The Next Picture Show

The new Bob Odenkirk-starring revenge thriller NOBODY could be read as commentary on the revenge thriller form, but that may be an overly generous reading — or it may just be because we’ve paired it this week with Steven Soderbergh’s THE LIMEY, which is much more overtly reflective about its fantasies of violence and retribution. After working through what did and didn’t work for us about NOBODY, we put it into conversation with THE LIMEY — and by extension the long cinematic tradition of the revenge movie — to discuss the films’ respective approaches to violence, motivation, and middle age, and how they use music and location work to different effect. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LIMEY, NOBODY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Scott: Michael Verhoeven’s THE NASTY GIRL Keith: Richard C. Sarafian’s VANISHING POINT Tasha: George Romero’s THE CRAZIES Outro music: Steve Lawrence, ‘I Gotta Be Me’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new NOBODY, starring Bob Odenkirk as an unlikely action star, is drawing on a long tradition of revenge movies, which means we had our pick of comparison points this week, but Steven Soderbergh’s 1999 film THE LIMEY struck us as particularly apt not just for the commentary it provides on the revenge narrative, but also for its focus on its protagonist’s relationship to his past. In this first half we dig into THE LIMEY, a film one of our panelists considers top-three Soderbergh and another considers a pale imitation of the filmmaker's better work, to debate how its fluid, almost dreamlike non-linear structure impacts the viewing experience, if its casting choices are considered “metatextual” or “extratextual,” and whether the film’s style overshadows its story. Plus, we respond to a listener question about movies that shifted our worldview, and some thoughts about kids’ capacity for cinematic weirdness inspired by our recent episode on THE LAST UNICORN. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LIMEY, NOBODY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: The Byrds, “It Happens Each Day” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new HBO documentary TINA touches briefly but memorably on the release of 1992’s WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, but it’s much more focused on providing a bird’s-eye view of Tina Turner’s entire career, beyond the years she spent in a creatively fruitful but abusive partnership with Ike Turner. Watching the two films together, as we did for this week’s pairing, reveals how the films’ respective documentary and narrative approaches both support and push against each other when it comes to portraying the breadth and depth of one woman’s experience. We’re joined again this week by Vulture critic Jen Chaney to discuss what makes TINA stand out among similarly structured music documentaries, before tackling how these two distinct but inherently linked films each approach the portrayal of abuse and trauma, the scope of Tina’s career, and the extraordinary onstage charisma that made her a star. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, TINA, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Martin Scorsese’s SHINE A LIGHT Genevieve: Josh Greenbaum’s BARB AND STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR Jen: John Hyams' ALL SQUARE Scott: HBO’s TIGER Outro music: Tina Turner, "I Can't Stand the Rain (Live)" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s rare that one of the films in a Next Picture Show pairing is directly addressed in the other film, but that’s the case with WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT and the new documentary TINA, two films with distinctly different approaches tackling a common subject: the life of soul music legend Tina Turner. This week we zoom in on Tina through the lens of Brian Gibson’s 1993 biopic, a film that treats the abuse Tina received at the hands of her husband/tormenter Ike Turner as its narrative North Star. We’re joined by critic Jen Chaney to debate how well that choice works, celebrate the transformative performances by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, and discuss which of the many liberties the film takes with the historical record actually matter in the broader context. Plus, we respond to some feedback about our recent discussions of two films now vying against each other in multiple Oscar categories, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and NOMADLAND. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT, TINA, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: Ike and Tina Turner, “Fool In Love” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Unlike the last unicorn in the eponymous 1982 animated film by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., this week’s last-of-her-kind fantasy creature knows what happened to the rest of her kind, setting the new Disney Animation feature RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON off on a quest narrative that takes a much different shape than THE LAST UNICORN. We’re joined once again this week by John Maher to discuss RAYA’s shiny, roller-coaster-like thrills, and then compare the two films’ respective journeys, the mythical beasts at their centers, and the paired dynamic of parent villains and children who switch sides. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LAST UNICORN, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Moribi Murano’s UNICO IN THE ISLAND OF MAGIC John: Isao Takahata’s THE TALE OF THE PRINCESS KAGUYA Tasha: “The unsung genius of Studio Ghibli’s risk-taking realist, Isao Takahata (by John Maher, polygon.com), and Gore Verbinski’s THE RING Keith: Rob Savage’s HOST Outro music: Jhené Aiko, “Lead the Way” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While the new RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON shares far more with its Disney Animation brethren than anything made by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, those filmmakers’ 1982 animated adaptation of Peter S. Beagle’s THE LAST UNICORN shares RAYA’s interest in telling a story about humanity via the plight of a fantasy creature believed to be the last of its kind — it just goes about it in a much more idiosyncratic, often flat-out weird way. To dig into all the ways THE LAST UNICORN defies convention and expectation, we’ve brought in cultural writer and animation expert John Maher to help discuss some of the big literary themes crammed into this small and not very literary movie, the film’s penchants for both poetry and anachronism, and what to make of that Rankin/Bass animation style. Plus, we respond to some feedback about our recent discussion of JEAN DE FLORETTE, and where we personally draw the line between film and television. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE LAST UNICORN, RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro music: America, ‘In the Sea’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Yes, Lee Isaac Chung’s new feature MINARI is a story that involves family farming and scarcity of water, but its connections to Claude Berri’s 1986 tragedy JEAN DE FLORETTE go beyond plot similarities and into deeper explorations of community and outsiders. After discussing our initial reactions to MINARI we dig into those connections, as well as how the specifics of each film’s setting — rural Arkansas and Provence, France — shape those communities. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JEAN DE FLORETTE, MINARI, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Scott: Paul Mazursky’s ALEX IN WONDERLAND Keith: John Farrow’s WHERE DANGER LIVES Tasha: Philippe Lacôte’s NIGHT OF THE KINGS Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lee Isaac Chung’s new MINARI centers on a family starting over in the country, a theme that got us thinking about French director Claude Berri’s 1986 film JEAN DE FLORETTE, and how its concerns of agrarian hardship in general and water scarcity in particular echo those in Chung’s film. In this half of the pairing we get into JEAN DE FLORETTE’s unsparing view of an oft-idealized provincial setting, its showy yet subtle performances, and what it reveals about French filmmaking in the 1980s. Plus, we respond to some of our favorite kind of feedback — voicemail feedback! Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about JEAN DE FLORETTE, MINARI, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: The Temptations, “I Wish It Would Rain” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Chloe Zhao’s new NOMADLAND, Frances McDormand’s Fern “drops out of society” not by choice, unlike the yuppie couple at the center of Albert Brooks’ 1985 comedy LOST IN AMERICA, but she proves much more adept than they at surviving (perhaps even thriving?) outside the mainstream. This week we bring NOMADLAND’s view of life on the road into conversation with LOST IN AMERICA’s satirization of the impulse to pursue that lifestyle, to consider their respective approaches to dropping out of society and living without a safety net. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LOST IN AMERICA, NOMADLAND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: David Lynch’s THE STRAIGHT STORY Keith: Agnès Varda’s DAGUERREOTYPES Genevieve: The New York Times Presents FRAMING BRITNEY SPEARS Scott: Sarah Polley’s STORIES WE TELL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chloe Zhao’s new feature NOMADLAND presents a “houseless” life on the road as a choice born half out of desperation and half out of curiosity about life outside the American mainstream, which called to mind the yuppie adventurers looking to “drop out of society” in Albert Brooks’ 1985 comedy LOST IN AMERICA. This week, Brooks’ film serves as the catalyst for another Scott-Tasha showdown, as we dig into the nuances of both Brooks’ comedic style and the satirical premise he sets up in LOST IN AMERICA. Plus, we respond to some feedback on our recent episodes on AMERICAN PSYCHO and PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LOST IN AMERICA, NOMADLAND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Johnny Cash, “I’m an Easy Rider” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though Emerald Fennell has cited Mary Harron’s AMERICAN PSYCHO as one of the inspiration points for her buzzy debut feature PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, there’s not a whole lot obviously linking the films in terms of protagonist, narrative, or even their respective satirical targets. But as we discuss in this week’s comparison, both woman-directed films are deeply concerned with ideas of male privilege and toxic masculinity, make ample use of high-pop needledrops, and engage with violence in a heightened and stylized manner that underlines their thematic concerns. We get into all that, plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about AMERICAN PSYCHO, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Scott: Abel Ferrara’s MS. 45 Keith: Mary Harron/Guinevere Turner’s THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE and CHARLIE SAYS Tasha: “Emerald Fennel Explains Herself” by Angelica Jade Bastién (Vulture.com) Genevieve: Eugene Ashe’s SYLVIE’S LOVE Outro Music: Juice Newton, “Angel of the Morning” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN writer-director Emerald Fennell has cited AMERICAN PSYCHO as one of her cinematic reference points when creating her first debut feature, which was enough reason for us to revisit Mary Harron’s 2000 cult classic ‘80s satire to see if there’s more to that comparison than the films’ shared taste for dark, dark humor. First up this week, we dig into AMERICAN PSYCHO’s inscrutable protagonist and even more inscrutable ending, its approach to adapting what many considered an unadaptable Bret Easton Ellis novel, and whether the characters in this film who are not named Patrick Batemen have any lasting resonance. Plus, we respond to some feedback regarding our recent episode on Pixar’s SOUL, and another about the pandemic’s effects on our home-viewing habits. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about AMERICAN PSYCHO, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Works Cited: • “The Frustrating Tradition Behind Soul’s Great Flaw,” by Robert Daniels (polygon.com) • “Stop Telling Me To Turn My Brain Off At Movies,” by Matt Singer (screencrush.com) • “Pixar’s Troubled ‘Soul’” by Namwali Serpell (newyorker.com) Outro Music: Huey Lewis and the News, “Hip to Be Square” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the new ANOTHER ROUND, Thomas Vinterberg saw Alexander Payne’s 2004 middle-aged-men-drink-and-have-feelings comedy SIDEWAYS and said “Hold my Akvavit.” After swooning for a while over Vinterberg’s film — in particular its spectacular closing scene — we bring it into conversation with Payne’s to consider what the two films are each driving at when it comes to their ideas about middle age, lost youth, and drinking culture, and tackle the inevitable (but perhaps uninteresting) question of “is this alcoholism?” Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about SIDEWAYS, ANOTHER ROUND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Blake Edwards’ DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES Genevieve: Steven Soderbergh’s LET THEM ALL TALK Keith: Joko Anwar’s IMPETIGORE Scott: Sergio Leone’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST Outro Music: Scarlet Pleasure, “What a Life” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Among other accomplishments, Thomas Vinterberg’s new ANOTHER ROUND has unseated Alexander Payne’s SIDEWAYS as the ne plus ultra of funny films about sad men drinking their way through midlife crises. In celebration of that feat, this week we’re looking back at what made SIDEWAYS so intoxicating back in 2004, discussing the film’s many small moments that carry a wealth of character, what to make of the connection between Miles (Paul Giamatti) and Maya (Virginia Madsen), and whether we feel comfortable characterizing oenophile Miles as a snob. Plus, we respond to some feedback taking us to task for our comparison of MANK and CITIZEN KANE, and inquiring about our favorite examples of a timely movie trope. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about SIDEWAYS, ANOTHER ROUND, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Neil Diamond, “Red Red Wine” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Both Pixar’s new feature SOUL and Powell and Pressburger’s 1946 fantasy-romance A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH center on a soul gone missing from heaven’s ledger because he’s anxious to get back to his life on earth, but the journeys each of them takes to get there end up drawing different conclusions about the meaning of life. This week we’re joined again by critic and 812FilmReviews founder Robert Daniels to dig into SOUL and debate whether it manages to strike the delicate tonal balance it’s reaching for, how it carries its status as the first Pixar film with a Black protagonist, and how it fits into director Pete Doctor’s filmography, before bringing MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH into the discussion to compare the two films’ depictions of afterlife bureaucracy. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, SOUL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Hirokazu Koreeda’s AFTER LIFE  and Goran Dukic’s WRISTCUTTERS: A LOVE STORY Robert: Regina King’s ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI Keith: Alexander Hall’s HERE COMES MR. JORDAN Scott: Benjamin Ree’s THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF Outro Music: Jon Batiste, “Collard Greens and Cornbread Strut” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With the image early in SOUL of a conveyor belt ferrying new souls into the afterlife, the new Pixar film makes clear the thematic debt it owes to Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1946 fantasy-romance A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH. But there’s much more to the Powell and Pressburger film than that indelible image; in this week’s half of our pairing we dig into what lies beyond the stairway to heaven with an assist from critic and 812FilmReviews founder Robert Daniels, with whom we discuss MATTER’s central romantic relationship, its varied approach to tone, and its relationship to the afterlife, both stylistically and narratively. Plus, we respond to some feedback on our recent WOLFWALKERS episode that wonders if the film is "actually AVATAR for kids," as well as a letter seeking clarification on our collective aversion to the term “dated.” Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, SOUL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Dolly Parton, “Stairway to Heaven”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we say goodbye to a moviegoing year like none other, we go off-format this week for a year-end discussion about what it meant to go to the movies — or not, as the case may be — in a pandemic year that’s still in the midst of upending the theatrical experience as we’ve known it. We also share our hopes for our filmgoing futures; look for some glimpses of a silver lining amid the havoc 2020 has wreaked on the industry; and welcome some special guests to share their under-the-radar favorites of the year. Then, we collectively grit our teeth and present our individual Top 5 films of the year lists, despite everyone but Scott’s reluctance to commit to a ranked list in a year when there was so much we missed… and yet we still manage to find some consensus picks for the best of this remarkable year for movies. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about this year, or any year, in film by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: New Pornographers, “Twin Cinema” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WOLFWALKERS’s consideration of the connections between humans and nature via the history and fables of Ireland is in keeping with previous films from Irish animation house Cartoon Saloon, but we’re reaching back a little further, and into a different filmmaking medium, to connect the new animated film to John Sayles’s 1994 magical realist fable THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH. After gushing a bit over WOLKWALKERS’s visual and emotional punch, we look at both films within the traditions of shapeshifting and animal myths, as well as their shared interest in broken families, controlling father figures, and the specter of British colonialism. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH, WOLFWALKERS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Darius Marder’s SOUND OF METAL Scott: Alexander Nanau’s COLLECTIVE Keith: Natalie Erika James’s RELIC Tasha: Mike Newell’s INTO THE WEST Outro Music: Aurora, “Running With the Wolves” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like Irish animator Tom Moore’s previous films, the new WOLFWALKERS has a strong base in Irish legend and Celtic design, which, along with the film’s story about a young girl striking out on her own in a world of shapechangers and mythology, put us in mind of American filmmaker John Sayles’ 1994 venture into Irish legend, THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH. In this half of the pairing we consider whether ROAN INISH falls under the heading of children’s movie or arthouse film, how it fits into Sayles’ filmography, and how to contextualize, and even appreciate, its traditionalist messaging. Plus, we set the stage for next week’s WOLFWALKERS episode with a discussion of some of the non-traditional animated films that have surprised, delighted, and confounded us. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH, WOLFWALKERS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Mason Daring, “Return to Roan Inish” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Though David Fincher’s new MANK certainly makes the case for giving Herman Mankiwiecz more of the credit for CITIZEN KANE than he’s often received, it’s more interested in peeling back the layers of a complex character and exploring the many personal and cultural themes that found their way into KANE. That makes it all but impossible not to discuss the film in relation to the Orson Welles classic, which is exactly what we do this week, comparing how the two films function as biography, how they each tackle politics and cronyism, and how they use non-chronological storytelling to different effect (and success). Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CITIZEN KANE, MANK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Tasha: Aaron Sorkin’s THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7  Keith: Sofia Coppola’s ON THE ROCKS and Steve McQueen’s SMALL AXE Genevieve: Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson’s SAVE YOURSELVES! Outro Music: “Teamwork” by Bing Crosby & Bob Hope Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s rare that a new film suggests a historical comparison point as strongly as David Fincher’s new MANK does, so we’re taking the bait and putting it in conversation with the film that is its raison d’etre: Orson Welles’ towering 1941 directorial debut, CITIZEN KANE. Is there anything new to say about a film frequently hailed as the form’s crowning achievement? Perhaps not, so in this half of the conversation we dig into KANE’s legacy as much as the film itself, to consider how the film plays in the context of everything it inspired, whether it’s a useful dividing point in film history, and the ways it still manages to surprise us after all this time. Plus, Scott Tobias presents an abbreviated 2020 edition of his annual “Movies to See” checklist, covering all the films you need to see to be conversant in this past year in film. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CITIZEN KANE, MANK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: The White Stripes, “The Union Forever” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Writer-director Sean Durkin’s long-awaited followup to MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE, the new THE NEST casts Jude Law and Carrie Coon as an unhappily married couple in the 1980s who relocate their family to an isolated British country estate, a move that hastens the seemingly inevitable collapse of their family unit. Though the film is separated from the setting of Ang Lee’s 1970s-set THE ICE STORM by a decade and an ocean, the two films express a similar merging of period values and family values, and build to nearly identical dark-night-of-the-soul climaxes. We get into that and more as we bring THE NEST into conversation with THE ICE STORM. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE ICE STORM, THE NEST, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Keith: George Romero’s SEASON OF THE WITCH Tasha: Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl’s PROSPECT Scott: Michael Cimino’s HEAVEN’S GATE (Director’s Cut) Outro Music: “No Place Called Home,” by The June Brides Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

THE NEST, Sean Durkin’s chilly new drama about a marriage on the brink, weaves together its very 1980s setting and the issues afflicting its central family in a manner we found reminiscent of Ang Lee’s 1997 feature THE ICE STORM, which examines a similar sort of familial dysfunction through the lens of 1970s libertine values. In this half, we debate how well THE ICE STORM holds up another two decades removed from the time period it depicts, what stands out about its approach to that time period, and what it has to say as a film about parenthood. Plus, in place of our usual Feedback, we take some time to survey the career of Ang Lee via a discussion of his films that have most stuck with us. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE ICE STORM, THE NEST, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Melanie, “Brand New Key” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA is a fairly traditional concert film — at least as traditional as a collaboration between David Byrne and Spike Lee can be — which differentiates it from Byrne’s vignette-based 1986 ramble TRUE STORIES, but both projects are indelibly marked by the musician’s mindset, clearly the products of someone who works intuitively and metaphorically. This week we attempt to parse how the “David Byrne” character has evolved over the decades separating the two films, and how TRUE STORIES and AMERICAN UTOPIA echo each other’s interests in American stories, collective celebration through music, and how technology can foster human connection. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about TRUE STORIES, AMERICAN UTOPIA, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Marielle Heller’s WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME Keith: Costa Gavras’ Z Tasha: Michael O’Shea’s THE TRANSFIGURATION Scott: John Huston’s FAT CITY Outro Music: “Burning Down the House” from DAVID BYRNE’S AMERICAN UTOPIA  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spike Lee’s new feature-length document of David Byrne’s stage show AMERICAN UTOPIA seemed like a prime opportunity to look back on the the iconoclastic alt-rocker’s own 1986 directorial effort TRUE STORIES, which also uses the framework of Talking Heads songs to muse about the state of America and how humans seek and find connections in the modern world. In the first half of our Byrne double feature, we consider TRUE STORIES’ vignette-based journey through the fictional Virgil, Texas, through the overlapping lenses of comedy, music, and Byrne himself. Plus, we respond to some feedback regarding our recent episode on DOGTOOTH. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about TRUE STORIES, AMERICAN UTOPIA, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Works Cited: • “David Byrne’s American Triptych” by Keith Phipps (Slate.com) Outro Music: Talking Heads ft. Annie McEnroe, “Dream Operator” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Longtime listeners of The Next Picture Show likely have at least passing familiarity with THE FALL via the many, many mentions it’s received over the years from co-host Tasha Robinson, one of the foremost advocates of Tarsem Singh’s hard-to-find, cultishly adored 2008 film. Joining her in that small but mighty fandom is Elliott Kalan, Emmy-winning comedy writer and co-host of THE FLOP HOUSE podcast, where he has shared Tasha’s experience of singing THE FALL’s praises to his bemused co-hosts. So in honor of… well, nothing, really, other than a shared appreciation of an obscure and highly discussable film, Keith Phipps convened Elliott and Tasha to discuss this extremely weird masterpiece, how its highly unusual filming circumstances resulted in a singular film, and why it’s ultimately a movie that’s “more felt than thought.”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you’ve ever wondered, “What if Miranda July made her own version of DOGTOOTH?”, her new film KAJILLIONAIRE would be a pretty good answer. In this half of our pairing of darkly comic films centered on cloistered, dysfunctional families, we parse our reactions to KAJILLIONAIRE before bringing in DOGTOOTH to consider the two films’ respective handling of parenting with an agenda, isolation and the threats of the outside world, and sexuality and romance. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about DOGTOOTH, KAJILLIONAIRE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Dave McCary’s BRIGSBY BEAR • Genevieve: Todd Haynes’ MILDRED PIERCE and BIG MOUTH season 4 • Scott: Bob Bowen’s PHINEAS AND FERB THE MOVIE: CANDACE AGAINST THE UNIVERSE • Keith: Matt Spicer’s INGRID GOES WEST and Alan Metter’s GIRLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN Outro Music: Eurythmics, ‘Would I Lie to You’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The cloistered familial bubble at the center of Miranda July’s new KAJILLIONAIRE felt reminiscent of the one in Yorgos Lanthimos’ 2009 breakthrough DOGTOOTH, and that was before the film’s introduction of an outsider who contaminates said bubble, a complication carried out to slightly more disturbing ends in DOGTOOTH. In this half of our pairing we dig into the nature of DOGTOOTH’s sadistic parental experiment, whether the film’s highly symbolic premise overwhelms its story, and our respective interpretations of the film’s ambiguous ending. Plus, we respond to some recent listener feedback about parental viewing suggestions and podcast pairing regrets. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about DOGTOOTH, KAJILLIONAIRE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Works Cited: • The Movies’ 50 Greatest Pop Music Moments, thedissolve.com Outro Music: Irene Cara, “What a Feeling” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kirsten Johnson’s new DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD is a rumination on memory, death, and movie illusion, one that brings the veteran “cameraperson” in front of the lens, alongside her titular father. In that, it’s reminiscent of an earlier essay film with a strongly autobiographical bent, and a similar fixation on what remains after we’re gone: Orson Welles’ F FOR FAKE. In this half of our pairing of the two films, we debate how — or whether — Johnson’s film successfully skirts exploitation of its central subject, before diving into how these two films each tackle matters of authenticity, illusion, and making art in the face of death. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about F FOR FAKE, DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  **Show Notes** Works Cited: •”’We Think the Audience is Smarter Than Us’: Kirsten Johnson on Making Another Personal and Original Film With ‘Dick Johnson Is Dead,’ by Matt Prigge (filmmakermagazine.com) • “Documentarian Kirsten Johnson on Fake-Killing Her Own Dad (Over and Over) in Dick Johnson Is Dead,” by Rachel Handler (vulture.com) Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Banksy’s EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP • Scott: Jacques Cluzaud, Michel Debats, and Jacques Perrin’s WINGED MIGRATION • Keith: The Tobolowsky Files podcast • Tasha: Walt Dohrn’s TROLLS WORLD TOUR Outro Music: Oingo Boing, “Dead Man’s Party” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kirsten Johnson’s new film DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD is an unconventional documentary perhaps more at home under the nebulous subgenre known as the personal essay film, a form that was, if not popularized, then at least institutionalized by Orson Welles with 1973’s F FOR FAKE. In preparation for discussing Johnson’s film next week, we spend this week working through how Welles made a highly personal film using someone else’s cinematic scraps, and whether watching the final product is, as one of us puts it, “like picking up a handful of water,” or, as another calls it, simply “miraculous.” Maybe it’s both. Plus, we respond to some recent listener feedback inspired by our episodes on BEING JOHN MALKOVICH and I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about F FOR FAKE, DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Belle and Sebastian, “A Century of Fakers” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dear NPS listeners — we’ve been forced to make some changes to our schedule, which means our previously announced pairing of DOGTOOTH and KAJILLIONAIRE has been postponed a few weeks, and we’ll be back next week with the first part of our pairing of DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD and F IS FOR FAKE. In the meantime, though, we’re offering you a sneak peek behind the Patreon paywall, a bonus episode of our quick-reaction post-viewing series The Lobby, wherein noted Disney live-action skeptics Genevieve Koski and Scott Tobias talk over Disney’s new take on MULAN. Enjoy, and if you like what you hear, consider becoming a $5-a-month Patreon supporter, which will net you regular access to all of our bonus episodes, at patreon.com/NextPictureShow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS plays into some of Charlie Kaufman’s favorite preoccupations — surrealism, questions of identity and self, quietly desperate men, and the breakdown of order — which makes it not only an ideal pairing with Kaufman’s film screenwriting debut BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, but also an illustration of how those preoccupations have deepened in the years since Kaufman's breakout. It works better for some than others on our panel — which this week once again includes Screencrush editor and Filmspotting Family member Matt Singer — and we get into precisely why before bringing in MALKOVICH to discuss Kaufman’s history of sad, delusional men, his fixation on interiority and the life of the mind, and how it all plays into a broader interest in identity and how it shifts. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Charlie Kaufman’s SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK • Scott: Martin Ritt’s HUD • Matt: Dean Parisot’s BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC Outro Music: Jesse Plemons, “Lonely Room”  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With 1999’s BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman kicked off a two-decade run of dizzying audiences by playing around with identity and surrealism, and channeling and expressing anxiety, a mode he’s continued right on through to his latest, I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, which he also directs. Before we dig into his latest next week, we’re going back to the beginning to examine the mind of Charlie Kaufman via his “big swing debut” BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, with some help from Matt Singer, our former compatriot at The Dissolve, now editor and critic for Screencrush, and late of Filmspotting: SVU. Plus, we respond to some recent listener feedback inspired by our recent episodes on LORD OF THE FLIES and EUROVISION SONG CONTEST. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: They Might Be Giants, “Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The school-age boys at the center of Amanda McMaine and Jesse Moss’s new documentary BOYS STATE may not be facing the sort of life-and-death circumstances that frame Peter Brook’s film of LORD OF THE FLIES, but the two films undoubtedly echo each other in their portrayal of humanity’s tribalist instinct run amok. After discussing BOYS STATE and whether the kids are indeed all right, we look for connections between the two films and find many, not just in the aforementioned portrayal of tribalism, but also the films’ respective depictions of self-governance, maturity vs. immaturity, and the “adults in the room.” Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LORD OF THE FLIES, BOYS STATE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Masaaki Yuasa’s LU OVER THE WALL and Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s FULL BATTLE RATTLE • Scott: Michael Ritchie’s THE CANDIDATE • Keith: Agnès Varda’s LE BONHEUR, part of Criterion’s Varda box set • Genevieve: Kris Rey’s I USED TO GO HERE Outro Music: Chicago, “Vote For Me” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The engrossing new documentary BOYS STATE, about a group of young men attempting to build a functional democracy and all of the ways it can go awry, naturally invites comparisons to William Golding’s LORD OF THE FLIES, but as we discover in our revisitation of the latter in the form of Peter Brook’s 1963 adaptation, the allegorical nature of Golding’s story doesn’t shift so easily from page to screen. This week we dig into the unusual production circumstances of Brook’s film and how they both detract from and amplify the film’s visceral power, in addition to some “freshman English” analysis of Golding’s tale. Plus, we respond to some listener feedback on our recent episodes on Kelly Reichardt’s MEEK’S CUTOFF and FIRST COW. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about LORD OF THE FLIES, BOYS STATE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Mr. Mister, “Kyrie” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After slogging across the Oregon Trail with Kelly Reichardt’s MEEK’S CUTOFF last week, this week we’re going even further back in the 19th century for Reichardt’s new FIRST COW. We’re joined once again by Vox film critic Alissa Wilkinson to discuss FIRST COW’s offbeat humor and quiet reverence for the artistry of cooking, on the way to discussing what it shares with MEEK’S CUTOFF in terms of the portrayal of masculinity and vulnerability, the films’ respective approaches to history, and the handmade aesthetic that links them as Reichardt films. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MEEK’S CUTOFF, FIRST COW, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: • Tasha: Rebecca Stern’s WELL GROOMED • Scott: Atom Egoyan’s SPEAKING PARTS • Keith: Jeff Chan and Andrew Rhymer’s PLUS ONE and HBO Max’s LOONEY TUNES CARTOONS • Alissa: Kevin Rafferty and James Ridgeway’s FEED, and Jan de Bont’s SPEED Outro Music: Doja Cat, “Mooo!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kelly Reichardt’s latest, FIRST COW, finds the veteran indie filmmaker returning to territory she’s visited before — specifically 19th-century Oregon Territory, a historical terrain Reichardt first explored in her 2010 anti-Western MEEK’S CUTOFF. This week we’re joined by Vox Culture critic Alissa Wilkinson as we hitch our proverbial wagons to MEEK’S CUTOFF to discuss how it fits into Reichardt’s tradition of road movies that don’t go anywhere, and our respective reactions to its deliberately slow pace and frustrating ending. Plus, we respond to some listener feedback on our recent episodes on GROUNDHOG DAY and EUROVISION. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about MEEK’S CUTOFF, FIRST COW, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Talking Heads, “Road to Nowhere” MASTERCLASS.com/pictureshow for 15% off Annual All-Access MasterClassPass  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Hulu comedy PALM SPRINGS wouldn’t exist without the broad comedy and sentimental romance of GROUNDHOG DAY, but there are some key differences in its depiction of life and love inside a time loop — chief among them the decision to give Andy Samberg’s character a partner in looping, played by Cristin Milioti — that make it a very different sort of circular journey. We’re joined once again by Vox critic at large Emily Vanderwerff to discuss the efficacy of that decision, as well as how the two films function as romances, as parables, and, most importantly, as comedies. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about Groundhog Day, PALM SPRINGS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Works Cited: • “Cristin Milioti Explains the Time-Loop Science Behind Palm Springs,” by Rachel Handler (vulture.com) • “Torn apart in production, The Emperor’s New Groove came out at exactly the wrong time,” by Petrana Radulovic (polygon.com) Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Leslye Headland and Natasha Lyonne’s RUSSIAN DOLL • Emily: Michaela Coel’s I MAY DESTROY YOU • Scott: Hlynur Palmason’s A WHITE, WHITE DAY • Tasha: John-Paul Davidson and Trudie Styler’s THE SWEATBOX Outro Music: Hall & Oates, “When the Morning Comes” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GROUNDHOG DAY didn’t invent the time-loop genre, but it’s safe to say that without Harold Ramis’ beloved 1993 Bill Murray-starring comedy, we wouldn’t have nearly as many film and television series about people stuck in a period of time that keeps resetting and endlessly repeating — including the new Hulu comedy PALM SPRINGS, the subject of next week’s discussion. We’re joined this week by our friend and former colleague Emily Vanderwerff, Vox’s critic at large, to dissect how our feelings about and memories of GROUNDHOG DAY have evolved over the years, and discuss how the film functions as both a religious and moral parable, as well as an exemplar of that endangered cinematic species, the American small town movie. Plus, we tackle some listener feedback about representation in film and critics’ responsibility in discussing it.  Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about GROUNDHOG DAY, PALM SPRINGS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: Frank Yankovic, “Pennsylvania Polka” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA concerns a different genre and different part of the world than Christopher Guest’s folk-music-focused A MIGHTY WIND, but the comedies share an irreverently reverent approach to parodying their chosen music scene. In this half of our pairing of the two films, we debate whether that approach is helped or hindered in EUROVISION by the presence of Will Ferrell, along with the function of the film’s centerpiece “Song-Along.” Then we bring EUROVISION into conversation with A MIGHTY WIND to compare how the two films each tackle music, comedy, and the intersection thereof. 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 A MIGHTY WIND, EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Works Cited: • “Eurovision Director David Dobkin Never Wanted to Make Fun of Anyone,” by Chris Lee (vulture.com) Your Next Picture Show: • Genevieve: Las Culturistas podcast, “Family Style (w/Will Ferrell)"; “Love Me Like You Should: The Brave and Bold Sylvester”; Sam Feder’s DISCLOSURE • Tasha: Gina Prince-Bythewood’s THE OLD GUARD • Keith: Byron Haskin’s THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953) • Scott: Tobe Hooper’s THE FUNHOUSE Outro Music: Fire Saga, “Ja Ja Ding Dong” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new Netflix comedy EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA sneaks moments of real pathos into its parodic look at a highly specific music scene, a sly approach it shares with another classic of the musical-spoof form: 2003’s A MIGHTY WIND, the third in a series of improv-heavy comedies directed by Christopher Guest and starring a cast of ensemble players. In this unfortunately “Ja Ja Ding Dong”-free half of our pairing, we dive into A MIGHTY WIND to examine the source and efficacy of said pathos, and how it aligns with Guest and co’s approach to both folk music and improv comedy. Plus, feedback on our recent Studio Ghibli bonus episode prompts further discussion of the oft-ignored Isao Takahata and the sub-vs.-dub debate. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about A MIGHTY WIND, EUROVISION SONG CONTEST, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Outro Music: “A Mighty Wind” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spike Lee’s ambitious new war epic for Netflix, DA 5 BLOODS, is brimming with cultural and historical reference points — including an extended homage to the other film in this pairing, John Huston’s THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE — but it’s also full of Lee signatures, in both its story and its style. We break down some of them in our consideration of DA 5 BLOODS, before connecting Lee’s doomed treasure hunt to Huston’s by way of their respective depictions of paranoia and madness, their ideas about foreign interlopers and native populations, and their grimly ironic endings. 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 TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, DA 5 BLOODS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Works Cited: • “Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods Misses the Mark—and Does a Disservice to Its Women,” by Cassie Da Costa (thedailybeast.com) • “21 essential films about Black lives, in every major genre,” by Adam Davie as told to Tasha Robinson (polygon.com) • “Black Life on Film” by Adam Davie (letterboxd.com) Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Spike Lee’s PASS OVER Tasha: Ousmane Sembene’s BLACK GIRL Scott: DA Pennebaker’s ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: COMPANY Keith: John Patrick Shanley’s JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO Outro music: Marvin Gaye, ‘What’s Going On’ (Lead Vocals Only) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Spike Lee’s new DA 5 BLOODS has no shortage of cinematic and historical touchpoints, but its focus on the literal and metaphorical weight of gold — not to mention that whole “stinking badges” thing — is a direct nod to the 1948 John Huston classic THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE. In this half of our pairing we assess what’s made TREASURE endure, from the knotty moral complexity of its central trio to its utilization of real locations, and go beyond the most quotable moments to explore some of the film’s less-discussed standout scenes. Plus, some feedback on our recent episode on THE HAUNTING prompts some discussion of non-auteurs and the lost art of the commentary track. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, DA 5 BLOODS, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Show Notes Works Cited: • “The subversive masculinity of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” by Tasha Robinson (thedissolve.com) • “Forum: Treasure of the Sierra Madre” by Genevieve Koski and Keith Phipps (thedissolve.com)   Outro Music: Stone Roses, “Fool’s Gold” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2020 is the year that Japan’s beloved Studio Ghibli fully enters the streaming age, rolling out its films for Netflix viewers around the world, and for HBO Max subscribers in the U.S. This marks a major shift from recent decades, when Ghibli’s films were mostly relegated to boutique DVD releases and special theatrical events. So in celebration of Ghibli’s films being readily available to a wide audience for the first time, we’re departing from format a bit for an in-depth look at the studio’s very first film, CASTLE IN THE SKY, which is packed with early signifiers of director Hayao Miyazaki’s authorial stamp, from his fascination with flight and reverence for the natural world, to his distrust of the military and cynicism about humanity. Then, we each offer our respective starting points for the Ghibli catalogue, as part of a larger discussion about how one’s first encounter with Ghibli can shape the experience of all future viewings.  