The Next Picture Show

Bradley Cooper’s debut directorial feature A STAR IS BORN is the fourth film to bear that title, and the second to translate this Hollywood tale of rising and falling fame to the music industry. And much like George Cukor’s 1954 version starring Judy Garland, it’s a fantastic showcase for its leading lady, played this time around by Lady Gaga as an aspiring songwriter to Bradley Cooper’s fading rock god. In bringing this oft-told tale to the screen, Cooper’s version follows most of of the broad strokes of its predecessors — but does it do enough to distinguish itself among its lineage? We talk it over before getting into the connections between Cooper and Cukor’s STARS, from their respective approaches to musical performance to their messy gender dynamics. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about any and all versions of A STAR IS BORN by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

*Show Notes*

Works Cited

• “How the Media Would Have Covered the Events of A Star Is Born,” by Nate Jones (Vulture.com)

• “A Star Is Born Makes a Romance of Rock’s Most Damaging Myths,” by Sam Adams (Slate.com)

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Genevieve: George Cukor’s WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD?

• Keith: Elizabeth Chomko’s WHAT THEY HAD

• Tasha: Joseph Kahn’s BODIED

• Scott: Ol Parker’s MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Outro Music: Lady Gaga, “La Vie En Rose”

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Bradley Cooper’s new A STAR IS BORN remake is a current-day spin on a Hollywood fable that’s been around since the 1930s, about a struggling male star and the young ingenue he pushes toward fame. But its music-industry setting makes it a particularly apt match for George Cukor’s 1954 musical spin on the tale, starring a career-redefining Judy Garland as the titular star to James Mason’s fading one. In this half of our two-part discussion of the films, we dig into the legend and legacy of Cukor’s STAR, piece together what the film lost and gained via studio meddling and reconstruction, and debate the nature of the story’s central tragedy. Plus, by listener request, we give some of our recommendations for first-time film festival-goers.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about any and all of Hollywood’s takes on A STAR IS BORN by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Outro Music: Judy Garland, “Born In A Trunk”

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Robert Redford says that his starring role in David Lowery’s new THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN will be his final film performance, and if that turns out to be the case, it is in many ways an ideal bookend to Redford’s breakout role in the classic 1969 Western BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. In this second half of our Redford pairing, we talk over the many echoes between OLD MAN and BUTCH CASSIDY, from their respective views on a life of crime and methods of robbery, to how each treats their central cad’s trusting love interest. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Genevieve: Drew Goddard’s BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE

• Scott: The Ringer’s HALLOWEEN UNMASKED podcast, Tamara Jenkins’ PRIVATE LIFE

• Keith: Robert Siegel’s CRUISE and Phil Alden Robinson’s SNEAKERS

Outro Music: Bonnie “Prince” Billy, “Easy Does It”

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David Lowery’s new THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN draws purposely and purposefully on the legacy of Robert Redford, which makes it a perfect bookend to Redford’s star-making turn in George Roy Hill’s elegiac 1969 blockbuster BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID. In this first half of our Redford double feature, we dive into that earlier film’s legacy, considering its place in the Western tradition, its quirky yet widely appealing tone, and the complimentary but very different performances of Redford and his co-star, Paul Newman. Plus, some feedback on our recent episodes on MALCOLM X and BLACKKKLANSMAN.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, THE OLD MAN AND THE GUN, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  

Outro Music: BJ Thomas, “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”

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Is FAHRENHEIT 11/9, Michael Moore’s latest essay-film about the state of the nation under Trump, a natural extension of the techniques used in his 1989 debut ROGER & ME, or a worst-case-scenario evolution of Moore’s filmmaking style? We try to wrap our heads around that question as we put the two films in conversation, looking at what they tell us about the figure Moore has become, how he’s affected the development of first-person documentary, and whether his approach plays in 2018’s heightened political climate. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ROGER & ME, FAHRENHEIT 11/9, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Keith: Alan J. Pakula’s STARTING OVER

• Genevieve: Andrew Bujalski’s SUPPORT THE GIRLS

• Scott: Robert Greene’s BISBEE ’17

Outro Music: K’naan, “With God On Our Side”

