Interzone Asylum Podcast

Though it has been a month since the news, the passing of David Lynch, one of American cinema's defining auteurs, is still felt and will continue to be so for a long time. Jake and Breton reunite to give a general, meandering discussion on what Lynch has meant to them and film in general, discussing their own experiences, specific films, comparions to other filmmakers, and his legacy.

After a long hiatus, Jake and a new guest Mike Douglas discuss 3 loosely connected 1990s films from Oliver Stone: The Doors (1991), JFK (1991), & Nixon (1995). Though not officially linked, these divisive films are among the director's greatest films, showcasing Stone's daring stylistics, play with historical narratives, and are thematically linked through the ideas of death, legacy, and the fall of 1960s ideals.

Time Stamps (long discussion):

00:05 - Introduction, general thoughts on Oliver Stone's filmography and place in American film

09:31 - Discussion of The Doors (1991), Stone's biopic of Jim Morrison (Val Kilmer), death-obsessed poet and frontman of iconic 60s rock band, The Doors

01:16:28 - Discussion of JFK (1991), a fictionalized retelling of New Orleans DA Jim Garrison (Kevin Costner) and his investigations into the murky, labyrinthine conspiracy behind the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which also acts as Stone's "counter-myth" to the narrative of the Warren Commission

02:32:45 - Discussion of Nixon (1995), Stone's grand, multi-faceted, Shakesperean biopic of fatally flawed 37th US President Richard Nixon (Anthony Hopkins)

After almost a year, Jake and Breton return to tackle a film related topic from a different angle, discussing amateur internet film critics' commentary on the Star Wars prequels, from the rabid, nitpicking hate of Redlettermedia to the apologetics of Rick Worley and Style Is Substance, and hopefully finding a middle ground in the process.

Jake and Breton tackle the discography of one of the most acclaimed, yet niche, bands in rock music history, the Velvet Underground. In particular, the focus is on their legendary debut with the iconic (now cliche) Andy Warhol banana cover, The Velvet Underground & Nico, and their 2nd record, the trailblazing, original noise rock White Light/White Heat, with shorter overviews of the band's final 2 records with the original members, the self-titled album and Loaded. Also, don't mind the changed opening, now bits of Sister Ray have replaced the usual.

Jake is joined by old guest Breton Campbell to discuss 3 films that form a trilogy of influence building on each other, beginning with Michelangelo Antonioni's Blowup (1966), succeeded by Francis Ford Coppola with The Conversation (1974) and ending with Brian De Palma's Blow Out (1981).

Jake, and his guest for this occasion David Scrieciu, discuss all 3 films of the Three Colors Trilogy, the great mid 1990s European art film trilogy from the late great Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieslowski.

The original trio of this podcast, Jake, Sam & Phil reform to discuss the first 2 Terminator films, the only ones directed by James Cameron and the only ones in the whole franchise that actually matter.

Another new guest, Koyuki, joins Jake to discuss two decade defining works of popular horror from James Wan, "Saw" (2004) and "The Conjuring" (2013). Do they hold up? What was it about them that resonated so much in their particular time? Is there a real evolution in the craft and concerns of James Wan himself? Also, for those who know what the phrase "wan" means, you can maybe guess some of the tone and criticism of this episode from the title.

Phil returns after months to talk with Jake about 6 episodes of the growingly popular Community sitcom, divided by discussions of 3 popular episodes and 3 least popular episodes. 2 seasons are not represented, which you can guess is the reason for the title. This episode will lean more on the positive, and even the negative doesn't get us so rallied up.

Episodes discussed:

Jake and his new guest Nate, in what will be a 2-parter, tackles the film adaptations of Stephen King's It, beginning with the 1990 TV miniseries starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Also, a different opening for this episode. If you've seen the miniseries, you can maybe guess what it is.