The Pestle: In-depth Movie Talk, No Fluff | Film Review | Spoilers

By Wes Evans: Actor, Filmmaker, Director, Writer; Todd Sapio: Actor, Producer, Musician, AthleteTV & Film Arts Visual Arts

The Pestle: In-depth Movie Talk, No Fluff | Film Review | Spoilers episodes

October 27Ep 387: “You Can See Everything”
We see Elizabeth Holmes’ “You Can See Everything” and discuss:
Story, themes, documentaries, titles;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“There is no communication in this world except between equals.“ – Ken Burns
Notes & References:
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*Correction: Frederick Wiseman (IMDB) – actually believed that cameras don’t change anything in how people act (Harvard.edu); I may have been recalling discussions around that tactic, but no idea who said it or if it was apocryphal.
The Thin Blue Line (IMDB)
Supersize Me lies (YouTube essay seems to capture the gist of the issue) — $65k budget and made $22m in box office
Enron scandal (wiki)
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This Week’s Recommendations:
“Primetime” (IMDB) / “Sacrifice” (IMDB)
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58 min
October 20Ep 386: “Whalefall”
We devour Brian Duffield’s “Whalefall” and discuss:
Cinematography, visual storytelling;
Story & Writing, memory lane as exposition;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well.“ – Jack London
Notes & References:
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Brian Duffield (IMDB) – “No One Will Save You”, “Spontaneous”, “Underwater”, “The Babysitter”
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This Week’s Recommendations:
“Sense and Sensibility” 2026 (IMDB) / “Save Yourselves” (IMDB)
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58 min
October 13Ep 385: “Psycho” (1960)
We go a little mad over Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” and discuss:
Cinematography, using shadows, camera moves, visual storytelling;
Story & Writing, MacGuffins, rule of resistance;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“Fear isn’t so difficult to understand. After all, weren’t we all frightened as children? Nothing has changed since Little Red Riding Hood faced the big bad wolf. What frightens us today is exactly the same sort of thing that frightened us yesterday. It’s just a different wolf. This fright complex is rooted in every individual.“ – Alfred Hitchcock
Notes & References:
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Rotating shot of her eye – Janet Leigh says that it wasn’t a photograph (womansworld.com) but apparently it was a frozen still frame (BFI), and they shot that eye shot 26 takes
Kodak had indeed introduced its color film stock in the 50s, Hitchcock actually used it for Vertigo in 1958
Psycho was edited by George Tomasini
Hays Code (Wiki)
Ed Gein killed 2 people and exhumed corpses (wiki)
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This Week’s Recommendations:
“Perfect Blue” (IMDB) / “Seven Pounds” (IMDB)
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1 hr 5 min
October 06Ep 384: “Digger”
We level with Tom Cruise’s “Digger” and discuss:
Story & Writing, satire, showing the reaction instead of the event, what makes a great monologue and a great argument on the page;
Cinematography, the flat color palette and pillarbox framing, wide-angle close-ups;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: Oh Lord, make my enemies ridiculous. And God granted it.“ – Voltaire
Notes & References:
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ExxonMobil predicted climate change in 1970s (BBC)
The Ink Spots (YouTube)
“Patient Zero” Taylor Swift / Chivo music video (YouTube)
Bardo opening scene (YouTube)
Voltaire (wiki) – Voltaire lived 1694-1778 during the “Age of Enlightenment”
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This Week’s Recommendations:
“Solaris” (IMDB) / “MrBallen” (YouTube)
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1 hr 5 min
September 29Ep 383: “Heart of the Beast” (2026)
We sit (Ubu, Sit! Good dog.) through Brad Pitt’s “Heart of the Beast” and discuss:
Cinematography, composing a nice image;
Story & Writing, man vs nature, structure;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“Learning does not make one learned: there are those who have knowledge and those who have understanding. The first requires memory and the second philosophy.“ – Alexandre Dumas, from The Count of Monte Cristo
Notes & References:
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Heart of the Beast was filmed in New Zealand, not Alaska (IMDB)
The Count of Monte Cristo originally published in 1846
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This Week’s Recommendations:
“Seven Years in Tibet” (IMDB) / “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” (IMDB)
The post Ep 383: “Heart of the Beast” (2026) appeared first on The Pestle.
56 min
September 22Ep 382: “Resident Evil” (2026)
We dive into Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” and discuss:
Video game adaptations;
Cinematography & Directing, single source lighting, building a moment;
Story & Writing, choosing the right character for the story, theme?;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“Look, whispered Chuck, and George lifted his eyes to heaven. (There is always a last time for everything.) Overhead, without any fuss, the stars were going out.“ – Arthur C. Clarke
Notes & References:
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Zach Cregger says he is indeed “a giant fan of the games” – (YouTube)
George Romero Resident Evil screenplay (Dailyscript.com)
