The Popcorn Auteur

It's Halloween and Paul Kowalski is back to discuss the films of Sam Raimi. Raimi's a horror legend, but his films are like a haunted house with the lights on - things might be a little scary, but it's also pretty funny and almost comforting. Join us as we draft Raimi films and debate the worst protagonist decisions in the 7 films written and directed by Raimi.

Show Notes/Sources:

Army of Darkness zoom scene mentioned by Paul

Horror Comedy and Raimi video

Making of The Evil Dead

Paul Thomas Anderson has amassed an impressive filmography with his ninth feature film, Licorice Pizza, scheduled for release at the end of the year. Perhaps intimidated by the run-times and heavy themes or put off by a strange belief that there was only a place for one Anderson filmmaker in our lives, the sad reality is that we had missed most of Anderson's filmography. Luckily, Nick Rehak agreed to guide us through the films of Paul Thomas Anderson.

Nick's pick for best Anderson scene: Phantom Thread New Year's Eve Party

Where you can find more from Nick:

French Toast Sunday

Rehak Radio

Show Notes/Sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7quthe/im_paul_thomas_anderson_writer_and_director_of/

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/113-pt-2-phantom-thread-rebecca-1940/id1057714949?i=1000400649405

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/inherent-vice-2014

https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2018/1/19/664-2018-movie-preview-phantom-thread

https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2014/12/12/517-inherent-vice-top-5-2014-best-of-the-rest

https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2019/11/15/752-magnolia-at-20-jojo-rabbit-the-report-the-king

https://podcasts.apple.com/no/podcast/phantom-thread-paul-thomas-anderson-rian-johnson-ep/id1067471691?i=1000397257880

https://www.indiewire.com/2020/10/johnny-greenwood-picks-best-paul-thomas-anderson-score-1234593698/

https://filmschoolrejects.com/paul-thomas-anderson-jonny-greenwood-decade/

https://grantland.com/tags/paul-thomas-anderson-week/

http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/episodes/episode_565_-_paul_thomas_anderson

Matthew Vaughn is doing great. He's got his own cinematic universe (Kingsman), and he has also been compared to a Bond villain. While he's been largely successful with audiences, the critical reception has been more mixed. For this episode, we were joined by Richard Kirkham of the LAMBcast to journey through Vaughn's films.

More from Richard Kirkham:

Kirkham A Movie a Day (alternate link)

80s Nostalgia Central

Show Notes/Sources:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2017/9/20/18421095/kingsman-the-secret-service-review-a-wonderfully-twisted-spy-story

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-mov-kingsman-golden-circle-review-0920-story.html

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/kick-ass-2010

https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-kingsman-secret-service-20150212-column.html

https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/9/25/16346588/kingsman-movies-populist-right

https://www.avclub.com/stardust-might-be-the-closest-we-ve-got-to-a-new-prince-1843347913

Saulnier's films might remind you of some genre classics, but he's no imitator. We were lucky enough to have Jess Manzo (French Toast Sunday) help us work through Saulnier's rather tense filmography.

As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at [email protected].

Show Notes/Sources:

http://archive.filmspotting.net/reviews/show-archive/42-2014-shows/1161-489-2014-summer-movie-preview-blue-ruin.html

https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2016/4/29/583-green-room-top-5-single-location-movies

https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2016/4/22/582-alien-jeremy-saulnier-green-room-fs-madness-champion

https://www.rogerebert.com/features/the-energy-cant-last-on-the-grimy-american-fringes-of-jeremy-saulnier

In this episode, we explore the three films of Tamara Jenkins. From Slums of Beverly Hills to Private Life, Jenkins has told engaging, intimate stories while always managing to find humor. She's not prolific, but give a listen and you'll find a lot to suggest this Oscar-nominated filmmaker.

As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at [email protected].

Show Notes/Sources:

https://www.avclub.com/tamara-jenkins-1798212852

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/slums-of-beverly-hills-1998

https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2018/10/26/703-new-on-netflix-hold-the-dark-private-life

http://tlc_dev.movingimage.us/programs/laura-linney-tamara-jenkins-philip-bosco/

http://www.theqandapodcast.com/2018/11/private-life-q-tamara-jenkins-kathryn.html

https://www.dga.org/Events/2018/Nov2018/PrivateLife_QnA_0918.aspx

Chloé Zhao just won the Best Director Academy Award for Nomadland, which also took home best picture. In perhaps our most timely episode, we delve into the three feature films of Zhao to educate ourselves about this Oscar winner whose next film just happens to exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Also, Chris was a guest on The Forgotten Filmcast.

As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at [email protected].

