THEY SHOOT FILMS

Steven Soderbergh's Traffic (2000) follows the drug trade across three intertwined stories: a newly appointed U.S. drug czar (Michael Douglas), a Tijuana cop (Benicio del Toro), and the wife of an arrested trafficker (Catherine Zeta-Jones). On this episode of They Shoot Films, we dig into how the film works as both a drug war drama and a formal cinematic experiment.

Adapted by Stephen Gaghan from the British miniseries Traffik, the film was shot by Soderbergh himself under the pseudonym Peter Andrews. We discuss Soderbergh's career, talk about the script's origins, and why Traffic, winner of four Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for del Toro, still holds up as one of the defining films of the century--and arguably, Steven Soderbergh's greatest achievement.

Ken and FT dig into Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton (2007), the George Clooney/Tilda Swinton/Tom Wilkinson/Sydney Pollack thriller that took Gilroy nearly a decade to get made. This episode covers the film's long road to production, Gilroy's path from Bourne franchise screenwriter to first-time director, and how Clooney agreed to work for no salary to get the film greenlit.

Beyond the making-of story, we explore the film's roots in the 1970s paranoia-thriller tradition, the real-life legal cases that inspired it, and break down some key scenes that demonstrate what makes Gilroy's screenplay for Michael Clayton one of the finest of this century.  

Michael Clayton features George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Michael O'Keefe and Ken Howard.

Is The Graduate actually a feel-good coming-of-age story, or one of the darkest endings in classic film history? On this episode of They Shoot Films, we break down Mike Nichols' 1967 masterpiece—from the iconic Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack to that famously ambiguous bus-stop ending.

We look back at Mike Nichols' stranger-than-fiction life. We cover Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft's performances as Benjamin Braddock and Mrs. Robinson, why Mrs. Robinson deserves a second look as one of cinema's most misunderstood characters, and how the production design work of Richard Sylbert helps build the film's suffocating world. We also explore the film's place at the birth of the New Hollywood alongside Bonnie and Clyde, Easy Rider, and Rosemary's Baby, and why the ending still divides audiences more than fifty years later.

Whether you're revisiting this classic or watching The Graduate for the first time, this deep-dive episode covers everything from the film's philosophy and hidden themes to its behind-the-scenes production history and lasting legacy in American cinema.

Special thanks to Mark Harris for the biographical material on Mike Nichols in his excellent book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/534835/mike-nichols-by-mark-harris/

They Shoot Films is a podcast about the movies that matter. New episodes monthly.

Part two of our deep dive into Joel and Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis picks up where we left off. In this episode, we turn to the choices Llewyn Davis makes across the film, and what they reveal about his character.

We also go looking for the real people hiding inside this film. Inside Llewyn Davis is loosely inspired by the life of folk legend Dave Van Ronk, and the film is populated with characters drawn from the real 1960s music scene: Roland Turner's washed-up, cane-wielding jazzman is widely read as an echo of Doc Pomus, and the fresh-faced soldier-folksinger Troy Nelson is a clear nod to Tom Paxton. We dig into how the Coens used these real musicians as raw material — bending fact into fiction in the same way folk music itself has always worked.

Finally, we tackle the film's ending--one of the most debated final scenes in modern American cinema. Why does the film end where it begins? What does Llewyn's last line actually mean? And why might this be one of the most quietly devastating conclusions the Coen Brothers have ever written?

This is part two of our special two-part series on Inside Llewyn Davis. Haven't heard part one yet? Please start there first.

Inside Llewyn Davis stars Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, Garrett Hedlund, and F. Murray Abraham, with music produced by T Bone Burnett.

They Shoot Films is a podcast about the films that matter. New episodes monthly.

Joel and Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) is one of the great American films of the 21st century—and arguably their best. In part one of this special two-part episode of They Shoot Films, we dig deep into Joel and Ethan Coen's most haunting and misunderstood film—and make the case that it's an all-time masterpiece.

