The Next Picture Show Podcast

New episode! Part 2 of our discussion of films that look at the horror genre with complex, unusual point of views is available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

We return to a plane somewhere between life and death (and between horror and drama) to discuss David Lowery’s new A Ghost Story, both on its own and in the context of Herk Harvey’s similarly haunting and genre-defying Carnival Of Souls. We talk over how the two films tackle big, weighty concepts like the nature of time and the afterlife, as well as how their distinctive use of music contributes to their eeriness. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about Carnival Of Souls, A Ghost Story, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show Picks:  

Genevieve Koski: Emma, Douglas McGrath’s charming 1996 adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel starring Gwyneth Paltrow in the titular role. 

Tasha Robinson: Tom Weaver’s interviews with Candace Hilligoss on BMonster.com, and After Life, Hirokazu Koreeda’s spiritual 1998 drama about seven people choosing the single happy memory that will be their “heaven” now that they have died. 

New episode! Part 1 of our exploration of off-beat, low-cost horror movies is available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

Inspired by David Lowery’s new A Ghost Story, we’re looking back at another microbudget horror-drama that’s haunting in both the literal and puntastic sense: Herk Harvey’s creepy cult hit Carnival Of Souls, a 1962 oddity about a woman trapped somewhere between life and death who can’t ditch the strange figures following her. In this half of the discussion, we look for links to Harvey’s background in industrial filmmaking and interest in European cinema, contextualize the film’s strangely wooden performances, and consider just what makes this strange film work, seemingly against all odds. Plus, some feedback on recent episodes and a brief discussion of another pairing we discussed for this week.

New episode! Part 2 of our discussion of a pair of pigs too extraordinary to eat is available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

Bong-Joon Ho’s new Netflix release Okja has some commonalities with Chris Noonan’s 1995 family film Babe — beyond just a porcine protagonist — but it’s a decidedly different animal. In this half of the discussion, we talk over the odd beast that is Okja, then consider the how it and Babe both engage with the question of whether it’s wrong to eat meat, how they use very different settings and time periods to similar effect, and more. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about Babe, Okja, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show Picks:

Keith Phipps: They Live By Night, Nicholas Ray’s riveting 1948 crime noir about two lovers who are doomed by criminality.

Scott Tobias: The Rehearsal, Alison MacLean’s 2016 drama about a timid first-year drama student who uses his girlfriend’s public family scandal for theatrical material.

New episode! Part 1 of our look at adorable pigs trying to survive in a dangerous world is available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

Inspired by Bong Joon-ho’s new Okja, we look back at another whimsical fantasy film about a super-pig and its human, albeit one of a decidedly different breed: Babe, Christopher Noonan’s 1995 family hit about a taciturn farmer and his innocent sheep-pig. In this half of the discussion, we consider the film’s well-honed storybook sensibility, the endurance of its then-cutting-edge special effects, and the note-perfect perfect performance at its center. Plus, some of the excellent feedback we received on our recent episodes on The Thing and It Comes At Night.

New episode! Part 2 of our exploration of tense, character-driven horror films is available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

We return to matters of isolation and paranoia in the second half of our comparison of John Carpenter’s The Thing with Trey Edward Shults’ new horror-drama It Comes At Night. After debating It Comes At Night’s difficult ending and almost perverse commitment to ambiguity, we talk over what the two films share — and don’t — in their portrayals of paranoia, the ties that bind, the apocalypse, and, naturally, dogs. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about The Thing, It Comes At Night, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show: 

Tasha Robinson: Limbo, John Sayles’ 1999 drama that traffics in many of the same themes as It Comes At Night, and The Hidden, Jack Sholder’s 1987 creature feature about two cops tracking down a shape-shifting alien. 

Keith Phipps: The Iron Giant, Brad Bird’s 1999 animated classic about a young boy and the giant robot that becomes his best friend (don’t forget the tissues for this one).

New episode! Part 1 of our discussion of films about external and internal horrors is available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

Trey Edward Shults’ new It Comes At Night takes as one of its influences John Carpenter’s 1982 bloody masterpiece The Thing, which is as good a reason as any to revisit one of our favorite genre films. In this half of the discussion, we geek out over the film’s how’d-they-do-that gore effects and distinctive ensemble, and theorize why The Thing didn’t connect with audiences in 1982, and why it holds up so well today. Plus, a small taste of the deluge of feedback we got on our recent episodes on Wonder Woman and Paths Of Glory.

