The Next Picture Show

It took decades in development hell for an adaptation of Stephen King’s THE LONG WALK to trudge its way into theaters, and now that it has, we’re of split opinions on how Francis Lawrence’s film goes about distinguishing itself from its source material, particularly in its graphic depiction of violence. There’s also the matter of the film’s very different ending, which we dig into once we move into Connections to compare how THE LONG WALK’s endurance contest compares to the one in Sydney Pollack’s THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY?, in terms of how voluntary they actually are, what spectators get out of watching participants suffer, and what passes for victory in a contest where no one really wins. Then, in Your Next Picture Show, we devote a little time to revisiting a film franchise that came up repeatedly in our discussions of both these films: THE HUNGER GAMES.

Please share your thoughts about THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY?, THE LONG WALK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Next Pairing: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER and Sidney Lumet’s RUNNING ON EMPTY

Intro: 00:00:00-00:01:59

The Long Walk discussion: 00:01:59 - 00:30:14

The Long Walk / They Shoot Horses Connections: 00:30:14-01:01:49

Your Next Picture Show and goodbyes: 01:01:49-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It took decades for THE LONG WALK to make it to the big screen, in part because the Stephen King novel on which it’s based is so unrelentingly grim — but as we discovered this week, it may actually be less so than the other half of this pairing, THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY. Set during the Great Depression and featuring a protagonist who is greatly depressed, Sydney Pollack’s 1969 drama about a marathon dance contest has little room for uplift, but it’s nonetheless full of interesting characters and performances, evocative filmmaking choices, and one of cinema’s all-time downer endings. After that discussion, we pick ourselves back up off the floor with the help of some feel-good Feedback from a long-time listener as we approach this podcast’s ten-year anniversary. 

Please share your thoughts about THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY, THE LONG WALK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Intro: 00:00:00-00:04:32

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They Keynote: 00:04:32-00:09:38

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They Discussion: 00:09:38-00:50:10

Feedback/outro: 00:52:06-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spike Lee’s HIGHEST 2 LOWEST is built on the rock-solid narrative foundation of HIGH AND LOW, but the “interpretation” of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime-thriller classic he builds atop it can be shaky at times. We’re all in agreement that HIGHEST 2 LOWEST has flaws, but whether those flaws add up to ruin or simply provide texture to a singular filmmaker’s singular film is up for discussion in the first part of this week’s episode. Then we move into Connections to see where Lee and Kurosawa’s films align and diverge when it comes to high-low metaphor and imagery, the intersection of media and public opinion, and the value of police work. And in Your Next Picture Show, Scott recommends an earlier collaboration between Lee and HIGHEST 2 LOWEST star Denzel Washington that has only grown in his estimation since its 1998 release. 

Please share your thoughts about HIGH AND LOW, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Next Pairing: Francis Lawrence’s THE LONG WALK and Sydney Pollack’s THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY?

Intro: 00:00:00-00:02:02

Highest 2 Lowest discussion: 00:02:02 - 00:30:51

Highest 2 Lowest / High and Low Connections: 00:30:51-01:12:02

Your Next Picture Show and goodbyes: 01:12:02-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new HIGHEST 2 LOWEST includes an onscreen credit for “the master” Akira Kurosawa as inspiration for a film that has the same basic shape and mistaken-identity kidnapping premise of 1963’s HIGH AND LOW, but is still unmistakably a Spike Lee joint. So in order to better evaluate Lee’s modernization of a crime classic, we’re returning to the master’s version to see how Kurosawa himself reshaped HIGH AND LOW from its pulp-novel origins, utilizing a bifurcated structure and leading man Toshirō Mifune to challenge viewers’ assumed sympathies towards a villain and a victim on opposite sides of the class divide. Then in Feedback, a letter from a listener underlines a point about storytelling that HIGH AND LOW handily illustrates: the necessity of a three-act structure has been greatly exaggerated.

Please share your thoughts about HIGH AND LOW, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Intro: 00:00:00-00:06:18

High and Low Keynote: 00:06:18-00:13:10

High and Low Discussion: 00:13:10-00:52:06

Feedback/outro: 00:52:06-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zach Cregger’s WEAPONS overlaps with Atom Egoyan’s THE SWEET HEREAFTER in both its broad narrative setup — a town grapples with the sudden disappearance of a group of children — and its non-traditional structure, but diverges considerably in its tone. Then again, WEAPONS diverges considerably from its own tone as it goes on, artfully shifting gears as it makes its way through a story that prioritizes entertainment value over horror allegory. We’re joined once again by Vulture movie critic Alison Willmore to talk about why that approach worked so well on us, and less so on the film’s detractors, before bringing THE SWEET HEREAFTER back in to discuss how each film’s broken timeline serves to reveal the intricacies of a community shattered by grief and anger. Then in Your Next Picture Show, we offer two recommendations for follow-up viewing, one for each half of this pairing.

