The Many Rules of Film Club

Film Club Rule #888: There’s great filmmaking going on in your backyard, just open the door.

Heather, Jeff, and Rusty turn their attention to films made in Tucson, Arizona. Over the years hundreds of films were made in Tucson, in part because of the desert locale and in part because of Old Tucson Studios. Some classics of the western genre were filmed at Old Tucson including Rio Bravo, 3:10 to Yuma, and Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Other westerns included Three Amigos and Tombstone. In the 1970s, Martin Scorsese came to Tucson to film Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, but the 70s and 80s were dominated by cheesier fare like The Villain, Revenge of the Nerds, and the Cannonball Run films. Today fewer films are made in the area. We see more indie films using the location, like the excellent Ingenious.

music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Film Club Rule #634: Your taste may not be everyone’s taste, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good taste.

What makes a great film? What makes a film your favorite film? People love lists, and everyone’s an expert. Do critics’ lists carry the significance they once held? The 2012 Sight & Sound Top 10 List is featured in this episode.  Heather, Jeff, and Rusty each discuss a film on the list and discuss the relevance of each in 2016.

First up, Heather talks about the #10 film Fellini’s 8 1/2. It’s his movie within a movie romp. Does Heather think it’s one of the best films of all time? Vertigo, the film in the top spot is Rusty’s pick. Is it really better than Citizen Kane, the movie it surpassed in 2012? Would you want to take any of the ten greatest films on a desert island with you?

music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Film Club Rule #835: If a woman can secure the Presidential nomination, we can have a woman direct a Marvel superhero movie — and win an Oscar for it.

Female directors create a small percentage of films being made in 2016. Over all the years and ceremonies, only four women have been nominated for a Best Director Oscar. Over and over again financially successful female directors are overlooked to head a film project. Jeff, Heather, and Rusty spend some time in this episode discussing the lack of females directing feature films and they each talk about their favorite women who direct movies. They spend time talking about the films of Allison Anders, Sofia Coppola, and Miranda July.

Music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Film Club Rule #587: Why cast just one Cusack when you could cast two?

Appearing in nine films together, the Cusack siblings carved out acting niches for themselves starting at an early age In John Hughes’ film Sixteen Candles. After that, John landed starring roles in films that would define a generation like 1989’s Say Anything and a film he co-wrote High Fidelity, while his older sister found supporting roles where she shined earning two Academy Award nominations for roles in Working Girl and In & Out. They appeared together in High Fidelity, Grosse Pointe Blank, and Cradle Will Rock. Jeff, Heather, and Rusty also discuss John’s recent role as Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy and Joan’s career defining role as the voice of Jessie The Yodeling Cowgirl in the Toy Story Franchise. Join the crew from Film Club as we discuss the careers of the Cusacks, Joan and John.

Music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Film Club Rule #87: Say whatever the hell you want.

With the Fourth of July holiday fast approaching, Jeff, Heather, and Rusty decided to take a look at the ways in which films are censored in this day and age. Team America World Police and The Interview are discussed. In late 2014, as theaters across the country feared showing the premiere of The Interview, others responded by deciding to show Team America instead, only to learn from the studio that the film would no longer be available to theaters at all. The group also discusses the MPAA rating system, and the new documentary Under the Sun.

music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Film Club Rule #47: Musicians who act should avoid the Elvis trap.

In the wake of losing two of pop music’s titans this year, Jeff, Heather, and Rusty thought it fitting to consider musicians who tried acting starting with David Bowie and Prince. We talk about musicians who enjoyed the crossover success like Bowie and discuss pop stars who maybe missed the mark like Michael Jackson. What makes a good actor? Why is it so difficult for musicians who perform all the time to make that inner thespian work on film? Jeff and Heather also consider the careers of Elvis, Tom Waits, Cher, Beyonce and more.

Music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Film Club Rule #237: Watch the hair. The hair defines the performance.

In the early 1980s, a fresh young face burst onto the scene in Hollywood. Nicolas Coppola appeared in the lead as Randy in the film Valley Girl, and the world would never be the same. Nicolas would change his name and go on to star in some of the most iconic films of the 80s including The Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona, Moonstruck, and David Lynch’s Wild at Heart. In the mid 90s he won an Oscar for his heartbreaking performance in Leaving Las Vegas. After that he scored a trio of big budget action films peaking with John Woo’s Face Off. He continued to find acting success in the new century, but then bad financial decisions and enormous IRS bills led to Mr. Cage performing in some of the worst films of the last ten years including some real head-scratchers like The Wicker Man, Season of the Witch, and Next. Join Jeff, Heather, and Rusty as they explore the diverse and often confusing career of one Nicolas Cage.

Music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Heather, Jeff, and Rusty discuss the career of the late John Hughes.

Music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Heather, Jeff, and Rusty finish up their superhero movie talk for now with a look at the genre after 2002 and Sam Reimi’s adaptation of Spider-Man which ushered in the “Golden Age of Marvel”. They talk about the changes in scope of the superhero formula, the reasons behind the glut of films with people in spandex, and where they’re headed. Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy starts a discussion of the differences in approach between the Marvel and DC adaptations to film, leading to movies about would be superheroes in Kick-Ass and Dr. Horrible’s Sing-A-Long Blog. The recent film Deadpool and Netfilx’s first season of Jessica Jones are discussed.

Music: bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/

Jeff Yanc, Heather Lares, and Rusty Boulet-Stephenson sat down to start a discussion of Super Hero movies. Part 1 is a discussion of the super hero genre before the Golden Age of Marvel which started in 2002. We talk Batman TV show, Wonder Woman, the Tim Burton Batman films, and even a little Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Music: Bensound.com

The Many Rules of Film Club is made with Jetpack Podcast. Full show notes and every episode at https://themanyrulesoffilmclub.wordpress.com/