Flixwise Podcast

Lady P is joined by Carrie Specht and Anne Marie Kelly to talk about Martin Scorsese's 1976 feature TAXI DRIVER. TAXI DRIVER is tied for the 31st spot on the Sight and Sound Critics' Poll with another "Golden Age" cornerstone: Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER PT. II. Yes, two of the darkest entries in the 1970's cinema canon landed side-by-side on the "Greatest Films of All Time" list. A coincidence? Perhaps. But nevertheless, while one may forever be the loneliest number, 31 is now officially in the running for broodiest.

And speaking of Coppola, a few weeks ago, during an off-air conversation, Carrie casually mentioned that she thinks Francis Ford Coppola is the "greatest living American director." We felt this statement deserved greater unpacking, so this week we hit the record button and talked in detail about it means to be a "uniquely-American" filmmaker.  Then the panelists each offer up their picks for top auteur.

It's the rootinest tootinest hoedown in the west! Filmmaker and friend of the show, Caroline Golum, is on hand to tell us why she thinks Nicholas Ray's JOHNNY GUITAR should be included in the Flixwise Favorites List. She's gotta convince her fellow panelists, Lady P and Anne Marie Kelly, that Joan Crawford's turn as a reluctant gunslinger is more than just campy fodder for the midnight movie crowd.

JOHNNY GUITAR wasn't a great commercial or critical success upon its release, but the years have been kind to Nicholas Ray's alternative cowperson picture. Much has been written and said about its queer subtext and overt feminist themes. Our panel tackles these subjects and they deliberate over whether JOHNNY GUITAR is worthy of entry into the great movie canon.

On today's show, Anne Marie Kelly and Carrie Specht join Lady P to talk about the 31st feature on the Sight and Sound Critics Poll: Francis Ford Coppola's THE GODFATHER PT II. Regular listeners will recall that Lady P was less than totally ecstatic about the previous GODFATHER entry; and any criticism of THE GODFATHER series qualifies as heresy amongst some cinephiles--movie people have ways of taking care of heretics. Find out if Lady P's changed her tune for Part II, or if she'll soon find herself on a moonlit boating trip.

And since GODFATHER PT II is the only sequel on the Sight and Sound Poll, the panelists take the opportunity to talk about Hollywood's recent proliferation of series and franchises. Then they each list some their favorite movie sequels.

...It's a free radio show that you can download and listen to at your leisure (and all the producers ask in return is that you go and rate it at iTunes)...But that's not important right now! 

This July marks the 30th anniversary of the release of the Zucker Abrahams Zucker disaster parody AIRPLANE!. We know we're a little early to this party, but we feel it is never too soon to commemorate the great sacrifice of one Lt. George Zip (RIP!). And so we've decided to Striker while the iron is hot, and get one Oveur the competition.* 

Flixwise regulars, Martin Kessler and Gary Lampert, join host, Lady P, in reciting as many AIRPLANE! jokes as they can cram into a 40 minute time-span. And incidentally, they also attempt to determine if the film is worthy of inclusion in the Flixwise Favorite's List. Is Ethel Merman correct? Is everything indeed coming up roses? Or is AIRPLANE! as tasteless and gross as well... airplane food?

Calm down and get a hold of yourself! All you have to do is hit play to find out.

*Editors Note--I know it's terrible, but cut me some slack, Jack.

Lady P is joined by film historian Professor Joseph McBride to celebrate the centennial birthday of Orson Welles(1915-1985).

For some, Welles is known strictly as the man who wrote, directed, and starred in what many consider to be the greatest film ever made: CITIZEN KANE. Others have come into contact with Welles as a television personality with guest appearances on shows like I LOVE LUCY and THE DEAN MARTIN CELEBRITY ROASTS. However, while the popularity of his first feature film--and his public persona--may steal a lot of the spotlight, the truth is Welles had a long and fruitful film career that continued until the day he died.

Today's guest, Joseph McBride, in addition to being a renowned Welles scholar and author of three books on the director, also worked with Welles for six years as an actor on one of his independent projects, the still-unfinished feature: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND. Lady P talks with Joe about his experience being on the set, taking direction from Mr. Welles, and what viewers can expect when the film is eventually completed. They also talk about Welles' career as whole, and where THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND fits into his legacy.

Our Holocaust Remembrance continues, as we take a look at the 1989 documentary WEAPONS OF THE SPIRIT.

Last week, we talked about Claude Lanzmann's 1985 landmark film SHOAH: a film which chronicles, in great detail, the process by which the German Nazis went about planning and executing the horrors of the genocide of the European Jewry. This week's film looks at The Atrocity through a very different, but no less important lens.

WEAPONS OF THE SPIRIT focuses largely on the inhabitants of a small French village called Le Chambon-sur-Lignon. These inhabitants, while under Nazi occupation, made it their collective mission to shelter any Jew that came through their township. It is estimated that the citizens of the area of Le Chambon managed to save the lives of approximately 5,000 Jews.

For today's episode, Lady P is joined by WEAPONS' director, Pierre Sauvage, to talk about his approach to the subject. They discuss how he went about putting together this documentary, and his commitment to historical accuracy. And perhaps most importantly, they discuss why it is just as critical to remember the great acts of courage and heroism displayed under these harrowing circumstances as it is to remember the evils of the Holocaust. 

The evening of Wednesday April 15th, 2015 marks the start of Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day. In recognition of this occasion we thought it would be appropriate to discuss the 29th entry on the Sight and Sound List: Claude Lanzmann's 1985 film, SHOAH. On today's episode, Lady P is joined by her friend, Michael Adams, to talk about Lanzmann's 9 and a half hour documentary, which details the process by which Nazi Germany went about extinguishing the European Jewry. In the discussion they talk about Lanzmann's interview techniques, the way the film is structured, and why SHOAH remains one of the greatest testaments to the power of both journalistic and elegiac filmmaking.

On today's show, worlds have collided and humankind is doomed. It's the long-awaited Wrong Reel/Flixwise collaberation! James Hancock and Mikhail Karadimov, two-thirds of our favorite east coast podcasting team, are on hand to talk about the 29th Greatest Movie of All Time: Andrei Tarkovsky's STALKER aka The Jean Grey Origin Story.

And, speaking of X-Men, we will also be discussing the recent proliferation of Apocalyptic entertainment. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is just one of many contemporary examples of the surging post-civilization genre. The panel attempts to explain the appeal of watching humanity cast-off its societal restraints, and offers a few reasons why these End-of-the-World myths have become so prevalent in our current media landscape.

It's a cinematic tour through The City of Angels, and Lady P's at the wheel. Riding shotgun is film scholar, and Professor Emeritus from Indiana University, James Naremore. Together they're going to try to navigate the twists and turns of the 28th movie on the Sight and Sound Critics' Poll, David Lynch's MULHOLLAND DRIVE.

James wrote about Lynch's nightmare-ish take on the Hollywood fantasy in the most recent edition of his landmark book, More Than Night: Film Noir in Its Contexts. James revisits his analysis of the film, and talks about why he feels justified in calling MULHOLLAND DRIVE a "Neo-Noir".

Next up, they talk about a couple of films with a very different take on life in Los Angeles. James is currently writing a book on Charles Burnett. Burnett is an African American filmmaker, best known for his vérité-style depictions of everyday life in Watts--an impoverished neighborhood in South Central Los Angeles. James gives listeners a primer on Burnett's work. He covers everything from his earliest films (KILLER OF SHEEP), to his most recent short-form and documentary projects.

Finally, when the end comes--as it must to all podcasts--they finish off the episode with a preview of James' upcoming revision of his 1978 book, The Magic World of Orson Welles.

On today's show, it's two unconventional biopics about two unconventional artists. Lady P is joined by guests, Emma Guerard and Martin Kessler, to talk about the 27th Greatest Movie of all Time, Andrei Tarkovsky's ANDREI RUBLEV. This is the second Tarkovsky entry on the Sight and Sound Critics' Poll (We've talked about MIRROR in a previous episode). But is Tarkovsky worthy of two appearance in the top 30?

Next, the panel goes from Tatars to Turners, with Mike Leigh's 2014 feature film, MR. TURNER. 2014 saw an onslaught of biographical movies about troubled-geniuses (See: THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING and THE IMITATION GAME--Or better yet, don't). But MR. TURNER somehow manages to stand out above the fray. The panel talks about how Leigh was able to avoid all the tired "based on a true story" tropes, while still conveying what made JMW TURNER's work so extraordinary.