Thank God For Movies

Latest Episodes:

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Nomadland, Greenland, Small Axe Dec 22, 2020

Show notes

We’re sounding off this week for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, the new Netflix film that has Oscars in its sights for Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman. We also cover Nomadland, a Best Picture frontrunner from writer/director Chloé Zhao and starring Frances McDormand. And there’s also Greenland, the newest Gerard Butler disaster flick that is surprisingly decent! Last, we do a retrospective of Small Axe, a collection of five films from director Steve McQueen, which you can now stream on Amazon Prime Video.

Show Notes:

00:00:00 – Cobb & Cooper’s Rock Bottom
00:07:05 – Intro & Off-Topics
00:11:00 – Early thoughts on Soul, brief catchup on Anything for Jackson, David Byrne’s American Utopia, Bloody Nose Empty Pockets, Another Round
00:17:25 – Listener voicemails: Which Disney announcements are you most excited about?
00:26:10 – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
00:48:10 – Nomadland
01:07:10 – Greenland
01:24:50 – Small Axe retrospective of Mangrove, Lovers Rock, Red White and Blue, Alex Wheatle, and Education

Intro music: “Merry Little Christmas” by Michael J. Goldberg

Links to what we mentioned on the show:

Check out our new Cinemaholics Merch!
The “Swell” App, where you can leave a voice message for us to play on the podcast.
Support some local theaters! Check out the Virtual Cinema offerings for the Screenland Armour in Kansas City, Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, and the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.

Ways to connect with us:

Follow us on Twitter: Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, Abby Olcese
Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics!
Don’t forget to review and rate the show on Apple Podcasts
Email your feedback to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com. You might just hear your email read on next week’s episode!
Like Cinemaholics on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out our YouTube channel for show excerpts and bonus content

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Battleship Potemkin (1925), Harvey (1950), Clue (1985) Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

Emily Kubincanek makes her welcomed and triumphant return to Extra Milestone, and this week's selections are among the most varied yet! We begin by celebrating the 95-year anniversary of Sergei Eisenstein's magnum opus Battleship Potemkin, a film more fundamentally significant than almost any other when it comes to the art form of editing and propaganda storytelling. After that, we take a lighthearted and melancholy stroll into the world of Henry Koster's Harvey, a rich and complex comedy featuring one of the best performances by the great James Stewart. Finally, we get to the bottom of Jonathan Lynn's Clue, a cult-classic murder mystery that neither of us had seen before, and were delighted to discover was great!

SHOW NOTES:

00:02:26 – Battleship Potemkin
00:38:22 – Harvey
01:14:01 – Clue

HOSTED BY: Sam Noland and Emily Kubincanek

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE: Music from Harvey composed by Frank Skinner, music from Clue composed by John Morris

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interview – Colman Domingo Talks 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom' and Working with Chadwick Boseman Dec 16, 2020

Show notes

Colman Domingo stars alongside Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which hits Netflix on December 18 after its limited theatrical release. In addition to his acting work in films like If Beale Street Could Talk, Assassination Nation, Zola, and the upcoming Candyman, Domingo brings a wealth of experience as a writer, director, producer and actor on the stage, making him an obvious choice for Ma Rainey, which is based on the August Wilson play. I talked about the film with Domingo over Zoom, as well as his acting influences, his camaraderie with the late Chadwick Boseman, and what film lovers might get out of George C. Wolfe's latest directorial effort.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prom, I’m Your Woman, Let Them All Talk, Wolfwalkers, Wander Darkly, Songbird Dec 14, 2020

Show notes

The holiday season is upon us, so you know what that means! Time to celebrate the…prom? Well, OK, we’re really celebrating the annual big-budget December movie musical, which this year is Ryan Murphy’s The Prom, now streaming on Netflix and starring Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and Keegan-Michael Key. We cover several other movies as well, which include Julia Hart’s new indie noir drama I’m Your Woman on Amazon Prime Video starring Rachel Brosnahan, Steven Soderbergh’s Let Them All Talk (also starring Meryl Streep) on HBO Max, the hand-drawn animated film Wolfwalkers on Apple TV+, the time-bending indie Wander Darkly starring Diego Luna and Sienna Miller, and Songbird, which stars KJ Apa and Sofia Carson.

Show Notes:

00:00:00 – A Mister Millennial Christmas
00:04:30 – Intro & Off-Topics
00:08:15 – Listener voicemails: Are movie theaters dead? Voicemail question for next week: Which Disney announcements are you most excited about?
00:33:20 – The Prom
00:55:00 – I’m Your Woman
01:08:50 – Let Them All Talk
01:25:30 – Wolfwalkers
01:40:30 – Wander Darkly
01:45:40 – Songbird

Intro music: “Christmas Time Is Here” by Vince Guaraldi Trio and “Jingle Bells” by Mil Dawn

Links to what we mentioned on the show:

Check out our new Cinemaholics Merch!
The “Swell” App, where you can leave a voice message for us to play on the podcast.
Support some local theaters! Check out the Virtual Cinema offerings for the Screenland Armour in Kansas City, Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, and the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.