What makes Inside Llewyn Davis so hard to shake? Why does the film begin and end with the same scene? What is the cat actually doing in this movie? And why does Llewyn—clearly talented, clearly passionate—keep losing? We work through all of it: the film's brilliantly circular structure, Oscar Isaac's extraordinary performance,  and the film's devastating final sequence, in which two songs with almost identical titles say completely opposite things about the same man's life.

Inside Llewyn Davis stars Oscar Isaac in the performance that announced him as one of the finest actors of his generation, alongside Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake, and F. Murray Abraham—with music produced by T Bone Burnett.

They Shoot Films is a podcast about the movies that matter. If you've seen Inside Llewyn Davis and never quite got it out of your head, this is the episode for you. If you haven't seen it yet—watch it first. Then come back. 

They Shoot Films—new episodes monthly.

Everyone knows Dazed and Confused. The stoner comedy. The hangout film. The movie that launched Matthew McConaughey. But what if that reputation is exactly the camouflage writer/director Richard Linklater intended?

In this episode of They Shoot Films, we take a deep look at the 1993 coming-of-age classic that launched the careers of McConaughey, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, and Milla Jovovich, introduced the world to McConaughey’s iconic Wooderson, and gave us one of the greatest soundtracks in cinema history. We go beyond the “alright, alright, alright” mythology to make the case that Dazed and Confused is one of the most underrated and misunderstood American films of the 1990s — a serious work of art disguised as a stoner comedy.

What is Dazed and Confused really about? Why did Universal almost kill the film before it was finished? What was Linklater’s technique for capturing performances that feel so spontaneous and real? Why does the final scene, shot at dawn, feel unlike anything else in 1990s American cinema? And what does the film have to say about nostalgia, memory, and why we can never appreciate where we are until it’s already gone?

Whether you’re revisiting the film for the first time since the 90s, discovering it fresh, or just want to understand why it ended up in the Criterion Collection and why Quentin Tarantino has named it as one of his favorite films — this is the episode for you.

Alright, alright, alright...

Topics include: Dazed and Confused 1993, Richard Linklater, Matthew McConaughey Wooderson, Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Milla Jovovich, coming of age films, best movie soundtracks, Criterion Collection, American independent film, 1970s nostalgia, cult classic films, Dazed and Confused review, Dazed and Confused analysis, They Shoot Films podcast

Sean Penn’s The Pledge isn’t a detective film. It’s a detective film being systematically dismantled from the inside — and one of the most underrated American movies of the 21st century.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into Mildred Pierce (1945), directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Joan Crawford in her Academy Award–winning role.

Mildred Pierce tells the story of a fiercely determined mother who builds a restaurant empire during the Great Depression—only to be undone by ambition, class anxiety, and a toxic mother-daughter relationship. Crawford’s performance as Mildred remains one of the defining portrayals of female ambition in 1940s Hollywood.

We explore the origins of the film, the astounding career of Michael Curtiz, and the influence Mildred Pierce had in shaping the look of Film Noir. We examine how the film adapts the novel by James M. Cain, why the murder plot was added for the screen, and how the film reshapes Cain’s darker, more cynical source material into a studio-era hybrid of noir and women’s picture.

Whether you’re a fan of classic Hollywood cinema, film noir, melodrama, or Oscar history, this episode offers thoughtful analysis, sharp commentary, and engaging discussion about one of the most enduring films of the 1940s.

Please be sure to subscribe for more in-depth conversations about the movies that matter.

In this episode, we dive headfirst into Uncut Gems (2019), the Safdie Brothers’ nerve-shredding thriller that redefined modern cinematic anxiety. Starring Adam Sandler in a career-best dramatic performance, Uncut Gems is a chaotic blend of crime film, character study, and high-stakes morality play set in New York City’s Diamond District.

We break down the film’s relentless pacing, immersive sound design, and kinetic camerawork, exploring how the Safdie Brothers use style to mirror the compulsive psychology of their protagonist, Howard Ratner. From the film’s themes of addiction, risk, and self-destruction to its unforgettable ending, we examine why Uncut Gems has become one of the most talked-about films of the century.

Whether you’re a fan of intense thrillers, indie cinema, or deep film analysis, this episode offers a thoughtful discussion of what makes Uncut Gems so powerful.