The Substance

Happy April Fools Day, y'all!

Jupiter Ascending is silly and fun and we hope you join author and Kansas City film critic (The Pitch) Abby Olcese as we look at the Wachowskis's ambitious original science fiction fantasy film, Jupiter Ascending.

Starring: Mila Kunis, Mila Kunis, Eddie Redmayne, and Sean Bean.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List

Shoutouts:

Death of a Unicorn

The Monkey

We Tell Ourselves Stories by Alissa Wilkinson

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Last week we had a great time talking movies with our Canadian friend Marta Djordjevic, so we figured we'd keep it going and double down with another Canadian guest AND a Canadian film (and stay tuned in the post show to potentially hear Marta about this week's film)!

I Like Movies is writer/director Chandler Levack's 2022 directorial debut and it's a complete delight. It's very funny, it's sweet, it's sad, it's cringey, and it beautifully captures a period of life that everyone can relate to whether or not they are a movie lover. It's currently streaming on Kanopy & Hoopla, available to rent on your digital retailer of choice, and is also probably on DVD at your local library. Go check it out!

We are also honored to have had the film's star Romina D'Ugo join us for this conversation! In the film, Romins plays the manager of the store that the protagonist gets a job at while he's attempting to save up enough money to go film school. Over the course of the movie, they grow close and ultimately both help each other move into the next stages of life. We discuss what went into her preparation for the character, filming through Covid, taking it on the festival circuit, and more!

⁠⁠⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List

Shoutouts:

The Swearing Jar

The Artist's Way

Strategic Coach books

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Portal to Hell

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Way back when the show relaunched in 2020, we had planned on covering Abbas Kiarostami's Palme d'Or winning Taste of Cherry but I was overruled by my then cohosts who, at the time, were not terribly taken with the film. Now almost five years later, I'm excited to return to it with an even greater appreciation of it.

I'm also delighted to be joined on this episode by my internet friend, film historian, critic, and podcaster Marta Djordjevic. Her former podcast, McFly’s Movie House, is a treasure trove of insights and appreciation for cinema and a great way to build your watchlist. She's also a huge Kiarostami fan, with Taste of Cherry being one of her favorite films.

**In this episode we do cover the topic of suicide, if you didn't watch or look up the movie**

We also talk about the three arguments against it that the film depicts: community, morality, and beauty, we look at Kiarostami's career arc and personal style, why sometimes stories with harsh or challenging content can become comfort viewing for some, and more!

Tune in next week for a back to back Substantive Cinema with Canadian ladies in the film world when actress Romina D'Ugo joins us to talk about her recent film I Like Movies.

⁠⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List

Shoutouts

NTS Radio

Haru

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Letterboxd

Substack

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Nazis...I hate these guys.

Seth Vargas of the Movie Friends podcast joins us to discuss Jeremy Saulnier's 2015 punk horror masterpiece, Green Room. When a down on their luck punk band takes a blind gig at a venue that ends up being a skinhead bar, things get gnarly.

We talk Seth's background in the aughts punk scene, Patrick Stewart's terrifying performance, the struggle of the independent artist, how systems can be just as malicious and destructive as individuals, the late Anton Yelchin, and more!

The movie may not be for everyone but we hope you enjoy the conversation!

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Sorry about the unintentional hiatus but we are back! Pre-Super Bowl, I sat down to catch up with Editor Dave to catch up and do a little TTU. David Lynch died and that sucks, but we have an incredible body of work to enjoy forever along with the legacy of inspiration he's left to countless artists. One way or another, Donal Trump won the election and the next four years are gonna be full of things that really suck (for everyone around the world, even the folks who voted for him), however this isn't the end of everything and we talk about the importance of investing in our local communities. We also looked ahead (at the time) to the potential of a Philadelphia Eagles vs Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rematch and bring back our friendly wager from the last time there was a Philly KC Super Bowl so in light of that...

Go subscribe to Dave's Substack over at: https://substack.com/@hallahan

Shoutouts:

The Brutalist

Sing Sing

Sharon McMahon's book The Small and the Mighty

Hot Mulligan

Sons of Patriarchy podcast

The Giver series

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We are excited to welcome Alissa Wilkinson back to the show. Alissa is an author and staff film critic for the New York Times. It has been a few years since we had her on the show to talk about the 2019 Greta Gerwig adaptation of Little Women and since then she's written two wonderful books, the most recent being We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine.