Ways to connect with us:

Follow us on Twitter: Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, Abby Olcese
Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics!
Don’t forget to review and rate the show on Apple Podcasts
Email your feedback to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com. You might just hear your email read on next week’s episode!
Like Cinemaholics on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out our YouTube channel for show excerpts and bonus content

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heat (1995), Gimme Shelter (1970) Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

This week on Extra Milestone, I'm joined by returning guest and fellow cinephile Andrew McMahon to break down an enticing double feature spanning numerous decades and genres. First up is a cinematic and musical appetizer in the form of Gimme Shelter, the iconic Rolling Stones documentary directed by Charlotte Zwerin and the Maysles Brothers, chronicling the doomed Altamont Speedway concert outside of San Francisco in December of 1969, a tragic failure that swiftly signaled the downfall of the Counterculture Movement. After that, we jump forward to Michael Mann's Heat, a stylish and captivating crime drama featuring the first onscreen collaboration between Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, and which has maintained its legacy as one of the best films of its kind.

NOTE: Andrew mistakenly refers to the late Brian Jones as 'Brian Taylor' early in the show due to a confusion with Mick Taylor, Jones's replacement band member.

SHOW NOTES:

00:02:02 – Gimme Shelter
00:45:26 – Heat

HOSTED BY: Sam Noland and Andrew McMahon

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE: "Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones, "God Moving Over the Face of the Waters" by Moby

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mank, Sound of Metal, Black Bear, Godmothered Dec 07, 2020

Show notes

Cinemaholics is what you Mank of it. Which is why we’re reviewing David Fincher’s latest film, Mank, now streaming on Netflix and starring Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, and Charles Dance. Manks in advance for listening. We also review Sound of Metal starring Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke, Black Bear starring Aubrey Plaza and Christopher Abbot, and Godmothered starring Jillian Bell, Isla Fisher, and June Squibb.

Show Notes:

00:00:00 – The Minutely
00:07:45 – Intro & Off-Topics
00:17:00 – Jon briefly talks about “Saved By The Bell” Season 1 on Peacock, “The Flight Attendant” on HBO Max
00:21:05 – Will briefly talks about “How To With John Wilson” on HBO Max and Christmas Chronicles 2 on Netflix
00:29:05 – Listener voicemails: Do you think Citizen Kane is really a masterpiece? Voicemail question for next week: How do you feel about theatrical movies going straight to streaming services from now on?
00:34:55 – Mank
01:14:05 – Sound of Metal
01:31:15 – Black Bear
01:43:35 – Godmothered

Intro music: “Daily Theme” by Wonderly and “Christmas Time” by Linearwave

Links to what we mentioned on the show:

Check out our new Cinemaholics Merch!
The “Swell” App, where you can leave a voice message for us to play on the podcast.
Support some local theaters! Check out the Virtual Cinema offerings for the Screenland Armour in Kansas City, Harris Theater in Pittsburgh, and the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.

Ways to connect with us:

Follow us on Twitter: Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, Abby Olcese
Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics!
Don’t forget to review and rate the show on Apple Podcasts
Email your feedback to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com. You might just hear your email read on next week’s episode!
Like Cinemaholics on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out our YouTube channel for show excerpts and bonus content

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Toy Story (1995), Unbreakable (2000) Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

This week on Extra Milestone, I'm joined once more by my good friend Guy Simons Jr. to dissect a pair of (relatively) recent classics that have garnered acclaim over the years, and which have almost nothing whatsoever to do with each other! First up is Pixar's groundbreaking debut feature Toy Story, the first-ever wholly computer animated movie that has gained a reputation as an indispensable landmark in special effects and storytelling. After that, we jump ahead to M. Night Shyamalan's unconventional superhero story Unbreakable, a grounded deconstruction of the genre that arrived before cinema as a whole had become swept up in comic book storytelling, and which has amassed a sizable (and well-earned) cult following.

SHOW NOTES:

00:05:27 - Toy Story
00:56:15 - Unbreakable

NOTE: The final 5 minutes of my audio track were lost, so I had to use a backup recording that sounds slightly different.

HOSTED BY: Sam Noland and Guy Simons Jr.