Show Notes Works Cited: • “Welcome to Studio Ghibli Week,” by Tasha Robinson (Polygon.com) • “Studio Ghibli’s first film, Castle in the Sky, is like no Hayao Miyazaki film that followed,” by Tasha Robinson (Polygon.com) • “The gross fluids and clean fluidity of Spirited Away,” by Tasha Robinson (TheDissolve.com) Outro Song: Azumi Inoue, “Kimi wo Nosete/Carrying You” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing the newest Audioboom original podcast, Truth vs Hollywood. Join Film lovers David Chen and Joanna Robinson as they do a deep dive into well known films and discuss how similar they are to the actual story.  Truth vs Hollywood premieres 6/12. Subscribe to Truth vs Hollywood on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josephine Decker’s new SHIRLEY uses the home of a fictionalized Shirley Jackson to tell a different sort of haunted house tale, one that shares some thematic links with one of the best-known Jackson adaptations, 1963’s THE HAUNTING, if not necessarily strong narrative ones. This week we’re joined once again by Alison Willmore of Vulture to discuss SHIRLEY’s expressive style and dissolute ending, then dig into how it connects to THE HAUNTING in its depiction of madness, divided personas, and sexuality. 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 HAUNTING, SHIRLEY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Alison: Andrew Patterson’s THE VAST OF NIGHT Keith: Christopher Guest’s BEST IN SHOW and A MIGHTY WIND Scott: Dan Sallitt’s FOURTEEN Outro music: Diana Ross, “It’s My House” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josephine Decker’s new SHIRLEY attempts to invoke the spirit of Shirley Jackson in suitably discomfiting fashion, which makes Robert Wise’s 1963 Jackson adaptation THE HAUNTING something of a prerequisite for the new film. How does THE HAUNTING stack up against its reputation as one of the scariest films of all time, and what makes it both a paragon and an anomaly of the haunted house genre? Joined by special guest Alison Willmore, we dig into those questions, plus the film’s distinctive visuals, its melange of performance styles, and its place in the broader scheme of Jackson adaptations. Plus, we share some feedback on episodes of the recent and not-so-recent past. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about THE HAUNTING, SHIRLEY, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.    Outro Music: Gerard Way, “Baby You’re a Haunted House” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coky Giedroyc’s HOW TO BUILD A GIRL, based on British humorist Caitlin Moran’s own life as a teenage music writer in the British Midlands, plays in many ways like Cameron Crowe’s mostly autobiographical ALMOST FAMOUS, translated to a new time and place. But it’s also a different sort of coming-of-age story about a very different sort of protagonist, based on the life of a very different sort of writer, all of which we get into by way of the two films’ respective approaches to writing and journalism, to family and origin stories, and to their respective love interests. 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 ALMOST FAMOUS, HOW TO BUILD A GIRL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Genevieve: Tayarisha Poe’s SELAH AND THE SPADES Scott: Todd Berger’s IT’S A DISASTER Keith: Todd Haynes’ DARK WATERS and Jane Campion’s IN THE CUT Tasha: “A Boy’s Life (In Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll)” by Anthony Bozza (rollingstone.com) and Caitlin Moran’s MORANIFESTO and HOW TO BE A WOMAN Outro music: Lily Allen: “Alfie” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The new HOW TO BUILD A GIRL is a heavily autobiographical film about a teenage music journalist, which means it inevitably gets mentioned in the same breath as Cameron Crowe’s ALMOST FAMOUS, a heavily autobiographical 2000 film about a teenage music journalist, this one inspired by Crowe’s own past as Rolling Stone magazine’s youngest-ever correspondent. In this first half of our pairing looking at young, uncool kids chasing their own ideals of cool, we dig into ALMOST FAMOUS—in particular the much longer, and superior UNTITLED cut thereof—to see how it weaves its undeniable spell, how it occasionally drops the ball (particularly when it comes to Kate Hudson’s Penny Lane), and how our own experiences as entertainment journalists color the film’s message that “these are not your friends.” Plus, we tackle a couple of the numerous responses we got to our recent, contentious discussion on THE ASSISTANT. Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ALMOST FAMOUS, HOW TO BUILD A GIRL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.    Outro Music: Elton John, “Tiny Dancer” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kitty Green’s recent day-in-the-life drama THE ASSISTANT, starring Julia Garner as a new assistant to a Weinstein-like executive, is nowhere near the crowd-pleaser Mike Nichols’ 1988 corporate Cinderella story WORKING GIRL was, and its scenario places the film squarely within a very current cultural conversation; but taken together the two films provide an apt illustration of what has and hasn’t changed for women in the workplace in the last three decades. After digging into our surprisingly divided opinions on THE ASSISTANT and its would-be sympathetic protagonist, we look at these two films together to consider what they tell us about the evolution of women’s role in the workplace, the importance of office allies, and what the characters’ working wardrobes say about their respective ambitions. 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 WORKING GIRL, THE ASSISTANT, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.  Your Next Picture Show: Keith: Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz’s MESSIAH OF EVIL Genevieve: FX on Hulu’s MRS. AMERICA Scott: Chantel Akerman’s JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES Tasha: Mike Nichols’ CLOSER Outro music: TLC, “His Story” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices