The Brattle Film Podcast

#75: Outside The Box October Oct 18, 2024

For this year's "spooky season" episode, we take a look at some outside-the-box options for October viewing. From those lesser-known or under-celebrated horror movies to counter-programing options to comedies and thrillers with a cozy, Halloweeny vibe, Ian, Ivy, Ned, Alissa, and our listeners have suggestions for you.

Episode 74: Lauren Bacall Centennial Tribute Sep 10, 2024

We pay tribute to one of our favorite movie stars on the occasion of what would have been her 100th birthday. Lauren Bacall's early films played a major role in the history of the Brattle Theatre, and she's a figure all four of us have long admired. We take a deep dive into some of Bacall's most revered pictures as well as some of her lesser-known films, discuss her life and work, and Ned shares the story of his brief encounter with the screen legend.

Episode 73: Cruel Summer Jul 23, 2024

As the dog days of summer approach, we take a look at the sweatiest movies we can think of. Many of these films artfully showcase how oppressive heat leads to conflict.

Episode 72: Desperately Seeking Susan Seidelman Jul 01, 2024

We welcome Susan Seidelman to the podcast in celebration of her new memoir and her upcoming live appearance at the Brattle on July 18th. In addition to listening to stories about her life in film, we talk about what her films have meant to us and what it was like revisiting many of them while reading her book. We also dive into the past couple of months of listener mail.

Episode 71: Reunion Week: 1949, 1974, 1999 May 20, 2024

We kick off Season 5 with our annual Reunion Week show, talking about films celebrating their 75th, 50th, and 25th anniversaries. This year, that's 1949, the year of the first televised Oscar ceremony; 1974, one of the greatest movie years of all time; and 1999, a pivotal, trendsetting year for cinema. While our discussion is tied to the series running at the Brattle, we touch on all sorts of films from each year in this extra-long episode.

Episode 70: Needle Drops Apr 24, 2024

We close out our 4th season with a show about needle drops, those brilliant and sometimes lazy pop music choices filmmakers employ to set a tone, evoke an era, express a character's unspoken emotions, or just give the film a burst of energy.

Episode 69: Boston Underground Film Festival Mar 18, 2024

Boston Underground Film Festival programmers Kevin Monahan and Nicole McControversy join us to discuss the history of this unique fest and their 2024 lineup.

Episode 68: More of the Best of 2023 Feb 28, 2024

We wrap up awards season with more thoughts on the terrific year in film that was 2023, including discussions about the 10 Best Picture nominees, the documentary and international feature nominees, the idiocy of this year's Oscar controversies as well as other internet hot takes that surrounded the big movies before and after their releases, and we shine our appreciation on the big swings taken by actors and filmmakers this year.

Episode 67: Some of the Best of 2023 Jan 17, 2024

We begin our deep dive into the abundance of excellent films of 2023, a year that still saw fewer new releases than is typical of pre-pandemic cinema but gave us far more exciting, risky, and unusual movies of quality than we've gotten used to. It was a year of big swings by filmmakers, actors, and studios—most of which paid off, and familiar "comfort fair" from old favorites that still delivered excellence, as well as a fairly resounding rejection of the same-old-same-old corporate franchise product. It was a year that gave us Barbenheimer, the best Godzilla movie since the original, some terrific biographical documentaries, a slew of memorable dance sequences, two Hirokazu Kore-eda features, and six Nicholas Cage pictures! In this show, we focus on the smaller films that might have flown under people's radar, and we'll return next month to talk about the big awards movies.

Episode 66: Warner Brothers in the '80s: Enter the Blockbuster Dec 20, 2023

For our last episode of 2023, we wrap up the Brattle's yearlong look back on 100 years of Warner Brothers by diving into how the studio reacted to the blockbuster era. Examining Warner's overt attempts to capitalize on its "franchise" intellectual properties like Superman and Batman, to its unexpected '80s blockbusters like Private Benjamin, Gremlins, and Beetlejuice, to the risks that paid off like Purple Rain, Pee-wee's Big Adventure, and The Lost Boys, to some lesser-known gems like Crossing Delancey, Stand and Deliver, and True Stories.