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE: Music from Toy Story composed by Randy Newman, music from Unbreakable composed by James Newton Howard

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happiest Season, Lovers Rock, The Twentieth Century, Uncle Frank, Zappa Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Not all of us are in love with Clea DuVall’s latest film, Happiest Season, which is a Christmas romantic comedy on Hulu starring Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Aubrey Plaza, and many more. Will and Abby take some time to review the latest “Small Axe” film from Steve McQueen on Amazon Prime Video: Lovers Rock. The whole gang joins the fun of The Twentieth Century, Matthew Rankin’s absurdist festival indie that might’ve stolen all our hearts. We also cover our mixed feelings on Alan Ball’s latest film since 2007, Uncle Frank, which boasts strong performances from Paul Bettany, Peter Macdissi, and Sophia Lillis. And last, Jon discusses Zappa, Alex Winter’s eclectic new documentary about the life of the infamous guitarist Frank Zappa.

Intro music: “By the Fireplace” by Aviary Day & Mark Generous

Show Notes:

00:00:00 – Intro & Off-Topics
00:08:55 – Will’s brief thoughts on Mank, Hillbilly Elegy, and Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions
00:19:50 – Listener voicemails: What are the best and worst Ron Howard movies? Voicemail question for next week: Do you think Citizen Kane is really a masterpiece?
00:25:55 – Happiest Season
00:50:30 – Lovers Rock
00:59:15 – The Twentieth Century
01:18:30 – Uncle Frank
01:31:55 – Zappa

Links to what we mentioned on the show:

Check out our new Cinemaholics Merch!
The “Swell” App, where you can leave a voice message for us to play on the podcast.
Support some local theaters! Check out the Virtual Cinema offerings for the Screenland Armour in Kansas City, Row House Cinema in Pittsburgh, and the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.

Ways to connect with us:

Follow us on Twitter: Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, Abby Olcese
Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics!
Don’t forget to review and rate the show on Apple Podcasts
Email your feedback to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com. You might just hear your email read on next week’s episode!
Like Cinemaholics on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out our YouTube channel for show excerpts and bonus content

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Raging Bull (1980), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) Nov 30, 2020

Show notes

Even in the midst of a year as hectic and unconventional as this one, Oscar season is still in full swing when it comes to this week’s selection of heavy hitters. Joining me once again for the first time in nearly three years is Maria Garcia, my former partner in crime from such shows as Now Conspiring and Part-Time Characters, and we’re discussing two films often hailed as being among the greatest of all time! We begin with Raging Bull, the morally complex sports biopic that saved Martin Scorsese’s life and has developed a widely varied legacy, and which one of us isn’t especially fond of! From there, we rewind the clock to visit Miloš Forman’s award season darling One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a wholly unique classic within film history that holds up wonderfully to this day! What is the nature of tragedy? How far can sympathy and empathy take us? Has Sam become completely unrecognizable in the past three years? Which actor’s appearance in Cuckoo’s Nest has traumatized Maria on more than one occasion, and who emerges as the unexpected MVP of the film? Tune in to this week’s Extra Milestone for all of those answers and more.

NOTE: Due to an unfortunate (and ultimately miraculously avoided) technical error, the final 15~ minutes of the episode were slightly distorted. Sorry about that!

SHOW NOTES:

00:01:55 – Raging Bull
00:57:30 – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

HOSTED BY: Sam Noland and Maria Garcia

MUSIC IN THIS EPISODE: Music from Raging Bull composed by Pietro Mascagni, music from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest composed by Jack Nitzsche

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Run, Mangrove, The Last Vermeer, Collective, The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special Nov 23, 2020

Show notes

It’s just Will and Abby on the show this week, so you know what that means. No rules! No Jon to tell us, “No, you can’t review Aneesh Chaganty’s new film Run, his follow-up to Searching.” It doesn’t matter that it stars Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen in her breakout role, or that the film is now streaming on Hulu. That’s right, Will and Abby are going all out. They’re talking about the best and worst Ron Howard movies. They’re discussing some under-the-radar films you might want to look into, plus a holiday special they break down brick by brick. So until Jon gets back, it’s a momentous — nay classic — Will and Abby shenanicast.

Intro music: “Winter Scent” by BROCKBEATS

Show Notes:

00:00:00 – Intro & Off-Topics
00:03:50 – Abby talks about “The Good Lord Bird” and “Essential Fellini”
00:10:20 – What are the best and worst Ron Howard movies?
00:16:30 – Run
01:00:10 – Mangrove
01:11:25 – The Last Vermeer
01:21:40 – Collective
01:34:35 – The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special

Links to what we mentioned on the show:

Check out our new Cinemaholics Merch!
The “Swell” App, where you can leave a voice message for us to play on the podcast.

Ways to connect with us:

Follow us on Twitter: Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, Abby Olcese
Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics!
Don’t forget to review and rate the show on Apple Podcasts
Email your feedback to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com. You might just hear your email read on next week’s episode!
Like Cinemaholics on Facebook and Twitter.
Check out our YouTube channel for show excerpts and bonus content

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected