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Elaine May is a comedy legend with a directing career that came to an infamous end with Ishtar. Her film career has undergone a bit of a positive reappraisal lately, even with earning a Criterion entry for Mikey and Nickey. You don't have to look far either to find an Ishtar defender. Listen as we conduct our own appraisal of May's film output.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Staff notes: https://soundcloud.com/griffin-and-david-present/sets/the-podbreak-cast-the-films-1 https://thedissolve.com/reviews/112-ishtar/ https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/movies/elaine-may-mikey-and-nicky.html#:~:text=May's%20great%20theme%20is%20the,of%20view%20of%20its%20victims. https://forward.com/culture/film-tv/410742/why-elaine-may-is-a-national-treasure/ https://www.rogerebert.com/features/the-damned-the-films-of-elaine-may https://www.theringer.com/pop-culture/2019/3/14/18245240/elaine-may-life-career-mike-ishtar-nichols-mikey-and-nicky-heartbreak-kid-a-new-leaf https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6169-elaine-may-criminally-underappreciated-moviemaker https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33596295-improv-nation

Bong Joon-ho is an Oscar winner with a diverse filmography ranging from serial killing to a creature feature. Coming in pretty ignorant of Joon-ho and Korean filmmaking, listen to see what we thought of this hot filmmaker.   Scene Picks: Parasite: Family comes home Okja: Leaving the compound As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook, on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur, or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com.   Show Notes and Sources: https://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/the-craft-of-the-director-with-bong-joon-ho-ep-274/id1067471691?i=1000507926385 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/parasite-director-bong-joon-ho/id1142632832?i=1000465870820&l=it https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/quentin-tarantino-koreas-bong-joon-647767/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4seDVfgwOg https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2014/7/18/499-snowpiercer-top-5-magic-realism-moments https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2019/10/25/749-parasite-pain-and-glory-contemporary-chinese-2-the-midnight-after

Dee Rees has an Oscar nomination (for Mudbound) and a Criterion collection film (for Pariah) under her belt. She also can boast writing and directing Bessie, which won an Emmy for Best TV Movie. In this episode, we are joined by Mark Staron for a spoiler-filled discussion of these highs and the rest of Rees's filmography.   Radiolab - The Vanishing of Harry Pace (as mentioned by Chris) Show Notes/Sources: https://time.com/5016712/filmmakers-spike-lee-and-dee-rees-reunite/ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/dee-rees-pariah-criteron-release-1234967676/ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/06/magazine/dee-rees-black-female-director.html https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/pariah-2012 https://tisch.nyu.edu/grad-film/alumni/dee-rees https://theundefeated.com/features/mudbound-director-dee-rees-tennessee-bred-famu-educated/ https://youtu.be/RyHW6H1rdbg https://maltinonmovies.libsyn.com/dee-rees https://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/mudbound-director-dee-rees-netflix-filmmaker-toolkit-podcast-1201900512/ https://youtu.be/JtfXVXfL8h8 https://www.tiff.net/the-review/tiff-long-take-ep-88-dee-rees-mudbound

Steve McQueen is an accomplished filmmaker, both Cannes-approved (Camera d'Or for Hunger) and the director of an Oscar winning film (12 Years a Slave). In this episode, we dive into the films written and directed by McQueen, included the ambitious Small Axe anthology. Widows car ride scene Hunger dialogue scene   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shame-2011 https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Jan2019/Widows_QnA_1118.aspx https://www.theringer.com/2020/12/19/22191125/director-steve-mcqueen-on-creating-small-axe https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2018/11/9/705-widows-bohemian-rhapsody-wildlife https://www.filmspotting.net/top-5-lists-archive/2020/12/24/807-top-10-films-of-2020  

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 popcornauteur@gmail.com. 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 popcornauteur@gmail.com.   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 popcornauteur@gmail.com.   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/

As a filmmaker, Robert Eggers is clicking on all cylinders. His two films (both of modest budget), The Witch and The Lighthouse, have been nearly universally praised by critics. He's filming a new much bigger film, The Northman, with a star-studded cast. For our Halloween episode, Chris and Jon welcome back Paul Kowalski to help us consider the films of Robert Eggers.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/05/robert-pattinson-the-lighthouse-movie-review-cannes https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-lighthouse-review-a-beacon-of-hope-in-cinematic-darkness-11571346589 https://vanyaland.com/2019/10/21/interview-robert-eggers-on-the-weird-fiction-of-his-new-film-the-lighthouse/ https://anchor.fm/a24/episodes/Deep-Cuts-with-Ari-Aster--Robert-Eggers-e4l6ne/a-aj0as1 https://www.dga.org/Events/2019/Dec2019/Lighthouse_QnA_1019.aspx https://deadline.com/2019/12/the-lighthouse-sound-designer-damian-volpe-robert-eggers-a24-interview-1202808165/ https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2019/11/1/750-the-lighthouse-contemporary-chinese-3-our-time-will-come

