Hit Factory

The Match Factory Girl *TEASER* Dec 17, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

We discuss the winner of our latest Patreon poll: Aki Kaurismäki's The Match Factory Girl, the story of a young working class woman, Iris, looking for love and a sense of belonging in industrialized Helsinki. The final installment of Kaurismäki's 'Proletariat Trilogy', the film resembles that of a fable that takes an unexpected and comically violent turn as Iris seeks revenge on those who have done her wrong.

We describe the film's sparse formal elements - an abbreviated runtime, minimal dialogue, nominal use of diegetic music, and austere mise en scène - and how it employs these components to reflect Iris' profound subjugation. Then, we examine the film's narrative and how it functions, briefly, as a mechanized process, mirroring its opening assembly line sequence and asking us to connect modes of production with an atomized social structure. Last, we discuss the film's final act, and how constant reminder of our own unfreedom often results in unexpected, volatile response.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Sling Blade feat. Adam Nayman Dec 03, 2024

Toronto-based critic, lecturer, and author Adam Nayman joins us to look back at Billy Bob Thornton's directorial debut and acting showcase Sling Blade. Once considered a high-water mark of 90s American indie cinema success within popular culture and the awards circuit, Thornton's film is now often relegated to 'curio' status; a fascinating time capsule of the mid-90s with very little (if any) cultural purchase among today's cinephiles.

We discuss the work of Billy Bob Thornton, the evolution of Sling Blade (from one man show to short film to feature), and suggest some reasons for its breakout success. Then, we discuss the film's fascinating hodgepodge of elements and inspirations, combining the social economy of Southern American Gothic, the moralism of Christian parable, and formal qualities of independent cinema to make something at once distinctive and comfortably inessential. Finally, we ask if movies like Sling Blade can still gain the same level of critical and commercial cachet in today's film environment and what some of this fall's box office hits and awards front-runners might indicate about where we're headed.

Follow Adam Nayman on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

M. Butterfly feat. Esmé Holden Nov 22, 2024

London-based film writer Esmé Holden joins us to discuss David Cronenberg's M. Butterfly. Based on the Tony Award-winning David Henry Hwang play - itself based on the the real life relationship between Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Beijing opera singer - Cronenberg's film embraces the conventions of melodrama while thoughtfully exploring gender & queernes and weaving a complex romance tragically undone by the conventions and bigotries of the colonial-capitalist order.

We begin by discussing the films explorations of gender, queerness, and transness, and how Cronenberg showcases an exceptionally forward-thinking and nuanced portrayal of these concepts in an era of films content with caricature, stereotype, and parody. Then, we consider how M. Butterfly presents a ground-zero for further explorations of the body, its presentation within societal perfrormance, and the fluidity of sexual expression that would become hallmarks of Cronenberg's signature style throughout the next few decades. Finally, explore the complicated ideological stictures that confine the film's protagonists and how capitalism's myopic definitions of identity continue to hinder self-actualization in its subjects.

Follow Esmé Holden on Twitter.

Read Cinema Year Zero.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

BONUS: Red Rooms *TEASER* Nov 17, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Following our conversation with the film's director Pascal Plante, we dive into one of the year's best films, Red Rooms: a thriller tailor made for our disaffected, hyper-mediated moment that asks many unsettling questions about the way emerging technologies sever us from empathy, create parasocial complexes, and push toward frightening new modes of nonconsensual connectivity and surveilance.

We continue our contemplations on Haneke's "Violence and the Media", and how Red Rooms explores notions of equivalency amongst the images on our screens. Then, we praise Plante's formal control and ethics, how he constructs his 21st century milieu, what he chooses to show and how he shows it. Finally, we caution against passivity when engaging with mediated forms and why our moment demands that we make meaning of our realities, even as powerful forces work toward our mindless complicity in ever-expanding horrors.

Red Roomsis available now on VOD and on Region A Blu Ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Thesis feat. Pascal Plante Nov 14, 2024

Filmmaker Pascal Plante (director of Red Rooms, one of our favorite movies of the year) joins to discuss Spanish filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar's 1996 debut, Thesis. While riveting simply at the topical level of its tense genre thrills, the movie also metatextually concerns itself with the moving image as a mediated reflection of our corporeal realities, the push-pull of commercialism and artistry, and the ethics of satisfying a violent culture's sublimated desires for shocking, exploitative imagery.

We discuss Amenábar's preternatural capacity behind the camera; how his ability to mystify with the language of cinema allows viewers to recognize their complicity in the film's graphic scenarios as spectators while never sacrificing the raw thrills of moviegoing. Then, citing Michael Haneke's writing, we discuss the nature of violence in media, the responsibilites of the artist, and the morbid concept of mindless entertainment. Finally, we connect the film's subject matter to that of Pascal's latest, discussing parallels, distinctions, and the reward of watching films that assume their audience's intelligence.

Red Roomsis available now on VOD and on Region A Blu Ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

JFK feat. Sami Gold *TEASER* Nov 04, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

George Washington University ungergrad and Liberal Currents contributor Sami Gold just informed us that there's an election coming up in the good ol' US of A, so we decided to discuss a foundational text of presidential cinema - Oliver Stone’s brilliant, frenetic JFK. Meticulously composed on several different film formats, masterfully edited in a radical, experimental style, and structured as a steady unraveling of institutional footings, the film stands as one of the finest formal evocations of political radicalization ever made for the silver screen.

We discuss the film's groundbreaking formalism, how it creates an unmooring effect on behalf of its viewers, and charts the cacophonous frenzy of conspiracy thinking. Then, we talk about where Stone sits in relation to the film's protagonist Jim Garrison, what the film gets very wrong, and why the minutiae doesn't ultimately matter in the borader context of its critique of empire. Finally we look to the upcoming election, share our personal thoughts on the outcomes, and what it means for Palestinian resistance and political movements in our own country.

Follow Sami Gold on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare Oct 30, 2024

An impromptu decision to do something "Halloween-y" led us to 1994 meta-slasher Wes Craven's New Nightmare, the seventh installment in the long-running A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, which sees Craven returning to the director's chair for the first time since the original installment and OG Nightmare final girl Heather Langenkamp returning, playing a semi-fictionalized version of herself. Several layers more complex than the premise initially suggests, New Nightmare brings the franchise back to its roots, examining childhood trauma and ideation and offering thoughtful considerations about Craven's legacy as a storyteller and how his films have affected those who participate in bringing his nightmarish visions to life - a full two years before Craven's smash hit Scream would go on to mine similar thematic territory with its meta explorations of genre.

We discuss the film's self-reflexive look at the Nightmare franchise, and how Craven attempts to ellicit new fears from purposefully identifiable rehashes of his work. Then, we discuss the film's surprisingly intricate exploration of Langenkamp as performer and icon - how the film reckons with audience expectations and seeks atonement for turning its star into curio for our own catharsis. Finally, we discuss reference, reflexivity, and homage and consider why Craven's self-quoting offers more than the empty nostaligia-laden iconography of so many current films.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Jackal feat. Ben Clarkson Oct 22, 2024

Justice Warrior Ben Clarkson returns to discuss the 1997 action thriller The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier in his final film role. Ostensibly a remake of the the 1973 Fred Zinneman film The Day of the Jackal (itself an adaptation of Frederick Forsyth's 1971 debut novel of the same name), the film attempts to update the story of lethal methodology and intrigue to a contemporaneous post-Cold War, "End of History" milieu that sees a collaboration between US intelligence, Russian police, and a former IRA sniper to stop Bruce Willis's titular shapeshifting hitman from assassinating (spoilers) an analogue of Hillary Clinton. While there are some fun bells and whistles, and a heaping of Bruce Willis disguises, the movie ultimately represents diminishing returns on the promise of this type of movie, forsaking procedural thrills for something far more rote and predictable.

We begin with an extended discussion of form and film language, why it's meaningful in the context of our current media landscape, and what an illiteracy toward formalism suggests about the way culture engages with everything we see via a screen. Then, we discuss the distinctions between Fred Zinneman's 1973 thriller and its 90s update: what it does well, and where it goes very, very wrong. Finally, we expound on the film's sociopolitcal moment, and what its moralizing of its most compelling character says about the broader cultural trends of nationalism in the mid-90s.

Justice Warriors Vol. 2: Vote Harder is out now. Find your copy HERE.

Follow Ben Clarkson on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Vive L'Amour feat. Xuanlin Tham Oct 14, 2024

Writer, curator, and author of the upcoming book Revolutionary Desires: The Political Power of the Sex Scene, Xuanlin Tham joins us to discuss the work of Taiwanese New Wave director Tsai Ming-liang and his 1994 film Vive L'Amour. It's a quietly devastating exploration of longing, desire, and urban alienation about a trio of young Tapei residents who, unbeknownst to one another, all occupy the same luxury model apartment.

We discuss the context of early 90s Tapei, its status as a bustling center of rapid economic growth and a hub for global commerce, and how this unique urban setting coupled with Tsai's outsider status as a Malaysian-born transplant inform his cinema. Then we explore the distinctive formal components of Tsai's filmmaking, its radical underpinnings, and its rejection of commodifying language or labels. Finally, we look to Tsai's evolution across the decades since Vive L'Amour and how his self-referential and increasingly sparse approach has further liberated his cinema from the strictures of capitalist impulses.

Follow Xuanlin Tham on Twitter

Pre-Order Revolutionary Desires: The Political Power of the Sex Scenefrom 404 Ink

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

BONUS: The Substance *TEASER* Oct 14, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

We take a moment away from the 90s to share our thoughts on Coralie Fargeat's latest brash body-horror festival darling The Substance, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. It's a stylish, blunt provocation ostensibly targeting the oppressive brutality of patriarchal beauty standards that feels completely at odds with its own intentions, often reinforcing the very ideology it purports to be railing against.

We discuss the film's formal elements, and how they so frequently contradict the film's messaging. Then, we talk about the the movie's many (empty) reference points and why they are indiciative of the diminishing returns of a generation of filmmakers interested in aesthetic homage to great filmmakers without seriously contending with their themes. Finally, we consider some troubling rhetoric around who the movie is for, who "genuinely" understands it, and who is excluded from this understanding.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Buffalo '66 feat. John Semley *TEASER* Oct 09, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Writer, researcher, and fellow podcaster John Semley joins the program to discuss Buffalo '66, directed, written by, and starring the ever-controversial Vincent Gallo and co-starring Christina Ricci, Anjelica Huston, and Ben Gazzara. It's a film of profound beauty, humor and humanity, and although Gallo claims the movie is non-autobiographical, it nonetheless draws from deep reservoirs of personal experience in its depiction of alienation and the grace that can bring broken people back from the precipice.

We discuss the career of Vincent Gallo and his status as perpetual provocateur, often exchanging barbs with fellow flimmakers and critics alike, including a notorious saga with the late Roger Ebert. Then, we talk about the film's depthful exploration of its thoroughly unlikable character as portrayed by Gallo, and how he manages to make Billy Brown a remarkably captivating misanthrope through his particular manner and distinctive speaking cadence. Finally, we discuss Gallo's recent foray into the MAGA movement and adjacent vestiges of the right, and why his work's portrayal of ecstatic revelation feels antithetical to the politics of resentment that defines the modern conservative movement.

Follow John Semley on Twitter.

Read John's piece on Gallo's work with The Daily Wire, "Can Conservatices Make a Real Movie?" at The New Republic.

Watch Vincent Gallo's infamous 2003 interview with Hikari Takano.

Watch Vincent Gallo confront critics on a 1998 episode of Sky TV's Movietalk.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Hackers feat. Gus Lanzetta *TEASER* Sep 30, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Twitter-banished Brazilian Gus Lanzetta makes a long-awaited and triumphant return to discuss Iain Softley's sexy, stylish Hackers. Impressively researched and committed to creating a dazzling, expressionistic visual style to evoke the sensations of exploring the uncharted corners of the world wide web, the film is both an ode to the young, brilliant minds at the forefrunt of cyberspace and an anthropological time capsule of a subcutlure that would aesthetically inform the way the burgeoning landscape of the internet and its denizens were depicted on film throughout the rest of the decade and beyond.

We discuss the film's impressive layers of authenticity, as elicited by screenwriter Rafael Moreu alongside real-life hacker consultants (including then-teenager Nicholas Jarecki, who would later become a filmmaker himself). Then, we discuss Hollywood's attempts to visualize the unconquered, uncharted landscape of the fledgling internet, and how the film paints its protagonists as intrepid trailblazers in the same spirit as classic character motifs from the American western. Finally, we discuss the noteworthy landmark design of the film, from its production and sets, to its immaculate fashion, and its pitch-perfect, multi-volume soundtracks of contemporary electronic music.

Brazil isn't on Twitter anymore, so follow Gus Lanzetta on Bluesky.

Check out Gus's latest podcast adventure The Boku Diaries.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Mod Fuck Explosion feat. Zach Clark Sep 24, 2024

Independent filmmaker Zach Clark joins to discuss the work of punk auteur legend Jon Moritsugu and his 1994 cult favorite Mod Fuck Explosion. A riff on classic Hollywood tales like West Side Story, the film is brash, outrageous, occasionally reprehensible, and is (in Zach's words) less about teen angst so much as it simply *is* teen angst manifested onscreen.

We first discuss the singular style of Moritsugu as filmmaker, his movies' no-budget charms, and how their hyper-stylized aesthetic, formalism, and performances turn the film's budgetary limitations into distinctive attributes that call attention to the their own artifice. Then, we discuss Mod Fuck Explosion's brilliance as a totem of 90s teen ennui and an interrogation of Moritsugu's career-long targets such as the prison of domesticity, anti-Asian racism, and gender roles. Finally, we discuss why the film's of Moritsugu transcend basic descriptiors like satire and camp, embracing genuine sincerity and uncovering deep emotional truths with a commendable level of vulnerabiltiy.

On the back half of the show, we spend some time discussing Zach's new film The Becomers, a 21st century take on science fiction B-movies about body snatching aliens finding love in the time of COVID.

The Becomers is out on VOD today! Check out the trailer here.

Pre-order The Becomers on limited edition Blu-ray from Vinegar Syndrome.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Johnny Mnemonic feat. Séamus Malekafzali Sep 10, 2024

Journalist and writer Séamus Malekafzali returns to the program to discuss Johnny Mnemonic. Directed by artist Robert Longo and adapted by William Gibson from his own short story, the film was met with lukewarm box office reception and critical derision upon initial release, but has since endured as a classic of 90s cyberpunk aesthetics and startling prescience in its depiction of a 21st century dystopia overrun with corporate malfeasance, an increasingly atomized technological existence, and a global pandemic overwhelming the world's healthcare systems.

We discuss the work of William Gibson, pioneer and godfather of cyberpunk; how the film functions as an extension of the worlds he created with his landmark debut novel Neuromancer, and how the film honors both his vision and distinctive style. Then, we praise the incredible cast of characters, led by a deliberately mannered Keanu Reeves performance, with support from Dina Meyer, a crazed Dolph Lundgren, resistance leader Ice-T, and the great Udo Kier. Finally, we discuss the film's breathtaking production design and worldbuiliding, the merits of art that swings for the fences, and the exceptional experience of viewing the film in its Black & White version (as originally intended by Longo, if he had been granted full control of the film).

Watch Robert Longo, Keanu Reeves, and William Gibson in conversation for the Black & White release of the film.

Follow Séamus Malekafzali on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Double Life of Veronique *TEASER* Sep 06, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

You voted for it, we watched it.

We discuss the winner of our Patron Poll, Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Double Life of Veronique -A new film to both Hit Factory hosts, and one that has become an instant favorite.

Enigmatic, ethereal, and steeped in a gentle magical realism, the film finds ways to make grand the quotidian and the interior emotional plane of existence, transcending attempts to articulate its power and majesty with mere words.

We discuss the brilliant Irène Jacob, whose dual performance as Weronika and Veronique communicates an entire world of feeling with her eyes, and we ask if this is perhaps the most beautiful anyone has ever been onscreen. Then, we make meaning of the film's many distinct totems of symbolism - refracted images, melodies, marionettes, and their significance as links not just to the film's two protagonists, but to the imperceptible bond between all people. Finally, we discuss director Kieślowski’s initial plan to release hundreds of slightly different iterations of the film in various theaters across the globe, and how the film's subtle graces are made more meaningful by their potential absence.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Cruel Intentions feat. Vera Drew Aug 23, 2024

Director, co-writer, and star of The People's Joker (one of our favorite films of the year), Vera Drew joins for a discussion of the sexy, taboo-breaking, teen thriller Cruel Intentions. A 90s update of the 18th century Peirre Choderlos de Laclos novel 'Les Liaisons dangereuses' (aka Dangerous Liaisons), the film is a darkly comic and gleefully misanthropic erotic thrill ride featuring a top notch cast of up-comers-comers playing deeply unlikable - but incredibly sexy - people, who are all (in the words of our guest) "acting their asses off."

We discuss the sensational young cast, including Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair, Ryan Phillippe, and an exceptional Sarah Michelle Gellar, and find delights in the "teens play-acting adults" uncanniness of the movie's milieu. Then we revel in the film's preternatural handling on eroticism and desire, finding ways to constantly steam up the screen even while the actors (mostly) keep their clothes on. Finally, we find a through-line from some of Vera's other favorite films to Cruel Intentions, note how the movie defies a "so bad its good" valuation, and illimunate why criticisms of the film's supposed moralism might be reading it wrong.

The People's Joker is still in theaters and now available on VOD, Blu-Ray and VHS! Find showtimes near you or purchase your copy today.