Show Notes/Sources:

https://filmmakermagazine.com/people/chloe-zhao/#.YID4XT9OlPZ

https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/the-rider-chloe-zhao-is-an-early-contender-for-best-film-of-2018

Chloe Zhao/Barry Jenkins discussion - https://youtu.be/HuVEiDwSZco

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/nomadland-reviewed-chloe-zhaos-nostalgic-portrait-of-itinerant-america

https://youtu.be/nFwQuZ8_Bmg

https://letterboxd.com/scotttobias/film/nomadland/

https://www.filmspotting.net/top-5-lists-archive/2020/12/11/805-top-5-frances-mcdormand-performances

https://www.kcrw.com/culture/shows/the-treatment/chloe-zhao-nomadland

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/02/chloe-zhao-nomadland-interview/618061/

https://www.indiewire.com/2021/02/nomadland-chloe-zhao-cinematographer-joshua-james-richards-filmmaker-toolkit-podcast-episode-131-1234618582/

This month, we cover another member of the Pixar brain trust. Pete Docter got in early at Pixar, he's directed Oscar winners, and now he's Pixar's Chief Creative Officer. Jonathan Sundy, official animation expert for the Popcorn Auteur, joined us as we talked about Docter's four films from Monsters, Inc. to 2020's Soul.

Find out more about Jonathan's projects/products here:

https://jollygoodgang.com/

https://jonathansundy.com/

Show Notes/Sources:

https://web.archive.org/web/20110607095807/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/45765562.html?elr=KArksDyycyUtyycyUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

Conversation with Father James Martin: https://youtu.be/eopAfcqMeA0

https://film.avclub.com/inside-out-will-inspire-tears-of-joy-in-parents-and-pix-1798184100

https://film.avclub.com/pete-docter-1798216800

https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/waltsentmepodcast/episodes/2020-10-08T18_26_06-07_00

https://bancroftbros.libsyn.com/pete-docter

https://conversing.libsyn.com/pete-docter

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/soul-q-a-vol-1-pete-docter-kemp-powers-more/id426840843?i=1000504969592 https://youtu.be/Q9xaes5eLyI

https://youtu.be/Lt7yLHl0xbA

We are back with part 2. We had a lot of fun discussing del Toro's second half. Hope you enjoy us debating if inter-species sex is Oscar bait and if ALF would have been a better character design than the fish man.

Pan's Labyrinth Translations

Opening Clip:

Faun: You're Princess Moanna, daughter of the king of the Underworld.

Ofelia: My father was a tailor.

Faun: You are not born of man. It was the Moon that bore you.

Chris's Pick:

MERCEDES: I'm a coward.

PEDRO No, you're not.

MERCEDES Yes, I am­ a coward for living next to that sonofabitch, making his bed, feeding him... What if the Doctor's right?

PEDRO Well­ At least we'll make things harder for that bastard.

As we conclude season 4, we tackle one of the busiest filmmakers working today. Guillermo del Toro is a creator of genre fiction on film, television, and in print. He is also beloved by critics and has a recent Academy Award to round out his credentials. In this episode, we examine the first four films written and directed by del Toro.

Translations from clips:

The Devil's Backbone Opening Clip -

Casares: Have you read any more of Monte Cristo

Carlos: Do you believe in ghosts?

Casares: There aren't any in the novel.

Carlos: I think I saw one, here.

Casares: Carlos as you can see, I am a man of science. But Spain is full of superstition. Come here. Europe is sick with fear now, and fear sickens the soul. And that in turn makes us see things.

The Devil's Backbone Oeuvre Clip:

Casares: What is a ghost? A tragedy condemned to repeat itself time and again? An instant of pain, perhaps. Something dead which still seems to be alive. An emotion suspended in time. Like a blurred photograph. Like an insect trapped in amber. A ghost is me.

Show Notes/Sources:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2agklw/i_am_guillermo_del_toro_director_writer_producer/

https://film.avclub.com/guillermo-del-toro-1798222987

https://news.avclub.com/guillermo-del-toro-yelled-at-alfonso-cuaron-for-disresp-1828844559

https://film.avclub.com/guillermo-del-toro-1798210532

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guillermo-del-toro-part-one/id1465141490?i=1000453419080

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/guillermo-del-toro-part-two/id1465141490?i=1000453419081

John Milius never reached the levels of acclaim as Spielberg, Lucas, or Coppola; however, the screenwriter behind Dirty Harry and Apocalypse Now wrote and directed cult classics such as Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn. He did it in a larger than life manner. In this episode, we are joined by Todd Liebenow of Forgotten Films to discuss and breakdown the films of Milius.

For more from Todd, visit:

Forgotten Films Blog

Forgotten Filmcast

Walt Sent Me

Todd's Twitter - @ForgottenFilmz

Show Notes/Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huTKdSZMRPg (Todd's scene pick from Conan)

https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/interview-with-william-katt

https://thenewbev.com/tarantinos-reviews/tarantino-on-milius-1982/

https://film.avclub.com/john-milius-writes-some-glorious-teddy-roosevelt-fan-fi-1798251160

https://www.amazon.com/Milius-John/dp/B077MVDD63

https://thedissolve.com/reviews/805-the-wind-and-the-lion/