Episode 65: Lost In Alphaville: Noir & Technology Nov 14, 2023

For this year's Noirvember, we look at crime and caper pictures that center on technology as well as dark dramas that deal with noirish themes of identity and mistrust. Film Noir and Science Fiction are two great cinematic genres that taste great together, and we have a grand old time discussing how the tropes, subtexts, and visual styles of each criss cross and complement each other.

Episode 64: Talking Documentaries with GlobeDocs Programer Lisa Viola Oct 15, 2023

We discuss our love of documentary features and the Brattle's legacy of screening non-fiction, sometimes in conjunction with one of our series partners. We're then joined by the programmer of one of those series: GlobeDocs Film Festival Director of Programming Lisa Viola, who gives us a history of that series and a preview of 2023's line-up.

Episode 63: Walken on Sunshine - Christopher Walken in the '80s Sep 19, 2023

Diving deep into the ‘80s filmography of one of our favorite actors, we discuss the unique performance style of Christopher Walken; his sense of humor, sense of menace, skills as a dancer, the many commercial failures he made as a leading man during this decade, and why we think all his '80s movies are all worthy of revisiting. Along the way, we get into many cultural aspects of the decade: Madonna power ballads, the Roger Moore era of James Bond, Golan-Globus fairly tale musicals, pre-CGI special effects, actors who say "yes" to every role, and real-life alien abductions.

Episode 62: RIP Paul Reubens & William Friedkin Sep 02, 2023

We pay tribute to the late great Paul Reubens and his iconic film Pee Wee's Big Adventure. Then we take a deep drive into some of the lesser-known works of New Hollywood legend, Billy Friedkin.

Episode 61: Thrill Ride Horror Jul 18, 2023

For the dog days of summer, we strap in for an episode that asks, if there is such a thing as "elevated horror," then what the devil is unelevated horror? We try to answer that question with a summer series of Thrill Rides featuring giant monsters, killer AI, and demons from hell.

BONUS: Quarantainment Favorites Revisited Jul 01, 2023

In this rerun, we revisit an early episode that highlighted some small movies (and a couple of big ones) that are very much worth checking out.

Episode 60: Reunion Week: 1948, 1973, 1998 May 23, 2023

We embark on our annual journey into movies celebrating their 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries in conjunction with our annual Reunion Week series. (Actually 10 days not a week this year, so this is a double episode!) With our upcoming Noir City Boston program entirely comprised of 75th-anniversary crime pictures, we spend some time on those as well.

Episode 59: 20 Years of Independent Film Festival Boston Apr 24, 2023

We welcome Brian Tamm and Nancy Campbell back to the podcast to talk about the twenty-year history of the Independent Film Festival Boston and the line up for the 2023 fest.

Episode 58: Celebrating Celluloid Mar 28, 2023

To celebrate "Reel Film Day" and in honor of the Brattle's commitment to screening 35mm prints, we dive deep into why we love showing films on film and why Boston is such a unique and abundant city for repertory cinema. We talk with our fellow programs and projectionists at some of the other five cinemas in Boston and beyond that continue this rich tradition. And we chat with some of our patrons, visitors, and fellow podcaster as to why they love the celluloid experience.

Episode 57: More Of The Best Of 2022 Feb 21, 2023

We continue looking back on 2022’s best films via some listener suggestions for their favorite films of the year. We then discuss the Oscars nominations, the Best Actress “controversy,” the various rules and non-rules of the Academy’s nomination process, the pros and cons of digital color grading, and many other Oscar-adjacent topics we have strong opinions about. There’s never a dull moment around awards season.

Episode 56: Some Of The Best Of 2022 Jan 17, 2023

We look back on the ups and downs of 2022, a year that saw some huge successes and some huge disappointments and some disturbing trends. This episode focuses mostly on the smaller films that people may have missed, but we start out with Top Gun Maverick and Everything Everywhere All at Once because we can't talk about 2022 in film without going deep on the two films that got people back to the cinemas.

Episode 55: The Adventures of Antoine Doinel Dec 08, 2022

We take a look at the Antoine Doinel cycle of five films made about the same character over a twenty year period by director François Truffaut and actor Jean-Pierre Léaud. We're then joined by Truffaut scholar Annette Insdorf for some detail on the iconic French New Wave filmmaker and her insights into these particular films.