Follow Vera Drew on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Sixth Sense (+ TRAP) feat. Juan Barquin *TEASER* Aug 06, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Writer, programmer, and filmmaker Juan Barquin joins to explore the work of M. Night Shyamalan and his breakout feature, The Sixth Sense. Now somehwat underrated in Shyamalan's impressive oeuvre, even and especially by M. Night die-hards, the film is a patient, startling, and deeply human ghost story that also functions as gorgeous melodrama, introducing Shyamalan's career-long pet themes of parenthood, familial reconciliation, the beauty of otherness, and the power of love as a shelter from the terrors of modernity. A critical and commercial hit, The Sixth Sense became the second-highest grossing film of the extremely stacked 1999 box office (behind only Star Wars Episode I), and netted six Oscar nominations including Best Picture.

We discuss the career of M Night Shyamalan, its peaks and valleys, and how his vision as an artist often places him at odds with cultural and critical trends. Then, we discuss the phenomenon that was/is The Sixth Sense, and how its power stems from far more than just its (very good) shocking twist ending. Finally, we discuss the filmmaker's singular humanity, and how his films reflect form and function aligning with profoundly personal vision, resulting in truly peerless work.

Then, it's time for some TRAP talk, as we give our initial thoughts on Shyamalan's latest film TRAP, now in theaters. We discuss the incredible work of Josh Hartnett as a serial killer evading capture at a pop concert, the gorgeous cinematography from Thai visionary Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, and the film's many narrative surprises (some more effective than others).

Follow Juan Barquin on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

In the Cold of the Night feat. Fred Barrett Aug 02, 2024

Writer, critic, and editor of the Electric Dreams newsletter Fred Barrett joins the show to discuss the neon-drenched, saxophone-laden, softcore erotic thrills of Nico Mastorakis' In the Cold of the Night. The film is a hazy, dreamlike cut of meathead De Palma references, prolonged sex scenes, and fascinating gestures toward deep state mind control conspiracies that make for a truly singular thriller punching well above its presumed weight.

We disucss the history of director Nico Mastorakis, and how his time working withing the Greek junta regime informs the film's intricate subplots. Then we examine at the movie's absorbing atmosphere, and how it steadily brings you into its elevated, uncanny rhythms. Finally, we look at the film's intriguing explorations of pleasure and eroticism and how it pushes past the boundaries of "good taste" to arrive at fascinating, titillating places courtesy of too-close close-ups, a well-utilized bowl of marbles, and more.

Follow Fred Barrett on Twitter.

Read & Subscribe to Fred's newsletter, Electric Dreams.

Read "A Fever All Through the Night", Fred's words on In the Cold of the Night at Electric Dream.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Presumed Innocent feat. Katie Stebbins *TEASER* Jul 27, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Film lover and zine-er Katie Stebbins joins to discuss Alan J. Pakula's smart, understated legal thriller Presumed Innocent featuring Harrison Ford in one of his finest performances. Taut, richly detailed, and featuring a considerable bench of "that guy" character actors (including John Spencer, Joe Grifasi, and Brian Dennehy), the film rises above the usual theatrics of the Grisham-era Hollywood legal drama with a crackerjack, densely-packed script that rewards upon repeat viewings while never sacrificing its immediacy.

We discuss Harrison Ford in the early 90s, his contemporaneous swings into dramatic territory, and the considered decisions to separate the film's protagonist Rusty Sabich from audience's familiarity with the Harrison Ford action-hero brand. Then, we look at the film's complex narrative features (adapted from a book by lawyer-turned-novelist Scott Turrow) and how the film weaves in its rich details with respect for its audience's ability to connect the dots. Finally, we discuss the Extended Presumiverse - sequel novels and television adaptations of the further works within the Scott Turrow canon, including the most recent AppleTV+ series by David E. Kelley starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard.

Follow Katie Stebbins on Twitter.

Check out Katie's Etsy for cool prints and film zines.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

BONUS: A Conversation with Repo Man Director Alex Cox Jul 22, 2024

We sat down for a brief conversation with Alex Cox, the director of Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Walker, and many more to talk about the state of filmmaking today, the sensations Alex hopes one feels when watching his films, and the sanctity of digital media and curation in an era of endless, decontextualized content streams.

Alex is currently crowdfunding what may be his last movie, a Western version of Nicolai Gogol's book Dead Souls. Please consider contributing to “My Last Movie” on Kickstarter here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/my-last-movie
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Thin Red Line feat. Chadd Harbold Jul 19, 2024

Producer and filmmaker Chadd Harbold returns to the show to discuss Terrence Malick's awe-inspiring WWII epic The Thin Red Line. The film marked Malick's return to the director's chair after a 20 year absence from filmmaking and features an ensemble cast of dozens of recognizable faces, including many massive stars of the period reduced to mere minutes of screen time and a handful of lines of dialogue. Based on the James Jones novel of the same name, the movie is unlike any war film ever made and showcases Malick venturing deeper into his style of meandering camerawork, striking images of the natural world, and contemplative monologues delivered in voiceover (occasionally by actors we seldom see onscreen).

We discuss the storied, decade-long journey of getting The Thin Red Line to screen, a process that involved Malick spending heaps of cash satisfying every one of his fleeting whims and every actor in Hollywood vying for a spot on the film's massive roster characters. Then, we discuss the film's juxtaposition of horrific war imagery with breathtaking shots of wildlife and nature - a visual contrast that enhances Malick's existential preoccupations with the nature of good and evil, darkness and light in the world. Finally, we praise Malick's working method, and how his decision to "shoot everything" allows his films to be born in the edit, often taking on thematic and visual nuances that were far from intentional on set, on the day.

Chadd produced a new movie, Crumb Catcher, which is out in theaters TODAY 7/19/24. Check showtimes at your local Drafthouse or AMC.

Follow Chadd Harbold on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Dream Lover *TEASER* Jul 14, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Another solo Aaron & Carlee episode as we dig into an oft-forgotten erotic thriller of the early 90s, Nicholas Kazan's Dream Lover, starring James Spader and a post-Twin Peaks Mädchen Amick. A story of love, lust, and betrayal, the film exhibits a disorienting, fragmented editing style that adds fascinating dimensions to its characters' psyches and indicts the film's ostensible victim, Spader's Ray Reardon, in his own deception as more and more layers of Amick's (playing Spader's wife) carefully guarded true self are revealed.

We discuss the film's script and its thoughtful probing of the male ego; how a woman might take advantage of a man because of his own refusal to know her deeply, and how the slow revelations of truth can feel like deceptions to someone willfully ignorant. Then, we discuss the superlative performances from Spade and Amick, particularly the latter's singular ability to remain an object of desire even as she steadily becomes an antagonizing force within the film. Finally, we discuss the movie's relationship to other films that explore the casually kept secrets within matrimony and the turmoil that erupts when the facade of domestic bliss is shattered, most notably David Fincher's excellent 2014 thriller Gone Girl.

Own the documentary We Kill For Love, courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome or stream the film on the people's streamer, Tubi.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

La Cérémonie feat. Jesse Hawken Jul 05, 2024

Hit Factory's Chief Canadian Correspondent and host of Junk Filter Podcast Jesse Hawken is back to discuss the work of French genre provocateur Claude Chabrol and his 1995 thriller 'La Cérémonie' starring Sandrine Bonnaire and Isabelle Huppert. Inspired by the true story of Christine and Lea Papin - two French sisters who, as live-in maids, were convicted of murdering their employer's wife and daughter in 1933 - the film follows Sophie (Bonnaire) a housekeeper for a wealthy family in Brittany who befriends Jeanne (Huppert), the local postal clerk. Together, the two slowly begin to form a shared psychosis, sharing a collective fantasy of paranoia, resentment, and eventually explosive violence. One of Chabrol's most championed works, the film was a key influence and inspiration for Korean director Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning 2019 film 'Parasite'.

We unpack Chabrol's prolific career as filmmaker, beginning with his origins in the Nouvelle Vague, before leaning into more commercial tendencies during his "Golden Era" of the late 60s through the 70s, and culminating in some of his most accomplished and acclaimed work in the 1990s. Then, we discuss La Cérémonie as genre exercise and how it yields further reward with repeat viewings. Finally, we attempt to make meaning of Chabrol's joke that the movie was "the last Marxist film" by unpacking its ideas about class resentment and the disaffected, uncaring attitudes of the rich toward working class anxieties.

Follow Jesse Hawken on Twitter.

Follow Junk Filter on Twitter

Listen & Subscribe to Junk Filter and support the podcast on Patreon.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Hit Factory's Mid-Year Review *TEASER* Jun 29, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

We've reached the halfway point of 2024, which means it's time to sit down with the joint CEOs of Hit Factory LLC and discuss some of the best films of the year, recent finds, and new additions the CarleeCore™ Canon.

Sit back as Carlee (the preeminent online authority on horny movies) shares her read on Luca Guadagnino''s 'Challengers', Aaron talks through a few international features topping his best of the year list, and we both explain why 'The People's Joker' director Vera Drew is the new Tony Scott.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Breaking the Waves feat. Liam Billingham *TEASER* Jun 24, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Producer and co-host of Die Hard On A Blank Podcast and recovering Lars Von Trier superfan Liam Billingham joins to discuss enigmatic Danish provocateur Lars Von Trier and his breakout Cannes award-winning feature 'Breaking the Waves' starring then-newcomer Emily Watson, Stellan Skarsgård, and the late Katrin Cartlidge. The film, set in a small comminuty in the Scottish Highlands in the 1970s, tells the story of Bess McNeill, a simply, godly woman who marries outsider oil rig worker Jan. When Jan is paralyzed after a work accident, he compels Bess to take other lovers in order to "keep him alive"...a task which she steadily comes to believe has divine connotations. Shot in 35mm 'scope with the great Robby Muller behind the camera, the film is a visually staggering work broaching difficult subject matter in the realms of faith, sexuality, and patriarchy all rendered in Von Trier's singular tenor, equal parts brutal, earnest, and cheekily playful.

We discuss the career of Von Trier, his work as a founding member of the Dogme95 collective, and the later period evolution of his storytelling. Then, we wrestle with the film's themes and execution of its ideas. Does the movie hold up for a longtime devotee and a newcomer alike? Finally, we try to make sense of Von Trier's oeuvre, and what - if anything - could be considered the trademarks of his style.

Follow Liam Billingham on Twitter.

Listen and subscribe to Die Hard On A Blank Podcast.

Read & Subscribe to Peter Raleigh's Newsletter 'Long Library'.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Black Robe feat. Scout Tafoya Jun 14, 2024

Filmmaker, critic, video essayist and author Scout Tafoya joins the show to discuss the work of undersung journeyman Bruce Beresford and his brilliant 1991 film 'Black Robe', a story of faith, the frontier, and the church as a pernicious vestige of the European colonial project. Set amidst the 17th Century French conquests of North America in modern-day Quebec, the film follows the titular Black Robe, Father Laforgue, a Jesuit Missionary tasked with bringing Christianity to the indigenous populations of the region. As he ventures deep into Huron territory with his company of Algonquin guides, the limits of his faith and reason are tested, as it becomes clear that his beliefs and the promises they supposedly carry can find no purchase with a people who have no need for them. Greenlit in the wake of the success of 'Dances With Wolves' and cashing in on an exceptional amount of goodwill Beresford had accrued after directing the Academy Award-winning 'Driving Miss Daisy', the film is a brilliant study of self-deception, and the profoundly human impulses of one's perceptions of the divine.

We discuss Beresford as filmmaker, his history as a contemporary of Australian greats Peter Weir and George Miller, and why his work deserves an immediate and vast reappraisal. Then, we discuss 'Black Robe', its exacting observations of faith and imperialism, and its unusually sensitive and well-researched portrayals of indigenous American tribes. Finally, we talk about other films in the canon of great portrayals of faith and the frontier, including Michael Mann's gorgeous 'The Last of the Mohicans' and Martin Scorsese's late-period masterpiece 'Silence'.

Follow Scout Tafoya on Twitter.

Support Scout's video essay work and criticism on Patreon.

Buy Scout's book 'But God Made Him a Poet: Watching John Ford in the 21st Century".

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Forrest Gump feat. Jared Bailey Jun 06, 2024

Filmmaker, producer, writer, and podcast guest extraordinaire Jared Bailey joins to discuss one of the iconic texts of 90s popular cinema, 'Forrest Gump' directed by Robert Zemeckis and winner of the 1994 Academy Award for Best Picture (among many others). For all its swings at grandeur, the film is a deceptively simple one in premise: An ordinary man reflects on his life, regaling passersby with his stories about coming of age in America from the 1950's onward and detailing the instances in which he became a passive observer of - or coincidental participant in - many of the generation's noteworthy events. One of the greatest box office successes of the decade, the movie is also one that perfectly encapsulates the deeply cynical politics (or the posited apoliticism) of The End of History.

We discuss the film's curious flattening of the historical record, papering over the thornier details of post-war America for an audience seeking to make sense of the decades of conflict that preceded the 90s and its erasure of the material context for monumental touchstones such as the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Then, we explore filmmaker Robert Zemeckis and his seemingly pathological need to embed bizarre racial elements into his most popular features, often commenting in ways that become more problematic than the surface-level prejudices of his contemporaries. Finally, we discuss the long-gestating (and ultimately cancelled) sequel to the film, which would have seen Forrest involved in even more historically resonant instances such as the OJ Simpson Bronco chase and the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.

Follow Jared Bailey on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Babe: Pig in the City (+ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) feat. Phil Iscove *TEASER* May 28, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Mad Max maestro George Miller has a new film in theaters, so writer/producer/co-creator of Fox's 'Sleepy Hollow' & co-host of Podcast Like It's... Phil Iscove joins to discuss the work of the visionary director and his brilliant, underseen sequel to everyone's favorite talking pig movie, 'Babe: Pig in the City'. Following the breakout success of 1995's 'Babe', Miller delivered a darker, more adventurous story that sees the titular pig braving a cold, indifferent Metropolis (featuring a fascinating assembly of familiar landmarks from cityscapes around the world) and winning the hearts of its embittered animal residents through his courage, cunning, and compassion. Gene Siskel's #1 film of 1998 and a favorite of musician and actor Tom Waits, the film has steadily found its faithful audience after an initially disappointing box office run, anticipating some of Miller's careerlong challenges with compelling audiences to gamble on his bold visions.

We discuss the film's narrative and thematic swings, how Miller takes the story in fascinating new directions, and why the filmmaker's insistence on never repeating himself becomes both the film's greatest asset and its toughest barrier for entry. Then, we assess the movie's incredible technical achievements, and why making this film feels like it might have been just as challenging as Miller's work on any of the Mad Max films. We also praise the film's willingness to embrace difficult emotions and never shy away from challenging its target audience of young viewers with harrowing and heartrending scenes of animals in extrememly human experiences of distress, opression, and danger.

Finally, we turn our eyes to George Miller's latest entry in his long-running action series, 'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'. Epic in scope, bold in vision, and featuring some of Miller's most ambitious storytelling, 'Furiosa' has been embraced critically, but is failing to find its audience, with disappointing box office returns and a near-guaruntee of a short theatrical run.

On the back half of this episode, we make the case for 'Furiosa', praise its grandeur as well as its nuance, and offer up some readings of the film that challenge many of the common criticisms we've seen so far.

Follow Phil Iscove on Twitter.

Listen to and support Podcast Like It's... on Patreon and wherever you stream podcasts.

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Our theme song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace feat. Neil Bahadur *TEASER* May 22, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Filmmaker, writer, and dude with an insanely high midi-chlorian count Neil Bahadur joins to discuss George Lucas's return to the Star Wars saga with the prequel trilogy kickoff 'Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'. Met with ambivalence by most, genuine revulsion by others upon its initial release in the summer of 1999, the film (and the prequel trilogy more broadly) have seen a continued reappraisal, especially in the era of so many soulless Disney-era Star Wars productions. The Phantom Menace is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary with a recent limited re-release on IMAX screens. On this episode, we make a case for the film not just as comparatively good, but a genuinely excellent entry in the Star Wars canon.

We discuss the film's place within the the decade-spanning saga as well as its position within the film landscape of the era - how it pushed the boundaries of digital effects integration, and signaled (in non-alarmist terms) an evolving style of blockbuster filmmaking. Then, we talk about the film's narrative highs and lows, and share our thoughts on the critical points of 25 years of criticism: Midi-chlorians, Jar Jar Binks, Jake Lloyd, Watto and more. Finally, we praise the film's many incredible formal qualities - its relationship to Lucas's early student films visual experiements, The Phantom Menace's debt to classic cinema greats like Kurosawa and Douglas Sirk, and the brilliance of the film's multi-phase finale, cross-cutting between four different theaters of action seamlessly.

Follow Neil Bahadur on Twitter and Letterboxd

Watch 'The Beginning: Making Start Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'

Watch '1:42:08 To Qualify', George Lucas's 1966 short film

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Center Stage feat. Jason Miller May 11, 2024

Writer, critic, and Hit Factory Discord all-star Jason Miller returns to the show to discuss Hong Kong director Stanley Kwan's 'Center Stage', an experimental biopic exploring the life and work of Chinese silent film star Ruan Lingyu who achieved an unprecedented celebrity before tragically taking her own life at only 24. Ruan is played magnificently by Maggie Cheung in one of her first "serious" (and arguably one of her very best) performances. The film brilliantly forgoes a traditional biopic structure, intercutting the filmic recreations with real footage of Ruan's handful of enduring film performances. From there, the film offers an additional layer of complexity by frequently inserting black & white interstitials of director Stanley Kwan and Maggie Cheung (as herself) discussing the life of Ruan Lingyu and the production of the film. As the film goes on, these distinct layers begin to fracture and smear, both emphasizing the unreality of the recreations and eliciting a deeper sense of truth to the real Ruan Lingyu that the film understands it can never fully capture.

We discuss the way Kwan navigates his experimental form through the lens of classic melodrama (taking influence from the likes of Douglas Sirk) in order to create something that invites even as it antoginizes and provokes. Then, we consider the real Ruan Lingyu and some of her most well-known works (including 'The Goddess' directed by Wu Yonggang) and how the open construction of 'Center Stage' invites us to pursue further understanding rather than attempt to act as the final word on Ruan. Finally, we look at the state of the modern biopic and the furstrating lack on ingenuity and experiementation when approaching the titanic lives that these films consider.

