Topics covered include: Elena Ferrante, medieval triptychs, things that make Greta uncomfortable as a viewer, shooting through fog machines, the skirts of Isadora Duncan, fast-talking ladies, Grey Gardens, the possibility of a giant bad mess, budgetary constraints, Sacramento, the special birthday plate, and the YMCA aerobics class on 14th Street where Greta discovered her calling.
Topics covered include: the internet, teenagers today, how to talk about a moment that is already a parody of itself, the FKA Twigs/Anderson .Paak/Spike Jonze Apple ad, whether or not Deadpool gets it, why Jerrod hasn’t seen Bottle Rocket, the filmmaking of Steve McQueen, Jerrod and Bo’s dispositional differences, Snoop Dogg’s new gospel album, the performance of an interview, and the value of not being present.
Topics covered include: Toni Collette, Toni Collette, and falling in love with Toni Collette at age 10 after renting Clockwatchers from a Nashville Blockbuster.
Topics covered include: Paul's unexpected career trajectory, ambiguous endings, stealing from the best, the challenges of writing without "nighttime additives," and what it took for Paul to finally make First Reformed—the movie he’s been waiting his whole life to make.
Topics covered include: their new film Blaze, summers in Nova Scotia, art that tells the truth, the beauty of beginner’s mind, Alia’s painting, career advice from Steve McQueen, and the importance of giving it all away.
Topics covered include: the nuances of American Sign Language, Icelandic stand-up comedy, fairies, trolls, superhuman athleticism, archaic medical treatments, and what Fred would do if he could travel back in time without altering history.
Topics covered include: the highs and lows of being a young actor, Elsie’s audition for Eighth Grade, Bo Burnham’s Vine career (RIP), why social media should have stopped at Myspace, the impossibility of not saying “Um” and “Like,” Dungeons & Dragons, the Golden State Killer, coming-of-age on screen, and why we never stop craving connection—regardless of age.
Topics covered include: the process of scoring a film, growing up in a house filled with music, cinematic rhythm, cheesy scores, creating the sounds of an urban nightmare, and why electronic music is the best game ever.
Topics covered include: the surreal experience of overnight fame, Spanish movie marketing, establishing boundaries, theater people, drinking beers with Elaine May, Jonah's fear of winged animals, on-demand pushups, degenerate gambling, and why everyone should own a digital copy of Mid90s.
Topics covered include: shooting a prison movie in space, the dark romance of L.A., good bread, why Claire went crazy working for Wim Wenders, films that must be viewed in the dark, shooting with yellow light, the romanticization of film stock, Tarkovsky’s Stalker, and the alchemy of cinema.
Topics covered include: Bob Fosse's influence, the magic of Singing In The Rain (1952), strategies for evading journalists' questions, sequels that aren't really sequels, the CGI challenge of youthifying De Niro, Pesci, and Pacino in The Irishman, and the piece of advice from Arthur Penn that Marty will never forget: “Don't lose that amateur status.”
Topics covered include: lies we tell our families, the gift of cold hard cash, visiting Disney as an adult, pet monkeys (dream versus reality), Murakami, the Malcolm X watch, LA car culture, universality through specificity, connecting the dots, and the longing to know the places our parents' parents once called home.
Topics covered include: chasing the Bergman closeup, preferred aspect ratios, why Hereditary is unabashedly a horror movie, talking to press while intoxicated, the “trick” of Midsommar, the scene from Carrie that still gives Ari nightmares, dealing with the consequences of an A24 marketing stunt you did not consent to, the silver lining on a ‘D’ Cinemascore, why films are meant to be watched more than once, and the magic of being in dialogue with other filmmakers across history—and becoming more yourself in the process.