Episode 54: Marilyn Beyond Blonde Nov 08, 2022

Andrew Dominik’s contentious new film Blonde, an ahistorical biopic anti-fantasy about Marilyn Monroe provides plenty of fodder for a lively discussion about the film and the legendary actress at its center. We take a deep dive into many of Marilyn’s movies, her status as an icon of cinema and of womanhood, and why so many people still feel so passionately about her after all these years.

Episode 53: Strange Invaders Oct 03, 2022

We herald the return of co-host Alissa Darsa with this spirited, all over the place conversation about alien invasion movies: sci-fi/horror settings, practical vs digital creature effects, blending sci-fi and horror with comedy, and squiggly little wormlike creatures that can take over human beings if we're not careful!

Episode 52: The Story of Film a New Generation Sep 03, 2022

Ian, Ned, and Ivy dive deep into Mark Cousins' own deep dive into that last decade of cinema. We explore Cousins new documentary The Story of Film: A New Generation as well as some of the films it highlights.

BONUS: Summer Jobs Revisited Jul 25, 2022

We drop our first rerun, both to celebrate the summer session and to bring back the voice of our co-host Alissa Darsa, who is still on hiatus. But first we play some more listener voicemail about favorite movie theaters, and Ned, Ivy, and Ian share some Brattle updates and news.

Episode 51: Lost in American Road Movies Jul 01, 2022

After listening to some listener voicemails, Ned, Ivy, and Ian talk about Road Movies and the Brattle's July 2022 series "Lost in America: the joys and terrors of being lost on the road in the United States."

Episode 50: Reunion Week: 1947, 1972, 1997 May 17, 2022

For our epic 50th episode Ian, Ivy, and Ned are joined by the Brattle's head manager Alex Kittle for a deep dive into movies celebrating their 25th, 50th, and 75th anniversaries.

Episode 49: We're All Going to the World's Fair Apr 19, 2022

Ian, Ned, and Ivy are joined by writer/director Jane Schoenbrun to talk about their debut feature, inspirations, and early years falling in love with cinema at the Brattle.

Episode 48: Thirty Years of Rom-Coms Mar 22, 2022

We welcome writer and critic Scott Meslow for a rollicking conversation about one of the most love and most maligned film genres, and we discuss his new book "From Hollywood with Love: The Rise, and Fall (and Rise Again) of the Romantic Comedy."

Episode 47: Best of 2021 Part 2 Mar 01, 2022

After lamenting the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences latest attempt at making the Oscars more appealing to people who hate the Oscars, we dive deep into many of the nominated movies.

Episode 46: Best of 2021 Part 1 Jan 25, 2022

Ian, Ivy, Ned, and Alissa discuss the wide-ranging Best of 2021's lesser known titles. We touch on over 35 small (and not so small) releases from this strange year that gave us COVID variants, an intensifying "streaming vs theaters" debate, the mixed return of the blockbuster, the embrace of modern Black and White cinematography, and the vast number of terrific directorial debuts (from actors, a playwright, a novelist, and a composer)!

Episode 45: The World of Wong Kar-wai Dec 14, 2021

We close out the year with a deep dive into the career of Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, and producer Wong Kar-wai. The early films of the arthouse fav are now available in new 4K restorations, which the Brattle is running between Christmas and New Years. We discuss the various waves of Wong's popularity, the Brattle's history of programing his work, and our takes on eight of his films.

Episode 44: Give Thanks for Film Noir Nov 16, 2021

On the occasion of the Brattle's 2021 Thanksgiving program of Film Noir and Noir-adjacent movies celebrating their 75th anniversary, we dive deep into the genre most closely associated with The Brattle. We explore the history of Film Noir, what we each think constitutes a true Noir picture, and why there is so much debate about this distinctive style of filmmaking through a number of movies released in 1946, the year the term "Film Noir" was coined.

Episode 43: Folk Horror with Kier-La Janisse Oct 18, 2021

We're joined by film writer, programmer, producer, founder of The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, and now documentarian Kier-La Janisse to talk about her new film Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror, as well as the Oct/Nov Brattle series inspired by it - Folk Horror Beyond the Wicker Man.