New episode! Part 2 of our discussion of World War I cinematic heroes is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

We return to the battlefields of WWI to talk over Patty Jenkins’ new Wonder Woman, both on its own and as it relates to Stanley Kubrick’s Paths Of Glory. After discussing what worked and didn’t work in Wonder Woman, we bring in the Kubrick film to discuss how these two stories approach themes of leadership and the military, as well as their views of the Great War specifically and all war in general. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about Paths Of Glory, Wonder Woman, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. 

Your Next Picture Show Picks:  

Tasha Robinson: The Mummy, Karl Freund's 1932 film introducing Universal’s Mummy character, who is currently spearheading the start of a new cinematic universe for all of Universal’s monster characters.  

Keith Phipps: Paint It Black, Amber Tamblyn’s directorial debut exploring the grief of two women after a tragic suicide, and Dawson City: Frozen Time, Bill Morrison’s documentary delving into the history of a Canadian gold rush town through a collection of over 500 films discovered at the bottom of a sub-Arctic swimming pool.

Scott Tobias: The video essays of director Kogonada, which can be found at kogonada.com

New episode! Part 1 of our journey into the trenches of World War I is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

Patty Jenkins’ new Wonder Woman takes World War I as its setting, opening up a host of comparisons to a much earlier, much different cinematic vision that looks to the Great War to uncover the best and worst of humanity: Stanley Kubrick’s 1957 anti-war drama Paths Of Glory. In this half of the discussion, we focus on Paths Of Glory, marveling at its efficiency and technical achievement — and at how both contribute to the film’s delicate but scathing unilateral indictment of the military system. And in lieu of feedback this week, we also discuss some other potential pairings we considered for this episode.

New episode! Part 2 of our nostalgia-fueled conversation about movies poking fun at popular TV shows is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

We brave the choppy comedic waters of the new Baywatch movie to see how it stacks up against the parodic TV-to-film genius of 1995’s The Brady Bunch Movie. Spoiler: Not well. But the comparison allows us to unpack the nuances of each film’s comedic approach, and consider how the films’ respective approaches to self-awareness, casting, and sophomoric humor contribute to their overall success. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about The Brady Bunch Movie, Baywatch, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show Picks:

Genevieve Koski: Private Benjamin, Howard Zeiff’s 1980 comedy starring Goldie Hawn as a spoiled young widow that joins the army to give her life some meaning. 

Tasha Robinson: “Logan: Superhero Movies Get Old”, Nerdwriter1′s YouTube video exploring how popular genres change over time in the context of Hugh Jackman’s tenure as Wolverine.  

New episode! Part 1 of our discussion of irreverent big-screen takes on past TV shows is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

Inspired by the less-than-inspiring new Baywatch movie, we consider the strange alchemy that is the cheesy-TV-show-to-feature-film adaptation, via one of the genre’s standout entries: Betty Thomas’ 1995 spoof The Brady Bunch Movie. In this half of the discussion, we debate how essential knowing the source material is to the Brady Bunch Movie’s comedy, which of the many standout Brady performances reigns supreme, and whether the film’s moments of slapstick add anything to a movie that thrives on a very different strain of humor. Plus, some feedback from recent episodes.

New episode! Part 2 of our exploration of the art of directing concert films is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

In this half of our appreciation of the late, great director Jonathan Demme, we bring what would be his final film, Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids into the mix, to see what connects it to the director’s first foray into the concert-film genre, Stop Making Sense. The two films focus on very different musical acts, but they’re undeniably connected via “the Demme touch,” and function as appropriate bookends to an impressive filmmaking career (which we can’t help but explore a little more broadly in this discussion as well). Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about Stop Making Sense, Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show Picks:

Scott Tobias: Casting Jonbenet, Kitty Green’s documentary exploring the impact Jonbenet Ramsey’s murder made on her local community.

Genevieve Koski: “Right Now,” the new HAIM music video directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

New episode! Part 1 of our discussion of the late Jonathan Demme’s skill as a concert director is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

We’re still mourning the recent death of Jonathan Demme, a director of incredible range capable of working across many different genres — most notably, for our purposes, the concert film. This week, we hold our lighters aloft for Demme by looking at his first and last concert films, 1984’s Stop Making Sense and 2016’s Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids. In this half, we consider the first film’s enduring legacy and influence on the concert-film genre, and how the film functions as a symbiosis of the unique talents of both Demme and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne. Plus, some very strange but undeniably well-executed feedback on our recent episodes on Burden Of Dreams and The Lost City Of Z.