Follow Jason Miller on Twitter and everywhere else.

Watch Wu Yonggang's 'The Goddess' starring Ruan Lingyu on YouTube.

Watch Cai Chusheng's 'New Women' starring Ruan Lingyu on YouTube.

Watch Maggie Cheung on her acting style alongside fellow Hong Kong actor Phillip Chan.

Read Jonathan Rosenbaum on 'Center Stage'.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

To Die For feat. Daniella Mazzio Apr 25, 2024

Writer, comedian, and Lydia Tár's former publicist Daniella Mazzio joins to discuss Gus Van Sant's sharp, pitch-black satire of media, true crime, and a patently American brand of late 20th Century celebrity, 'To Die For'. The film is based on the Joyce Maynard novel of the same name, itself inspired by the true life trial of Pamela Smart, who seduced a teenage boy and coerced him and a friend to murder Smart's husband. The film features an excellent ensemble cast, including Joaquin Phoenix, Matt Dillon, Illeana Douglas, and a career-best Nicole Kidman.

We discuss 'To Die For' as a nexus of many careers at compelling inflection points: Nicole Kidman breaking into leading woman roles while married to Tom Cruise, Gus Van Sant on the eve of his career skyrocketing to new heights with the success of the following year's 'Good Will Hunting', and the chance casting of Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix who would later become in-laws and artistic collaborators. Then, we examine the brilliant, kaleidoscopic script by 'The Graduate' screenwriter Buck Henry and how the film's patchwork construction foregrounds it thematically rich details. Finally, we discuss the real life inspiration for the film as well as the way the movie's indictment of the American media landscape anticipated elements of the OJ Simpson trial, which was playing out during the film's production and concluded just days before its release. (Editor's Note: This episode was recorded before OJ Simpson's death on April 10th, 2024 at the age of 76).

Follow Daniella Mazzio on Twitter.
Read Daniella's Substack, 'Room Tone'.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

UNLOCKED: Summer of Sam feat. Matt Belenky Apr 24, 2024

In honor of its upcoming 25th anniversary (as well as a chance meeting between the director and guest Matt Belenky), we're unlocking our episode on Spike Lee's 'Summer of Sam'.

Here's what we had to say about this monumental work back in the summer of 2022:

Writer Matt Belenky joins us from New York in the midst of a heat wave to discuss Spike Lee's 'Summer of Sam', an exuberant survey of Outer Boroughs New York in the late 1970s as well as a chilling study of working class anxiety, paranoia, and scapegoating of the Other.

We discuss the many controversies surrounding the film's release (a common through line with Lee's films), the impeccable performances of the oft-undersung leads - including career-best work from John Leguizamo and Mira Sorvino, and the textured analysis of a politically tumultuos era that bears more than a few similarities to the Summer of 1999 in which the film was released.

Follow Matt Belenky on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Little Odessa feat. Eamon Tracy *TEASER* Apr 21, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Writer and critic Eamon Tracy joins to discuss the brilliant James Gray and his debut feature 'Little Odessa' starring Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, and Vanessa Redgrave. Made when Gray was just 23 years old, it's a semi-autobiographical story that merges a character study of an estranged Russian-Jewish family with elements of the crime genre to arrive at something that pulls from the films of Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet and Luchino Visconti in equal measure.

We begin by discussing the career of James Gray, his undersung filmography, and his reputation as a notoriously great interview subject. Then we explore the world of 'Little Odessa', its melodramatic flourishes, stunning camerawork, and deliberate tone and pacing. Finally, we look forward to what might be next for Gray as a filmmaker, having last released the film 'Armageddon Time' which functions as a compelling bookend to the director's three decades in filmmaking.

Read Eamon's recent piece on 'The Battle of Algiers' and its relation to Palestinian resistance for The Hampton Institute

Follow Eamon Tracy on Twitter

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

DOUBLE FEATURE: Serpent's Path v. Eyes of the Spider feat. Amber T. Apr 10, 2024

Leeds-based film journalist and podcaster Amber T. (@hornbloodfire) joins for a double feature discussion of bad vibes connoisseur Kiyoshi Kurosawa's V-Cinema revenge thrillers 'Serpent's Path' and 'Eyes of the Spider'. Written in collaboration with 'Ringu' screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi and directed back-to-back within an incredibly short production period of mere weeks, the films sidestep Kurosawa's customary supernatural impulses seen in hits like 'Cure' and 'Pulse' in favor of stripped-down genre thrills that keep the director's oppressive modern landscapes and bleak explorations of societal alienation intact.

We begin by discussing the origins of the two films as well as Kurosawa's history with V-Cinema productions, a direct-to-video market in Japan that carries few of the pejorative connotations associated with DTV films produced in western markets. Then, we unpack each of the films' takes on the revenge thriller - 'Serpent's Path' explores the ugly spiral of dehumanization that occurs as conviction gives way to the reality of doling out violence and asks if there is any justice to be found at the end of vindictive pursuit. On the other hand, 'Eyes of the Spider' explores the aftermath of revenge and the hollowness of life once the fleeting satisfaction of vengeance has been achieved. Finally, we look forward to this year, where Kurosawa is preparing a French-language remake of 'Serpent's Path', with a likely debut at the Festival de Cannes.

Follow Amber T. on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Henry Fool feat. David Weigel *TEASER* Apr 02, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Political reporter David Weigel joins to discuss the work of director Hal Hartley and his 1997 feature, 'Henry Fool'. The film, written and directed by one of the great undersung auteurs of American indie cinema during its heyday, blends a sense of sweeping literary scope with the understatedness of an indie comedy to tell a story about creativity, imperfect people, and the commercial forces that antagonize true outsider artistry. Henry Fool would become the first in a trilogy of films by Hartley, continuing with the 2006 riff on espionage thrillers, 'Fay Grim' and concluding in 2014 with the final installment 'Ned Rifle'.

We begin with an examination of Hal Hartley, the unique alchemy of his work, and his debt to the films and filmmakers of the French New Wave. Then, we discuss 'Henry Fool' as a singular work of daring, frequently flying in the face of good taste, probing its audience's sense of morality, and asking us to find connection with a host of broken individuals who don't act in accordance with our own judgements. Finally, we look into the future and discuss Hartley's most recent (successful) attempts to get a new film off the ground and how a 2020's audience might receive a filmmaker who has always bucked commercial trends and swings for populist appeal.

Follow David Weigel on Twitter.

Subscribe to Semafor Newsletters

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Red Rock West feat. Jake Tropila Mar 28, 2024

Writer and podcaster Jake Tropila returns for a dive into the dusty, hard-nosed pleasures of John Dahl's 1993 neo-noir western 'Red Rock West'. The film has been newly restored and released on blu-ray in a great edition courtesy of Cinématographe, a new sub-label from the folks behind Vinegar Syndrome.

We start with a discussion of the career of John Dahl, an underrated director with a sharp style that made him a prime helmer of small, smart thrillers of the era alongside his skilled conteporaries like Bill Duke and Carl Franklin. Then we turn to Red Rock West, its influences, and where it exists downstream from the success of the Coen Brothers' 'Blood Simple', a film that bolstered a neo-noir resurgence in the late 80s and early 90s. Finally, we discuss the relative absence of the neo-noir in the modern cinematic landscape, the migration of these sorts of stories into longform, episodic television, and some hopes for the genre's future, courtesy of some recent releases like the latest Rose Glass film 'Love Lies Bleeding', a film that had yet to be released when this episode was recorded.

Follow Jake Tropila on Twitter.

Listen to and support Optimism Vaccine.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Household Saints feat. Kate Hagen Mar 19, 2024

Writer and Senior Vice President at The Black List Kate Hagen joins to discuss Nancy Savoca's 'Household Saints', a generational tale of Italian women in New York and the shifting influences of faith, divinity, and family in their day to day lives. Long unavailable and thought lost to time, an original print of the film was discovered by the filmmakers and has received a new 4k restoration courtesy of Milestone Films. The restoration is screening theatrically all across the country and a proper blu ray release of the film is headed to Kino Lorber in April.

We discuss the work of Nancy Savoca, her recent string of restorations, and the position she occupies in the broader conversation about independent film of the 1990s. Then, we examine the film's brilliantly nuanced take on Catholicism and faith - how it manifests in the lives of its central characters, and how the film maintains a compelling balance of fascination and skepticism for the notion of divinity. Finally, we discuss the movie as a triumphant story of what can happen when film preservation wins out, and why there is even more work to be done on the front of preservation now and in the future.

Follow Kate Hagen on Twitter.

Read up on the how-to's of film preservation at Missing Movies.

Watch Roger Ebert on Household Saints.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

12 Monkeys feat. Aaron Thorpe *TEASER* Mar 14, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Unofficial Hit Factory Sci-Fi Correspondent Aaron Thorpe is back to discuss the time traveling eccentricities of Terry Gilliam's '12 Monkeys' - a sort of quasi-remake of Chris Marker's 'La Jatée' (1963) featuring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt

We unpack the career of Terry Gilliam, why he was seen as a studio liability in the early 90s, and how this film represents the very peak of his critical and commercial successes. Then we discuss the film's take on the messy narrative contrivance of time-travel, how it attends to its bleak vision of a futureless future, and how some modern time travel narratives help reveal a sliver of hope in the film's tragic determinism.

Watch "George Carlin on The Environment".

Follow Aaron Thorpe on Twitter.

Listen & Subscribe to The Trillbilly Workers Party.

Listen & Subscribe to Struggle Session.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Topsy-Turvy feat. Julia Sirmons Mar 08, 2024

Writer and resident Gilbert & Sullivan expert Julia Sirmons joins to discuss Mike Leigh's 'Topsy-Turvy', a story of the aforementioned musical duo and the production of one of their most popular shows, 'The Mikado'. It's a film that feels at once like an outliler in Leigh's career up to that point (his first film not set in contemporary working-class London) and a pitch-perfect culmination of many of his career-long explorations.

We begin with a discussion about the legacy of director Mike Leigh, his unusual method for drawing brilliant performances from his ensemble of some of the very best British actors, and his trademark style and narrative construction. Then, we unpack the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, exploring Topsy-Turvy's commitment to authenticity in its recreation of 19th century English theater culture, and the wise decision to focus the film on a particularly unstable moment in the long collaboration between the wordsmith and composer. Finally, we discuss the film's evocation of art and its production process, emphasizing the granular repetition of the work as well as the undergirding capitalist mechanics that necessitated performers assume a strong identity as a collective labor force.

Follow Julia Sirmons on Twitter.

Read Julia's recent piece on Sally Potter's 'The Tango Lesson' at Wig-Wag.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery feat. Pod Casty For Me *TEASER* Feb 29, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Jake Serwin & Ian Rhine, hosts of the preeminent Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me return to discuss one of the finest studio comedies of the 90s, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" starring Mike Myers.

We discuss the film as both a product of broader ambient 60s nostalgia in the decade and an extension of Mike Myers deep personal affinity for the cultural output of the era. Then, we talk about the film itself as cultural juggernaut, and why Austin Powers and the Mike Myers brand felt inescapable. Finally, we talk about the film's lasting legacy and the way it in no small part shaped the trajectory of the James Bond franchise (and maybe a few others).

Listen and Subcribe to Pod Casty For Me.

Follow Pod Casty for Me on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Ed Wood feat. Chadd Harbold Feb 16, 2024

New York-based filmmaker and producer Chadd Harbold joins to discuss the 1994 Tim Burton biopic 'Ed Wood', a sincere, loving portrait of the titular filmmaker and his band of Hollywood misfits coming together to make oddball, outsider B-movies that remain enduring works to this day.

We discuss Tim Burton as filmmaker, the increasingly diminishing returns of his artistry, and why Ed Wood stands as perhaps his finest achievement. Then, we talk about Martin Landau's Oscar-winning turn as the horror legend Bela Lugosi, lovingly depicted in the film flaws and all. Finally, we ponder the current state of American filmmaking, and ask, 'Is there still a route by which an Ed Wood could make these movie on the outskirts today, and if so, would anybody be able to see them?'

Follow Chadd Harbold on Twitter.

Stream Chadd's film Private Property on Hulu.

Stream Colin West's Linoleum, produced by Chadd, on Hulu.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Total Recall feat. Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson *TEASER* Feb 07, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson, creators of the excellent sci-fi/action satire graphic novel 'Justice Warriors' join to talk about one of our main guys - Paul Verhoeven (aka Pauly V) and his landmark sci-fi/action satire 'Total Recall' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale".

We discuss the film's long gestation period under several different producers and directors, most notably as a project for Hit Factory fave David Cronenberg. Then we go long on the film's startling prescience, it's themes of revolution against the extractive brutalist of an imperialist force, and Verhoeven's metatextual commentary on filmic reality as psycholgical mirror and wish fulfillment fantasy. Elsewhere, we discuss the dire 2012 Len Wiseman remake starring Colin Farrell and how it betrays and insults its audience by stripping away any and all subtext.

Check out Matt & Ben's graphin novel, Justice Warriors.

Follow Matt Bors on Twitter.

Follow Ben Clarkson on Twitter.

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Our theme song is Mirror by Chris Fish.

Poison Jan 23, 2024

Just in time for Sundance festivities and a whole new cycle of 'May December' discourse, we're back to discuss Todd Hayne's 1991 debut feature 'Poison'. Both the winner of the Best Feature Award at the aforementioned Park City festival and a characteristically controversial release from the filmmaker, 'Poison', based in part on the works of queer author Jean Genet, is a gripping triptych of tales (subtitled "Hero", "Horror" and "Homo" respectively) shot and edited in distinct styles and formats and brimming with righteous fury, contemplation, and provocation around the subject of queer identity in the wake of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

We discuss the film's narrative gambit, and how it layers each entry in the triptych atop one another in brilliantly considered ways to achieve thematic continuity even as each element interrupts the work's stylistic coherence. Then, we discuss the controversy surrounding the film and how it became a culture war issue amongst right-wing figures and politicians seeking to undermine the National Endowment for the Arts. Finally, we talk about the most recent controversies and discourse surrounding Hayne's most recent work 'May December', and why many well-intentioned viewers aren't as far removed from the reactionary critics of the filmmaker's work from years past.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

A Simple Plan feat. To The White Sea *TEASER* Jan 12, 2024

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Aaron is joined by Jordan Fish and Ray Tintori of the preeminent Coen Bros. podcast, To The White Sea, to discuss the chilly, snow-capped neo-noir 'A Simple Plan', directed with uncharacteristic restraint by master stylist and Coen Brothers collaborator Sam Raimi.

We discuss the career of Sam Raimi and the techniques he employs here to generate the unsettling, stern tone of the film. Then, we talk about the long gestation period of the project, and its many iterations attached to various directors (including Mike Nichols, John Dahl, and Ben Stiller!). Finally, we unpack the similarities and differences between Raimi's vision of the snowbound, Midwestern morality tale and that of his pals Joel & Ethan Coen in their 1996 landmark 'Fargo'.

Listen & Subscribe to To The White Sea

Follow Jordan Fish on Twitter

Follow Ray Tintori on Twitter

Follow To The White Sea on Twitter

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Hit Factory's 2023 in Review Jan 05, 2024

It's officially 2024...Happy New Year? We're not getting our hopes up! While everyone nursed their hangovers and tried desperately to get back to "normal" everyday life, we decided to take a look back at all the things we watched in the past year and talk about some stuff that falls outside the usual scope of the show. Join us as we each count down our individual top five new-to-us watches of the past year, take time to reflect on your own highs and lows, and add some new recommendations to your watchlist.

Lots of links to share from this episode:

Check out The Carlee Canon (Carlee's Top 20 Films of the 1990s)

Check out The Aaron Canon (Aaron's Top 20 Films of the 1990s)

Read Carlee's piece, 'The Puritanical Eye: Hyper-Mediation, Sex on Film, and the Disavowal of Desire' at Lo Specchio Scuro

Read benzostraydogs' Letterboxd Review of Sam Esmail's 'Leave the World Behind'

Listen to Our Junk Filter Episode on Jim McBride's 1983 Remake of 'Breathless'

Check Out Aaron's List of His Top 75 Non-2023 Watches of Last Year.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

DENZEMBER VOL. V - Mississippi Masala feat. Roxana Hadadi *TEASER* Dec 31, 2023

Get access to this entire episode, the entire Denzember catalog, and all of our premium episodes by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Universally beloved Vulture critic and Hit Factory all-star Roxana Hadadi returns to close out Denzember with a hefty chat about Mira Nair's 1991 romantic drama 'Mississippi Masala', a story of identity, the generational pursuit of belonging, and the possibility of new futures through the radical expression of love without boundaries.

We discuss the career of the undersung Nair, from her start as a documentarian through her more recent narrative features like 'The Namesake' and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'. Then we discuss the film's wholly singular voice and level of representation; how it refuses simple binaries about a diverse set of cultures, and why extricating a white perspective allows the story to detail difficult realities of non-white experiences. Finally, we discuss the film's impossibly alluring romantic thread between Denzel Washington and first-time performer Sarita Choudhury and the honesty that can be revealed through the pairing of a veteran actor's craft and a non-actor's authenticity.

Roxana's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

Honorable Mentions: The Pelican Brief, Much Ado About Nothing

1. Mississippi Masala

2. Malcolm X

3. Man on Fire

4. The Mancuiran Candidate

5. Inside Man

Aaron's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

Honorable Mentions: Philadelphia, Crimson Tide

1. Malcolm X

2. Training Day

3. Deja Vu

4. Flight

5. The Tragedy of Macbeth

Carlee's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

Honorable Mentions: Malcolm X, The Hurricane

1. Ricochet

2. Crimson Tide

3. Training Day

4. Flight

5. Mississippi Masala

Follow Roxana Hadadi on Twitter

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Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

DENZEMBER VOL. IV - The Preacher's Wife feat. Ashley Reese Dec 23, 2023

New York-based writer Ashley Reese joins us for our a very special Christmas installment of Denzember as we discuss Penny Marshall's 1996 romantic comedy 'The Preachers Wife'.