Bergman Mission Accomplished. Here's the extended version of last week’s Deep Cuts with Ari Aster & Robert Eggers. ROB & ARI'S WATCH LIST (in order of appearance) The Servant (1963) dir. Joseph Losey The Sacrifice (1986) dir. Andrei Tarkovsky Cries and Whispers (1972) dir. Ingmar Bergman Autumn Sonata (1978) dir. Ingmar Bergman Persona (1966) dir. Ingmar Bergman The Master (2012) dir. Paul Thomas Anderson The Virgin Spring (1960) dir. Ingmar Bergman Shame (1968) dir. Ingmar Bergman Winter Light (1963) dir. Ingmar Bergman Fanny and Alexander (1982) dir. Ingmar Bergman Scenes from a Marriage (1973) dir. Ingmar Bergman Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) dir. Ingmar Bergman Andrei Rublev (1973) dir. Andrei Tarkovsky Through a Glass Darkly (1961) dir. Ingmar Bergman Ivan’s Childhood (1963) dir. Andrei Tarkovsky Hour of the Wolf (1968) dir. Ingmar Bergman From the Life of the Marionettes (1981) dir. Ingmar Bergman Carrie (1976) dir. Brian De Palma The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1
Topics covered include: hot mics, shooting in airports pre-9/11, "movie star grapes," Josh seeing Sandler in Punch Drunk Love at age 18, writing a script that feels like there is no script at all, His Royal Highness Darius Khondji, the firecracker scene in Boogie Nights, the feeling when it all works artistically, post-filmmaking blues, losing the Ziegfeld theater in NYC, and why it just makes sense to ship a precious gem inside of a fish.
Topics covered include: finding your creative collaborators, strip club breakfast buffets, editing as the final draft of a script, the Sundance party scene, why bad notes are better than no notes, meaningful nudity on screen, getting paid the least for doing the most, and what it’s like making a naughty movie when you’re a prude.
Topics covered include: performance anxiety, living in the body of a character, the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, how Cousin Greg got his rich vocabulary, Britell’s early gigs writing telephone hold music, getting out of your own head, and why you should just keep going when it feels good.
Topics covered include: embracing your animal essence, what high school is really like, the Euphoria chili scene, learning cinematography from reality TV, the secret to acting like Nathan, fairy portals, approaches to cat parenting, the kindness of strangers, and crying so hard you laugh.
Topics covered include: Zoom culture, petty arguments, band name trends through the decades, the humble origins of Moonbase 8, rethinking “independent” television, the demoralizing experience of pitching a show to Amazon and Netflix accompanied by a 30 person chorus, learning to trust Ravi, whether A24 needs help with money, and why you sometimes need a couple years of distance to fall in love with something you made.
Topics covered include: the purity of poetry, radical okay-ness, the alternate version of Ocean’s life as a straight man, why love wasn't a question in Memorial, the power of saying no, learning to choose yourself, the exoticism of suburbia, the upside of being small, letting another artist expand upon your vision through adaptation, and why being a writer is less a career than a miracle.
Topics covered include: following Todd Haynes to Portland, cattle politics, the nature of the “American Experiment,” why it’s so hard to make a good period piece, lessons from Lyndon Johnson, whether Mark Ruffalo could effectively play an evil person (answer: yes), the randomness of art, the actor/movie star dichotomy, bad old movies versus bad new movies, and why it’s always better when there’s a dog.
Topics covered include: career trajectories, seeing yourself through your children’s eyes, the traveling circus energy of a film set, paying to play, knowing failure, making art for yourself, the impact of the Hollywood stereotypes we grow up with, American hang-ups about the Vietnam War, the legendary Park Chan-wook, whether Isaac would make a Marvel movie, the artistry of Minari, and why every immigrant story should be considered an epic.
Topics covered include: the importance of letting your movie breath, hate-cutting The Green Knight, the fall of Troy, Grail mythology, a mom’s helpful nudge, old-fashioned movie magic, the epic oner from Eternal Sunshine, concentric circles of production and release, vegan animatronic boar entrails, New Zealand film crews (the best), mainlining horror movies in October, and why genre is the perfect playground for emerging filmmakers.