We talk Joan Didion, John Wayne, old Hollywood, growing up in fundamentalism, the subversive spirituality of Martin Scorsese, what Jackass has to say (or show) about male friendship, and much more!

If you enjoy the episode, please be sure to share it with a friend or two!

Jackass Article

Pre-Order We Tell Ourselves Stories

*Pre-order from your local bookseller if possible!

Shoutouts:

Frederick Wiseman films (Available on Kanopy)

How to Do Nothing

A Different Man

The Apprentice

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BlueSky

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We are back and joined by crime fiction and television writer Megan Abbott with a Substantive Cinema show on one of Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader's most underrated films, Bringing Out the Dead!

⁠Substantive Cinema Episode List

Shoutouts:

Between the Temples

Virtue

I Like Movies

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BlueSky

Website

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Twenty years ago on Christmas Day, Wes Anderson released his fourth feature film into the world. The star-studded Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou was not as an immediate hit as some of Anderson's other films but it's one that has aged incredibly well. Bill Murray leads a cast of phenomenal actors such as Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, and many others as the titular Steve Zissou on a quest for both revenge against the rare (and possibly fictional) shark that killed his partner and best friend, and his long lost dignity and relevance as an oceanographer and documentarian. As funny as it is, the movie also is about a man struggling against his mortality and seeking to repair his legacy. It's charming, exciting, funny, and deeply heartfelt. Whether you revisit this as an old favorite or are coming to it for the first time, we hope you enjoy!

We are also thrilled to welcome Dan McCoy (The Flop House podcast, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) to discuss the film with us. Dan is a veteran writer, comedian, podcaster, and movie watcher and it was a wonderful time having him on to talk about one of his favorite films.

Follow/Listen to The Flop House

Substantive Cinema Episode List

Shoutouts:

The Burial

Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod

The Last Stop in Yuma County

Hundreds of Beavers

Dan:

Letterboxd

BlueSky

Website

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Hey there, and Merry almost Christmas! This week we've got a wonderful conversation about faith and art that covers the width and breadth of global, historical Christianity as well as the importance of one's personal spiritual practices. Our guest today is Rev. Ben Lansing who is a professional comic strip artist by vocation as well as running the Our Church Speaks Instagram account. Ben's passion for art, history, and his faith were very encouraging to me, especially as he seems to approach it all with curiosity and humility.

Please enjoy and share it with a friend!

Buy Our Church Speaks

Shoutouts:

Lost to the West by Lars Brownworth

How Africa Shaped the Christian Mind by Thomas C. Oden

Truth Unites podcast (Gavin Ortlund)

Ancient Faith Radio podcasts

The Classic Anglican Podcast

The Substance!

Bob Dylan

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Four weeks in a row, can you believe it?! This week we are back with a Substantive Cinema pick that we've been excited for for quite some time, Walter Hill's underrated masterpiece Southern Comfort.

The movie follows a squad of National Guardsmen doing exercises in the Louisiana swamps. After some painfully avoidable events, the men become hunted and are on the run for their lives against an enemy of their own making in a place that, while actually being part of their own homeland, they find entirely foreign. On the one hand, the film is a perfectly thrilling and taut entertainment. However, it's also a substantive look at White male entitlement, American exceptionalism, militarism, race relations, and more.

If you enjoyed the film or our discussion we'd love for you to send us an email or voice note. And if you have any suggestions of movies, topics, or guests for future shows, please send those our way as well!

Listen to Mitchell's previous Substantive Cinema appearance

Mitchell's Walter Hill Interview

WH Filmography Ranked

Mitchell on Letterboxd

Purchase the Vinegar Syndrome 4K

Streaming options for Southern Comfort

List of Substantive Cinema movies

Shoutouts:

Witness in the City (Radiance Films)

Troy article (Paste)

Ethan & Maya Hawke interview

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Share Your Questions/Suggestions/Feedback With Us:

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Support Us: Support the show with an individual donation on CashApp to $TheSubstancePod or become a monthly Patreon supporter at patreon.com/TheSubstancePod