We discuss the film as a metatextual exploration of Denzel Washington's celebrity image as well as part of Whitney's second leg as an international superstar and actress. We also discuss the film's monumental soundtrack, sung by Whitney herself, an album that remains the best selling gospel record of all time. Finally we discuss the flattening effect of family films of the era (especially those produced by Touchstone/Disney) and how they tend to flirt with societal issues while reaffirming the system that causes them.

Follow Ashley Reese on Twitter

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Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

DENZEMBER VOL. III - Philadelphia feat. Frazier Tharpe *TEASER* Dec 15, 2023

Get access to this entire episode, the entire Denzember catalog, and all of our premium episodes by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Denzember continues with GQ Senior Editor Frazier Tharpe II joining us to discuss Jonathan Demme's 'Philadelphia', one of the first major Hollywood films to take on the AIDS crisis. Far from a simple "issues picture", the movie overcomes many of its retrograde positions and dubious narrative decisions through the combination of Demme's masterful skill behind the camera and two powerhouse lead perfromances from Denzel and Tom Hanks (in a role that would net him his first Oscar win).

We track the career of Jonathan Demme, from his time in the Roger Corman stable through his massive hit 'The Silence of the Lambs', and the bold decision to tackle 'Philadelphia' as a project. Then, we discuss the two seismic performances from Hanks and Washington, and how each bring their star-power and career arcs to the roles in vital ways. Finally, we discuss some of the many controversial creative decisions that went into the making of the film, how some might be handled today, and why the film still resonates in spite of these components.

Frazier's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

1. Malcolm X

2. Man on Fire

3. Training Day

4. Flight

5. Out of Time

Follow Frazier Tharpe on Twitter.

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Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

DENZEMBER VOL. II - Devil in a Blue Dress feat. Will Menaker Dec 08, 2023

Chapo Trap House and Movie Mindset's very own Will Menaker stops by to help celebrate Denzember and discuss Carl Franklin's 'Devil in a Blue Dress', based on the inaugural Easy Rawlins mystery novel of the same name by author Walter Mosley. It's a stylish period noir made by a filmmaker and team seemingly uninterested in reproducing the aesthetic trappings of classic film noir, instead opting for a rich and colorful evocation of parts of 1940s Los Angeles rarely seen in the movies.

We discuss the career of Carl Franklin, as well as this film's thematic links to his 1992 neo-noir masterpiece One False Move. Then, we discuss the movie's thoughtful subversions of classic film noir, exploring the conditionality of freedom and access to the American Dream for Black Americans in postwar era South Central Los Angeles. Elsewhere, we continue our discussion on Denzel as actor and offer praise to his performance in addition to the movie's supporting performances from a scene-stealing Don Cheadle and the stunning, underrated Jennifer Beals.

Will's Top 5 Denzel Reaction GIFS:
1. Fallen
2. Flight
3. Denzel Door Slam
4. Training Day
5. Denzel Awards Face

Will's Top 5 Denzel Washinton Performances (Spike & Tony-Inclusive)
1. Man of Fire
2. Malcolm X
3. Unstoppable
4. He Got Game
5. Glory

Will's Top 5 Non-Spike & Tony Denzel Washington Performances (Unranked):
1. Glory
2. Devil in a Blue Dress
3. Ricochet
4. Philadelphia
5. The Tragedy of Macbeth

Follow Will Menaker on Twitter.

Listen to & support Chapo Trap House on Patreon.

Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

DENZEMBER VOL. I - Malcolm X feat. Edward Ongweso Jr. Dec 01, 2023

Writer, editor and podcaster Edward Ongweso Jr. returns to the show to kick off Denzember, a monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, with a conversation about Spike Lee's seminal 1992 biopic 'Malcolm X'. It stands as one of Lee's most triumphant achievements and one of Denzel Washington's very best performances as one of the most significant figures of 20th century America.

We discuss the film's trouble gestation period, taking nearly 30 years to get to the big screen then courting controversy throughout its production. We also discuss the film's portrait of Malcolm X and offer our readings of Spike's ultimate intention - presenting a fractured portrait that embraces the many sides of the man and the many ideologies and sects that claim him. Finally, we talk about the film's noteworthy detractors, including social critic and theorist bell hooks, who makes a compelling case that the film ultimately fails to bring a meaningful portrait of Malcolm to the big screen.

Read bell hooks's review of Spike Lee's 'Malcolm X' at Artforum.

Edward's Top 5 Denzel Performances:
1. Malcolm X (1992)
2. Fences (2016)
3. Training Day (2001)
4. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
5. Philadelphia (1993)/The Hurricane (1999)

Follow Edward Ongweso Jr. on Twitter.

Listen & Subscribe to This Machine Kills.

Read Edward's Substack The Tech Bubble.

Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Introducing...DENZEMBER! Dec 01, 2023

An introduction to our monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, Denzel Washington.

Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Porco Rosso feat. Adam Sullivan *TEASER* Nov 29, 2023

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Creator of the "eventually, forever" newsletter and film twitter heavy Adam Sullivan joins us to discuss the brilliant Hayao Miyazaki and his 1992 film 'Porco Rosso'. Initially conceived as a short film exclusively for in-flight guests of Japan Airlines, the film eventually grew in ambition and scope and now stands as one of Miyazaki's most underrated, visually transcendent masterpieces.

We discuss the film's many classic Hollywood touchpoints, including the films of Howard Hawks, Victor Fleming, and John Ford and how these influences create a sense of fantasy more grounded that other Miyazaki works. Then, we discuss the film's setting amidst the rising tide of fascism in the Adriatic and its connection to the moving character portrait at its core. Finally, we discuss how 'Porco Rosso' (perhaps more than any other film) suggests some of the director's late period affinities in works like 'The Wind Rises'.

Plus: We talk Miyazaki's latest work 'The Boy & The Heron', which we have all had the chance to see ahead of its wide release in the US Friday, 12/8/23.

Follow Adam Sullivan on Twitter.

Read and subscribe to Adam's newsletter "eventually, forever".

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

DOUBLE FEATURE: The Replacement Killers (1998) v. The Killer (2023) feat. Jake Serwin *TEASER* Nov 24, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

We contracted the services of Jake Serwin, co-host of America's premier Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me, to take on a pair of films about a professional assassin having a crisis of conscience after botching his most recent job.

First up, we talk The Replacement Killers, Antoine Fuqua's first feature and Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat's Hollywood debut, pairing him with recent Oscar winner Mira Sorvino for an extremely American riff on Hong Kong's Heroic Bloodshed genre, popularized by Chow and The Replacement Killers' executive producer John Woo.

Then we wade in to David Fincher's latest film for Netflix, 'The Killer'. It's a sharp, potent thriller hybrid that spits copious venom at our hyperconnected modern existence, hustle culture, and the gig economy while also functioning as a kaleidoscopic reflection on Fincher's entire career and ethos as a filmmaker.

Listen and subscribe to Pod Casty For Me.

Follow Pod Casty For Me on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Casino feat. Séamus Malekafzali Nov 10, 2023

Journalist and writer Séamus Malekafzali returns to the program for a lengthy conversation about Martin Scorsese's 1995 crime epic 'Casino'. Initially viewed by critics and audiences as a retread of Scorsese's masterful crime saga 'Goodfellas', the film has since been reevaluated as a masterpiece in its own right - one enriched by the director's late period films and preoccupations.

We discuss the film's dizzying construction, effectively evoking the glitz and glam of the Vegas strip through extended montages and voiceover (an effect masterfully rendered by Scorsese's deft hands as a director, a firecracker script with co-writer Nicholas Pileggi, and the brilliant editing of longtime Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker). Then, we examine the brilliant, career-defining performance of Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna. It's a role that deserves every possible accolade, and strikes a note that no one but Stone could conceivably achieve. Finally, we discuss the film as capitalist allegory, and how Scorsese thoughtfully weaves commentary on the corporate centralization of the American economy and its steady collapsing of the middle class.

We also offer some thoughts on Scorsese's latest, 'Killers of the Flower Moon', and the evolution of the director's views on capitalism, corruption, and consequence.

Follow Séamus on Twitter.

Read Séamus's Substack on Middle East politics.

Read & Listen to Burnt Nitrate, Séamus's explorations of lesser-known and lesser-discussed films.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Relic feat. Peter Raleigh Oct 31, 2023

Chicago-based academic and horror obsessive Peter Raleigh joins to discuss reliable journeyman director Peter Hyams and his 1997 creature feature, 'The Relic'. Maligned critically and a failure at the box office upon its initial release, the film has endured as an example of the tactile, sturdy genre work of the 90s with capable hands on both sides of the camera, including brilliant creature designs from legendary special effects guru Stan Winston.

We discuss the film's impressive balancing act, managing to glide over a host ludicrous genre tropes and plot holes with ease while maintining a keen pacing and immersion. Then, we praise the excellent directorial work of Hyams, who serves here as his own cinematographer and generates a mesmerizing, impressionistic array of horror imagery in stark, dimly lit spaces galore. Finally, we discuss the delights of the monster movie, its flattening of distinctions among people that make for compelling survival thrills, and why the sensibilities of the decade were uniquely attuned to the subgenre.

Watch the 35mm trailer for The Relic.

Follow Peter Raleigh on Twitter

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Freaked feat. Nicole Veneto *TEASER* Oct 27, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Loose film critic and host of Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema podcast Nicole Veneto joins from Boston to discuss Alex Winter and Tom Stern's irreverent, gag-filled 1993 monster comedy 'Freaked'. The film is a genuine cult classic that was greelit, following the success of the Bill & Ted films and Winter and Stern's short-lived MTV program 'Idiot Box', with an impressive $12 million budget and then quickly killed by 20th Century Fox after a change in management.

We discuss the film's unique cacophony of styles, taking inspiration from a number of cultural objects including Zucker Brothers comedies, punk rock legends Butthole Surfers, classic beach party films, and The Evil Dead movies. Then we praise the legendary team of practical special effects and makeup artists (including veterans of John Carpenter films like 'Big Trouble in Little China' and Chuck Russell's classic 1988 remake of 'The Blob') who brought the hilarious cast of freaks to life. Finally, we detail the executive decisions that very nearly railroaded 'Freaked' out of existence, and eulogize the brief moment in time when big studio money was willing to gamble on spectacular, impractical filmmaking and craft.

Watch & Download 'Freaked' at the Internet Archive.

Follow Nicole Veneto on Letterboxd

Listen to & Support Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Street Fighter: The Movie feat. Devan Scott Oct 23, 2023

Vancouver-based filmmaker, educator, and podcaster Devan Scott joins to discuss Street Fighter: The Movie, based on the hugely popular Capcom video game franchise. Dismissed by both critics and fans of the game at the time of its release as a disaster, the film has since found a small but vocal faction of champions nearly 30 years later.

We discuss the film as an example of what Devan calls "The Anti-Masterpiece": A film that through no fault of its author becomes an astonishing work, either in spite or because of a distinct lack of conventional competence. Then, we discuss the pleasure of watching a film featuring a massive ensemble cast, none of whom can seem to agree on what kind of movie is being made - from Jean-Claude Van Damme's incidentially self-referential Colonel Guile to Raul Julia's genuinely great, Shakespearean take on despotic warlord General M. Bison. Finally, we discuss the film's inadvertantly prescient take on the American imperial project of the 21st century, and how its caroonishness and brazen stupidity feel right at home in a post-Trump America.

Follow Devan Scott on Twitter.

Read Brandon Streussnig's "Wrapped In Plastic: JCVD's Street Fighter" for Secret Handshake.

Read Chris Plante's "Street Fighter: The Movie - What Went Wrong" for Polygon.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Wild At Heart feat. Kayte Terry *TEASER* Oct 13, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Artist and podcaster Kayte Terry joins from Philadelphia to discuss David Lynch's 1990 Palme d'Or winner 'Wild at Heart' starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as starcrossed lovers on the run in an oddball road movie that showcases the director at his most earnest and emotionally frank.

We discuss what people get wrong about Lynch, his style and tone, and why pervasiveness of the the term "Lynchian" robs it of meaning. Next, we talk about the incredible ensemble that brings Lynch's romance to life, praising especially the brilliance of its leads Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as well as supporting performers like Diane Ladd (Laura Dern's real life mother, who netted an Oscar nod for her work in the film) and Willem Dafoe as one of Lynch's most memorable villains. Finally, we key into the political textures of Lynch's career-long preoccupations, and how he interrogates the parameters of society, forcing us to conceive of existences liberated from the confines of the quotidian.

Follow Kayte Terry on Twitter.

Listen and Subscribe to Kayte's podcasts, Fangs For The Memories and Tender Subject.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Caro Diario feat. Pod Casty For Me Oct 06, 2023

This week we're joined by our good friends Ian Rhine and Jake Serwin of the teriffic Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me to discuss the Italian director Nanni Moretti and his 1993 personal essay/anthology film 'Caro Diario', awarded Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 when Clint served as the Jury President.

We discuss Moretti as subject within his own films, and how his arch and effacing tone offers perhaps a more palatable substitute to the films of a once-prominent filmmaker (now mired in controversy) known for his neurotic, self-referential films. Then, we discuss the film's stylistic markers that place it in conversation with not just the legacy of the Italian film industry, but with cinema as a whole. Finally, we talk about family planning and the wonderful world of vasectomies. (*Editor's Note* Aaron's procedure is in November, not Feburary as stated on the show. He's not sure why he said that, but wants listeners to know that he's not planning out his recovery watchlist 4 months in advance like a loser).

Listen & Subscribe to Pod Casty For Me.

Follow Pod Casty For Me on Twitter

Follow Jake Serwin on Twitter.

Follow Ian Rhine on Twitter (if he lets you).
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Insider *TEASER* Oct 02, 2023

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Another solo episode this week as we discuss Michael Mann's thriller 'The Insider', based on the true story of whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand and his explosive 1996 interview with 60 Minutes that exposed secrets about the tobacco industry and their complicity in manipulating their product with known carcinogens to increase the addictive effect of nicotine. The film is at once the story of the the tremendous power of corporate entities to take down those who seek to share the truth with the American public and an expressionist masterpiece that showcases some of Mann's most disciplined and mature directorial work.

We discuss the film's seismic lead performances from dual leads Al Pacino and a career-best Russell Crowe. Then, we praise the Michael Mann & Eric Roth script, and its critical portrayal of its subjects, avoiding lionization. Finally, we discuss the story's terrible prescience, and how the film's shock at corporate media interests overruling the efforts of journalists can sometimes feel quaint by today's standards.

Read Marie Brenner's profile of Jeffrey Wigand "The Man Who Knew Too Much" in Vanity Fair.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

10 Things I Hate About You *TEASER* Sep 22, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

We're solo for the first time in a while to talk about the romantic comedy '10 Things I Hate About You', a take on William Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' updated for the 1990s and set at a Pacific Northwest high school that looks an awful lot like a castle.

We discuss the film's impecccable cast, featuring a host of 90s up-and-comers including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, Julia Styles, and the soon-to-be superstar Heath Ledger, who was taken far too soon. Then, we discuss the movie's place within the lineage of late-90s films, how it adheres to the rebellious sensibilities of the era, and (notably) the ways it disregards them. Finally, we talk about a recent article in The Washington Post which, coincidentally, references the film in its examination of the current proliferation of celebrity veneers, unattainable standards of beauty, and how these trends desecrate the authenticity and natural beauty that once defined the genuine sexual energy in media from decades past.

Read 'Have you noticed that everyone's teeth are a little too perfect?' by Jessica M. Goldstein at The Washington Post..
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Exotica feat. Soraya Sebghati Sep 15, 2023

Musician and film writer Soraya Sebghati joins from Los Angeles to venture into the lurid, strange world of...Toronto, ON, Canada and its mesmerizing underbelly of desire, longing, and grief in Atom Egoyan's 1994 breakout feature, 'Exotica'.

We discuss Atom Egoyan as director - his keen sense for the uncanny amongst the mundane, and the ways 'Exotica' plays with artificiality, performance, and facade. Then, we discuss the film's musings on routine and the rippling effects of grief, and praise Egoyan's (relatively) non-judgemental curiosity with regard to the habits we all adopt as a means of coping with loss and alienation. Finally, we consider the film's much-mulled over ending and how it offers both a quietly devastating moment of catharsis and a hopeful message of emotional solidarity.

Follow Soraya Sebghati on Twitter.

Read and subscribe to Soraya's Substack.

Listen to and support Night Talks on Bandcamp.
Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

That Thing You Do! (Extended Cut) feat. Nick Miller Sep 08, 2023

New York-based musician and America's Sweetheart Nick Miller joins to discuss the underseen 150-minute Extended Cut of Tom Hanks's directorial debut, 'That Thing You Do!'. It's a meandering, expansive version of the film that takes the original cut's effervescent (if slight) shot of pop nostalgia and, at its best, aims for comparisons to great surveyors of cinematic Americana like Robert Altman & Jonathan Demme (who serves as producer on this film).

We discuss the two versions of the film, their differences, and how the Extended Cut showcases even further Tom Hanks's singular knowledge of the era and its musical landscape. Then, we talk about the eponymous tune, an infectious earworm written by the late Adam Schlesinger which took on a life of its own as a charting hit single and was nominated for the Best Original Song Oscar in 1997. We also discuss the film as part and parcel with Tom Hanks's decade-long fixation with postwar America and the Greatest Generation's sense of national purpose, how the movie gets right many of the intricacies of songwriting and band dynamics, and make a plea to the 300+ artists (including Squeeze and They Might Be Giants) who submitted versions of "That Thing You Do!" to finally release their recordings.

Follow Nick Miller on Twitter.

