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Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we usually talk about movie stars and not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today, however, we talk about Oscar movies (!), or better yet, movies that were snubbed of Oscar! Conor and Dan welcome the wonderful Joe Reid & Chris Feil of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. An official podcast crossover! In today’s episode, we each choose an Oscar snub that still sticks in our craw, and use them as a jumping off point for the categories of that respective year. We reference two great past Oscar Buzz eps (A Thousand Acres & Elizabethtown), the lasting influence of Lisa Gerrard, Dan’s favorite film performance, Joe’s love for Marcelo Zarvos’ brilliant score for The Door in the Floor, Chris’ admiration of the singular costume (and production) design in Down With Love, and Conor’s need to speak up for the masterful Deep Cover. Laurence Fishburne’s lead performance specifically. And also, we cannot get around talking about that infamous 2011 James Franco hosting debacle. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and directors and producers! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. In a special Bonus Episode, we talk with the great Jim Gaffigan! You can catch him now starring alongside Rhea Seehorn and Tony Shalhoub in the charming new film LINOLEUM (Out Now!). Affable as ever, Gaffigan chats with us about Indies in the time of COVID, his desire to play fulfilling parts big and small, as well as some choice B-Sides like Target Number One (a.k.a. Most Wanted). Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and directors and producers! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today we talk about a true professional. An actor’s actor. The great Benicio Del Toro! Conor and Dan are joined by filmmaker and returning guest Chadd Harbold, who produced the new, impressive film Linoleum, starring Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn, out in theaters now. The Benicio Del Toro B-Sides discussed are: The Funeral, Excess Baggage, The Hunted, and The Wolfman. Plenty more Del Toro films are referenced, including the masterful Things We Lost in the Fire. We discuss his perfect accent in The Usual Suspects, his deep love for The Wolf-Man, the elemental beauty of The Hunted, and all of the scene-stealing he did as a young actor in small parts.  There’s discussion on how Chadd and his team filmed Linoleum safely (and successfully) in pre-vaccine COVID times, how impossibly good the late Chris Penn is in The Funeral, and his desire to work with great filmmakers. Oh, and here’s that insane Benicio death scene from Licence To Kill. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today we bring back the great Mitchell Beaupre (Letterboxd’s Senior Editor, @itismitchell on Twitter, co-host of Weekend Watchlist for The Letterboxd Show) to discuss our final Listener’s Choice ‘22 pick: Cameron Diaz. Our B-Sides are: The Last Supper, The Invisible Circus, The Box, and Gambit. We chat about Diaz’s underrated range, her penchant for taking risks, the stratospheric, star-making entrance in her first movie The Mask, and the similarities she shares with recent B-Side subject Michelle Pfeiffer. Dan, Mitchell, and Conor discuss how weirdly great Any Given Sunday is (and how great Diaz is in it!), how well those Charlie’s Angels movies have aged, and that whole Green Hornet moment. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today, we chat about one of the most famously beautiful (and talented!) actors of all time: Michelle Pfeiffer! We’re honored to have Veronica Fitzpatrick - of Brown University and The Bright Wall/Dark Room Podcast - on to talk Pfeiffer B-Sides Sweet Liberty, Tequila Sunrise, Wolf, and The Deep End of the Ocean. We discuss what makes Michelle so iconic, how hard she had to work to push past being dismissed as just a pretty face, the incredible roles she’s turned down in her career, the extreme range she’s boasted during her time in the spotlight, and her willingness to take challenging roles. The propensity of Oprah Book Club film adaptations in the late ‘90s/early 2000s (and Michelle’s propensity to star in them) is dished on, as is the beautiful lurid-ness of Wolf. Finally, we dig into why Whoopi Goldberg got some much criticism for her role in The Deep End of the Ocean, the interesting filmography of Ulu Grosbard, and Alan Alda’s decade of creative decadence. Two podcasts recommended and used for research: The Mixed Reviews Podcast & This Had Oscar Buzz. Please check both of these linked Pfeiffer-focused episodes out! Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. For this––our last episode of 2022––we bring on the extremely talented filmmaker Josh Ruben to discuss the legendary Sam Raimi. We primarily focus on some of Raimi’s earlier B-Sides: namely Crimewave (currently streaming on Tubi), The Quick and the Dead, and For Love of the Game. Ruben himself stars in the new film A Wounded Fawn, now streaming on Shudder. This is a brutal, gnarly, allegorical piece of horror that earns a solid recommendation from The B-Side. Seek it out and enjoy! Ruben has also directed two top-notch features: Scare Me and Werewolves Within. We discuss plenty with Ruben, from his own College Humor beginnings (this video in particular, I still cry every time I watch) to Raimi’s own The Evil Dead beginnings. From the troubled production of Crimewave to the initial negative reaction to The Quick and the Dead. There’s some discussion on Raimi’s masterful A Simple Plan, his underseen Southern Gothic The Gift, and Ruben’s experiences in the industry and future endeavors. For more from The B-Side, you can check out highlights of actors/directors and the films discussed in one place here. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

Ep. 107 – Michelle Yeoh (feat. Jeff Zhang) by The Film Stage

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today we try to be cool like the cool kids. Who are the kids liking these days? Someone we hear they like is Dylan O’Brien, and our buddy Billy Ray Brewton joins us to break it down. Brewton runs the entertaining The Incinerator Podcast as well as the Scripts Gone Wild podcast. Together, we cover The First Time, American Assassin, Love and Monsters, and The Outfit. We also dig deep into The Maze Runner trilogy (A-Sides though they may be) and a little less deep into Taylor Swift’s All Too Well short film (of which O’Brien is the star). There’s chatter on the nearly career-ending (nearly life-ending) accident O’Brien suffered on the set of Maze Runner: The Death Cure, his scene-stealing and star-making role on the hit MTV show Teen Wolf, and the enduring legacy of generational teen shows in general. The O.C. gets a lot of love here, so be ready for that. Cue the iconic “Dear Sister” SNL Video. Billy Ray takes a minute to cover the recent Dylan O’Brien/Zoey Deutch starrer Not Okay, we chat briefly on Deepwater Horizon (the best of the Peter Berg/Mark Wahlberg films), and why we think O’Brien has made the right career decisions so far. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today we get to talk to the immensely-talented Mark Pellington, the filmmaker behind hits like Arlington Road and The Mothman Prophecies, some of the best music videos ever made, some of the weirdest, coolest stuff ever on MTV, and a slew of other interesting, powerful pieces of work. He’s re-cut (and really remade) his directorial debut Going All The Way, starring Jeremy Davies and Ben Affleck, adapted from the Dan Wakefield novel of the same name. Going All The Way: The Director’s Edit is currently screening at Brain Dead Studios & Laemmle Glendale in Los Angeles, and will open on Dec. 16th at Quad Cinema in New York with rollout to follow. Visit this link for more info. We discuss everything with Pellington, from his remaking his first feature to his own B-Sides Henry Poole Is Here and I Melt With You. There’s talk of his extremely personal short doc Fathers Daze, his Quibi show Survive and the upcoming feature film version. Pellington tells us why he still likes to discover movies on cable, why he’d like to re-cut Henry Poole Is Here if given the chance, and why there is so much flat cinematography & aesthetic sameness in the streaming age. Finally, he tells us a bit about his hopefully-upcoming Magnum Opus Memory Epic Clang. Fingers crossed on the making of that film! This is one of our most in-depth conversations with a filmmaker so far, and we encourage you to listen good and seek out all that Pellington’s done. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Another year, another Halloween! This year we tackle the performers who played the titular monsters from the seminal Universal Studios monster movies of the ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s. To take on such a task, we brought back our good pal Gavin Mevius, talented editor and co-host of the incredible The Mixed Reviews Podcast. Be sure to listen to their podcast and support them on Patreon if you see fit! Specifically, we examine a B-Side from Bela Lugosi (Murder by Television), Claude Rains (Crime Without Passion), Boris Karloff (Juggernaut), Elsa Lanchester (Passport to Destiny) Lon Chaney Jr. (Eyes of the Underworld), and Ben Chapman (Jungle Moon Men). We examine why Claude Rains was one of the few to escape his monster persona, and what makes Elsa Lanchester such a natural star (despite her career in character work). We also get into some of the more torrid elements of each star's life – from troubled beginnings and career woes, to the Hollywood blacklist and good old-fashioned gossip – spot checking a few short docs and TV appearances straight from the source along the way. Come for the (many) Minnie Driver shoutouts, stay for James Cagney as Dracula! Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars and directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today we get a little nasty. We get a little creepy. We dig into the works of Brian De Palma! Conor and I are joined by filmmaker and returning guest Chadd Harbold, whose new film Private Property is now available on Hulu! We also examine the film Private Property from 1960, which Harbold’s 2022 film reimagines, along with the new film’s De Palma-esque inspirations. The B-Sides discussed are: Phantom of the Paradise, Casualties of War, Femme Fatale, and The Black Dahlia. We also take lengthy pit-stops at The Fury and Mission to Mars. Harbold explains why Femme Fatale is De Palma’s best film, why the old, great directors need to higher young DPs when shooting digital, which actors know what they’re doing in The Black Dahlia, and which actors do NOT. There’s references to this Slant Magazine article as well as De Palma, the superb documentary from Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow (now streaming on Showtime). Finally, we must mention the intensive retrospective of De Palma The Film Stage took on in 2016. Oh, and we talk about the greatness of that Mission to Mars by Ennio Morricone. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today is part three of our Tom Cruise B-Side investigation. In this episode we dig into what is perhaps the nadir of his career: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, The Mummy, and American Made. Just after Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation and right before Mission: Impossible - Fallout, here is our never-ending movie star returning to a character that perhaps never suited him, trying his hand at building a franchise from old IP once more, and going for something more ambitious. Our guest today is Cory Everett, the creator of both Cinephile: A Card Game and all things 'Lil Cinephile. His new set of books My First Movie, Volume 1 “is a trilogy of beautifully-crafted board books that will take readers of all ages on a colorful journey through cinema history.” Cory joins us with a plea to the universe: Tom Cruise please call Martin Scorsese and ask him for his Paul Newman in The Color Of Money role. Conor and I argue that that role is what is in Top Gun: Maverick. We debate whether or not Cruise fits into these three films and whether or not he will ever decide to let himself fully age on screen. If you’re reading this as this episode drops, be sure to say hi to Conor and Cory IN PERSON as part of the Cinephile Game Nights for the New York Film Festival. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today, we go back to where it all started: Tom Cruise! This time we explore the three of the four movies he made in between Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and Mission: Impossible - Rouge Nation. The films are Rock of Ages, Jack Reacher, and Oblivion. To do this, we bring on filmmaker and Gerard Butler enthusiast Ritchie Filippi to discuss these three kinda-sorta B-Sides. Filippi worked on Rock of Ages himself - in the role of travel coordinator - and tells us a couple of tales from the set. Also be sure to check out his film The Eve, now streaming on Roku and Vudu! We dive into Cruise’s voice in the rock musical, his stoic tenor in the crime thriller, and his sci-fi stiltedness in the sci-fi almost-epic. Additionally, we marvel at how far director Joseph Kosinski has come from the days of Tron: Legacy, we admire how Jack Reacher has aged, and we get nostalgic about those songs from the ‘80s. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. And this is our one-hundredth episode! We thank you so much for listening these past four years and hope you keep listening for the next four and beyond. Today, Dan and Conor get ambitious. For each and every B-Side subject (actors and filmmakers alike)we list an additional B-Side of theirs we have yet to cover. Our attempt to keep each recommendation under 60 seconds was always futile, but we tried our best. So listener, get ready for 99 movie recommendations as soon as you hit play. What a ride it’s been. And we’ve only just begun. For more from The B-Side, you can find every actor/director and the films discussed in one place here. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, and Stitcher. Enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today, we discuss one of the most prominent descendants of Hollywood royalty: Drew Barrymore! Filling in for Dan Mecca, Letterboxd’s Mitchell Beaupre joins Conor as a guest host, alongside exceptionally talented writer (and Cinephile Game Night champion) Marya E. Gates! Marya’s substack is well worth the subscription, often highlighting underseen work by women directors, among other great stuff. The B-Sides featured today are: Poison Ivy, Guncrazy, Boys on the Side, and Miss You Already. The gang also takes a couple pit stops at 2007’s Lucky You, and Drew’s charming 2009 directorial debut, Whip It! An emblematic child star, we discuss Drew’s innate magnetism and affability, on display throughout her career. After breaking out in E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial and navigating an infamously tragic childhood, she has boasted impressive instincts on how to play into and against her “nice girl” persona. Throughout her career she’s made a point of collaborating with women directors, and has a notable penchant for material centering female friendships. All of this while showcasing an astonishing knack for sparking chemistry with just about all of her co-stars; a true movie star indeed. We take tangents to highlight the impressive filmography of Barrymore’s Guncrazy co-star James Le Gros, Drew’s track record of films with bangin’ soundtracks. We also lament both Hollywood’s underappreciation of Whoopi Goldberg as a dramatic force, and the fact that Drew Barrymore has yet to return to the director’s chair. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today, we dive into the career of the stunning and stunningly talented Penélope Cruz. The indelible actress broke on to the scene in 1992 with Jamón Jamón, followed a few years later by her first collaboration with Pedro Almodóvar in Live Flesh. Soon enough, Cruz was in Hollywood pictures like Blow and The Hi-Lo Country. Our B-Sides include: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Chromophobia, Twice Born, and this year’s The 355. Joining us today is returning guest Katharine Clark Gray of Uncompromised Creative. Gray is a writer for the Wait What network, and was part of the team recently awarded two Webby Awards for the episode “President Barack Obama: When the moment chooses you, part 1.” We discuss the early, predictable type-casting of Cruz in Hollywood, the unfortunate failure of some of those earlier studio pictures (All The Pretty Horses in particular), her enduring range as a performer, and the hope to see her in more comedies (Official Competition coming soon!) Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. Today, we discuss one of the most intriguing actors of his generation: Val Kilmer! To tackle such an enigma, we bring in the legendary Katie Walsh! A must-follow on Twitter, a co-host of the insatiably-entertaining Miami Nice Podcast, and an accomplished writer. The B-Sides featured today are: Kill Me Again, At First Sight, The Salton Sea, and Mindhunters. We discuss how Kilmer was a prodigy - the youngest student admitted into Juilliard’s drama department - before his Broadway debut in the (ultimately) star-studded Slab Boys. There’s talk of his well-documented penchant to be difficult on set, as well as those who defended him and his abilities. We confront Dan’s deep admiration for the poorly-aged The Salton Sea, make brief mention of other B-Sides like Thunderheart, The Real McCoy, and Spartan, and reference both Kilmer’s autobiography I’m Your Huckleberry and the 2021 documentary Val. Finally, we acknowledge that perhaps Val Kilmer was ultimately a movie star that never really wanted to be a movie star. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today we explore the agony and the ecstasy of the Almost Movie Star: young performers who found success early on and were given a few opportunities to establish themselves as bankable leading performers. Our subject on this episode: Taylor Kitsch. We focus on his full career, with a special investigation on his 2012 slate: John Carter, Battleship, and Savages. Our guest is Valerie Ettenhofer, TV critic at Film School Rejects and News writer at Slash Film. A longtime Tim Riggins fan and incredibly well-watched critic, she brings her insights to examine what about Kitsch works so well and what may have prevented him from breaking out as a worldwide movie star. Kitsch has been in the public consciousness for over a decade and a half, standing out among a stacked cast in the seminal show Friday Night Lights. For the young actor, the project was an early, creative windfall. An aspiring hockey player undone by injury, he enjoyed a short-lived stint as a model but struggled to find sustained work. At one point, he lived in his car in Los Angeles. He was couch-surfing in New York before that. Retreating back to Canada, he began getting cast as the one-scene himbo in a couple of movies (John Tucker Must Die, Snakes on a Plane) before landing a bigger part in the surprisingly-enduring The Covenant. Then came Tim Riggins. And the rest is history. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today we discuss perhaps the greatest living actor: Gene Hackman! Dan and Conor are joined by one of their good, good friends Mitchell Beaupre! Senior Editor at Letterboxd, co-host of their Weekend Watchlist podcast (as well as the brand new podcast Acting Out with Ryan and Mitchell), and contributor to great sites like The Film Stage (!), Paste Magazine, The Playlist, and Little White Lies. Our B-Sides today are: All Night Long, The Package, Heartbreakers, and Welcome to Mooseport. We talk Hackman’s beginnings, Mitchell’s superb piece on Hackman’s spectacular 2001, the actor’s own reflections on his accomplished career, his mid-career hiatus, and - finally - his frequent combativeness with his directors. Additional topics include Tommy Lee Jones’ wild ‘90s, Jennifer Love Hewitt’s recollection of Heartbreakers (both the good and the bad), the work of René Descartes, Nicolas Roeg’s Hackman-starring epic Eureka, and the iconic Fox television show Party of Five. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!

Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. And sometimes we’re lucky enough to talk to them directly! Today is one of those glorious days. Dan and Conor are joined by Guy Pearce, the incomparable actor who’s got a new film coming out in theaters - Memory (April 29th!) - and plenty of accomplished past work to dig into as well. We focus on The Count of Monte Cristo, The Hard Word, and Lockout (a.k.a. Space Jail). Plenty more is touched on in our 25 minutes of Guy Talk™. Pearce explains his disappointment in Gillian Armstrong’s Death Defying Acts getting buried by Harvey Weinstein fifteen years ago, gets honest about certain movies he deems his “divorce films,” and highlights other B-Sides he’d encouraged his fans to check out (Ravenous, First Snow). Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor. We are also now on Spotify and Stitcher. Enjoy!