MOVIES! The Podcast

Taking Chance is not a normal movie. With hardly any dialog or conflict to speak of, it plays more like a documentary and less like a film that would be a hit on MOVIES! The Podcast. So, why did Naomi and Jesse enjoy it so very much? Perhaps it’s that the film is singularly consumed with big ideas to the point that it doesn’t need a plot. Naomi comes equipped with questions of her own that will help writers focus their big ideas as they write scripts. Once they’ve finished gushing about the film, Jesse pitches Burial and then pitches Kevin & Kevin In The Other Dimension & The Other Dimension. That’s right! It’s two pitches for the price of none! And, brother, that ain’t hay!

Delivery Man isn’t the heaviest film to ever have been made. While the premise is strong, with a high-concept hook (a guy discovers he has 500 children), the film feels much squishier than it should. Naomi and Jesse discuss why it fell short of the mark promised by the logline. Then, Naomi helps break down not just how to avoid this type of screenwriting mistake but also brings MOVIES! up to code on how to best think about the concept of high-concept. After that, Jesse pitches Fix Him Upper which may be the best first act he’s pitched. Can he keep that pace throughout the second and third acts? Not in the least! But, that’s why we put these ideas on the table. So they can be improved!

For all the lip-service Jesse pays to not loving National Treasure, he sure does talk about it a lot on the show. While it might not blow the hinges off of filmmaking or reinvent the wheel, it certainly is a reliable study in structure, execution and delivering on “the promise of the premise”, as Blake Snyder would say. Naomi agrees and then it’s off to Recommendation Station!

You can’t talk adaptations without talking the Charlie Kaufmann/Spike Jonze classic Adaptation. So, talk Adaptation Naomi and Jesse do! Amazingly, the same Spike Jonze that tore their amicable relationship asunder with Her brings them closer than ever with this meta-textual masterpiece. When it comes to questions, Naomi wonders if the film is too inside-baseball to be enjoyed by folks outside of the industry. Jesse, on the other hand, isn’t convinced that everyone is convinced that the third act works. What do YOU think? Is Adaptation the green-light we’ve all been hoping for? Or, should it have stayed on the page and off the stage?

After that, co-host and side-kick turn their attention to a question that every screenwriter should be asking before writing a script. Specifically, “what questions should screenwriters be be asking before writing a script?” Naomi brings an answer that invites many follow-up questions. Jesse just steals his answer from the always-brilliant Hilliard Guess, who hosts the also-always-brilliant Screenwriter’s Rant Room (https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/screenwriters-rant-room-2).

Here’s the episode of Get A Life that Jesse was talking about (you’re welcome): https://youtu.be/5d7eBo_7i8I

Need help finding your footing in LA? Naomi recommends you check out this webpage (you’re actually welcome)! https://www.greenhouseproductions.com/

The bloom is off the rose for Joel and Clem, just in time for it to blossom again. Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry tackle some of the most complicated life questions in this dizzying tale of dreams, love, dreams, memories, dreams, loss, dreams and hope. The bloom is off the rose. Wait. That already happened. Or did it? Or, was the second time it happened actually the first. Enjoy!

It is established canon in MOVIES! The Cinematic Universe that Naomi likes Brooding Bundles of Hotness. Unfortunately for Interview With The Vampire, it is also established canon that she likes plot… and conflict… and goals… and challenges… and resolution. Does Jesse come down as hard on the Brad Pitt / Tom Cruise / Antonio Banderas Vampire classic? Spoiler Alert: No. Jesse loved it, warts and all. After discussing what works and what doesn’t, Jesse pitches LifeBlood, a high concept piece of genre KABOOM. After that, it’s on to Something… Anything Else, where a champion is crowned. Today’s episode is brought to you by: Ruffled Blouses.

THE DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES ARE OVER ON THIS SHOW! And, we have Spike Jonze to thank. His film Her creates a schism between Jesse and Naomi with one of them not hating it and the other hating it so much that not hating it is almost a crime against humanity. That doesn’t mean that they disagree on every aspect of the film. What did they both enjoy? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out! After that, the two discuss the short film Train Pulling Into The Station. Is the Lumiere brothers classic one that you should “train” your eyes on? Or, should you get off at the next stop?

We. Love. Movies. We love movies so much that when we had to choose between recording more episodes of MOVIES! The Podcast each week or talking about fewer movies than we’d like to, we went with recording more episodes. Not only will these episodes be shorter than our main episodes but we’ll only be watching things that are on Netflix at the time of the episode’s release. We want to make it easy for you to join in the conversation!

Monday, November 5 - The Virgin Suicides

Friday, November 9 - Her

Our month of adaptations begins with the historical drama, Chappaquiddick (Dir. John Curran). Starring Jason Clarke, Ed Helms, Jim Gaffigan and Bruce Dern, Chappaquiddick seems like it should have enough pedigree talent to carry the tale of an American politician done wrong right across the finish line. So, why do both Naomi and Jesse feel that it came up short? After they discuss the marks the film missed (and those it hit), the two then discuss the possibilities of the film Mechelle, an adaptation of a pivotal Supreme Court case. Do we get into politics and government on Something… Anything Else? Well, you’ll just have to listen to find out!