The Letterboxd Show

“The spirit is filled by cinema; our dreams rendered tangible.” Filmmaker and inspirational-quote master James Gray joins Gemma and Slim to talk about the 1980s New York childhood that underpins his new drama, Armageddon Time, and four films that strongly relate to it—Francois Truffaut’s The 400 Blows; Jean Vigo’s Zero for Conduct; John Cassavetes’ A Woman Under the Influence and Federico Fellini’s Amarcord.

Plus: this “salesman for old cinema” on why students should be forced to watch obscure films; the trauma of the classroom; how teachers can change lives; James’s morning ritual for waking his teenagers; American power structures; why cinema is not compatible with angry tweeters; magic sauce; Anthony Hopkins; Times Square in the ’80s; making waves and fitting in.

Lists & Links:

Reviews of Two Lovers by Evan and Nathan; Ad Astra by Levi; We Own the Night by Ed, Paddy and Francesco; Armageddon Time by Tony and Oliver; Killer of Sheep by Graham.

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This week Mia and slim discuss their growing watchlists including Armageddon Time, Wendell & Wild, and Holy Spider. Succ-heads and The Last of Us fans, this might be the episode for you. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss tragic real-life stories and sensual vampiric kisses.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

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“No derivative shit.” Spooky season concludes with Waxwork Records co-founder Kevin Bergeron, who talks to Gemma and Slim about his four favorite films—Black Christmas; Hausu; Tetsuo: The Iron Man and The Exorcist—and the craft and care that goes into Waxwork’s vinyl reissues of great horror soundtracks. Watch Hausu before 30 November 2022, tag your review with “waxwork”, and you’re in the draw to win a copy of the brand new soundtrack to the 1977 horror-fantasy classic (est. $35 value).

Plus: never use a ouija board in your own home, the original hot priest, the feminist horror of Black Christmas, psychiatry versus spirituality in 1970s America, the curse of being a single mom, finding your tribe, stealing White Zombie cassettes, hanging out with Glenn Danzig, building a record plant and shooting your shot, the genius of horror-soundtrack composers, and William Friedkin is a boss.

Lists & Links:

Reviews of Tetsuo: The Iron Man by Hoyden42, Alee55, Black Christmas by Alex, Mag, The Exorcist by Lucy, Matt Brown, Hausu by Ayo Edebiri.

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This week Mia and Mitchell discuss their growing watchlists including Banshees of Inisherin, Aftersun and Black Adam. They also debate the importance of having a movie posters in your Zoom backdrop. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss banning space trucking and nerdy record store dweebs. Also Mia name-drops talking with Barry Koeghan like a boss.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

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“It’s so fun to be bad.” Spooky season continues with filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour, who talks to Gemma and Slim about her four favorite films—American Psycho; Death Becomes Her; Gremlins; The NeverEnding Story—and the makings of her latest feature Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon and her episode of Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.

Plus: how Ana Lily got Keanu Reeves to sport a ’stache (and why he paid for his own wig in The Bad Batch), the saddest scene in all of cinema history, the deep and psychedelic qualities of Everything Everywhere All at Once, crushing on Atreyu, how to care for your psychic health when you are a filmmaker, how Mary Harron nailed her American Psycho adaptation, the story behind the gorgeous poster for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Gemma’s love for Kate Micucci, Slim’s love for Kate Hudson, Ana Lily’s love for hard lighting, why we’ve been watching movies all wrong, the intelligence of comedians, making sure there are snacks in the story, walking red carpets with your dog, the genius of Robert Zemeckis, peak Rossellini, and is Gizmo a symbol of consumerism or cinephile pin-up? #hopefordweebs

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This week Mia and slim discuss their growing watchlists including Decision to Leave, Halloween Ends, and Till. Mia also coins a new terrible phrase for a certain type of scary movie; “Hole Horror”. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss banning creep jocks and re-animating the dead.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

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This week, spooky season continues so we picked up The Black Phone and called in a sinister filmmaker known for raising hell. Writer and director Scott Derrickson talks to Gemma and Slim about growing up at the drive-in, and how his four favorite films (Poltergeist; Suspiria; Carrie and I Saw the Devil) have influenced his filmmaking career.

Plus: that Sinister jump-scare, being too scared to go on ghost hunts, learning about horror films from episodes of Community and The Simpsons, how Poltergeist is Spielberg’s raciest story, why the first act of Suspiria is the best cinema ever made, why the last act of Carrie is the best cinema ever made, the Letterboxd community’s thirst for Ethan Hawke as a serial killer, America’s problem with revenge (and Korea’s answer to it).

The Letterboxd list of films mentioned in this episode. Forbes’ article “What Is The Scariest Movie Ever?”. Reviews of Poltergeist by Willow Maclay; Suspiria by Proftonks; The Black Phone by jude!, ZaraGwen, abbie and alex; Carrie by Noah and Lil Jake; I Saw the Devil by Supreme Lemon and james

Credits: This episode was recorded in Los Angeles and Pennsylvania, and edited by Slim. Facts by Jack. Booker: Brian Formo. Transcript by Sophie Shin. Art by Samm. Theme: ‘Vampiros Dancoteque’ by Moniker. The Letterboxd Show is a TAPEDECK production.

This week Mitchell and slim discuss their growing watchlists including Triangle of Sadness, TÁR, and Hellraiser. Mitchell also discusses who would play them in their Dover, Delaware biopic. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss banning vampiric movie-goers and depressing morning movie viewings.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits:

It is spooky season and our first Hallowe’en month guest is X and Pearl writer-director and cinema devotee Ti West, who joins hosts Gemma and Slim to talk about four films that influenced his moviemaking career: Bad Taste, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Two-Lane Blacktop, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. We also attempt to squeeze Ti for details on MaXXXine, and he tells us some Pearl tales, including how that final shot came about.

Plus: being a Hollywood outsider; the movies that give us permission to be filmmakers; our demands for a Pearl-trilogy theme park; Ti’s defence of Spielberg’s West Side Story; rubbing shoulders with Peter Jackson; the best moment in cinema ever (involving Indiana Jones); the greatest tagline in cinema ever; why Gemma is obsessed with maggots; and what made Slim cry this week.

Credits: This episode was recorded in Auckland, Los Angeles and Pennsylvania, and edited by Slim. Facts by Jack. Booker: Brian Formo. Transcript by Sophie Shin. Art by Samm. Theme: ‘Vampiros Dancoteque’ by Moniker.

The Letterboxd list of films mentioned; Andrea’s movies that got us into movies list; Wesley’s The Basics of Cinema Starter Pack; Gemma’s Maggots in Movies list and Holli’s “nothing happens” yeah but the vibes.

Reviews of Raiders of the Lost Ark by Naughty aka Juli Norwood, Ciara, Josh Larsen; Janica’s Two-Lane Blacktop review. Cinemonster’s Hoop-tober challenge.

This week Mia and slim discuss their growing watchlists including Blonde, Smile, and Bros. Mia also discusses the sexiest hands on the planet. After a quick look back at recent releases and community reviews, they shuffle their watchlists and discuss banning certain words from the English language and questioning our friends' assumptions.

Weekend Watchlist – Updated Weekly list > movies mentioned in this episode.

Letterboxd reviews and links mentioned:

Credits: