Our Patrons voted on which silent film star we should cover, so today Alex and Jonathan look into Mary Pickford's incredibly influential career in front of and behind the camera. We watch The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917), Sparrows (1926), and Coquette (1929) and discuss the "little girl" persona often portrayed by Pickford, the extent of her star power, and possible reasons why she's no longer quite as recognizable as other silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin.

Skip to:

17:37 – The Poor Little Rich Girl

36:33 – Sparrows

55:13 – Coquette

1:06:28 – Overall

1:14:54 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

Halloween (1976)

Escape from New York (1981)

The Thing (1982)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/10/15/pickford

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Heavens! Today Alex and Jonathan wrap up the Films de Femmes series and look at the varied career of the well-rounded filmmaker and entertainer Elaine May in her films A New Leaf (1971), Mikey and Nicky (1976), and Ishtar (1987). We talk about her background in improvisational comedy, her range of directing styles from comedy to tragedy, and her frequent difficulties working under Hollywood studios.

Skip to:

8:00 – A New Leaf

28:33 – Mikey and Nicky

52:28 – Ishtar

1:13:27 – Overall

1:19:04 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917)

Sparrows (1926)

Coquette (1929)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/10/01/may

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The grand human dramas of Golden Age director John Huston are the topic today as Alex and Jonathan look at The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), The Asphalt Jungle (1950), and The Man Who Would Be King (1975). We talk about how Huston incorporates real life experience into his writing and directing, how he blends characters and themes, and various technical aspects of Huston's directing.

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10:52 – The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

37:55 – The Asphalt Jungle

1:00:00 – The Man Who Would Be King

1:22:07 – Overall

1:34:10 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

A New Leaf (1971)

Mikey and Nicky (1976)

Ishtar (1987)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/09/17/huston

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Our Patrons voted recently on what film remake they'd like to hear more about so Alex and Jonathan get into the weird world of Roger Corman's sci-fi classic The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) and Frank Oz's musical remake Little Shop of Horrors (1986). We talk about the way Roger Corman mixes comedy and horror to create a successful b-movie, how a story changes with the addition of music, and how adaptation can breathe new life into otherwise forgotten media.

Skip to:

6:50 – The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)

34:02 – Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

1:02:24 – Overall

1:15:15 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)

The Asphalt Jungle (1950)

The Man Who Would Be King (1975)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/09/03/little-shop

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The swashbuckling genre takes Alex and Jonathan from medieval England to the Caribbean to a galaxy far far away as we look at The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). We talk about the history of swashbuckling stories, common elements of the genre, and the place that swashbucklers have in modern storytelling.

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10:54 – The Adventures of Robin Hood

32:15 – The Empire Strikes Back

59:02 – Pirates of the Caribbean

1:31:00 – Overall

1:42:21 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions

VOTE NOW: https://www.patreon.com/posts/remakes-poll-28251638

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/08/20/swashbucklin

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Jonathan sits down with Hayden Chauffe today to discuss the career of the modern filmmaker's filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino, in the films Reservoir Dogs (1992), Inglourious Basterds (2009), and The Hateful Eight (2015). We talk about Tarantino's literary story structure, the controversies that tend to follow his films, and the way he breaks various rules of filmmaking for effect.

Skip to:

15:38 – Reservoir Dogs

38:57 – Inglourious Basterds

1:19:09 – The Hateful Eight

1:43:58 – Overall

1:52:40 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/08/06/tarantino

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Patreon: patreon.com/thefilmlings

Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/thefilmlings

After the studio system ended in the 1960s a new era of American cinema was born known as the American New Wave. Today Alex and Jonathan take a look at three milestones of that era: Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The French Connection (1971), and The Deer Hunter (1978). We talk about how Bonnie and Clyde took advantage of the relaxed production codes, the introduction of auteur styles in American film, and how the American New Wave gave rise to the current state of blockbuster film.

Skip to:

13:37 – Bonnie and Clyde

30:40 – The French Connection

49:57 – The Deer Hunter

1:11:18 – Overall

1:25:20 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Inglorious Basterds (2009)

The Hateful Eight (2015)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/07/23/american-new-wave

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Continuing our series focusing on female filmmakers, Alex and Jonathan take a look at the narrative and documentary career of French New Wave pioneer Agnes Varda in her films Le Bonheur (1965), The Gleaners & I (2000), and Faces Places (2017). We talk about Varda's capacity for biting social commentary, her empathy for her documentary subjects, and the ways she infuses her own personality and introspection into every film she makes.

Skip to:

7:40 – Le Bonheur

30:00 – The Gleaners & I

51:10 – Faces Places

1:07:32 – Overall

1:18:12 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

The French Connection (1971)

The Deer Hunter (1978)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/07/09/varda

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Alex and Jonathan trace the ever-maturing career of Peter Jackson through his films Bad Taste (1987), Heavenly Creatures (1994), and They Shall Not Grow Old (2018). We discuss the potential that young filmmakers can show in early, low-budget films, how Jackson adds his fantasy flare to a true-crime story, and the evolution of his dramatic sensibilities across his career.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

For more on Peter Jackson, we're offering a complete set of commentaries recorded by both Alex and Jonathan which cover the entire extended edition Lord of the Rings trilogy to anyone who donates at least the minimum contributions on our Patreon or Ko-fi accounts until the end of the 2019 season of the podcast!

Skip to:

6:28 – Bad Taste

27:32 – Heavenly Creatures

56:20 – They Shall Not Grow Old

1:14:30 – Overall

1:26:57 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

Le Bonheur (1965)

The Gleaners and I (2000)

Faces Places (2017)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/06/25/jacksons-journey

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Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/thefilmlings

Resident animaniac Aaron Johnson joins Alex and Jonathan today to talk about a very particular period in the history of Disney animation in The Black Caudron (1985), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), and The Little Mermaid (1989). We talk about how The Black Cauldron almost killed Disney, the homages and innovations of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and how The Little Mermaid kicked off the Disney renaissance.

Skip to:

7:12 – The Black Cauldron

23:07 – Who Framed Roger Rabbit

39:55 – The Little Mermaid

1:06:05 – Overall

1:21:44 – Coming Attractions

Coming Attractions:

Bad Taste (1987)

Heavenly Creatures (1994)

They Shall Not Grow Old (2019)

For more information, visit the blog:

thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2019/06/11/disney-doesnt-die/

Support the Show!

Patreon: patreon.com/thefilmlings

Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/thefilmlings