Episode 42: Enjoy The Silents Sep 14, 2021

Are silent movies homework? That's the question we wrestle with as we look forward to the first annual National Silent Movie Day on Sept. 29th. We explore our preconceptions about silent films, the barriers that prevent many audiences from embracing silent films, and some of our favorite silent films (as well as a few new discoveries). But first we spend the first 12 minutes looking ahead to this years Toronto International Film Festival.

Episode 41: Tales of the Muppet Diaspora Aug 16, 2021

We spend the first 20 min of this month's show discussing the Scarlett Johansson vs. Disney lawsuit and its potential ramifications on film exhibition, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the future of movie stars playing fictional characters with pre-existing fanbases. Then we dive deep into a topic Ian, Ivy, Ned and Alissa all agree on—the love of Jim Henson and films he produced, directed, and contributed to; as well as how the craft of cinematic puppetry has lived on long beyond Henson's death.

Episode 40: Reunion Week 1946, 1971, 1996 Jul 14, 2021

We kick off Season Three by revisiting the years 1946, 1971, and 1996 on the occasion of their 75th, 50th, and 25th anniversaries. Ian, Ivy, Ned, and Alissa choose one film from each year to discuss along with the three official "Reunion Week" films that were screened as part of the Brattle's first week back open to the public after the long COVID-19 shut down.

Episode 39: Summer Job Movies Jun 09, 2021

We dive deep into the commonalities, tropes, joys, and contrivances in iconic movies about summer jobs.

Episode 38: Reopening! And 20 Years of Brattle Premieres May 25, 2021

We announce our plan for reopening the cinema to the public after 14 months of darkness, and then we return to our 20th anniversary celebration by highlighting some of the 400 films the Brattle has premiered during the past 20 years.

Episode 37: Indipendent Film Festival Boston May 09, 2021

We're joined by Brian Tamm and Nancy Campbell of the IFFBoston to talk about this year's line-up, doing the festival virtually for the first time, and how excited we all are that cinemas are finally reopening.

Episode 36: The 2020 Oscar Nominations, Part 2 Apr 19, 2021

After lamenting the loss of The ArcLight Cinema chain, Ned, Ivy, Alissa and Ian return to discussing the Oscars, the Brattle's Oscar Party, the nominated shorts of 2020, and the nominated the animation, documentary, and international features.

Episode 35: The 2020 Oscar Nominations, Part 1 Apr 13, 2021

Ned, Ivy, Alissa, and Ian discuss their individual histories and feelings about the Academy Awards, and dive deep into this year's nominated films and performances.

Episode 34: 20 Years of the Brattle Film Foundation Mar 23, 2021

We take a look back on the 20 years of our theatre's history as a thriving non-profit institution. Looking at the highs and lows, the film's we premiered, and the decisions Ned and Ivy made when they took on running the Brattle. And we address a listener question about the "cinema as church" analogy we made during our Movies About Going to the Movies episode, and consider the difference between the way films depict movie-going vs TV-watching: https://vimeo.com/showcase/5148645/video/317138170

Episode 33: New Virtual Cinema & A Conversation with Abby Sun Mar 02, 2021

We spend the first part of this week highlighting some titles currently playing or coming soon the the Brattlite, then Ned and Alissa interview DocYard curator Abby Sun about a new year-long virtual festival of 1990's Asian American Film and Video called My Sight is Lined with Visions.

Episode 32: Movies About Going to the Movies Feb 16, 2021

Inspired by Paul Anton Smith's "Have You Seen My Movie," a streaming exclusive currently running in The Brattlite, we're joined by MIT professor Ezra Glenn to talk about our favorite movies about going to the movies and films that take place in cinemas.

Episode 31: Best of 2020 Feb 02, 2021

In our epic year-end episode, Ian, Ivy, Ned, and Alissa attempt to name check every film we each loved (or at least thought was worth checking out) from a year that was actually a pretty good year for movies. We hope listeners will not forget these titles, even if we all attempt to erase everything else about 2020.

Episode 30: State of the Cinema Jan 19, 2021

We kick off Session 2 with special guest Russ Fischer of The Boxoffice Studios who joins to help us assess the state of the cinema industry at the beginning of 2021. And Ned and Ivy share exciting news about the state of our cinema, the Brattle Theatre.

