On a very special episode of the SchmearCast, legendary filmmaker Ed Zwick (Glory, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond) discusses his amazing new movie memoir, ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions.’

Teddy Kim helps The Schmear interview Zwick. Together, they discuss Zwick’s illustrious career, covering what it’s like to work with elite actors like Denzel Washington, how to conceive story structure, and what cinematic “scale” done right really looks like.

Then, Teddy and Schmear hit Zwick with some questions about contemporary Hollywood, including his feelings about superhero movies, if it's possible to “trojan horse” meaning into movies, and Zwick’s “You’ll never work in this town again!” moment.

The episode wraps with some rapid-fire questions for the renowned director.

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Co-Host: Teddy Kim

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Sena Adjei returns to the show as he and The Schmear break down Dev Patel, going bananas, in his new revenge thriller 'Monkey Man,' hailed as the “Indian John Wick" (4:00) They discuss Patel’s performance in front of and behind the camera, as well as the fiery politics, before suggesting some unsung talent they’d like to see lead their own action thriller (29:00).

Next—maybe just how director Alex Garland intended—their opinions are split on the speculative thriller 'Civil War.' They weigh the pros and cons of the lightning-rod film, parse its meaning, and discuss how it might age (34:30).

Then, Hayden Zelson drops by to discuss the new HBO series ‘The Sympathizer' (1:05:36). He and Schmear discuss Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning espionage novel before delving into the adaptation, hitting such topics as Park Chan Wook’s god-tier filmmaking, Robert Downey Jr.’s performance, and the overall themes. Does HBO/Max have a new Sunday night hit on their hands?

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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The episode kicks off with “What Schmear’s Watching” and a brief highlighting of 'We Were the Lucky Ones,' 'Girls State' and 'STEVE! (Martin)' (2:30).

Will Iannaconne joins the show to break down the new Netflix series, 'Ripley.' He and The Schmear discuss what makes the Tom Ripley character eternally alluring (7:30) before diving into the unique elements of this production including Steve Zaillian's writing and Andrew Scott's acting (18:58). They review Episodes 1-4 (25:37) and discuss their favorite on-screen sociopaths (47:43).

They then dive into Apple TV+'s new LA-set neo-noir series 'Sugar' starring Colin Farrell (48:45), reviewing the bizarre show and running through some questions they might have. The show wraps with Will and The Schmear offering some unsung LA noirs they recommend to listeners (1:05:08).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Kicking things off with an in-depth breakdown of Netflix’s 3 Body Problem.

Sci-Fi aficionado and Three-Body book-reader Joseph Piaker joins the show as he and The Schmear discuss where the new Benioff and Weiss series succeeds and where it comes up short (2:00), before digging in to how the show REALLY is doing and if we can expect a Season 2 order (31:00). We wrap up discussing 3 Body’s real-life implications (37:15).

Then the chief correspondent of the Euro-Schmear desk, Elvire Audi, returns to discuss the new Neon release, La Chimera, Alice Rohrwacher’s beguiling new Italian adventure drama starring Josh O’Connor (50:17).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Author and ScreenCrush editor and critic Matt Singer joins the show to talk all things ‘Road House.’ He and The Schmear reappraise the 1989 Patrick Swayze-led OG (3:23) and then review the new Jake Gyllenhaal version currently streaming on Prime Video (12:37). 

Next, Teddy Kim returns to the show as he and Schmear Hunter provide a spoiler-free primer for the new Netflix series 'The Three-Body Problem' (33:48). They discuss the tricky genius of author Liu Cixin, the magic of David Benioff and DB Weiss, and their big picture impressions of the show.

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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This week’s SchmearCast is a long-awaited return to the Criterion Corner.

The episode kicks off with “What Schmear’s Watching” and a brief highlighting of recent series including ‘Shōgun,’ ‘God Save Texas,' ‘The Regime,’ ‘Manhunt,’ and ‘The Dynasty: New England Patriots.' (1:46)

Then Jesse Aaronson returns as we resume the "Criterion Challenge." We discuss Criterion getting some deserved love in NYT Magazine (14:56) before diving into a diverse and masterful slate of films.

In this episode:

Federico Fellini’s all-timer ‘La Dolce Vita’ (22:50)

Andrei Tarkovsky’s sci-fi stunner 'Solaris' (38:48)

The devastating ‘Taipei Story’ from Edward Yang (53:37)

The Jane Fonda-led psychological thriller ‘Klute’ (1:01:32)

Jim Jarmusch’s outré ‘Down by Law’ (1:12:34)

We wrap up discussing next month’s Criterion Corner choices. (1:20:31)

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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The 2024 Oscars results were fairly expected, right?

Lucas Murphy and The Schmear Hunter dig into some far more interesting macro trends, break down the telecast's best and worst moments, and forecast what next year's awards might look like (02:18).

The two then review one of the most electrifying new films of the year, Rose Glass' A24 neo-noir thriller 'Love Lies Bleeding' starring Kristen Stewart (31:16).

Teddy Kim then joins to discuss FX's epic new miniseries 'Shōgun,' based on James Clavell's uber-best-selling novel. The case is made why this is the show to be watching right now (50:33).

~no spoilers throughout~

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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The film event of the year? The best sci-fi movie since The Empire Strikes Back? The biggest epic since Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers?

Sena Adjei joins the show to help The Schmear Hunter break down every aspect of Denis Villeneuve's new film, Dune: Part 2. They set the stage, providing some context and lead-up, before diving into plot specifics (23:14).

The episode wraps with a discussion of the film's rapturous reception and a look ahead to awards potential and Dune: Messiah (1:41:37).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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Berlinale 2024 has come and gone, and here to break it all down is Deputy Culture Editor for Euronews, David Mouriquand. 

We give our big-picture thoughts on the festival (1:32) before diving into some festival lowlights (10:11). We then rank our Top 5 favorite films of the festival (23:40) before covering some other notable releases and the award winners (54:00).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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We open with some on-the-ground coverage of this year's especially fraught Berlinale, digging into the film festival's political undercurrents (2:38).

Teddy Kim comes by to close the case on True Detective: Night Country. We dive under the ice to unpack the finale (9:13) before discussing some big-picture thoughts and the series' overall reception (34:22).

Next, it's a trip to France, courtesy of SchmearCast's French dispatch, Elvire Audi. We discuss and debate two brand new works, the romantic cooking film The Taste of Things (47:47) and Apple TV+'s Dior vs. Channel period drama The New Look (1:07:54).

Host: Gabriel Frieberg

Producer: Pavlo Melnyk

Music: Justin Friedman

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