Listen to Nick Miller on Bandcamp.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Escape From L.A. feat. Comrade Yui *TEASER* Sep 01, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Friend of show Comrade Yui returns to discuss John Carpenter's 'Escape From L.A.', his raucous and acidic sequel to 1981's 'Escape From New York'. Derided by both audiences and critics, we offer a defense of the film as a vital work of Carpenter's late period that manages to thrill as an action picture, while wryly thumbing its nose at the corrupt values of Hollywood and its own existence as a prototype for modern "legacy sequels".

We begin by talking Carpenter in the 90s, a time when he was taking his biggest swings (while also facing some of his most frustrating conflicts with studios). Then, we take a look at the fascinating tenor of the film, and how it balances the acerbic, raw energy and wit of the original film while taking aim at societal ills of 1996 America with even more directness and urgency than its predecessor. Finally, we compare the film to other great movies (and one 2021 sequel specifically) that have followed in the spirit of 'Escape From L.A.', reckoning with legacy, while also boldly subverting audience expecations in pursuit of revealing the deeper truths and authenticity of their creators.

Follow Comrade Yui on Twitter and Letterboxd.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

I Shot Andy Warhol feat. A.A. de Levine Aug 25, 2023

Fiction writer and editor A.A. de Levine joins to discuss Mary Harron's debut feature, 'I Shot Andy Warhol', featuring a seismic performace from Lili Taylor as the infamous feminist writer Valerie Solanas as well as Jared Harris as the late pop artist, and a moving turn from Stephen Dorff as trans icon Candy Darling. The film is a fascinating, frightening view into the life and experiences of Solanas that led her to an increased state of anger, paranoia, and aggression which eventually resulted in the film's titular act of violence.

We take a look at the real life Solanas and her most enduring work, The SCUM Manifesto; its aims, its limitations, and its intentions as a furious feminist screed, a work of biting satire, or something in the middle. Then, we discuss the film's portrayal of New York's art scene in the 1960s and its nuanced examination of the ways Warhol and his Factory cohort offer a contradiction of the avant-garde as filtered through highly palatable standards of beauty and taste. Finally, we talk about the career of Mary Harron, who would go on to achieve her greatest acclaim with her sophomore feature, the teriffic 'American Psycho', before having her films relegated to a place of relative obscurity for the next two decades.

Follow A.A. de Levine on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Big Lebowski feat. Jake Tropila Aug 17, 2023

Film writer, editor, and podcaster Jake Tropila joins from Los Angeles to discuss the Coen Brothers' 1998 comedy 'The Big Lebowski', starring Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Though middlingly received both critically and commercially upon release, the film has gone on to become a genuine cult classic, launching a cottage industry of fan screenings, conventions, and even a religion.

We discuss the film's patchwork of influences, including larger-than-life characters withing the Coens' orbit and the works of author Raymond Chandler, especially as adapted by Robert Altman for his 1973 film 'The Long Goodbye'. Then we discuss the film's unrivaled cast, including a superb John Goodman, who turns in an awards-caliber performance as the gun-toting, militant bowling enthusiast Walter Sobchak. Finally, we discuss the film's windy, inarticulable plot, and the way that its mechanics might conceal a deeper level of criticism about the sociopolitical landscape of America on the eve of The End of History.

Watch the trailer for The Big Lebowski.

Watch Mortimer Young for Forever Young Films #1 - The Grand Lebowski.

Follow Jake Tropila on Twitter.

Read Film Inquiry.

Listen and Subscribe to Optimism Vaccine.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Quiz Show feat. Jarrod Murray *TEASER* Aug 13, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Los Angeles-based literary manager Jarrod Murray returns to the show to discuss Robert Redford's 'Quiz Show', a true story of the massive 1950s scandal that revealed to the American public for the first time that the burgeoning television industry and the levers of power that control media were capable of profound deceit.

We discuss the film's many iterations, possible directors, and might-have-been performances as well as the incredibly deep bench of performers the film ultimately wound up with (including great character actors like David Paymer, Hank Azaria, Griffin Dunne, and even a wonderful turn from director Martin Scorsese). Then we discuss the real story behind the film, and the ways director Robert Redford and screenwriter Paul Attanasio grapple with the quiz show scandal's multifaceted ramifications in the era after the post-war boom. Finally, we discuss the film's legacy, or lack thereof, and why this film may not have found its deserved purchase with viewers in the 90s and why there's still room for it to be reclaimed in 2023.

Follow Jarrod Murray on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Equinox feat. Jason Miller Aug 03, 2023

New York-based film writer Jason Miller joins to discuss the strange, beautiful cinematic worlds of the unsung Alan Rudolph and his 1992 film 'Equinox' starring Matthew Modine as identical twin brothers separated at birth.

We begin with a discussion of Rudolph's career, beginning as an assistant director to the great Robert Altman before branching out and producing some of the most compellingly idiosyncratic films of the 1980s (as well as his feature 'Remember My Name' from 1978, arguably his greatest work). Then we turn our sights to 'Equinox' and talk about the film's distinctive rhythms and characters as well as the ways Rudolph imbues his fantasy world with a potent naturalism and sense of place. Finally, we discuss the injustice of Rudolph's relative obscurity within cinephile circles, and why the filmmaker's entire body of work is due for a necessary and urgent reappraisal.

We're committed to getting 'Equinox' in front of as many eyes as possible! Email us at hitfactorypod@gmail.com for more info.

Follow Jason on Twitter and check out links to his work here.

Read Dan Sallit's teriffic monograph on Alan Rudolph here.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Green Snake feat. Nadine Smith *TEASER* Jul 27, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Writer and professional shit-talker Nadine Smith joins to discuss the mesmerizing wuxia masterpiece 'Green Snake'.

We explain the storied career of the film's remarkable director Tsui Hark, often referred to in the west as "the Spielberg of Hong Kong". Then, we talk about the transcendental beauty of Green Snake - its dreamlike and transfixing aesthetic, and it's tantalizing stars Joey Wong and Maggie Cheung. We also focus in on the movie's universally resonant story, which champions difference and asks its viewers to challenge dogmas of intolerance.

Follow Nadine on Twitter.

Read and subscribe to Nadine's Substack.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Primal Fear feat. Jesse Hawken Jul 20, 2023

Jesse Hawken, host of Junk Filter Podcast, returns to the show to discuss 'Primal Fear'. The film is a taut piece of middlebrow entertainment which offers maximum reward as a cable classic.

We discuss the film's two standout performances - one from aging handsome guy Richard Gere as a hotshot attorney looking for his next big break, the other from then-newcomer Edward Norton who took audiences by storm and wound up on the short list of actors nominate for an Academy Award for their very first film performance. Then, we talk the movie's famous twist ending, and the way that it betrays an uncomfortably reactionary streak that resonated with audiences in mid-90s America. Finally, we have some words about the death of the midbudget cable classic, and look at the current state of the industry vis-a-vis the tandem strike efforts from the WGA and SAG-AFTRA.

Listen & Subscribe to Junk Filter Podcast and support the show on Patreon.

Follow Jesse Hawken on Twitter.

Follow Junk Filter Podcast on Twitter

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Dick Tracy feat. Jake Isgar *TEASER* Jul 13, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

San Francisco-based Drafthouse programmer Jake Isgar stops by to discuss 'Dick Tracy', Warren Beatty's dazzling passion project released during a brief, bygone moment in big-budget filmmaking when artistic liberty and studio buy-in were wed.

We discuss the byzantine journey the film took to the big screen, which included several iterations under different directors and actors in the titular role. Then we discuss Warren Beatty as auteur, and how the character of Dick Tracy reflects his predilections, fears, and fetishes all in one. Finally, we look at Disney's ubiquitous promotional campaign for the film, which featured Dick Tracy iconography and songs from the soundtrack perfromed during Madonna's Blond Ambition Tour.

Read Jeffrey Katzenberg's 1991 Memo 'The World Is Changing: Some Thoughts On Our Business' .

Hit Factory's Third Birthday Bash Jul 04, 2023

It's Hit Factory's third birthday, and you're invited to celebrate along with us! Join us as we count down our baker's Top Ten films from past episodes.

Links To Episodes Mentioned Here:

The Blair With Project

Ravenous feat. Matt Monagle

Lost Highway feat. Jonah Koslofsky

Safe feat. Catherine Liu

The Bridges of Madison County feat. Comrade Yui

Close-Up feat. Roxana Hadadi

The Game feat. Bilge Ebiri

Slacker feat. Robert Raymond

The Limey feat. Matt Belenky

Irma Vep feat. Brandon Streussnig

Cronos
Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Snake Eyes feat. Taylor Grimes & Hard Mike *TEASER* Jul 01, 2023

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Returning Hit Factory favorites and fellow Neptune High Class on 1980 Sea Dogs Taylor Grimes and Hard Mike join for a testosterone-heavy conversation about Brian De Palma's 'Snake Eyes'. It's a throwback thriller that satisfies as both sleazy genre exercise and one of the director's most stylish metacommentaries on the craft of filmmaking itself.

We discuss Brian De Palma as auteur, and how this film continues his career-long devotion to past masters like Hitchcock and their shared fascination with perversion, voyeurism, and corruption. Then we discuss the film's brilliant grasp on both form and function, as it employs its technical acuity to externalize the interiority of it's lead character (portrayed with considerable aplomb by a never-better Nicolas Cage). Finally, we discuss the film's many brilliant collborators, including the late Ryuichi Sakamoto of the influential Japanese electronic outfit Yellow Magic Orchestra who provides this movie's haunting and lyrical score.

Follow Hard Mike on Twitter.

Find Taylor online (if you can).
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

So I Married An Axe Murderer feat. Maggie Serota Jun 23, 2023

Writer Maggie Serota joins to discuss the 1993 comedy 'So I Married An Axe Murderer', a movie that takes inspiration from classic screwball comedies, Hitchcock thrillers, and SNL-style sketch comedy in equal measure.

We discuss the rise of the film's star, Mike Myers, a gifted comedic performer who dedicated much of his 90s output to an evolving pantheon characters, often involving elaborate makeup and outlandish vocal affectations. Then, we talk about the film's stunning bullpen of comedy veterans, including Alan Arkin, and the late Phil Hartman and Charles Grodin - all contributing hilarious riffs on their signature characters. Finally, we talk about Myers's career today by way of his most recent work, the dire Netflix series 'The Pentaverate' and why audiences might welcome a career pivot in the vein of other SNL alum Adam Sandler or Bill Hader.

Follow Maggie on Twitter.

Read & Subscribe to Maggie's Substack.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Crash feat. Edward Ongweso Jr. *TEASER* Jun 18, 2023

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Romance feat. Justine Peres Smith Jun 11, 2023

Montreal-based film programmer, writer, and critic Justine Peres Smith joins us to discuss Catherine Breillat's 1999 film 'Romance'. It's a fascinating film that challenges patriarchal views of intimacy and desire, exploring the interiority of one woman's sexuality with a bracing level of nuance and honesty.

We discuss the film's graphic depictions of (purportedly unsimulated) sexual encounters and the fearless performer who gives these raw scenes life, Caroline Ducey. Then, we examine the film's uncommon embrace of the textures of feminine sexuality, subverting reductive and confining depictions in the mainstream, and offering an alternative to the capitalist impulses of "productive sexuality". Finally, we explore sex in film more broadly, and many audience's troubling aversion to exploring sexuality in ways that consider its emancipatory power.

Follow Justine on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Twister feat. @MatineeMode Jun 04, 2023

Cenephile and severe weather head @MatineeMode joins us to discuss 'Twister', one of the biggest hits of 1996. It's a film that takes several well-worn, sometimes quaint, and seemingly disparate cinematic tropes and combines them into a transcendent and irreplicable experience.

We discuss the rise and fall of filmmaker Jan de Bont, from his time as one of Paul Verhoeven and John McTiernan's key collaborators, to his work on back-to-back 90s action hits (this film and 1994's 'Speed'), to his gun-for-hire status for the 2003 'Tomb Raider' sequel that stands as his last film as director to date. Then, we talk about the film's host of influences, most notably its screwball comedy premise wrapped in a disaster movie's skin. Finally, we discuss the movie's groundbreaking special effects and champion the film as a state-of-the-art blockbuster spectacle.

Follow EverydayMatinee on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Homicide feat. Logan Kenny *TEASER* May 24, 2023

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Eraser feat. Séamus Malekafzali May 12, 2023

Journalist and writer Séamus Malekafzali joins us to discuss the 1996 Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle 'Eraser'. It's an above average & satisfyingly self-aware film that represents the waning impact of a once-dependable action formula.

We discuss the film's gleeful subversions of action movie tropes and the ways it challenges Arnold's well-cultivated action hero status, the star's late-90s twilight years before his next era as a politiician, and the seemingly long-abandoned notion of vertically integrated tie-in materials for big studio releases.

Follow Séamus on Twitter.

Read Séamus's Substack on Middle East politics.

Read & Listen to Burnt Nitrate, Séamus's explorations of lesser-known and lesser-discussed films.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

A Few Good Men feat. @marisatomay *TEASER* May 05, 2023

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The Limey feat. Matt Belenky Apr 28, 2023

Matt Belenky returns for another Carlee-less episode to discuss Steven Soderbergh's technical tour-de-force 'The Limey'. It's both a whip-smart, crackling crime film showcasing Steven Soderbergh at the height of his power and a mesmerizing, patiently observed rumination on memory, loss, and legacy.

We discuss the metatextual significance of leads Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda as mutual elegies for the British New Wave and the American films of the New Hollywood era, the film's brilliantly evocative formal techniques, and Steven Soderbergh's singular position as a prolific auteur in our current era of haphazard regurgitation.

Follow Matt Belenky on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Taking of Beverly Hills feat. Brandon Streussnig *TEASER* Apr 21, 2023

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Light Sleeper feat. Miles Klee *TEASER* Apr 13, 2023

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The Heroic Trio Apr 07, 2023

Hit Factory's heroic duo take on Johnnie To's 1993 Honk Kong action spectacular, 'The Heroic Trio'. It's a super hero origin story featuring three of Hong Kong cinema's most remarkable leading women - Anita Mui, Michelle Yeoh, & Maggie Cheung - and a wellspring of imagination & style unrivaled by western action movies of the era.

We discuss the dynamic burst of imagination at the center of Hong Kong's Golden Era of action cinema that birthed the talents of To, Tsui Hark, John Woo and countless others, the film's nuanced and progressively feminine approach to its storytelling, the brilliant costume design...and the movie's commendable contempt toward children.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Freeway feat. Ricky Camilleri & Chris Chafin *TEASER* Mar 29, 2023

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GoldenEye feat. Kurt Schiller & Chris Woodward Mar 23, 2023

Returning guests Kurt Schiller and Chris Woodward join us to discuss James Bond's first foray into a post-Cold War world, 'GoldenEye' featuring two notable "firsts": Pierce Brosnan's debut as the international super spy and the first Bond film helmed by director Martin Campbell (who would return to update Bond again for a post-9/11 audience with 'Casino Royale').

We discuss the troubled history of the series' 17th entry that saw the exit of previous two-time Bond Timothy Dalton, how Pierce Brosnan's take on the iconic character appeals to the 90s fetishization of the business class, and why the film's embrace of a post-Soviet setting- refreshingly- doesn't feel quite like a victory lap.

Follow Kurt Schiller on Twitter.
Follow Chris Woodward on Twitter.

Listen to Podside Picnic.

Read and support Blood Knife Magazine.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Virtuosity Mar 15, 2023

We venture into the near future of 1999 to take a look at the VR cyberpunk action spectacular 'Virtuosity' starring Denzel Washington and a then-unknown Russell Crowe in what Carlee argues is his best performance (with a few asterisks).

We discuss the film's early arrival at the forefront of virtual reality stories that would become a lynchpin of late 90s science-fiction cinema, its impressive mixture of practical and digital special effects, and why the decade's middleweight movies often reveal the most about the culture of the era.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Deep Cover *TEASER* Mar 07, 2023

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Boyz N The Hood feat. Ethan Embry Feb 23, 2023

Actor Ethan Embry joins us to discuss 'Boyz N The Hood', John Singleton's sharply observed coming-of-age story that explores Black life in South Central Los Angeles with all its rich contours intact.

We have a wide-ranging conversation in which we discuss the film as one of the earliest mainstream successes of Black stories in Hollywood, the media controversies surrounding its theatrical release, and Singleton's masterful diessection of the many faces of capitalism's systemic oppression of people along racial and class lines.

Follow Ethan Embry on Twitter.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Titanic feat. Emmy Potter *TEASER* Feb 14, 2023

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Heavyweights feat. Matt Pais Feb 12, 2023

Chicago-based critic and author of the new book "Talk 90s with Me: 23 Unpredictable Conversations with Stars of an Unforgettable Decade" Matt Pais joins us to discuss the kids cult classic 'Heavyweights'.

After a conversation about Matt's new book, we talk through the film's empathetic and nuanced portrayal of fatness (notably featuring an ensemble of actors of size), its place within the canon of 90s anti-conformity comedies, and why this might be Ben Stiller's most pitch-perfect performance.

Follow Matt Pais on Twitter.

Check out Matt's new book "Talk 90s with Me: 23 Unpredictable Conversations with Stars of an Unforgettable Decade".

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Daytrippers feat. Jamie Arena *TEASER* Feb 03, 2023

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The Devil's Advocate feat. Carly Severn Jan 26, 2023

Journalist at KQED San Francisco Carly Severn joins us to discuss the 1997 thriller THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE. It's a film that is equal parts Faustian parable and John Grisham legal kitsch and features a scene-chewing Al Pacino as the titular prince of darkness.

We praise the film's singular cast (including the aforementioned Pacino, Keanu Reeves in 90s accent mode, and an extremely commited Charlize Theron), relate the film's fixations on good and evil to some other stalwart film properties of the decade, and unpack why the late 90s was a period uniquely positioned from a prime reappraisal of America's spiritual condition.

Follow Carly Severn on Twitter.
Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Game feat. Bilge Ebiri Jan 19, 2023

Film critic Bilge Ebiri (Vulture, New York Magazine) joins us to discuss David Fincher's oft-diminished 1997 thriller, 'The Game'. It's a fascinating, intricate follow-up to the hit 'Se7en' that showcases Fincher at his most technically adept and stepping outside of his thematic comfort zone for the first time.

We discuss the star power of Michael Douglas and why he is the perfect match for the movie's stark vision of trial and catharsis, uncover the film's prophetic vision of the inescapable and constantly-surveiling eye of big tech, and tease out the myriad pleasures of its controversial "happy" ending - a rarity in Fincher's ouevre.

Follow Bilge Ebiri on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Sonatine *TEASER* Jan 12, 2023

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Under Siege feat. Jarrod Murray Jan 05, 2023

Los Angeles-based literary manager and producer Jarrod Murray joins the crew of the USS Hit Factory to discuss 'Under Siege', the 1992 action thriller starring Steven Seagal.

We discuss the exemplary direction of journeyman Andrew Davis who would go on a year later to make his opus, 'The Fugitive', praise the transcendent performance of Tommy Lee Jones as the madcap leader of a group of nuclear terrorists, and return to one of our favorite preoccupations: the meteoric rise (and astonishing fall) of Steven Seagal, movie star.

Finally, we mourn the loss of a bygone staple of Hollywood: Cool Boat Cinema™, and contemplate who might be able to take up the mantle and revive the genre in 2023.

Follow Jarrod Murray on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Serial Mom feat. Nora MacIntyre Dec 02, 2022

Critic, writer, and film historian Nora MacIntyre joins Aaron to discuss John Waters's 1994 satire 'Serial Mom' starring Kathleen Turner as the titular murderous matriarch.

Topics include Waters's exploitation origins and the film's ties to splatter maven Herschell Gordon Lewis, the movie's brilliant send-up of the capitalist patriarchal structures of modernity, and the immediate prescience of the story's exploration of true crime obsession in the wake of the O.J. Simpson trial.

Follow Nora MacIntyre on Twitter.

Read Nora's work at her website, Notoriously Nora.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm feat. Evan MacDonald *TEASER* Nov 23, 2022

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The Rock feat. Seamus Turner Glennon *TEASER* Nov 17, 2022

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American Movie feat. Arlin Golden Nov 11, 2022

Director/Programmer of Drunken Film Fest Oakland and co-host of Wiseman Podcast Arlin Golden joins Aaron to discuss Chris Smith's 1999 documentary 'American Movie', a story of artistic determination, male friendship, and one man's struggle to achieve The American Dream amidst the industrial decay of the Rust Belt Midwest.

We discuss the fascinating once-in-a-lifetime dynamicism of Smith's subject Mark Borchardt, praise the film's brilliant examination the sociopolitical conditions of working class America, and investigate the ethical and artistic criticisms of the movie's construction.

Follow Arlin Golden on Twitter.

Read "American Movie at 20: why this portrait of a working-class Wisconsin auteur endures" by filmmaker Robert Greene.

Listen and Subscribe to Wiseman Podcast.
Check out Mike Ott's film 'Kid Icarus' on Tubi.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Bridges of Madison County feat. Comrade Yui Nov 04, 2022

Film writer, YouTuber, and quality poster Comrade Yui joins Aaron to discuss 'The Bridges of Madison County', Clint Eastwood's astonishing romantic drama that showcases the actor/director at his most sensuous, contemplative, and graceful.

We discuss the film's delicate moral ambiguity, our single issue with Meryl Streep as an actress, and Clint's place in the pantheon of Hollywood's great filmmakers.

Follow Comrade Yui on Twitter and Subscribe to their YouTube channel.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Blade feat. Jamell Moses Oct 31, 2022

Writer, actor, and fellow vampire hunter Jamell Moses joins us to discuss 1998's 'Blade', a Marvel adaptation that succeeds where others have failed due to its vision, ingenuity, and an immaculate lead performance by Wesley Snipes.

We discuss the film's legacy as the first (and arguably best) of Marvel's ventures on the silver screen, the subversive political backbone that drives the film's interior world of elite vampires manipulating the levers of society, and why the sexlessness of modern superhero films spells trouble for any attempts to bring the raw carnality of a Blade story to life.

Follow Jamell Moses on Twitter.

Read Jamell's piece "What Made Tom Cruise Such a Great Vampire" at his blog Departures.
Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

From Dusk Till Dawn feat. Roxana Hadadi Oct 29, 2022

Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi returns to Hit Factory for her hat trick to discuss Robert Rodriguez's 'From Dusk Till Dawn', a rambunctious genre hybrid that blends elements of crime pictures, westerns, and gory exploitation horror to uproarious effect.

We discuss the ascendancy of Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino during the mid-90s, the undeniable magnetism of a tribal-tattooed George Clooney (in his big screen debut), and ponder the significance of that eye-popping final shot.

Follow Roxana Hadadi on Twitter.

Read Up "All Night with George Clooney: From Dusk Till Dawn at 25" by Roxana at Crooked Marquee.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Cronos Oct 24, 2022

We're back after a brief hiatus with a very special Spooky Season™ pick: Guillermo del Toro's debut feature 'Cronos', a magnificent modern vampire fable as indebted to Universal monster stories as it is to Cronenbergian body horror.

We discuss the film's various interpretations of vampirism (both literal and figurative), the unapologetic earnestness of del Toro's work, and what the director's monsters can teach us about the complexities of postmodern existence.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Braveheart feat. Hard Mike Oct 01, 2022

Film Twitter personality and fellow Mel Gibson stalwart Hard Mike joins Aaron to discuss Mel's 1995 Best Picture winner 'Braveheart' a sweeping epic about the legendary Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace.

The fellas discuss the film's extremely loose adherence to historical accuracy, its celebration of 90s neoliberal orthodoxy & the myth of meritocratic ascendancy, and the rewards of exploring the complicated artisitic statements of "bad" people.

Follow Hard Mike on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

BONUS: Natural Born Killers (Hit Factory x Nostalgia Trap) Sep 23, 2022

David Parsons from Nostalgia Trap Podcast joins us for a deep dive int Oliver Stone's maximalist 1994 thriller 'Natural Born Killers' starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. We discuss the movie's complicated and controversial legacy, how it (sometimes) trancsends its cartoonish pastiche to paint a portrait of American violence and media sensationalism, and how it fits into a broader conversation about problematic and difficult art that is still resonant today.

Listen to Nostalgia Trap and follow the show on Twitter.

Follow David Parsons on Twitter.
Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Pretty Woman feat. Molly Lambert Sep 19, 2022

Molly Lambert, creator of HeidiWorld: The Heidi Fleiss Story, joins us to talk the 1990 romantic comedy 'Pretty Woman'. We discuss the film's origins as a gritty tale of sex and drugs on the streets of Hollywood Boulevard, how the story both confronts and conforms to the sexual politics of the era, and the blinding star power of lead Julia Roberts.

Later, we discuss Heidi Fleiss, her relationship to Hollywood in the era of Pretty Woman, and the frustrating trend of anti-sex discourse in film and media.

Follow Molly Lambert on Twitter.

Listen to HeidiWorld: The Heidi Fleiss Story
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Drunken Master II *TEASER* Sep 12, 2022

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Trainspotting feat. Veronica Phillips Sep 02, 2022

Film writer Veronica Phillips joins Aaron to discuss 'Trainspotting' Danny Boyle's restless adaptation of Irvine Welsh's tale of heroin addiction, reluctant camaraderie, and a generation's failure to reject the principles of a post-Thatcher UK.

We discuss the film's breakout performance from then-relative newcomer Ewan McCregor, explore the distinctly 90s evocation of addiction and its roots, and ponder the question of what makes a "good" drug movie.

Follow Veronica Phillips on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Hunt For Red October *TEASER* Aug 27, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Bringing Out The Dead feat. Donald Borenstein Aug 19, 2022

It's our 100th episode of Hit Factory! To celebrate, we recruit New York-based filmmaker Donald Borenstein to discuss one of the undersung greatest films of the 1990s, Martin Scorsese's 'Bringing Out The Dead' written by the brilliant Paul Schrader. It's a frenzied, vividly-lensed story of death & salvation which also serves as a spotlight on the people pushed to soceity's margins by liberalism's rot.

We discuss the pitch-perfect Nic Cage in a role he was seemingly born to play, the film's sly indictment of Giuliani's broken windows crackdown on NY crime in the late 90s, and Schrader's virtuoso ability to blend stories of spiritual catharsis with profound examinations of institutions.

Later, we take a moment to reflect on 100 episodes of Hit Factory and share some messages of congratulations from friends of the show.

Follow Donald Borenstein on Twitter

Special Thanks to all our friends who sent messages of congratulations!

Listen to The Odd Podd. Follow The Odd Podd and hosts Trevor and Valerie on Twitter.

Listen to Pacino Pod. Follow Pacino Pod and hosts Jane and Kalie on Twitter.

Listen to Junk Filter. Follow Junk Filter and host Jesse Hawken on Twitter.

Listen to How Have You Not Seen. Follow How Have You Not Seen and host Caroline Thompson on Twitter.

Follow Lindsay Lee Wallace on Twitter.

Read The Pitch of Discontent and follow its creator Owen Morawitz on Twitter.

Listen to Podside Picnic and Parents Just Don’t Understand.

Read and support Blood Knife digital magazine.

Follow Karlo Yeager Rodriguez, Pete, Kurt Schiller, and Chris Woodward on Twitter.

Check out American Jank and follow its host Gus Lanzetta on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Summer Of Sam feat. Matt Belenky *TEASER* Aug 12, 2022

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Predator 2 Aug 05, 2022

There's a new Predator movie getting dumped straight to Hulu this weekend. In anticipation of the franchise's dimishing returns, we revisit the overlooked sequel to the 1987 action classic, 'Predator 2' - a film that brilliantly turns the imperialist anxieties of its predecessor inward to explore early-90s reactionary crime wave narratives and the Bush-era fixation with gang violence & emboldened police response.

We discuss the proliferation of early 90s depictions of Los Angeles as a crime-ridden helscape, the deeper symbolism of the titular Predator (and what it's like to look at your reflection and see a monster), & why Danny Glover's Harrigan is the perfect choice to replace the musclebound macho action stars of the original film.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

The Talented Mr. Ripley *TEASER* Jul 28, 2022

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UNLOCKED: Contact feat. Aaron Thorpe Jul 20, 2022

UNLOCKED: Podcaster, writer, and Twitter's Most Wanted Man™ Aaron Thorpe joined us back in April to discuss Robert Zemeckis's 1997 science fiction masterpiece 'Contact' starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. It's a thrilling, expansive film that explores Big Questions about science and faith while maintaining a profoundly moving sense of wonder throughout.

We discuss Contact's origins as both film treatement and eventual novel by the brilliant Carl Sagan and his wife Ann Druyan, explore the film's ideological opposition to the neoliberal hegemony of the mid-90s, and make a case for the necessity of a post-scarcity (perhaps even spiritual) perspective to the success of a humanist political project.

Follow Aaron Thorpe on Twitter (while you can!).

Listen and Subscribe to Trillbilly Worker's Party and Support the show on Patreon.

Listen, Subscribe to, and Support Struggle Session.

Read Aaron Thorpe at his Substack Space + Light.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Pusher feat. Michael Snydel *TEASER* Jul 15, 2022

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DOUBLE FEATURE: The War Room & SPIN feat. Grimm Jul 08, 2022

Prestigious podcaster and poster Grimm joins us to discuss two documentaries chronicling the 1992 presidential election cycle from very different perspectives.

First, we discuss Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker's lionizing character study 'The War Room', chronicling the efforts of Bill Clinton's campaign advisors, George Stephanopoulos and "Ragin' Cajun" James Carville. It's a hagiographic text owed a great deal of blame for the faux-proletarianization of democratic politics in the 90s.

Next, we cover the underseen, revelatory 'SPIN' by Brian Springer. It's a revealing look behind the scenes of 1992's biggest news items through the use of raw satellite footage that shows the multitude of ways the media surreptitiously flattens, omits, and outright fabricates the news to sell us the status quo.

Follow Grimm on Twitter.

Check out SPIN, available for free on YouTube.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

The Lost World: Jurassic Park feat. Peter Raleigh *TEASER* Jun 29, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Irma Vep feat. Brandon Streussnig Jun 23, 2022

Writer Brandon Streussnig joins us to discuss Olivier Assayas's 1996 postmodern masterpiece 'Irma Vep'. It's a revelatory metatextual exploration of creation, capitalism, and cinema - past, present & future.

We discuss the indelible magnetism of star Maggie Cheung (playing a version of herself), the film's considerations of the shifting proclivities of audiences on the global stage in the mid-90s, and the ways in which modern moviemaking seems averse to asking big questions about itself and the ways people watch it. Then, we briefly discuss Assayas's return to the property in the form of a brand new HBO miniseries that loses none of the potency of the original a quarter century later.

Follow Brandon Streussnig on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Late Bloomers feat. Lindsay Lee Wallace *TEASER* Jun 18, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

The Fugitive Jun 10, 2022

We discuss the 1993 box office sensation 'The Fugitive' a meticulously detailed and expertly crafted thriller without an ounce of fat on it. Topics include the film's unusual and effective narrative structure, the bravura performances by the film's two leads, Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, and the anxieties at the heart of man-on-the-run thrillers.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Unlawful Entry *TEASER* Jun 02, 2022

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Diggstown feat. Matt Christman May 27, 2022

We're joined by one of the hosts of Chapo Trap House, Matt Christman to discuss Michael Ritchie's highly entertaining con-man/sports movie mashup 'Diggstown'. We explore the film's distinct 70s throwback appeal, set aside personal politics to make the case for James Woods as one of the finest actors of his generation, and yearn for a time when studio movies still permitted excessive perspiration.

Follow Matt Christman on Twitter

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Citizen Ruth *TEASER* May 22, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Happiness feat. 30 Years Later May 13, 2022

We're joined by hosts of 30 Years Later Podcast, Ricky Camilleri and Chris Chafin, to discuss Todd Solondz's grimly funny ensemble comedy 'Happiness'. We discuss the writer/director's singular talent for handling "sticky" subject matter and characters, the film's remarkably prescient and timely themes of emmiseration and depravity in modern American existence, and why current media discourse and trends are especially averse to embracing the brilliance of Solondz's deeply nuanced portrayals.

Follow Ricky Camilleri on Twitter.

Follow Chris Chafin on Twitter.

Listen & Subscribe to 30 Years Later.
Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

UNLOCKED: Jade May 06, 2022

No new episode this week, so enjoy this unlocked Patreon epsiode...

We explore a fascinating critical and commercial dud from the great William Friedkin: 1995's erotic thriller 'Jade'. Topics include the pitch perfect performance from Linda Fiorentino, the film's brilliant "bare essentials" approach to its genres, and its thematic relationship to a classic of the 70s neo-noir canon. We also talk some recent critical misreads of onscreen eroticism and explore a new paradigm of cultural myopia we like to call "The Smoothening".

Read "The Sex Scene is Dead. Long Live the Sex Scene" from The New Yorker.

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

The Fisher King Apr 29, 2022

For the first time in Hit Factory history, we're recording from separate locales to discuss Terry Gilliam's 1991 fantasy drama 'The Fisher King'. We discuss the bevy of brilliant performances (including an Oscar-winning turn from the great Mercedes Ruehl), Gilliam's singular ability to effortlessly navigate his film's disparate tones, and the subversive empathy the film employs in its consideration of people who occupy the margins of society.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Malice feat. Jack Wranovics *TEASER* Apr 23, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Apollo 13 feat. Dadcore Cinema Club Apr 15, 2022

Masters of the Middlebrow and hosts of Dadcore Cinema Club Podcast, Brandon & Charlie, join us to discuss the Space Race drama 'Apollo 13', a technically masterful ode to the patriotism & resolve of Cold War America released as Boomers were forced to reckon with the ideological drift of the 90s - Helmed by one of our most proficient journeyman, Ron Howard.

The crew take to the LEM and avoid gimbal lock while discussing the film's blend of distinctive Dadcore characteristics, the invisible pleasures of a true journeyman director operating at peak performance, and Tom Hanks's career-long fascination with the act of urinating.

Listen and subscribe to Dadcore Cinema Club

Follow Dadcore Cinema Club on Twitter

Follow Brandon on Twitter

Follow Charlie on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Contact feat. Aaron Thorpe *TEASER* Apr 09, 2022

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PREVIEW: Secs, Guys and Videotapes #63 w/ Parents Just Don't Understand Mar 31, 2022

**Our April Fools Episode** A special advance preview of Aaron & Carlee's new limited series, Secs, Guys, and Videotapes: an exploration of Steven Soderbergh's 1998 crime thriller 'Out Of Sight'...one second at a time. On this episode, the Hit Factory hosts are joined by Chris Woodward and Kurt Schiller of the excellent Parents Just Don't Understand Podcast to explore second number 63. It's a wide-ranging discussion that advances the theory of the Soviet Second (an interval roughly one half longer than the standard western equivalent), the direct lineage from 1971 cult classic 'Vanishing Point' to Dave Matthews Band, and a celebration of the rare "Split" Second in which a cut falls directly in the middle of a one-second interval.

Follow Secs, Guys and Videotapes on Twitter.

Follow Chris Woodward on Twitter

Follow Kurt Schiller on Twitter

Listen to and subscribe to Parents Just Don't Understand
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Series artwork by Hindle

Lone Star *TEASER* Mar 26, 2022

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Out For Justice feat. Jeremy Herbert Mar 18, 2022

Writer and filmmaker Jeremy Herbert joins us to discuss the fascinatingly flawed 1991 action thriller, 'Out For Justice' and its star Steven Seagal, a singularly minted Hollywood asshole. We examine the film's lofty ambitions to transcend the limitations of both its genre and star with weighty monologues and largely ornamental subplots and characters, explore the bizzare, brief rise of Seagal's star power (and its equally quick descent) through the 90s, and consider the deeper implications of how someone like Seagal got famous in the first place.

Follow Jeremy Herbert on Twitter.

Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month to get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Point Break feat. Eli Olsberg *TEASER* Mar 12, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

BONUS: Chuck Klosterman's 'The Nineties' feat. Alex Ross Mar 09, 2022

University of Toronto PhD candidate and writer Alex Ross joins to discuss culture writer Chuck Klosterman's latest collection 'The Nineties'. The book is a confounding, myopic work that frequently reveals both the sociopolitical blind spots of its author & the greater failures of Gen X to understand the decade's ramifications. We talk through the frenzied, dizzying construction of the book around a hodgepodge of discrete cultural markers, the books troubling lack of anything approaching a worldview, and the writer's baffling defense against what he calls Clinton "revisionism".

Follow Alex Ross on Twitter

Read David Wallace-Wells's interview with Klosterman at Vulture

Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month to get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Hoop Dreams feat. Shawn Glinis Mar 02, 2022

We're joined by Shawn Glinis, co-host of Wiseman Podcast, to discuss a defining nonfiction film of the 1990s - 'Hoop Dreams'. The film is a singular and heartbreaking portrait of urban living, the education system, race & class that also succeeds as an incredibly gripping sports movie told through the journeys of its two subjects - Arthur Agee and William Gates. Topics include the film's litany of fascinating subjects and secondary characters, filmmaker Steve James's masterful ability to elicit empathy for even his most challenging subjects, and the cruel irony of one of the decades most vivid and humanizing portraits of urban poverty being released in the midst of an era especially hostile toward it.

Follow Shawn Glinis on Twitter.

Listen & Subscribe to Wiseman Podcast

Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month to get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Jade *TEASER* Feb 25, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

DOUBLE FEATURE: Miller's Crossing & Barton Fink feat. Bill Ryan Feb 17, 2022

Writer Bill Ryan returns to talk about a pair of early masterpieces from Joel & Ethan Coen - 1990's 'Miller's Crossing' and their follow up, 'Barton Fink,' released the following year. We discuss both films' stacked rosters of scene stealing performers, a rare occurence of "coolness" in the Coens' ouevre, and extol the value of trusting an artist with exemplary instincts even when you're not quite sure what to make of their work.

Follow Bill Ryan on Twitter

Read and Subscribe to Bill's blog, The Kind of Face You Hate

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Any Given Sunday feat. Abdul Malik *TEASER* Feb 10, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

But I'm A Cheerleader feat. Caroline Thompson Feb 04, 2022

Caroline Thompson of the excellent movie podcast How Have You Not Seen joins us to discuss 'But I'm A Cheerleader' starring Natasha Lyonne & Clea DuVall. We talk the film's evolution from critically maligned coming-of-age comedy to Queer Canon Classic™, its sly anti-capitalist undertones, and the brilliant effect of comically satirizing one of the least funny places imaginable.

Follow Caroline Thompson on Twitter

Subscribe and listen to How Have You Not Seen and support the show on Patreon.

Follow How Have You Not Seen on Twitter.
Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

The Fifth Element feat. Pacino Pod *TEASER* Jan 28, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

The Piano feat. Bailey Herdé Jan 21, 2022

Culture writer Bailey Herdé joins us to discuss 'The Piano', Jane Campion's brilliant period drama about yearning, desire, & passion set against the lush yet foreboding New Zealand wilderness. We chat about the film's pair of (unusual, but well-deserved) Oscar-winning central performances, its potent examination of 19th century colonialism through its male characters, and praise Campion's latest awards contender 'The Power of the Dog'.

Follow Bailey Herdé on Twitter
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Showgirls feat. Karinne Smith *TEASER* Jan 13, 2022

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

No Escape feat. Owen Morawitz Jan 05, 2022

On our first episode of the new year, Owen Morawitz returns to discuss the 1994 action-thriller 'No Escape', a film set on the maximum security island prison of Absolom in the dystopian future of 2022. We discuss a few standout performances from the top-tier cast (including a rarely seen action hero version of Ray Liotta & best in show Stuart Wilson as the villainous Marek), how the film reflects contemporary liberalism's contradictory sympathies toward America's carceral system, and the novelty of watching an action movie with a little bit too much on its mind.

Follow Owen Morawitz on Twitter

Subscribe to Owen's Newsletter The Pitch of Discontent

Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron to get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Strange Days feat. Dan Boeckner *TEASER* Dec 30, 2021

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

BONUS: The Matrix Resurrections feat. Aaron Thorpe Dec 27, 2021

Writer and podcaster Aaron Thorpe joins us (for once) firmly in the 21st century to discuss the 'The Matrix Resurrections', the divisive latest entry in the franchise. We examine director Lana Wachowski's incisive commentary on the commodification of revolutionary ideas, her vision of a less overt- but more insidiously oppressive- system of control, and the ways in which the film challenges the neoliberal hegemony of modern blockbusters through its subversive modes of storytelling.

Follow Aaron Thorpe on Twitter.
Read Aaron's piece "What May Have Been: Retroism, Nostalgia, & Futurelessness" at his Substack Space+Light

Listen & subscribe to Trillbilly Worker's Party and support the podcast on Patreon.
Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron to get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Santa with Muscles feat. Zach Vasquez Dec 23, 2021

Writer and lifelong pro wrestling fan Zach Vasquez returns to discuss the 1996 Hulk Hogan holiday dud 'Santa with Muscles', executive produced by The Wolf of Wall Street himself, Jordan Belfort. Along with the film, we discuss the fractious history of the WWE, modern challengers to the promotion's hegemonic superiority, and the life and crimes of the man behind Hulkamania, Terry Eugene Bollea.

Follow Zach Vasquez on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Office Space feat. Gus Lanzetta *TEASER* Dec 16, 2021

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Breakdown feat. Parents Just Don't Understand Dec 11, 2021

Kurt & Chris from Parents Just Don't Understand return to discuss the lean, mean and underseen 1997 thriller 'Breakdown' starring Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan, and indelible character actor J.T. Walsh. We discuss the simple pleasures of discovering a great movie while watching cable TV, the film's economical mastery of multiple subgenres, and the 90s resurgence of hicksploitation cinema as managerial class gratification.

Follow Kurt and Chris on Twitter.
Follow Parents Just Don't Understand on Twitter.
Follow Blood Knife Magazine on twitter and support the show on Patreon.

For the month of December, we will be donating all of our Patreon funds to the donorbox project to Protect Pasadena Tenants. The more cities we win rent control in, the easier it is to combat bad-faith arguments about the chaos it will supposedly cause. This is an important campaign to win rent control in Pasadena for renters and housing activists everywhere, particularly as rents are being raised going into the holidays. Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron to support the cause and get access to exclusive bi-weekly episodes and bonus content.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Gattaca feat. Emma Berquist *TEASER* Dec 01, 2021

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Lost Highway feat. Jonah Koslofsky Nov 25, 2021

We're joined by film writer and filmmaker Jonah Koslofsky to go long on the 1997 neo-noir mindbender Lost Highway, a turning point in the career of David Lynch which would lay the stylistic groundwork that would come to define his output through the next 20+ years. We discuss the filmmaker's singular (and unexpectedly humanist) aesthetic, the futile endeavor of talking about David Lynch literally, and how the director's ideological influences propagate art that antagonizes the thresholds of the neoliberal imaginary.

Follow Jonah Koslofsky on Twitter

Read Jonah's Philip Seymour Hoffman column 'P.S.H. I Love You' at The Spool

Read Nick Pinkerton's 'Lost Highway' piece "Switchback" on Substack (Subscriber read only)
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

The Pelican Brief feat. Jesse Hawken *TEASER* Nov 18, 2021

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Bottle Rocket Nov 12, 2021

We're guestless first the first time in a while to discuss Wes Anderson's feature directorial debut, 'Bottle Rocket'. We detail the film's turbulent origins from a 16mm short film that played Sundance to a DOA box office dud, praise the breakout performances from fledgling stars Owen & Luke Wilson, and position the movie adjacent to other 90s indie breakouts about the listlessness of youth at The End of History. Then, we briefly consider the case of Anderson's staunchest detractors and try to articulate a case in defense of those left cold by the director's storytelling.

Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron to get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

True Lies feat. Jacob Bacharach *TEASER* Nov 03, 2021

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

SCREAM feat. Lindsay Lee Wallace Oct 26, 2021

What's your favorite scary movie? Culture writer Lindsay Lee Wallace joins us to revisit Wes Craven's slasher-reinvention "SCREAM" as it nears its 25th anniversary. We discuss the film's sensational cast of rising stars, its brilliant subversion of well-worn (and fundamentally conservative) slasher tropes, and the distinctively personal meditation on grief and loss that elevate the film beyond its genre constraints. We also talk the most recent developments in the ongoing IATSE negotiations and the recent tragedy on the set of "Rust".

Follow Lindsay Lee Wallace on Twitter.

Read Lindsay's piece "Why Women Watch Horror" for Blood Knife Mag

Read Lindsay's piece "Culture of Fear: 10 TV and Film Workers Call Out Hollywood Exploitation" for Bitch Media

Some Resources to support IATSE and its members (courtesy of Lindsay):

- Fundraiser for Halyna Hutchins’ family, from IATSE Local 600: https://gofund.me/4ed44435

- The Halyna Hutchins Memorial Scholarship Fund at the American Film Institute: https://afi.com/halyna-hutchins-scholarship-fund/…

- Aggregated petitions related to IATSE worker issues: https://iatse.net/take-action/

- IATSE Safety Hotline: If you are on a film set, you can call to report unsafe conduct on any set with an IATSE contract, even if you’re not a union worker: 844-422-9273 (IATSE safety hotline also has an app, IATSE Safety Info, available for Apple and android devices)

- Follow the @ia_stories Instagram account to read firsthand accounts of experiences people have had working in the industry

For the month of October, we are donating all of our Patreon proceeds to the UAWD Reform fund for John Deere workers on strike. Please also consider donating to the fund directly. John Deere workers are already being arrested, going without health insurance, medical care & need picket line provisions. Solidarity with all workers!
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

BONUS: Movie Night Extravaganza - Blair Witch Factory Oct 23, 2021

We recently joined our friends Forrest Miller and J. Andrew World on their livestream podcast Movie Night Extravaganza to revisit the 'The Blair Witch Project'.

In this audio of our livestream episode, we watch extensive media and interviews released near the film's 1999 Sundance and theatrical premieres, and expand upon some key points from our original 2020 episode, including the film's legacy as a vanguard of viral marketing and found-footage cinema, its appeal to a greater sense of millennial malaise and other concepts popularized by Adam Curtis's 'HyperNormalisation', and the intrinsic horror that lies in the origin stories of our nation's founding.

Listen to our original 2020 episode on The Blair Witch Project.

Watch the full video of our livestream HERE.

Support Movie Night Extravaganza on Patreon.

The Exorcist III feat. Bill Ryan *TEASER* Oct 21, 2021

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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For the month of October, we are donating all of our Patreon proceeds to the UAWD Reform fund for John Deere workers on strike. Please also consider donating to the fund directly. John Deere workers are already being arrested, going without health insurance, medical care & need picket line provisions. Solidarity with all workers!

Event Horizon feat. Mattie Lewis Oct 13, 2021

Mattie Lewis is a St. Louis-based writer and co-host of The PodHand - a podcast delving into Kentaro Miura's Berserk, dark fantasy, horror and all things grimdark. She joins us to discuss a singular work in the sci-fi/horror canon, Paul W.S. Anderson's 'Event Horizon'. We chart the film's troubled production history, extol the virtues of Anderson's workmanlike approach to his craft, and explain why attempts at film comparisons fail to capture the potency of the movie's brilliant idiosyncrasies.

Apologies for the audio issues on this one! Sometimes we record onto a grapefruit instead of a computer.

Follow Mattie Lewis on Twitter.

Read Mattie's stories "The Dark and Drowning Sea" and "Iron and Ashes" on Gumroad.

Listen and Subscribe to The PodHand

Read "Hell is Only a Word: The Enduring Terror of Event Horizon" by Miles Surrey at The Ringer.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

DOUBLE FEATURE: PEOPLE ARE STRANGE (The Addams Family & Addams Family Values) feat. Karlo Yeager Rodríguez *TEASER* Oct 07, 2021

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

SCOTTEMBER VOL. V - Crimson Tide feat. Zach Vasquez Sep 29, 2021

SCOTTEMBER concludes with Tony's brilliant naval submarine action thriller 'Crimson Tide' featuring near-best performances from two titanic actors: Gene Hackman & Denzel Washington. Film writer Zach Vasquez returns to discuss the real-world geopolitics that inform the film's ideology, the script's racial undertones (and how much we might have Tarantino to thank), and why this might be our favorite Tony of them all. Plus - we finally give our definitive Top 5 Tony's.

Follow Zach Vasquez on Twitter.

Read Zach's Crooked Marquee pieces:

Crimson Tide at 25: A Muscular Action Masterpiece for Bleeding Hearts

I Hate Everybody: An Ode to the Racially-Charged Action Movie

Hit Factory Patrons have exclusive access to every episode of SCOTTEMBER along with our back catalog of premium episodes and bonus content. Consider subscribing for just $5 today.

SCOTTEMBER VOL. IV - The Last Boy Scout feat. We Need to Talk About Kevin *TEASER* Sep 23, 2021

For $5/month, Hit Factory Patrons have exclusive access to every episode of SCOTTEMBER, along with our back catalog of premium episodes and bonus content.

SCOTTEMBER VOL. III - Enemy of the State feat. Gus Lanzetta Sep 15, 2021

Writer and podcaster Gus Lanzetta joins us to discuss Tony Scott's prophetic surveillance technothriller 'Enemy of the State', starring Will Smith and Gene Hackman. We talk the who's-who ensemble of young 90s up and comers (including Jack Black, Jason Lee, and Seth Green), explore the film's libertarian-leaning (and liberal-indicting) perspective on national security, and make the case for Tony as the singular auteur capable of originating the visual language of surveillance cinema popularized in the post-9/11 era.

Follow Gus Lanzetta on Twitter.

Hit Factory Patrons have exclusive access to every episode of SCOTTEMBER, including an extended version of this episode where we discuss everything from Bolsonaro to Jon Hamm (along with our back catalog of premium episodes and bonus content). Consider subscribing for just $5 today.

SCOTTEMBER VOL. II - The Fan feat. Valerie Faye *TEASER* Sep 08, 2021

For $5/month, Hit Factory Patrons have exclusive access to every episode of SCOTTEMBER, along with our back catalog of premium episodes and bonus content.

SCOTTEMBER VOL. I - Days of Thunder feat. Taylor Grimes Sep 01, 2021

We kick off SCOTTEMBER with "the 'Chinatown' of racecar movies," and one of Tony's first films of the 1990s, 'Days of Thunder'. Taylor Grimes returns for his hat trick as we talk about the persistent popularity of NASCAR, Cole Trickle as a continuation of Tom Cruise's career-long delineation of the meritocratic mindset, and relish Robert Duvall dirty-talking a chassis. We also begin to sketch our working thesis of Tony Scott as Hollywood's seminal arbiter of cinematic pop art in the vein of Warhol.

Hit Factory Patrons will have exclusive access to every episode of SCOTTEMBER, along with our back catalog of premium episodes and bonus content. Consider subscribing for just $5 today.

Hit Factory Presents: SCOTTEMBER! Sep 01, 2021

Stargate feat. Owen Morawitz Aug 20, 2021

Culture writer Owen Morawitz joins us to discuss Roland Emmerich's galaxy-hopping 1994 sci-fi action blockbuster 'Stargate'. With the help of the well-studied Owen, we unpack the film's open-ended (sometimes shallow) mythology, examine 'Stargate' as a Gulf War parable, and briefly discuss the ongoing challenges of separating the art from the artist.

Readings:

Variety: 'Stargate Turns 25: How Roland Emmerich's Sci-Fi Classic Overcame a Chaotic Birth'
Entertainment Weekly: 'James Spader is Slack Happy'

Consider supporting the podcast by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.

Follow Owen Morawitz on Twitter
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Our theme song is "Mirror" Chris Fish

UNLOCKED: Reality Bites feat. Sarah Jaffe Aug 15, 2021

Sarah Jaffe is a reporting fellow at Type Media Center and the author of 'Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone'. She joins us in our den-of-slack to discuss 'Reality Bites' directed by Ben Stiller and starring some of your all-time 90s faves Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn, and Stiller himself. Topics include the flattening of class dynamics within the story's central love triangle, the myth of the "labor of love", and the film's position within the 90s neoliberal imaginary.

Follow Sarah Jaffe on Twitter.

Consider supporting the podcast by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" Chris Fish

Heavenly Creatures feat. Kyle Turner Aug 06, 2021

Film writer Kyle Turner joins us to discuss Peter Jackson's horror-fantasy thriller 'Heavenly Creatures', the movie that introduced the world to Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey. We discuss the film's bridging of Jackson's early horror experiments and his later fantasy epics, explore the colonial dynamics personified by the relationship at the center of its narrative, and canonize the film in the small pantheon of a "transcendent queer cinema".

Consider supporting the podcast by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.

Read Kyle's excellent Polygon piece on camp aesthetics in Peter Jackon's 'Lord of the Rings' Trilogy: https://www.polygon.com/lord-of-the-rings/2021/5/19/22444043/lord-of-the-rings-galadriel-speech-frodo-face-camp

Follow Kyle Turner on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" Chris Fish

RocketMan *TEASER* Jul 30, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Slacker feat. Robert Raymond Jul 23, 2021

"Who's ever written the great work about the immense effort required not to create?"