Episode 29: Films for the Holidays, Part 2 Dec 23, 2020

We close out 2020 by casting a wide net for Holiday, Alt-Holiday, and Holiday Adjacent movies from a range of genres before moving on to favorite New Year’s Eve pictures from years past.

Episode 28: Films for the Holidays, Part 1 Dec 14, 2020

Since we won't be able to do our annual holiday tradition of screening It's a Wonderful Life in December, we take a look at some terrific but lesser known holiday pictures.

Episode 27: Virtual Cinema Nov / Dec Nov 28, 2020

We spotlight several of the films playing in our virtual cinema at the end of December / Beginning of December. But first we talk Shark Movies after we get a detailed voicemail from a listener.

Episode 26: More Horror Movie Memories Oct 30, 2020

Part 2 of our discussion about memorable encounters with iconic horror films with a whole lot more stories sent in by our listeners, fellow film programers, writers, and podcasters.

Episode 25: Horror Movie Memories + More! Oct 26, 2020

For Halloween, we talk a bit about our upcoming Virtual Gothic Horror series and then invite listeners, members, film writers, fellow podcasters and cinema programers to share stories of their first encounters with iconic horror movies.

Episode 24: Quarantainment Favs and More Oct 10, 2020

This week we look at some recent films that take on enhanced significance when watched during a semi-quarantine. Also we explore just a few of the joys found in contemporary low-budget sci-fi pictures, and we discuss the issue of gatekeeping in genre movie production and reviewing.

Episode 23: Virtual_TIFF_Wrap-Up Sep 25, 2020

In this special episodes, Ned, Ivy, and Alissa bring up their report from the 2020 Virtual Toronto International Film Festival.

Episode 22: Catchin' Up with Classics Sep 14, 2020

We look back on "the summer of no movies" by talking about all the classic films we finally got around to seeing since we haven't had any theatrical releases to go to. With endless streaming options available, and our definition of what constitutes a "classic film" ranging from Citizen Kane to Speed, we each screened some great and fun features.

Episode 21: Virtual Cinema August Aug 29, 2020

We check in with six off the films currently running in our virtual cinema, including 4 documentaries, a new arthouse flick from Belgium, and a restored Hungarian work of psychedelic animation.

Episode 20: Foundational Films Part 2 Aug 15, 2020

This week we resume our discussion of movies that were "key" to forming our personally, our psychological outlook, our career trajectory, our approach to life, or our love of cinema. For us these films range from John Hughes’s Pretty In Pink to Jean Cocteau's Orpheus. What films formed your foundation?

Episode 19: Foundational Films Part 1 Aug 10, 2020

This week we discuss the movies that, regardless of whether or not they are favorite films, were "key" to forming our personally, our psychological outlook, our career trajectory, our approach to life, or our love of cinema. And we encourage our listeners to share their "foundational films" with us.

Episode 18: Behind the Scenes on Boston Movies Aug 03, 2020

As an addendum to our Boston on Screen series we're joined by Adam Roffman for a look behind the scenes of many of the films featured in our three previous episodes. Adam, an on-set dresser, documentarian, and former programer of the Independent Film Festival of Boston, shares his stories of working on The Town, Little Women, American Hustle, Patriots Day, The Heat, and countless other Boston productions, as well as what the future of production looks like during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Episode 17: Boston on Film Part 3 Jul 28, 2020

For our third and final episode looking at the way Boston is depicted in movies we look at the wave of independent pictures that began shooting in the city during the 1990s as well as some of the more outlandish genre pictures that have used (or destroyed) the city.

Episode 16: Boston on Film Part 2 Jul 19, 2020

For this second part of our Boston on Film series, we go beyond the crime movie to focus on how the institutions of Boston – educational, social, scientific, medical, legal, and the press – are depicted on screen. Because the focus of these pictures is not on the underground criminal element, they are more likely to feel like time-capsules giving us a glimpse into a Greater Boston that many of us have never seen.

Episode 15: Boston on Film Part 1 Jul 13, 2020

Inspired by our partnering with the Massachusetts Historical Society for a program focusing on the dichotomy of Boston’s image in Hollywood films, we begin a three part series with a selection of pictures that could be called "The Boston Crime Wave," or, as Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr calls this subgenera, "Boston Triple Decker Films," or, as Boston crime novelist Chuck Hogan refers to them, "Boston No-R movies." We explore what these films get right and what they get wrong in how they depict and use our fair city in geographical, character, and thematic terms.