Jump street scene was practically done? (YouTube Short)
Austin Abrams (IMDB) – Paper Towns, The Starling Girl, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, The Kings of Summer
WWZ 2 has a director and Brad Pitt signed on (IGN)
*Clarification: Resident Evil has plenty of POV shots opening doors, finding weapons, etc, I’m talking about the POV gunshots
*Correction: Dan Gilroy wrote/directed Nightcrawler, not Tony
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This Week’s Recommendations:
“The Empty Man” (IMDB) / “Nightcrawler” (IMDB)
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58 min
September 15Ep 381: “Groundhog Day”
We relive Bill Murray’s “Groundhog Day” and discuss:
Story & Writing, humor, theme;
Finding a surprise supporting actor;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“I used to live in a room full of mirrors; all I could see was me. I take my spirit and I crash my mirrors, now the whole world is here for me to see.“ – Jimi Hendrix
Notes & References:
Supports us on our Patreon here!
*Correction: Pretty sure Ramis is pronounced “RAY-miss” and not “RAY-mee” – per this CNN segment that’s how they pronounce it, apologies for any confusion, when I heard Todd pronounce it that way I thought it was probably wrong but I also thought maybe I’d been saying it wrong my whole life which tends to happen to book nerds more often than I’d like. Like, how many times did I jack up Ralph Fiennes or Zazie Beetz?? I live in fear that I’ve been screwing up someone’s name lol. – Wes
• Ramis vs Murray fallout (IGN.com) – “…such intense creative disagreements that one day Ramis grabbed Murray by the shirt collar and threw him against a wall. After that, Murray didn’t speak to Ramis for over 20 years.”
• Groundhog Day budget was $14.6m, shooting for 86 days from March to June 1992 (wikipedia)
Watch us on YouTube!
This Week’s Recommendations:
“The Agency” (IMDB) / “Looper” (IMDB)
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50 min
September 08Ep 380: “Coyote vs Acme”
We dip into Ketchup’s “Coyote vs Acme” and discuss:
Story & Writing, underdog stories, rule of threes;
Based on a true story gag, favorite moments;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“Turn me over, I’m done on this side!“ – Saint Lawrence, while being executed on a hot iron griddle
Notes & References:
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– The O.B. Evans Story – little interview I did with my grandfather – Wes
– New Yorker “Coyote vs Acme” article c. 1990
– “Cliff-Hanger Justice” by Joey Green ran as a 3-part story in National Lampoon Magazine, c.1982
– Fargo opening text lol: “THIS IS A TRUE STORY. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.”
– Saint Lawrence (wiki) – patron saint of comedians, cooks, and…barbecues. fml.
– Giles Corey (wiki) – 1692 Salem witch trials, while being crushed to death called for “More weight” rather than enter a guilty/not guilty plea
– The dress is what color? (wiki) – it is blue and black.
– We’ve also realized that the road runner is saying “beep beep”, but since he has no lips it comes out as “meep meep”.
Watch us on YouTube!
This Week’s Recommendations:
“Michael Clayton” (IMDB) / Idiotape (YouTube, 21.3K subs)
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57 min
September 01Ep 379: “The Banshees of Inisherin”
We fiddle with “The Banshees of Inisherin” and discuss:
Story & Writing, clear stakes, script vs film;
Performances, playing the space between the lines;
Metaphors, and distracting ourselves from the inevitable;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“The literal meaning of life is whatever you’re doing that prevents you from killing yourself.“ – Albert Camus
Notes & References:
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*Correction: story takes place in 1923
Inisheer is an island, there is no Inisherin (aranislands.ie)
Martin McDonagh interview discussing the civil war element (~1:12:38) – “I don’t think you really need to know anything about that war…there was no kind of big solution or opinion that I wanted an audience to get from adding that kind of stuff into it”
There’s tons of great commentary and discussion around the symbolism of the movie, worth a google of your own.
Watch us on YouTube!
This Week’s Recommendations:
“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” (IMDB) / Pearl Jam “Ten” (Apple Music, Spotify)
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1 hr 5 min
August 25Ep 378: “One Night Only” (2026)
We jackhammer Monica Barbaro’s “One Night Only” and discuss:
Story & Writing, humor as a plot device, physical comedy, script vs the movie;
and other such stuff and things and stuff.
“Nobody knows anything… Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.“ – William Goldman
Notes & References:
Supports us on our Patreon here!
“Double” short film from Todd & Caleb (YouTube)
William Goldman on Good Will Hunting (Goodreads quote) — Rob Reiner read the script and suggested cutting a storyline around the FBI using Will as a spy; Reiner then sent Ben & Matt to Goldman for help and he agreed with Reiner. The quote is worth reading in full.
*Mike Faist was in Challengers, not Callum Turner lol (I’m great with faces lol) – Wes
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This Week’s Recommendations:
“The Break-Up” (IMDB) / The Beatles “White Album”
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1 hr 5 min

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Cinema lovers unite! Two actors and filmmakers decided to cut through all the fluff and start a movie podcast where they actually discuss the film and not a million other things you don’t care about.…