Robert Raymond of Upstream Podcast joins us to discuss Richard Linklater's breakout indie hit 'Slacker'. We go long on the film's radically impressionistic narrative form, the tepid nature of modern political cinema, and slacker culture's demise at the hands of the neoliberal project.

Consider supporting the podcast by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.

Listen and subscribe to Upstream Podcast.

Follow Robert Raymond on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" Chris Fish

The Last Seduction *TEASER* Jul 16, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

UNLOCKED: The Edge feat. Zach Vasquez Jul 11, 2021

Film writer Zach Vasquez joins Hit Factory to discuss the David Mamet-penned wilderness survival thriller 'The Edge' starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin. Topics include the film's relationship to classic mythology, the frustrating politics of one of America's great storytellers, and praise for the exemplary performance of Bart the Bear.

Consider supporting the podcast by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.

Follow Zach Vasquez on Twitter

Read Zach's piece for Bright Wall/Dark Room, "What One Man Can Do, Another Can Do"
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

L.A. Confidential feat. Jesse Hawken Jul 08, 2021

Toronto-based writer, filmmaker, and host of Junk Filter podcast Jesse Hawken joins us to discuss Curtis Hanson's thrilling 1997 crime epic "L.A. Confidential". We go long on the near-flawless narrative and aesthetic choices of the film's creators, its complex indictment of modern policing, and the complicated politics of the story's original architect, novelist James Ellroy. We also make the case for the film as a seminal "Dudes Rock" text.

Consider supporting the podcast by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content.

Listen and subscribe to Junk Filter.

Follow Jesse Hawken on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" Chris Fish

Sandlerverse Vol. 1: The Wedding Singer & The Waterboy *TEASER* Jul 03, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Close-Up feat. Roxana Hadadi Jun 24, 2021

Pop culture critic Roxana Hadadi returns to discuss the landmark 1990 Iranian masterpiece 'Close-Up', directed by Abbas Kiarostami. We explore the film's multiple layers of artifice, the fundamental truths those layers reveal, and reflect on finding joy in Kiarostami's cinema of absence. Read Roxana's piece on 'Through the Olive Trees' at Bright Wall/Dark Room.
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Our theme song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish.

UNLOCKED: The Matrix feat. Della Duncan Jun 17, 2021

Renegade economist and host of Upstream Podcast Della Duncan joins us to discuss the Wachowskis' groundbreaking sci-fi action benchmark 'The Matrix'. We illuminate the film's bracing anti-capitalist critique, explore its undertheorized collectivist leanings, and reclaim the Red Pill as an emblem of left political action.
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Our them song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish

Get Shorty feat. Rich Pierceall Jun 11, 2021

Industry insider and returning guest Rich Pierceall joins us to discuss the pulpy Hollywood send-up 'Get Shorty'. We talk the resurgent success of Elmore Leonard adaptations in the 90s, Hollywood's enduring ties to the mob, and briefly touch upon the shape of cinema in the not-so-distant future.
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Our theme song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish

Encino Man feat. Parents Just Don't Understand *TEASER* Jun 03, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Ravenous feat. Matthew Monagle May 27, 2021

Film writer and co-founder of Certified Forgotten Matthew Monagle enters the Hit Factory to discuss the cannibal horror 'Ravenous'. We discuss the film's onerous origins, its breathtakingly subversive score, and the wonders of an outsider's perspective on American colonialism.
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Our theme song is 'Mirror; by Chris Fish

BONUS: Clifford Symposium May 26, 2021

We assembled an emergency panel of friends Chris Clayman, Brianna Zigler, and Chris Woodward to discuss one of our favorite films starring the late Charles Grodin (RIP), 'Clifford', also starring Martin Short as a miscreant 10-year-old boy who may or may not also be a terrorist. We offer some novel readings of the film's subtext, share our favorite Grodin moments, and make the case for bringing back little kid hatred in entertainment. Listen Chris Woodward's podcast, Parents Just Don't Understand and be sure to check out Blood Knife. Subscribe to Brianna's newsletter, That's Weird. Listen to the Catch Prichard album, I Still Miss Theresa Benoit.
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Our theme song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish

The Edge feat. Zach Vasquez *TEASER* May 21, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

eXistenZ feat. Brianna Zigler May 15, 2021

Freelance film writer Brianna Zigler joins us to discuss David Cronenberg's 1999 VR body-horror extravaganza 'eXistenZ'. We talk the film's position in the cinematic landscape of the late nineties, its prescient sexual, social and technological anxieties, and briefly make the case for Comrade Cronenberg. Read and subscribe to Brianna's newsletter That's Weird.
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Our theme song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish

Princess Mononoke feat. Rasheed Allahar *TEASER* May 08, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Mortal Kombat feat. Leslie Lee III Apr 29, 2021

We test our might with Leslie Lee III, host of Struggle Session, and revisit the original (still the best) Mortal Kombat directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. We discuss the distinctive charm of a pitch-perfect video game adaptation, reflect on the property's cultural ubiquity in the 1990s, and bemoan the severe lack of tournament-based action in the franchise's live-action follow-ups.
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Support Hit Factory by becoming a patron www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod | Our them song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

BONUS: Carlee & Aaron Interview SF Supervisor Dean Preston Apr 25, 2021

San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston is the first Democratic Socialist elected to local office in over 40 years. He joins Hit Factory to discuss national and local developments within the labor movement as well as some noteworthy San Francisco political projects like free public transit and a first-of-its-kind public banking institution. Learn more about Dean and the initiatives he is supporting in San Francisco here.
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Support Hit Factory by subscribing at www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Spawn feat. Podside Picnic Apr 24, 2021

Co-hosts of the premier sci-fi & fantasy podcast Podside Picnic, Karlo & Pete, joined us to watch the 1997 cinematic adaptation of Todd McFarlane's signature comic creation, 'Spawn' - A film that reminds us that in the battle between the ultimate forces of Good and Evil, the real arbiters of justice are CNN, the intelligence community, and the police. The gang also reflect on the film's intrinsic atomization of societal woes and its potential links to the Satanic Panic. Check out our recent guest appearance on Podside Picnic here.
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Our them song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Jerry Maguire *TEASER* Apr 22, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

SAFE feat. Catherine Liu Apr 11, 2021

Catherine Liu is the author of Virtue Hoarders: The Case against the Professional Managerial Class. She joins us to discuss Todd Hayne's 1995 masterpiece 'SAFE'. Topics include the director's razor-sharp indictment of PMC ambivalence, the dogmatic substitution of collective progress with personalized healing in New Age practices, and the indelible grotesquerie of peach and teal.
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Our them song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish

UNLOCKED: Good Burger feat. Taylor Grimes & Travis Snyder Mar 31, 2021

Our April Fool's Day episode. Friends of the pod Taylor Grimes and Travis Snyder join Hit Factory to discuss Good Burger starring the consummate Nickelodeon comedic duo Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell (not The Shawshank Redemption). We discuss the inherent exploitation of service industry culture, the minimum wage, and expound the eternal wisdom of Kel's mythic character creation, Ed.
Read Jaya Saxena's Eater article 'Fast Food's Retro Glow-Up' and 'Fast Food Giant Claims Credit for Killing $15 Minimum Wage' in The Daily Poster.
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Our theme song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish

Cop Land feat. Trevor Drinkwater Mar 27, 2021

Co-host of the We Need to Talk About Kevin podcast and contributor at Blood Knife digital magazine Trevor Drinkwater joins us to discuss James Mangold's 1997 police thriller 'Cop Land'. We discuss Sylvester Stallone's rutted career as a performer, the film's nearly-there indictment of policing, and place our bets on the upcoming bout between lizard and ape in 'Godzilla vs. Kong'.
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Our them song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish.

Wayne's World *TEASER* Mar 21, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

One False Move Mar 14, 2021

Aaron & Carlee enter the Hit Factory to discuss Carl Franklin's riveting neo-noir crime saga 'One False Move'. Along the way we discuss the corporatization of sexual wellness, the awards season's bleak reflection of the zeitgeist, and the film's refreshingly complex portrayal of law enforcement, racial tensions and the cultural divide between urban sprawl and small-town America.
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Our theme song is 'Mirror' by Chris Fish.

Cool Runnings *TEASER* Mar 13, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Pump Up the Volume feat. Roxana Hadadi Feb 27, 2021

Pop culture critic Roxana Hadadi joins the Hit Factory crew to discuss the unsung masterpiece of the teen movie genre, 'Pump Up the Volume'. We talk hard about Christian Slater's indelible charm, the triumphs and follies of 90's "fight-the-system" narratives, and posit Hard Harry as the prototype for the leftist podcaster. Read Roxana's piece for Crooked Marquee: "Pump Up The Volume at 30: A Middle Finger to America's Suburban Monotony".
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Our them song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

UNLOCKED: Deep Blue Sea feat. Ryan Cartwright Feb 21, 2021

Ryan Cartwright, formerly of the Ded Air podcast (RIP), joined us in the Hit Factory to take on the gleeful, smart-shark insanity of 1999's 'Deep Blue Sea'. We discuss some recent Joe Biden comments, attempt to queer Michael Rapaport roles, and make a case for the return of the movie/music video tie-in.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Se7en Feb 13, 2021

To celebrate Valentine's Day, we watched the most romantic film we could think of - David Fincher's grisly neo-noir thriller 'Se7en'. Aaron & Carlee discuss the false promise of 'The Middle' from last weekend's Bruce Springsteen Super Bowl ad, the immaculate precision of David Fincher's directorial approach, and the reactionary core at the center of the film's subversive aesthetics. Reminder that we are donating all of our Patreon proceeds for the month of February to the amazing organization Hotels Not Hospitals. Please consider subscribing or donating directly to help support our unhoused neighbors in San Francisco.
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Our new intro tune is 'Mirror' by our good friend Chris Fish. Outro tune is 'Brightest Sunrise' by Patricia Taxxon.

Face/Off *TEASER* Feb 06, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

There's Something About Mary Jan 31, 2021

It's officially Joe Biden's America™ and the resumption of The End of History. We took a look at one of the biggest comedies of the 90's, 'There's Something About Mary' to discuss the Farrelly Bros' fascination with disability, the comforting appeal of simulated normalcy, and the likelihood of an offensive comedy resurgence in a post-Trump society. What a time to be alive!
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New intro tune is "Mirror" by our good friend Chris Fish

True Romance feat. Rich Pierceall *TEASER* Jan 21, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Evita feat. Sydney Urbanek Jan 14, 2021

Culture writer and premiere authority on all things concerning pop divas Sydney Urbanek joins Aaron & Carlee to discuss the 1996 adaptation of the classic Andrew Lloyd Weber & Tim Rice musical 'Evita' staring Madonna. We discuss the pop singer's efforts to silence her Erotica-era critics, the parallel lives of Madonna and the historical figure she portrayed, and the musical's tenuous relationship with Argentine politics. Read and subscribe to Sydney's newsletter Mononym Mythology. Further Reading: Madonna's Private Diaries from Vanity Fair.

Introduction to Hotels Not Hospitals feat. Edna Kozikaro Jan 11, 2021

This month, we are donating all of our Patreon proceeds to Hotels Not Hospitals, a project of organizers and activists working for the rights of unhoused people in San Francisco. This is an organization spun out of the DSA SF Homelessness Working Group (Democratic Socialists of America, San Francisco Chapter) and is endorsed by DSA SF. We sat down with organizer Edna Kozikaro to discuss the project and how people can get involved. Donate directly to Hotels not Hospitals here. Follow Hotels not Hospitals on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

Men In Black *TEASER* Jan 07, 2021

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Dark City Dec 30, 2020

We close out 2020 with the cult favorite 'Dark City' - a film that definitely didn't influence The Wachowski's 'Matrix' films in any way whatsoever. Aaron & Carlee break down the film's genre-bending aesthetic charms, its relation to the late-90s trend of augmented reality narratives, and discuss the necessity of imagination in developing an alternative political project to neoliberal nostalgia.

The Muppet Christmas Carol *TEASER* Dec 23, 2020

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

UNLOCKED: Jumanji Dec 16, 2020

Into the jungle we both wade // Another film from a bygone decade // First - Dr. discourse of a sort // is granted some undue import // For movie talk you'll have to wait // Until we cover the M4A debate // On to Jumanji. The Game. The status quo // And what our next roll will bestow

Also, Aaron was sort of right about The Thief & The Cobbler. Subscribe to Hit Factory on Patreon.

Metropolitan feat. Evan MacDonald Dec 10, 2020

Evan MacDonald from the Kino Lefter Podcast joins Aaron in the Hit Factory to discuss Whit Stillman's 1990 directorial debut 'Metropolitan'. We discuss the recent death knell for the movie theater experience, the utopian socialism of Charles Fourier, and the profound inferiority complex plaguing the elite class. Check out and subscribe to Kino Lefter for more awesome socialist movie content.

DOUBLE FEATURE: HOT ROCKS (Armageddon v. Deep Impact) Dec 04, 2020

It's the summer of 1998, and a celestial rock is on a collision course for planet Earth. Our first ever double-feature episode explores the right-wing, explosive preposterousness of Michael Bay's 'Armageddon' alongside the competent, neoliberal eulogy that is Mimi Leder's 'Deep Impact'. Aaron & Carlee sing some Aerosmith and become Ben Affleck apologists along the way.

The Ice Storm Nov 25, 2020

Thanksgiving. 1973. Or 1997. Or 2020. We revisit one of the unsung masterpieces of the decade: Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm". Aaron & Carlee discuss the film's once-in-a-generation cast, Mychael Danna's hauntingly evocative score, and the cyclical nature of our political and social malaise.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day feat. Brendan Fay *TEASER* Nov 14, 2020

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

You've Got Mail feat. Meagan Day Nov 05, 2020

Meagan Day is a staff writer at Jacobin and the coauthor of 'Bigger than Bernie: How We Go from the Sanders Campaign to Democratic Socialism'. Meagan joins Aaron & Carlee in the Hit Factory to discuss the anti-politics of Nora Ephron's 1998 romantic-comedy 'You've Got Mail' and recast Clintonite Third Way centrism as political defeatism. Read Meagan's piece, "The Romance of American Clintonism" here: https://jacobinmag.com/2020/10/youve-got-mail-nineties-films-rom-coms-capitalism. Learn more about Labor Notes at: www.labornotes.org

UNLOCKED: Bulworth Oct 31, 2020

Election Day is nigh. To commiserate, we revisit Warren Beatty's overlooked, all-too-salient political comedy 'Bulworth'. Aaron & Carlee discuss the necrotic 2020 Presidential race, Jay Billington Bulworth's IRL political counterpart, and survey the 90's subsumption into Third Way Clintonian centrism. Warren Beatty's Op-Ed "Why Not Now?": https://archive.commondreams.org/warrenbeatty.htm "Hail to the Chief Remix" by Yoe Mase www.soundcloud.com/yoemase

The Blair Witch Project Oct 24, 2020

We kept all the lights on and watched the scariest film of the 1990's, "The Blair Witch Project". Aaron & Carlee discuss the film's legacy as a vanguard of viral marketing and found-footage cinema, its appeal to a greater sense of pre-millennium malaise, and the role of supernatural evil in the age of misinformation. Special thanks to the brilliant and hilarious Nick Lutsko for providing this week's outro song. Follow Nick on Twitter @NickLustko https://twitter.com/NickLutsko and check out his latest album 'Swords' on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/album/2oTWDmzqeri1WOvpSH5J4g?si=omPnVDlCTqa2ZDvtrR1OhQ

Sleepy Hollow *TEASER* Oct 15, 2020

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

The Craft Oct 08, 2020

It's officially Spooky Season! We kick it off (and go a little long) with the rebellious-older-sister of 90's Witch Cinema™: 'The Craft'. Aaron & Carlee gush over the peerless Fairuza Balk, extol the combination of plaid skirts with chunky boots, and dissect the film's thesis with a hammer and sickle.

The Net *TEASER* Oct 01, 2020

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Demolition Man Sep 14, 2020

It's been a while...Sandrapalooza continues into September with Marco Brambilla's dystopian action banger 'Demolition Man'. We talk the film's fetishization of consumption, the liberal tendency towards maintaining hierarchies while sanitizing culture, and speculate on the cleanliness of Sylvester Stallone's nethers. We're still donating all Patreon funds to the The Conscious Kid's COVID Rent Relief Fund through the end of September. Subscribe today at www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Speed feat. Taylor Grimes *TEASER* Aug 16, 2020

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

While You Were Sleeping Aug 06, 2020

Sandrapalooza kicks off with John Turteltaub's 1995 romantic comedy "While You Were Sleeping". We talk the film's underlying classism, Sandra Bullock's indefatigable charm, and the 90's tendency to treat generation-crippling medical debt with a profound nonchalance.

Starship Troopers *TEASER* Jul 28, 2020

Subscribe today for access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content. www.patreon.com/hitfactorypod

Jurassic Park Jul 16, 2020

We discuss Steven Spielberg's thrilling, technologically groundbreaking, sort-of-narratively-static "Jurassic Park", the underappreciated Bob Peck, and the follies of Disney World's inter-COVID reopening. kaptainkristian's "Jurassic Park - Pushing The Limits of Visual Effects": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rlr3Lzvqog Jeff Goldblum Laugh Remix "Hahahrawrrahaha" by FLIPSHOT. Follow FLIPSHOT on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/flip-shot

Falling Down Jul 11, 2020

We break down Joel Schumacher's critically misunderstood "Falling Down", talk Michael Douglas's hot 90's bod, and get a tad socialist in the process.

The Firm Jul 04, 2020

The first episode. Aaron & Carlee break down Sydney Pollack's adaptation of the John Grisham thriller "The Firm" starring Tom Cruise. Rob Jarvilla's Joel Schumacher Obituary from THE RINGER: https://www.theringer.com/movies/2020/6/22/21299608/joel-schumacher-obituary-batman-forever-lost-boys-flatliner-falling-down

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