Topics covered include: the world of childhood, collaborators as playmates, blasting Remain in Light on loop, Mike’s innate desire to give everyone a hug, being allergic to bullshit, the Wim Wenders Easter eggs in C’mon C’mon, black and white movies as their own species, bingeing Hitchcock movies during the pandemic, David being a little dictator on the set of Stop Making Sense, putting ‘fringe’ into a different context, the pretentiousness of thinking that being a graphic designer would be radical, and finding new ways to enchant yourself, again and again.
Topics covered include: the thrill and terror of acting without a script, the meta nature of The Souvenir movies, Joanna Hogg as genius puppet master, the return of real film, Paul’s “chill and kind” rugby-playing brother, Irish gatekeeping, drama school memories, slowly developing a bad back, being patient with yourself, getting off social media, the courage to be disliked, and Tilda's fish pie.
Topics covered include: exquisite faces, rich inner worlds, being a Prada girl, dressing like a magician, nostalgia for Rookie magazine, the Jules special episode of Euphoria as trans girl canon, astrological turbulence, Scorpio eyes, metabolizing your emotions through art, peacing out on popular culture, the music of Arca and Sophie, Lorde being a First Reformed stan, and tracking orcas in Antarctica.
Topics covered include: escaping to Joshua Tree, the heartbreaking experience of being an Oakland sports fan, pre-Giuliani New York lawlessness, running a small business in Fort Greene Park, whether your DNA is safe with 23andMe, Internet bullshit, fake energy, losing friends to COVID conspiracies, the transactional nature of Los Angeles, Angus’s favorite movie (Holes), the judgment of vegans, shooting on deadstock Kodak film for Euphoria S2, parallels between Fezco and Mikey Saber, getting thrown into the deep end, and how to cope with being famous when you’re just a normal dude from The Bay.
Topics covered include: Pocky versus Pepero, Kogonada buying Crying In H Mart for everyone he knows, the aesthetics of Ozu, the burden of representation, climbing the corporate ladder, knowing when to walk away, the nourishing process of making After Yang, Wong Kar-Wai and Agnes Varda’s influence, poeticizing kitchen sink reality, choosing joy, surrogate families, Colin Farrell's innate humanity, and 'belonging' as another way of ‘longing to be.’
Topics covered include: being cavity-prone, Joe Rogan’s effect on the podcast industry, the distinction between porn and pornos, turbo output, cheaper vanities, nostalgia for Netflix’s DVD subscription model, experiencing a viral hit in 2010, licensing a song from the most litigious band in history (The Eagles) for Marcel the Shell, levels of emergency, living true beauty, parenthood, aging, and the potential for a PubLIZity reboot where Liz G. has fillers.
Topics covered include: The Cheesecake Factory’s experimental tasting kitchen, navigating the technical logistics of the Butt Plug Fight Scene, child stunt doubles, Everything Everywhere as the greatest case for optimism, fantasies of bringing Swiss Army Man 2 to Broadway, Kwan’s mom’s meatballs, overblown headlines, Radcliffe’s karaoke track of choice (“The Real Slim Shady”), the Equus poster in his parents' bathroom, growing up on set of Harry Potter surrounded by legends, hating school but loving learning, hyper-specific personal email addresses, the influence of anime, the history of birds being witnesses in murder trials, and nominal predestination.
Topics covered include: rolling your Rs, the incomparable satisfaction of cursing in Italian, eggplant parmigiana, puppet theater, loving a strong director, going towards the vision, the freedom of abstraction, meeting David Lynch for the first time at dinner with Helen Mirren, Isabella’s master’s degree in animal behavior and conservation, taming Abel Ferrara, working with Dennis Hopper in Blue Velvet (and Willem almost getting cast as Frank Booth), stumpy-tooth dentures, uniform dressing, and the true meaning of elegance.