New episode! Part 2 of our journey into the jungle with proud, infatuated men is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

There’s a lot more connecting Les Blank's Burden Of Dreams with James Gray’s new The Lost City Of Z than the jungle setting, though that of course factors into our discussion of the two films. In this half, we share our reactions to Gray’s stately new film before delving into how the two films engage with obsession and hubris, the clash between European and South American cultures, and the handling of early-19th-century stories. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about Burden Of Dreams, The Lost City Of Z, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Closing song: “Welcome to the Jungle” by Postmodern Jukebox

Your Next Picture Show Picks:

Genevieve Koski: “The Great Undiscovered Project,” an ongoing segment of Paul F. Tompkins’ Paul F. Tompkast spotlighting his hilarious, over-the-top impression of Werner Herzog, and Ricki And The Flash, the late Jonathan Demme’s heartwarming, bittersweet 2015 family drama starring Meryl Streep as a singer that left her family to pursue a music career. 

Keith Phipps: Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers, Les Blank’s delightful 1980 documentary about the historical, cultural, and personal importance of garlic. 

New episode! Part 1 of our exploration of two movies about personal ambition bordering on madness is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

James Gray’s new jungle adventure The Lost City Of Z inspired us to take another trip to the Amazon via Les Blank’s Burden Of Dreams, the 1982 documentary chronicling the notoriously difficult filming of Werner Herzog’s Amazonian epic Fitzcarraldo. In this half, we talk about Herzog — both the director and the pop-culture character we’ve come to know — and the borderline-mania that seems to drive his unique process. We also wrestle with what Burden reveals about how the indigenous people who worked on Herzog’s film were treated. Plus, some feedback from our recent episodes on The Matrix and Ghost In The Shell.

New episode! Part 2 of our examination of two movies that merge technology and humanity is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

In this half of our discussion of the “weird conceptual sandwich” that is The Matrix and Ghost In The Shell, we puzzle over why the latter hyper-stylish, cerebral film fails where the former succeeds. The two films ultimately have different aims, but their approaches are surprisingly similar — though it’s how they differ that’s most telling. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about The Matrix, Ghost In The Shell, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show Picks: 

Keith Phipps: Your Name, Makoto Shinkai’s 2016 anime about a teenage boy in Tokyo and a teenage girl in rural Japan swapping bodies, and eXistenZ, David Cronenberg’s 1999 sci-fi movie exploring virtual reality, gaming, and the 

Genevieve Koski: Five Came Back, Laurent Bouzereau’s new Netflix documentary based on Mark Harris’ book about five prominent Hollywood directors and their experiences on the frontlines of World War II. 

Tasha Robinson: Under The Skin, Jonathan Glazer’s 2013 sci-fi horror film that features Scarlett Johansson at her most unsettling as an alien woman that uses her sexuality to lure men to their deaths.

New episode! Part 2 of our discussion of Alien and the movie that hopes you’ve never seen Alien is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

It’s perhaps unfair to compare the uninspiring new Life with the genre-defining Alien, but we do it anyway in this half of our discussion of how the Ridley Scott classic (and Gravity) informed Daniel Espinosa’s halfhearted homage. After wrestling with our apathy toward the newer movie, we compare the two films’ extraterrestrial baddies, their effects, and their use of space, both outer and inner. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your cinematic radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about Alien, Life, or both by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show Picks:

Tasha Robinson: Clifford D. Simak’s “Junkyard,” a short story that heavily influenced Alien; “No Offense, But What Is Donnie Darko?,” an MTV News piece by The Next Picture Show’s Rachel Handler dissecting Donnie Darko; and a pair of Vanity Fair articles by Darryn King: “Beauty and the Beast’s Lumiere and Cogsworth Have a Fascinating Real-Life Backstory,” and “Game Over, Uwe Boll.” 

Keith Phipps: Multiple Maniacs and Serial Mom, two John Waters films that spotlight his unique point of view and grotesque, sharp sense of humor. 

New episode! Part 1 of our discussion of space-based survival horror movies is now available to download here or via your podcatcher of choice!

The new Life has come in for some pointed comparisons to Ridley Scott’s Alien, which seems like as good an excuse as any to revisit the unimpeachable 1979 space thriller. In this half of the conversation, we marvel at how a film so narratively economical can be so deliberately paced, and still manage to induce scares after multiple viewings. Plus, some feedback from our recent episodes on Kong: Skull Island and Get Out.