Month: March 2025

335 – Jersey Boys (with Tyler Coates!)

Ooh wee ee ooh ooh ooh ooh wah, Gary! It’s about time we talked about another musical and we’ve got a first time guest this week to join us! Writer Tyler Coates is here to talk about 2014’s Jersey Boys, the screen adaptation of the Tony winning jukebox musical charting the rise of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The film was Clint Eastwood’s return to the cinema after one of his longest directorial sabbaticals, turning out to be a mild summer counter programming misfire. But a few months later, Eastwood would rush American Sniper into a limited release before the Academy deadline, leaving Jersey Boys quickly forgotten.

This episode, we talk about jukebox musicals onscreen and the casting of several stage stars in the film, including Tony winner John Lloyd Young as Valli. We also discuss late stage Eastwood, the film’s flat rendering of midcentury tunes, and the same-day AFI premiere’s of Selma and Sniper.

Topics also include the 2004 Tony Awards, Joe Pesci as narrative device, and Letterman as Oscar host.

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334 – The French Dispatch

We’ve got a new Wes Anderson movie on the horizon, so why not revisit one of his more divisive films: 2021’s The French Dispatch. The film features a bursting murderer’s row of cast members to fill out Anderson’s ode to journalism, a triptych of stories all set within the world of a fictional magazine. Originally promised for 2020’s Cannes Film Festival and delayed more than a year by COVID, the film arrived to American audiences and a growing faction of those growing restless with Anderson’s whole deal. 

This episode, we talk about our growing appreciation for the film since release and Anderson’s “nesting doll” approach to storytelling. We also discuss Jeffrey Wright’s celebrated performance, Christoph Waltz’s cameo that lands him in our Six Timers Club, and Anderson’s Oscar history.

Topics also include the 2021 Production Design nominees, Anderson’s win for Live Action short, and the weird 2021 official Globes tweets.

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333 – King of the Hill

Perhaps the only silver lining in 2025 is that we have been given a Steven Soderbergh double dip, with both Presence and Black Bag in theatres. Among Soderbergh’s less discussed films is King of the Hill, a Depression-set drama of a boy living on his own in a St. Louis hotel. The film is a gem that showcases a great performance by a young Jesse Bradford (along with a slew of recognizable stars before they got famous), but even positive reviews upon the film’s release didn’t prevent it from being a box office disappointment.

This episode, we talk about Soderbergh’s first attempts to follow up Sex Lies and Videotape and Soderbergh’s varied filmography. Topics also include the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, top prominent top 10 lists the film placed on, and the film’s fractured connection to Robert Redford.

Topics also include Gramercy Pictures, this era of childhood movies for adults, and tuberculosis.

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332 – Snowpiercer (with Bilge Ebiri!)

The beloved Bong Joon-ho is finally back in cinemas after his global success with Parasite, and to help us celebrate Mickey 17, we invited Vulture film critic Bilge Ebiri to discuss director Bong’s divisive Snowpiercer. Based on a French graphic novel, the film casts a global set of stars as the occupants of a train in the future whose segments are divided by class. The film was director Bong’s first foray into (mostly) English language filmmaking and became a cause célèbre for film critics and fans alike upon its delayed release.

This episode, we talk about the last gasp of Harvey Scissorhands that delayed its American release and the film’s place as one of the first examples of day-and-date release. We also talk about Tilda Swinton’s place in the supporting actress race, Chris Evans vs. Ryan Gosling, and the film’s vision in creating each of the train’s distinct sections.

Topics also include recent Sundance piracy, Netflix DVDs, and “babies taste best.”

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331 – Saltburn (with Louis Peitzman!)

We’re here with your Oscar hangover cure to break the seal on the THOB Class of 2023 and we brought Louis Peitzman along for the chaos. It’s Saltburn time! After the COVID-era Oscar success of Promising Young Woman, all eyes were on Emerald Fennell to deliver again with her follow-up. Barry Keoghan stars in the film as a social climbing Oxford student who freeloads off his wealthy classmate (Jacob Elordi), ingratiating himself to the family as he stays on the eponymous estate. With allusions to Brideshead Revisited and Tom Ripley, Saltburn was safely the most talked about film of 2023 to earn no Oscar nomination.

This episode, we talk about the controversies surrounding the film’s sexual content and what makes Fennell such a divisive figure. We also discuss Keoghan’s nude finale moment, Rosamund Pike’s performance as the matriarch, and the film’s mixed reception on the festival circuit.

Topics also include needle drops, eyebrow piercings, and movies with bathtub scenes.

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