Michelle & Jeremy Draw a Map to the Stars

April 30, 1982. At 40 years old, Kirsten Dunst has managed thus far a storied 37 year long career in front of the camera. From Mary Jane Watson to Marie Antoinette, the Dunst Cinematic Universe boasts no shortage of beautiful, strong and beyond mythic female archetypes portrayed by the acclaimed actress. Lending a tenderness and self-awareness to every role, Dunst is one of our finest film stars whose long list of directorial collaborations brings its own kind of reverence.Particularly with f...

November 27, 1951. Kathryn Bigelow’s storied career has taken her from cult vampire fare (“Near Dark”) and heady sci-fi commercial failures (“Strange Days”) to Oscar-winning war dramas that blend explosive real-life events with explorations into the confounding psyches of individuals in conflict (“The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty”). Having come up in the 70s through the Whitney Museum in New York, her conceptual art and film school beginnings (taught by no less than Andrew Sarris and Su...

September 3, 1969. According to Noah Baumbach (our first Sun in Virgo!), the writer-director doesn't make autobiographical films, but personal ones. His specific brand of pathos typically addresses the neurotic dysfunction of familial and romantic relationships, both torn apart and shoddily sewn back together through enduring love and common understanding. On this episode, Michelle and Jeremy discuss Baumbach’s mid-2000s breakthrough hit "The Squid and the Whale" and his most recent Oscar-win...

January 17, 1952. A highly influential vanguard in electronic music, Ryuichi Sakamoto's prolific career spans across film, commercials, video games, even the 1992 Summer Olympics. First finding international acclaim in the late ‘70s with Yellow Magic Orchestra, Sakamoto continues to pioneer new sounds in his tireless work as a solo artist and composer. Sakamoto’s academic background in composition coupled with his initial studies in ethnomusicology emphasizes his astrological chart's leading ...

January 8, 1947. Major Tom. Aladdin Sane. Ziggy Stardust. Thomas Newton. Nikola Tesla. Goblin King Jareth! Needing no introduction, David Bowie was known for his chameleonic transformations into many personas for the stage and screen. His fascinating character work spans decades of acclaimed albums, along with starring roles in both independent and Hollywood filmfare. In this episode, Michelle and Jeremy dissect Bowie’s first major film role as a thirsty alien in Nicolas Roeg’s sci-fi freaker...

November 21, 1965. Björk Guðmundsdóttir calls the ocean her mother, "life, death and sex" her three obsessions, and Georges Bataille's "Story of the Eye," a story all about teenage lovers engaging in increasingly perverse sexual exploits, her favourite book. Known to the world wide as Björk, her storied career spans across award-winning films, genre-defying music, environmental activism, and critical education development for her home of Iceland. On this episode, Michelle and Jeremy not only ...

After the well-documented chaos behind the productions of "Badlands" and "Days of Heaven," including on-set mutiny, crew turnover, near deadly fires, and a one punch KO from the man himself, Terrence Malick became something of a Hollywood bigfoot disappearing from the filmmaking industry. Whether he became disenfranchised with the shifting landscape of the 80s, as more and more genre-heavy franchises took fiscal priority over auteur-driven cinema for the major studios, or he simply fell in lo...

November 30, 1943. Emerging in the New Hollywood era, though straying quite far from the likes of the Brat Pack, Terrence Malick begun his cinematic career in 1973 with the vivid, tragic and strikingly beautiful debut "Badlands." Before working in film, Malick was deep in academia - studying abroad, teaching Philosophy at MIT and translating Martin Heidegger essays - only to settle in Hollywood of all places to reach his creative peak. From Heidegger to the human condition, film became Malick...

June 23, 1927. Bob Fosse was a once-in-a-generation visionary in the world of theatre, dance and, of course, film. After nearly sweeping the 1973 Oscars with his kinetic, disorienting depiction of 1931 Berlin in "Cabaret," Fosse’s filmography has gone mostly overlooked in modern takes on the New Hollywood era. With that, we’re so excited to discuss two of our favourite Fosse’s - 1972’s "Cabaret" and 1979’s "All That Jazz" - in relation to his astrological chart.Fosse's chart action surrounds ...

December 7, 1978. As one of the most masterful writer-directors to break out of American independent cinema in the last decade, Jeff Nichols adapts genre filmmaking for arthouse audiences. On the Season 2 debut, Michelle & Jeremy discuss two efforts from his small yet substantial filmography, 2011's "Take Shelter" and 2016's "Loving," as their humanist tales of familial strife and iron-willed fathers overcoming tragedies beyond their control, point right back to Nichols' fire-dominant Sag...