Episode 14: Y'Know, For The Kids! Jul 04, 2020

We catch up with our longest running virtual series; movies for kids, about kids, for families, and about families.

Episode 13: Wicked Queer Cinema Jun 28, 2020

We're joined by Shawn Cotter, director of Wicked Queer, The Boston LGBT Film Festival to talk movies to watch while closing Pride Month - including the three Pioneers of Queer Cinema re-released by Kino Lorber that are featured in the Brattle's Virtual Cinema.

Episode 12: Lisa Simmons of Rox Film Fest Jun 21, 2020

In a special interview episode we talk with Lisa Simmons of the Roxbury International Film Festival, which had to postpone its 21st season due to COVID-19.

Episode 11: #BreakYourAlgorithm Jun 12, 2020

We discuss films from our ongoing series that attempt to trick your streaming platforms (and your minds) into helping you discover a more eclectic mix of movies.

We Stand in Solidarity Jun 05, 2020

In recognition of the truth that BLACK LIVES MATTER, The Brattle has elected to press pause on new programs and announcements this week to allow more space for the amplification of voices directly affected by police brutality and institutional racism in our country. We stand in solidarity with those protesting during this important moment in the fight for justice and equality.

Episode 10: More Virtual Cinema Offerings May 30, 2020

We discuss five films playing in our virtual cinema: The Ghost of Peter Sellers, Lucky Grandma, Vitalina Varela, Fourteen, and Thousand Pieces of Gold. Plus, we get a surprise visit from the editor of one of those films for an unplanned Q&A.

Episode 09: Reunion Week 2020 May 22, 2020

For our annual Reunion Week, we take a look at some films from the classes of 1945, 1970, and 1995.

Episode 08: Women of Sci-Fi May 18, 2020

We're joined by our friends at Alex and Kristen from Strictly Brohibited for a series of sci-fi films that have a significant creative contribution from women – either behind the camera or the page of the script.

Episode 07: Virtual Cinema Offerings May 09, 2020

We explore some of the films recently run in our Virtual Cinema as well as the #BreakYourAlgorithm series, and we read and play some more of our listener's earliest cinema-going memories.

Episode 06: Screwball Comedy Edition May 04, 2020

We spar over what exactly constitutes a screwball comedy and share out thoughts on some of our favorite examples of the genre as well as a few other films it inspired.

Join us for Cambridge Dinner and a Movie Night – Friday, May 1 May 01, 2020

The City Council teams up with The Brattle Theatre starting Friday to host a citywide “Dinner & a Movie Night,” with the Brattle picking the programming (one family-friendly film, and one more mature) to stream at home with takeout from a favorite local restaurant. https://www.brattlefilm.org/virtual-programs/cambridge-movie-night-friday-may-1/

Episode 05: Other Music, Other Movies Apr 25, 2020

As we enter week six of COVID-19 lockdown we dive deep into the documentary Other Music, which tracks the last days of an indispensable institution and explore what made it special; and we talk about our favorite movies from all our virtual series so far: Music Matters, Break Your Algorithm, Ya Know For The Kids, and the Pop-Art-Sci-Fi of the Wachowskis.

Episode 04: Virtual Vacation International Apr 17, 2020

We travel the globe via movies that present international cities from insider and outsider perspectives; also we learn about the Brattle long legacy of bringing iconic foreign language films to American audiences.

Episode 03: Virtual Vacation USA Apr 10, 2020

We go around the USA via movies that make the cities in which they take place into a character; also we hear from listeners about cinematic kindertrauma memories.

Episode 02: Keep Your Distance Apr 03, 2020

We hear from listeners and discuss our first virtual series

Episode 01: Childhood Favorites and Our First Virtual Series Mar 27, 2020

Ned, Ivy, Alissa, and Ian talk about their earliest memories of going to the cinema, some of the movies in Ned's "You Know, for the Kids" program, and the Brattle's first virtual series to watch along with us on the podcast.

Introduction: Welcome to The Brattle Film Podcast Mar 23, 2020

Stay engaged with films at The Brattle while the theater is dark.

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