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With Michael Moore’s latest provocation, FAHRENHEIT 11/9, in theaters, we’re returning to the liberal gadfly’s cinematic origins: 1989’s ROGER & ME, a first-person documentary about the declining fortunes of Moore’s hometown of Flint, Michigan, which makes a notable return appearance in his latest film. In this half of the pairing, we consider the impact of Michael Moore, for better and worse, on the culture and documentary form alike, and whether the criticisms leveled at the film upon its release have grown more or less relevant over time. Plus, we take a bite out of the feedback we received on our recent mega-shark double feature.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ROGER & ME, FAHRENHEIT 11/9, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  

Outro Music: The Beach Boys, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”

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Though BLACKKKLANSMAN is, like MALCOLM X, drawn from real life, Spike Lee’s newest film takes more liberties in telling its ostensibly true story (something that’s drawn criticism from some corners). And also like MALCOLM X, it’s a film set in the past that’s commenting, often directly, on the present. Together the two films give us a lot to talk about, from their respective uses of speechmaking and divided identities, to their perspectives on white allies. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MALCOLM X,

BLACKKKLANSMAN, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Show Notes

Works Cited:

• Boots Riley’s thoughts on Blackkklansman:

twitter.com/BootsRiley/status/1030575674447212544

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Tasha: Colin Minihan’s WHAT KEEPS YOU ALIVE

• Scott: Bing Liu’s MINDING THE GAP

• Genevieve: Susan Johnson’s TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE

• Keith: Steve Mitchell’s KING COHEN: THE WILD WORLD OF FILMMAKER LARRY COHEN

Outro Music: Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose’s “Too Late To Turn Back Now”

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Spike Lee’s new BLACKKKLANSMAN is an urgent call to look to the past to understand the present, an approach it shares with many of Lee’s films, though perhaps none as strongly as his 1992 epic biopic MALCOLM X. The films revisit two different chapters in 20th-century history, and star two different members of the Washington family — Denzel and his son, John David — but both are pure Lee in both their narrative motivations and their filmmaking technique. In this half, we consider what makes MALCOLM X the rare cradle-to-grave biopic that works, how Lee finds the dynamism in near-constant speechmaking, and whether Angela Bassett elevates a thankless role, or simply channels its innate nuance. Plus, some feedback asking our two less confrontational co-hosts to step up with their unpopular opinions.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MALCOLM X, BLACKKKLANSMAN, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Outro Music: Sam Cooke, “A Change Is Gonna Come”

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Jon Turteltaub’s new late-summer sharkstravaganza THE MEG isn’t shy about the debt it owes to Steven Spielberg’s JAWS, nor about its clear conception as an international co-production partially aimed at the Chinese market. We discuss whether those qualities end up being an asset or a liability in our discussion of THE MEG, before bringing in JAWS to examine how the shark movie has progressed, and not, from 1975 through the current day. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JAWS, THE MEG, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Show Notes

Works Cited: 

• “The 20-year journey of The Meg, the movie the internet wouldn’t let die,” by Brian Raftery (Wired.com)

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Keith: byNWR.com

• Genevieve: Lenny Abrahamson’s THE LITTLE STRANGER

• Tasha: Jon M. Chu’s CRAZY RICH ASIANS

Outro Music: Lady Gaga, “Teeth”

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The new Jason Statham late-summer vehicle THE MEG, like so many middling shark movies before it, can trace its lineage directly to the 1975 film that made us afraid to go into the water: Steven Spielberg’s JAWS. In this half of our sharktastic discussion, we’re diving in (cautiously) to what your NPS crew considers a perfect movie, considering what gives JAWS its hidden depths, what it told us about the director Spielberg would become, and whether its impact on the blockbuster model is a net positive for movies. Plus, some feedback on our recent MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE and SORRY TO BOTHER YOU episodes.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JAWS, THE MEG, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Show Notes

Works Cited:

• “The great lost Jaws rip-off” by Keith Phipps

• “The men, monsters, and troubled waters of Jaws” by Noel Murray, Keith Phipps, Nathan Rabin, Tasha Robinson, and Scott Tobias

Outro Music: Dwight Twilley Band, “Shark”

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