectacular ways that pushed the boundaries not only for Hitch, but cinema in general. We give it a watch!

We ask these questions to do our weekly film breakdowns, so it seemed like a good idea to list them out and explain what each question means and is getting at. So, here you go (courtesy of storygrid.com):

1. What is the beginning hook, middle build, and ending payoff?

2. What is the Global Genre?

3. What are the Conventions and Obligatory Scenes of the Global Genre?

4. What is the POV? (and Is there a Narrative Device?)

5. What is/are the Object(s) of Desire?

6. What is the Controlling Theme/Idea?

Also, Josh recommends AEW Wrestling, and Ira recommends the Evangelion feature film remakes, which are currently on Netflix.

We're off the see the wizard!

THE color movie. When we think of movies transitioning from black & white to color, we think of this film. We also think of the music, Judy Garland, the yellow-brick road, the wicked witch, flying monkeys, men behind curtains, Scarecrow, Tin-Man, and the Cowardly Lion. In a nutshell--this movie is an indelible part of everyone's childhood, which is kind of wild considering how OLD it is. So, what's made it endure for so long? We discuss!

We do our best work when we're having a good time. When we're enjoying ourselves, the words just roll from the pen or keyboard. But, how do you find the fun when the storytelling is hard? How do we keep creating good stuff when the work--or life--is a slog?

Also, Josh recommends the Steve Austin: The Broken Skull Sessions on Peacock, and Ira recommends We Bare Bears, on HBO Max.