Please share your thoughts about THE SWEET HEREAFTER, WEAPONS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Next Pairing: Spike Lee’s HIGHEST 2 LOWEST and Akira Kurosawa’s HIGH AND LOW.

Intro: 00:00:00-00:02:14

Weapons discussion: 00:02:14 - 00:36:00

Weapons/The Sweet Hereafter Connections: 00:36:00-00:58:58

Your Next Picture Show and goodbyes: 00:58:58-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a story about a community shattered by the disappearance of its children, Zach Cregger’s WEAPONS lured us, Pied Piper-like, toward Atom Egoyan’s 1997 film THE SWEET HEREAFTER, which doesn’t have quite as many jump scares as Cregger’s film, but makes up for it in enveloping sadness as it explores the far-reaching effects of a school bus crash on a small Canadian town. So this week we’re revisiting Egoyan’s film with the help of Vulture movie critic Alison Willmore, to discuss how telling this story out of order shapes both the narrative and the characterization, where certain performances help fill in blanks left by the dialogue, and what we’re meant to take from the film’s ending. Then, in lieu of Feedback, we’re acknowledging a tough loss for the Chicago film criticism community by celebrating some of the critics and editors who helped shape it, and us.

Please share your thoughts about THE SWEET HEREAFTER, WEAPONS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Intro: 00:00:00-00:02:44

The Sweet Hereafter Keynote: 00:02:44-00:08:09

The Sweet Hereafter Discussion: 00:08:09-00:59:15

Feedback/outro: 00:59:15-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akiva Schaffer’s new take on THE NAKED GUN sends up both the cop-story cliches that inspired the 1988 Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker original and the modern action tropes littering the filmography of star Liam Neeson, but at heart it’s less a genre parody than a spoof of nostalgia reboots like, well, this one. That meta layer is a major distinction between Schaffer’s film and the original, but it’s not the only one, so in between rehashing some of our favorite bits we attempt to determine where the new film’s ZAZ homage ends and its specific comedic sensibility begins. Then in Connections we use the many elements these two films share — bumbling cops and femmes fatale, a blend of timely and timeless humor, guns — to further distinguish between their approaches to satire, spoofery, and slapstick. And in Your Next Picture Show, our resident Quaid offers a recommendation for Schaffer’s podcast with his Lonely Island compatriots and Seth Meyers.

Please share your thoughts about any and all NAKED GUNs, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Next Pairing: Zach Cregger’s WEAPONS and Atom Egoyan’s THE SWEET HEREAFTER

Intro: 00:00:00-00:02:10

The Naked Gun 2025 discussion: 00:02:10 - 00:28:04

The Naked Gun 1988/2025 Connections: 00:28:04 - 00:55:54

Your Next Picture Show and goodbyes: 00:55:54-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While technically a sequel, Akiva Schaffer’s new THE NAKED GUN is more accurately a reboot of the 1988 Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker cop-show spoof, which was itself a sequel-slash-reboot of their TV series POLICE SQUAD and would go on to spawn two sequels of its own. As circuitous as this IP has become over the years, though, THE NAKED GUN remains simple in both its approach and its appeal, which are essentially the same: lots and lots and lots of jokes. The original NAKED GUN was not unique in that approach, particularly within the spoof genre, but it is uniquely successful at it, so this week we’re parsing how it balances small comedic one-offs with drawn-out set pieces, contemporary references with timeless silliness, and broad mugging with underplayed straight-facedness. Then, in Feedback, a listener helps fill in some knowledge gaps from our recent F1 episode.

Please share your thoughts about any and all NAKED GUNs, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Intro: 00:00:00-00:03:59

Naked Gun Keynote: 00:03:59-00:10:01

Naked Gun Discussion: 00:10:01-00:45:29

Feedback/outro: 00:45:29-end

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New pairing launching Tuesday, August 12th.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

By skipping the origin story and dropping viewers right into the action, James Gunn’s SUPERMAN avoids feeling like the franchise reset it is, and allows the director to get to work creating the sort of busy, quick-paced onscreen universe at which he excels. We’re joined once again by writer, podcaster, and Superman aficionado Chris Klimek to break exactly down why it works so well, as well as a few places where it doesn’t, before returning to the film that helped facilitate this shorthand approach, 1978’s SUPERMAN, to see how these different iterations of the title character — not to mention the familiar ensemble surrounding him — play in close proximity to each other. Can Superman be too corny? Is Lois Lane a good or terrible journalist? Why is Lex Luthor obsessed with land grabs, and what does his associate Eve Teschmacher actually add to these movies? We dig into all of that, then offer some options for Super-lementary viewing and reading in Your Next Picture Show.

Please share your thoughts about either and all versions of SUPERMAN, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

00:00:00. Intro

00:03:58. Superman 2025 discussion

00:30:12. Superman 1978/2025 Connections

01:00:12. Your Next Picture Show and goodbyes

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.