The Next Picture Show

Like Gillo Pontecorvo’s BATTLE OF ALGIERS, Kathryn Bigalow’s new film DETROIT expresses a strong point of view on racial injustice through a careful recreation of a real historical event — and also like BATTLE OF ALGIERS, it’s stirred up some controversy surrounding its docu-journalistic approach. We unpack that controversy, and DETROIT more generally, before diving into how the two films compare in their visceral style, their portrayals of law enforcement, their use of female characters, and more. 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 THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, DETROIT, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Tasha: Dave McCary’s BRIGSBY BEAR

• Keith: Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis’ WHOSE STREETS? and Ronal Neame’s HOPSCOTCH

• Scott: Gillo Pontecorvo’s BURN

• Genevieve: Amanda Lipitz’s STEP

Outro music: The Roots, “It Ain’t Fair”

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Kathryn Bigelow’s intense, controversial new docu-drama DETROIT owes no small debt to Gillo Pontecorvo’s intense, controversial 1966 film THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, which covers another volatile historical moment with a potent mixture of newsreel-style realism and expressionistic fervor. In this half of our comparison of the two films, we discuss what makes BATTLE OF ALGIERS such an unsettling and resonant film, debate what point it’s making around the issues of terrorism and torture, and, somehow, find the echoes of Pontecorvo’s film in James Cameron’s AVATAR. Plus, a listener takes us up on our request for feedback on “anything else film-related” with a fruitful prompt on unadaptable adaptations.

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

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We return to the PLANET OF THE APES series to see how it’s evolved from the 1968 original to Matt Reeves’ stunning new WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES. After discussing why the new trilogy, and WAR in particular, works so well in the current era, we examine how the two ends of this franchise speak to each other over the span of five decades, discussing their ape effects, their social themes, and their very different central performances. 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 PLANET OF THE APES, WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Scott: Amanda Lipitz’s STEP, Kogonada’s COLUMBUS, and Brett Leonard’s THE LAWNMOWER MAN

• Keith: the rest of the PLANET OF THE APES original series

• Genevieve: The Ross Bros.’ CONTEMPORARY COLOR

Outro music: The Kinks, “Apeman”

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This week, we’re exploring two films from the opposite ends of the same ape-filled franchise. First, we focus on the cry of “YOU MANIACS” heard ’round the world, 1968’s PLANET OF THE APES, which introduced a fruitful concept that would continue evolve through sequels, TV series, remakes, and a modern prequel series, the most recent installment of which, WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, we’ll discuss in Pt. 2. In this half, we tease out the various thematic notions that have kept this premise enticing over the decades, debate the merits of Charlton Heston’s hammy lead performance, and more. Plus, some spirited feedback from our recent episode on A GHOST STORY.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about PLANET OF THE APES and WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES, and all other ape-related queries, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

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We return to a plane somewhere between life and death (and between horror and drama) to discuss David Lowery’s new A GHOST STORY, both on its own and in the context of Herk Harvey’s similar haunting and genre-defying CARNIVAL OF SOULS. We talk over how the two films tackle big, weighty concepts like the nature of time and the afterlife, as well as how their distinctive use of music contributes to their eeriness. 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 CARNIVAL OF SOULS, A GHOST STORY, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Genevieve: Douglas McGrath’s EMMA

• Tasha: Tom Weaver’s interviews with Candace Hilligoss on BMonster.com and Hirokazu Koreeda’s AFTER LIFE

• Scott: Brian Knappenberger’s NOBODY SPEAK: TRIALS OF THE FREE PRESS and Malcolm D. Lee’s GIRLS TRIP

Outro music: Dark Rooms, “I Get Overwhelmed” from A GHOST STORY

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Inspired by David Lowery’s new A GHOST STORY, we’re looking back at another microbudget horror-drama that’s haunting in both the literal and puntastic sense: Herk Harvey’s creepy cult hit CARNIVAL OF SOULS, a 1962 oddity about a woman trapped somewhere between life and death who can’t ditch the strange figures following her. In this half of the discussion, we look for links to Harvey’s background in industrial filmmaking and interest in European cinema, contextualize the film’s strangely wooden performances, and consider just what makes this strange film work, seemingly against all odds. Plus, some feedback on recent episodes and a brief discussion of another pairing we discussed for this week.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CARNIVAL OF SOULS, A GHOST STORY, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

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Bong-Joon Ho’s new Netflix release OKJA has some commonalities with Chris Noonan’s 1995 family film BABE — beyond just a porcine protagonist — but it’s a decidedly different animal. In this half of the discussion, we talk over the odd beast that is OKJA, then consider the how it and BABE both engage with the question of whether it’s wrong to eat meat, how they use very different settings and time periods to similar effect, and more. 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 BABE, OKJA, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Keith: Nicholas Ray’s THEY LIVE BY NIGHT

• Scott: Alison Maclean’s THE REHEARSAL

• Genevieve: Edgar Wright’s BABY DRIVER, Michael Showalter’s THE BIG SICK, and James Mangold’s LOGAN NOIR

Outro music: The Mamas and The Papas, “Dedicated To The One I Love”

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Inspired by Bong Joon-ho’s new OKJA, we look back at another whimsical fantasy film about a super-pig and its human, albeit one of a decidedly different breed: BABE, Christopher Noonan’s 1995 family hit about a taciturn farmer and his innocent sheep-pig. In this half of the discussion, we consider the film’s well-honed storybook sensibility, the endurance of its then-cutting-edge special effects, and the note-perfect perfect performance at its center. Plus, some of the excellent feedback we received on our recent episodes on THE THING and IT COMES AT NIGHT.

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

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We return to matters of isolation and paranoia in the second half of our comparison of John Carpenter’s THE THING with Trey Edward Shults’ new horror-drama IT COMES AT NIGHT. After debating IT COMES AT NIGHT’s difficult ending and almost perverse commitment to ambiguity, we talk over what the two films share — and don’t — in their portrayals of paranoia, the ties that bind, the apocalypse, and, naturally, dogs. 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 THE THING, IT COMES AT NIGHT, or both by sending an email to [email protected] or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show: 

• Tasha: John Sayles’ LIMBO and Jack Sholder’s THE HIDDEN

• Keith: Brad Bird’s THE IRON GIANT

• Scott: Alain Guiraudie’s STAYING VERTICAL

Outro music: Brian McOmber, “It Comes At Night”

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Trey Edward Shults’ new IT COMES AS NIGHT takes as one of its influences John Carpenter’s 1982 bloody masterpiece THE THING, which is as good a reason as any to revisit one of our favorite genre films. In this half of the discussion, we geek out over the film’s how’d-they-do-that gore effects and distinctive ensemble, and theorize why THE THING didn’t connect with audiences in 1982, and why it holds up so well today. Plus, a small taste of the deluge of feedback we got on our recent episodes on WONDER WOMAN and PATHS OF GLORY.

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

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Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/join/NextPictureShow

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