Film Trace

Welcome back Snyder? The last five years have been a rollercoaster for Zach Snyder. Batman vs Superman imploded within days of opening in 2016. The next year Snyder left Justice League due to a family tragedy, and the Frankenstein'd cut of that film almost killed the DCEU when it was released in 2017. Then Snyder went dark. In the meantime, the Snyder fan army rose up to defend his DC abominations and Warner Bros needed to prop up HBO Max. Enter the infamous Snyder cut of Justice League, which seemed to reverse Snyder's fall. But hold on, here we have a two and half hour sophomoric heist romp through a zombie-infested Las Vegas.  Does Snyder still make the cut?

Join us as we trace the life of Army of the Dead from conception (failed Dawn of Dead followup) to production (ebay vintage broken lenses) to release (Netflix shiny object) to reception (widely watched, narrowly loved)

Shane Black was the wunderkind and whipping boy of screenwriting in the 1980s and 90s. His instant massive influence was only surpassed by his sudden fated fall. The scriptwriting maestro ran for the hills when his fame and wealth became a target-rich environment for snippy critics and jealous peers. His guardian angel, producer Joel Silver, let Shane direct his script Kiss Kiss Bang Bang in 2005, and this helped the stars align for 2016's The Nice Guys, a slick nostalgic noir featuring the comedy duo Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. None of this works on paper, but on the screen it shines bright and helped bring Shane Black back into the good graces of the backstabbing Hollywood elites.

Special Guest: Gary Horne from the fantastic Cinema Shock Podcast

Join us as we trace the life of The Nice Guys from conception (modern-day detective tv show for CBS) to production (Crowe going method as fat man) to release (snoozy summer release) to reception (muted in theaters, elevated on home video)

The domestic thriller makes a futile and flaccid comeback with this Casey Affleck helmed stalker gawker. In what amounts to a really expensive Lifetime movie, Every Breath You Take is a paint-by-numbers melodrama that forgot how to count. Chris tries to find some faint glimmer of a silver lining in this borefest, and Dan spends most of the episode beating it like a pinata to see what pretentious claptrap pours out. This episode of Film Trace is at least five times as riveting as the movie. 

Join us as we trace the life of Every Breath You Take from conception (a script by the Third Man) to production (filmed in a West Elm catalog) to release (acquired a month before release) to reception (crash and burn)

We take the deep trip with Darren Aronofsky on his grief tour of conquistadors, neuroscience, and bubble spaceships. The Fountain is crazy. What started out as a 100 million Warner Bros production, got downsized to a 35 million love letter to Rachel Weisz after Brad Pitt walked away from the production only weeks before shooting. Aronofsky refused to give up on his time-hopping quest for eternal life. The Fountain is what happens when an all-star, who just hits two home runs, gets cocky, millions of more dollars, and enough hubris to sink a battleship. It is a glorious mess.

Special Guest: Ryan Hendricks, a movie industry veteran, long time friend, and film aficionado

Join us as we trace the life of The Fountain from conception (Brad Pitt cold feet) to production (budget cut by 60%) to release (C- Cinemascore) to reception (pseudo cult hit)

The Russo Brothers set fire to their MCU millions with a bombastic and experimental drug drama starring Spiderman himself, Tom Holland. Based on a gonzo novel, Cherry is a deep trip to the dystopia of Cleveland, Ohio. Holland gladly grins his way through this strung-out odyssey of suburban malaise and mania. Love leads to heartbreak to Iraq to heroin to bank robbery to prison. The Russo brothers shove the plot through a kaleidoscope of tone and out pops a shattered confection of mental illness and drug addiction.

Join us as we trace the life of Cherry from conception (autofiction NY Times bestseller) to production (budget cut from 100 million to 40 million) to release (the final pandemic release?) to reception (critical pariah) 

Before Nolan became a film bro deity, he made a little neo-noir film about a guy who can't remember anything. Well, as Nolan would say, it's a lot more complicated than that. Memento is a milestone for many reasons. It kickstarted Nolan's career. It is one of the best noir films made outside the golden age. Memento was also a huge triumph for indie filmmaking. Shot for under 5 million and produced for under 10 million in total by a complete nobody, Memento sat next to Fight Club in every 20-something male's dvd collection. 

Our resident Nolan critic, Molly, joins us to dissect a film that hit us hard as young adults. But does it still pack the same punch?

Join us as we trace the life of Memento from conception (road trip storytime) to production (The Valley in Cinescope) to release (minor success) to reception (critical hit becomes frat hall cult film)

Getaway to never never land with two 40-something Middle America chatty uppers called Barb and Star. Their final destination is the sunny and surreal Vista Del Mar somewhere on the gulf coast of Florida. We haven't seen an absurdist comedy like this in many moons with only a faint lineage traced to Hot Rod (2007) and a smidge of Austin Powers (1997). Otherwise, this movie is an exercise and experiment in a decades-long inside joke between two improv stars: Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo. Toss in documentary filmmaker Josh Greenbaum and you get this bizarre beach romp.

Join us as we trace the life of Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar from conception (Bridesmaids outtakes) to production (heatstroke Caribbean) to release (PVOD or bust) and reception (instant cult hit).

Mann is born. James Caan cruises through the black mirror of Chicago's rain-soaked streets in Micheal Mann's masterful film debut, Thief. This 1980s neo-noir is a rote one-more-caper film at its root, but its eccentric flourishes grow into bountiful and rich foliage: the ethereal soundtrack from Tangerine Dream, the searing ambition of Caan, and the corrupted spine of Chicago itself. Way behind the genre films of the time, Thief remains a riveting, ambitious, and wonderful film.

Special Guest: Mike Field of the fantastic Forgotten Cinema podcast.

Join us as we trace the life of Thief from conception (Mann cold selling) to production (18 hour days stalking Chicago) to release (muted and forgotten) and reception (Letterboxd catnip). 

Take a walk on the trite side with this 1990s LA Boir period-piece new to HBO Max, The Little Things. This bromidic concoction comes from the Hollywood journeyman John Lee Hancock who is responsible for The Blind Side and more recently the Netflix AARP hit The Highwaymen. Denzel Washington plays the haunted lead detective opposite Rami Maleck and walking freakshow Jared Leto plays the heavy in this inconspicuous crime thriller. How did a script written in 1993 with Steven Spielberg attached end up getting dumped to a streaming service in 2021? Listen and find out!

Join us as we trace the life of The Little Things from conception (script hot potato) to production (Denzel has nothing better to do) to release (hanging up on Warner Bros) and reception (no one loves it but most people watch it).

Plumbing the depths of our virile past, we uncover the distinct and indecipherable artifact of Swingers, a 90s hipster flick that Gen X refuses to disavow. Before Youtube and TikTok, the aimless youth took to indie filmmaking to express their angst, opinion, and sociopathy. Using discarded film and refuse from his own life, Jon Favreau joined forces with Doug Liman and Vince Vaughn to spawn this down and out EL Lay hangout movie that mysteriously led to a swing music revival. The past ain't dead, but it certainly doesn't age well.

Joining us this week to dissect this 1996 bromedy are repeat guests Mark and Brigitte from the Screen Time: A Quarantine Podcast

Join us as we trace the life of Swingers from conception (Dad got you Final Draft) to production (what's a release form?) to release (only LA people got it) and reception (massive home video hit).