Screen Stuff Podcast

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams.

Elgin and Paul check out #ElectricDreams:

Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, a new anthology series from Channel 4 and Sony Pictures Televisions and available through Amazon Prime. Based on the short stories of Dick, the hour-long episodes feature many well-known actors, including Bryan Cranston, Juno Temple, Janelle Monáe, Greg Kinnear, Steve Buscemi, Anna Paquin, Terrence Howard, and Vera Farmiga.

Many have said this is Amazon’s answer to Netflix’s Black Mirror. Is it really? We also talk about this series in the wider context of anthology series, present and past.

Phantom Thread, with briefer takes on Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond, Girls Trip, Call Me by Your Name, The Florida Project, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and I, Tonya.

Paul and Elgin review #PhantomThread:

Phantom Thread (37:25), written, shot, and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville. It’s one more period piece from PTA featuring DDL, this time set in London during the ’50s. What does their second collaboration yield? We weigh in on what, at first, appears to be yet another dramatic film about a difficult male genius and his female muse. Does the oddness of the film draw us in or repel us (something we also asked ourselves when we saw Aronofsky’s mother!). Warning: We get into spoiler territory late (56:23) in the discussion.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Elgin and Paul review #MrsMaisel:

Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, with showrunner Amy Sherman-Palladino and starring Rachel Brosnahan, Alex Borstein, and Luke Kirby. Set in New York in the late 1950s, this gorgeous show (whose period details equal those of Mad Men) focuses on Miriam ‘Midge’ Maisel (Brosnahan), who “accidentally” becomes a stand-up comic after her husband walks out on her and their tony Upper West Side existence. We absolutely marvel at the performances (especially Brosnahan’s), the dialog, and the camerawork and production design while quibbling with some of the unrealistic aspects of the heroine’s success given the times she lived in (and nope, that has nothing to do with her friendship with Lenny Bruce!).

Runaways and Disney’s purchase of parts of Fox.

Paul and Elgin check out #Runaways:

Hulu’s Runaways, with showrunners Stephanie Savage and Josh Schwartz and starring the diverse case of Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin, and Allegra Acosta. Part teen soap opera (in the tradition of The OC and Beverly Hills, 90210) and part superhero team-up tale, the Runaways features a mysterious cult, a pet dinosaur, a magical staff, and parents with complicated pasts who are part of a group called Pride. While lauded in comic book form in the early 2000s, does the TV adaptation have legs (because of or in spite all the elements it has to juggle)?

We also share some thoughts on the repercussions of Disney buying several key parts of 21st Century Fox (19:12). While many fanboys are rejoicing at the prospects of bringing the previously Fox-controlled X-Men, Fantastic Four, and others into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (controlled by Disney), we focus on other creative and business implications of the deal, including the likely battle between an essentially Disney-owned Hulu and Netflix.

Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi, with briefer takes on Lady Bird, Easy (season 2), and Search Party (season 2), plus more discussion on how we plan to (not) consume the art of artists who’ve been accused of sexual assault and misconduct.

Elgin and Paul review #LastJedi:

Star Wars: Episode VIII–The Last Jedi (38:58), written and directed by Rian Johnson and starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Kelly Marie Tran, and Laura Dern. Perhaps the most anticipated film of 2017, the latest installment of the Skywalker saga has divided fans while generally receiving praise from critics. Are we with the fans striking back on Rotten Tomatoes (and social media) or with most critics?

After giving our spoiler-free reactions, we dive deeper (1:02:48). What has Johnson done with the beloved franchise? Can we get behind his plotting and visual choices? And what does Episode VIII imply for what J.J. Abrams might do with Episode IX?