The Next Picture Show

Our look into the mockumentary's trajectory from THIS IS SPINAL TAP through the new POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING delves into the comedic complexities of The Lonely Island's supremely silly update of the Spinal Tap formula. In this half of the discussion, we consider the two films' respective use of editing, music, pop culture, and the comeback narrative. 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 THIS IS SPINAL TAP, POPSTAR, or both by sending an email [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Time Codes:

Intro: 00:00-02:38

Main Discussion: 02:39-46:54

Your Next Picture Show: 46:55-57:20

 *Keith: Anna Rose Holmer's THE FITS

 *Scott: Noah Baumback and Jake Paltrow's DEPALMA

 *Genevieve: Rick Famuyiwa's DOPE

 *Tasha: Robert Benton's TWILIGHT

Next Show Announcement/Goodbyes: 57:21-1:02:22

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Inspired by the new Lonely Island feature mockumentary POPSTAR: NEVER STOP NEVER STOPPING, we look back at the grandaddy of mock-rock-docs: Rob Reiner's THIS IS SPINAL TAP, which helped set the template for modern comedy in more ways than one. In this half of the discussion, we go deep into the hows and why's of SPINAL TAP's improvised humor, and consider how the film's message scans in the current music-industry climate. Plus, lots of feedback from our L.A. CONFIDENTIAL/THE NICE GUYS episode.

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

Time Codes:

Intro: 00:00-03:23

Keynote: 03:24-07:04

Main Discussion: 07:05-39:18

Feedback/Outro: 39:19-51:47

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We bring our discussion of L.A. noir into the modern era by connecting L.A. CONFIDENTIAL with the slick new buddy action-comedy from Shane Black, THE NICE GUYS. The two films are playing on very different sandboxes, and decades, but we find connective tissue in their central ideas of justice, their period settings, and their view of L.A.'s secrets. 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 L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, THE NICE GUYS, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

TIME CODES


Intro: 00:00-02:19


Main Discussion: 02:20-48:33


Your Next Picture Show: 48:34-59:17


-Keith: Kaneto Shindo's THE NAKED ISLAND


-Tasha: Jodie Foster's MONEY MONSTER and Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg's WEINER

-Genevieve: Patton Oswalt's TALKING FOR CLAPPING

-Scott: Arthur Penn's NIGHT MOVES

Next Show Announcement/Goodbyes: 59:18-1:02:30

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This week's pairing brings us into the twisted world of L.A. noir, courtesy of two period pieces that follow byzantine plots to the depths of human depravity. Inspired by Shane Black's new THE NICE GUYS, we're revisiting Curtis Hanson's L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, which has a much different tone, but similar spirit. In this half, we zoom in on the tabloid sleaze and police corruption that inform "Confidential," and how it reflects the preoccupations of L.A. noir.

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


Intro: 00:00-03:06


Keynote: 03:07-05:19


Main Discussion: 05:20-39:45


Feedback/Outro: 39:46--48:36

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We return again to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to see how the armor-plated seed planted in IRON MAN has blossomed into the sprawling new CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. We discuss how the newer movie carries its added weight, and compare how the two films - and their MCU brethren - handle matters of heroes, villains, and the Marvel House style. 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 IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Intro: 00:00-02:14 Main Discussion: 02:15-52:07 Your Next Picture Show: 52:08-1:01:36 -Scott: Paul Thomas Anderson's 35mm music video for Radiohead's "Daydreaming" -Genevieve: Tom King's comic series VISION -Keith: Whit Stillman's LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP -Tasha: Josh Trank's FANTASTIC FOUR Next Show Announcement/Goodbyes: 1:01:37-1:04:52

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This week, The Next Picture Show is going full-on superhero. Inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest offering, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, we look back at the movie that serves as the Big Bang for the MCU: 2008's IRON MAN. This half of the discussion focuses on how Jon Favreau's interpretation of Tony Stark's superhero transformation helped set the template for what became the biggest thing in modern blockbuster cinema, and how that vision holds up under the weight of what followed. Plus, we share some excellent feedback from the last episode about GREEN ROOM. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Intro: 00:00-03:05 Keynote: 03:06-06:22 Main Discussion: 06:23-42:30 Feedback/Outro: 42:31-50:44

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In this half of our ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13/GREEN ROOM discussion, we bring Jeremy Saulnier's chill-inducing new thriller into the picture, and consider the many ways in which it reflects John Carpenter's earlier work. The two films have a lot to say about each other, particularly in their distinctive approaches to political statement and violence, and the way in which they both use callbacks to create a distinctive narrative. 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 ASSAULT, GREEN ROOM, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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As John Carpenter fans, we were excited to see director Jeremy Saulnier citing Carpenter's ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 as a specific influence on his excellent new film GREEN ROOM. Watching the two movies together, it’s hard to miss the connections: Both feature an outnumbered and outgunned group of people barricaded in a small, remote space, figuring out how to either hold off waves of merciless attackers, or make a break for it through enemy lines. In this Carpenter-focused half of this week's discussion, we’ll talk about the roots of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13, what it says about its era, and how it reflects some of John Carpenter’s most recognizable signatures as a director. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ASSAULT, GREEN ROOM, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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Our CLOSE ENCOUNTERS/MIDNIGHT SPECIAL discussion turns toward the newer film, and the ways it reflects its Spielbergian inspiration – and the many more ways it diverts from the earlier film. We'll talk over how the two films explore spirituality and mystery, and the similar ways they utilize child actors. 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 CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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Director Jeff Nichols cited the 1977 Steven Spielberg classic CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND as one of his primary inspirations for the new MIDNIGHT SPECIAL. But while the two films work toward a similar ending, they don't necessarily work toward the same ends. In this half, we dig into the wonders and optimism of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, and the many ways in which the film reflects both its director and its era. Plus, we share some of the great feedback we received from our PSYCHO/10 CLOVERFIELD LANE episodes. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, MIDNIGHT SPECIAL, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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