The Next Picture Show

Our PSYCHO/10 CLOVERFIELD LANE discussion brings the newer film into the picture, grappling with how the Dan Trachtenberg-directed/JJ Abrams-produced psuedo-sequel echoes Hitchcock's film both deliberately and accidentally. We'll talk over how the two films approach fear the the unknown, highlight their unusual sound design and marketing, and determine whether 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE falls into the grand tradition of "the gearshift movie." Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

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Two women skip town in a hurry and find themselves in an isolated place, overseen by a gentle-toned but temperamental host: You might think us mad to compare PSYCHO and 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, but we all go a little mad sometimes. There's more than just the setup connecting these two films, though. In this half of the discussion, we dig deep into Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 horror-suspense classic, getting into its legacy, style, and psychology, and how all three affect a modern viewing of the film. Plus, we wrestle with some of the feedback we got for our contentious MASH episode. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about PSYCHO, 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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Our MASH - WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT discussion digs deeper into the two films' many contrasts, finding unexpected connections in the films' depictions of the military, women, and downtime. We also get into the two films' very different strains of black humor. 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 MASH, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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Attention. Attention: This week’s movie pairing looks at the communities that spring up in the middle of war, and the odd ways people try to push back against the insanity that surrounds them. Inspired by the new Tina Fey wartime dramedy WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, we look back at Robert Altman's 1970 breakthrough MASH to see how the lives of those at war – and the visions of those depicting it – have changed in the years between Korea and Afghanistan. Fittingly, this turns out to be our most contentious selection ever. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MASH, WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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Our THE WICKER MAN - THE WITCH conversation goes deeper into the two films' shared qualities, including their portrayals of religion and women, and their canny use of (very different types of) music. We'll also get deeper into the question of "is it horror?" and whether that ultimately matters. 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 WICKER MAN, THE WITCH, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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The buzzy new horror film THE WITCH inspired us to look at another period piece about good, evil, self-righteousness, and murder: Robin Hardy's 1973 cult classic THE WICKER MAN. (No, not the Nicolas Cage one - though it does come up.) In this half of the discussion, we talk over both films' reputations as horror (or not), and get into how THE WICKER MAN cultivates its very specific strain of dread. Plus, lots and lots of feedback from our last Coen Brothers-centric episode. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE WICKER MAN, THE WITCH, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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Our cinematic matchup of Coen brothers past and present continues as we dive deeper into the connections between 1991's BARTON FINK and the new HAIL, CAESAR! In this half of the discussion, we get into the films' shared lineage as "movies about movies," and try to home in on what exactly gives both films "that Coen Brothers feeling." 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 BARTON FINK, HAIL, CAESAR!, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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This week's pairing seems like an obvious one: Two Coen Brothers films about Hollywood, set at the same fictional studio, during roughly the same time period–what do you need, a roadmap? But Joel and Ethan Coen's 1991 breakout BARTON FINK has very different things on its mind than the brothers' new HAIL, CAESAR! In the first half of this week's discussion, we get into our various interpretations of BARTON FINK, its titular character, and what it says about the Coens' work as a whole. Plus, listener feedback on our last pairing, complete with some other, non-JOHN CARTER suggestions for a Mars-set double feature. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about BARTON FINK, HAIL, CAESAR!, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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The second half of our JOHN CARTER/THE MARTIAN comparison looks at the various ways Ridley Scott's film succeeded where Andrew Stanton's failed: its humor, its production design, its approach to adaptation, and its overall simplicity. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

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This week, we look back to one of last year's biggest blockbusters — and an Oscar frontrunner — for inspiration, and turn up an interesting, misbegotten cinematic comparison point. Ridley Scott's THE MARTIAN is critically and commercially successful in a way Andrew Stanton's D.O.A. JOHN CARTER never even approached, but the two Mars-centric films viewed in tandem offer interesting takeaways about the nature of science fiction and fantasy, the perils of source-material fidelity and visual poetry. Can one's failure be better understood through the lens of the other's success?

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