Gina Prince-Bythewood's name is trending this year. The classic Love & Basketball is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Additionally, Prince-Bythewood directed the recently released The Old Guard for Netflix. The attention even got her featured on the Blank Check podcast. Now it's time to listen to Chris and Jon take on GPB's filmography. Show notes/sources: https://film.avclub.com/love-basketball-was-a-romantic-slam-dunk-1841823537 https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/love-and-basketball-2000 https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/chris-rock-the-rolling-stone-interview-55649/ https://thedissolve.com/features/interview/821-how-two-women-and-a-video-made-beyond-the-lights-h/ http://thedissolve.com/reviews/1215-beyond-the-lights/ http://thedissolve.com/features/the-conversation/825-hollywoods-lovehate-relationship-with-big-screen-r/ https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-secret-life-of-bees-2008 https://www.buzzfeed.com/kelleylcarter/how-love-basketball-changed-the-way-we-see-black-romance-on https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/4/21/21228610/love-and-basketball-20-year-anniversary

The world is Taika Waititi's oyster. He just won an Oscar, he's a cog in the Marvel machine, and he's being given the keys to a part of the Star Wars universe while also developing a pirate show for HBO. He also acts. In this episode we take a look at Waititi's output to date and speculate on the future of this hot filmmaker.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2019/11/15/752-magnolia-at-20-jojo-rabbit-the-report-the-king https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2016/8/12/598-hunt-for-the-wilderpeople-top-5-directors-wed-bankroll https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-next-picture-show/e/65548765 https://www.npr.org/2019/10/18/771219868/director-taika-waititi-on-jojo-rabbit https://theplaylist.net/taika-waititi-writing-moana-20171106/

Barry Jenkins has written and directed three critically acclaimed feature films. Will Chris and Jon take a contrarian opinion? Likely not, but listen as we discuss empathy, color, and social commentary.   Show Notes/Resources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/medicine-for-melancholy-2009  https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-moonlight-mov-rev-1024-20161024-column.html  https://www.rogerebert.com/empathy/video-roger-ebert-on-empathy  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/barry-jenkins-on-if-beale-street-could-talk/ https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/if-beale-street-could-talk-movie-review-barry-jenkins-759035/ https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/movies-news-reviews/article135195944.html  www.nytimes.com/2018/11/21/movies/medicine-for-melancholy-black-auteurs.amp.html https://www.indiewire.com/2016/10/moonlight-cinematography-color-barry-jenkins-james-laxton-alex-bickel-1201740402/ http://www.thefader.com/2016/10/04/moonlight-movie-barry-jenkins-director-interview https://www.gq.com/story/mad-influence-episode-7-barry-jenkins https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2018/12/14/709-if-beale-street-could-talk-shoplifters  

Sadly, Lynn Shelton passed away earlier this year at the age of 54. On this episode, we dive into the seven feature films that Shelton left behind. From the wild set-ups of Humpday and Sword of Trust to the naturalistic and understated Outside In, Shelton gave us a varied and entertaining filmography.    Show Notes/Sources: https://filmmakermagazine.com/105073-we-are-all-cracked-vessels-writer-director-lynn-shelton-on-her-first-feature-in-four-years-outside-in/#.XvIYomhKiUk http://www.wtfpod.com/podcast/in-memoriam-remembering-lynn-shelton  https://letterboxd.com/filmspotting/film/touchy-feely/  https://youtu.be/Id8EPhOH7wo

Rebecca Sharp from Almost Ginger helps Jon and Chris examine the dark and visually striking films of Lynne Ramsay. Ramsay tackles a variety of dark subjects (an accidental child drowning, a suicide, a school shooting, and an underage sex ring), which means you may not want to watch these films, but you'll likely be pleased that you did.    Show Notes/Sources: https://youtu.be/KjY9kf7TuUU https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/lynne-ramsay-you-were-never-really-here https://www.tiff.net/the-review/camera-work-the-cinema-of-lynne-ramsay https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/we-need-to-talk-about-kevin-2012 https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/lynne-ramsay-from-ratcatcher-to-revenge-thriller-1.3417132 http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/552070/index.html https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/25/lynne-ramsay-director-you-were-never-really-here-observer-interview https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/5551-a-life-at-the-pictures-a-conversation-with-lynne-ramsay https://lwlies.com/interviews/lynne-ramsay-you-were-never-really-here/