The Next Picture Show

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Memory Machines Pt. 1 — Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Sep 07, 2021

Show notes

Lisa Joy’s new REMINISCENCE turns on a techno-magical procedure that blurs the distinction between memories and reality, a conceit that immediately reminded us of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. Michel Gondry’s 2004 film was one of our collective favorites back when it premiered, but do our memories of it hold up to the reality of a present-day rewatch? This week we re-examine our relationship to ETERNAL SUNSHINE’s unlikable protagonists and the decisions they make, and to writer Charlie Kaufman’s broader filmography. Plus, we respond to some listener feedback about recent episodes on ANNETTE and THE GREEN KNIGHT.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, REMINISCENCE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

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Musical Variations, Pt. 2 — Annette Aug 31, 2021

Show notes

Like Francis Ford Coppola’s 1982 musical folly ONE FROM THE HEART, Leos Carax’s new rock opera ANNETTE is not interested in playing it safe, whether that means, like Coppola's film, enlisting idiosyncratic musicians for songs that challenge movie-musical convention, or enlisting a puppet to play the titular role. We’re joined again this week by our friend Joshua Rothkopf to unpack which of ANNETTE’s provocations work and which don’t, before placing it alongside ONE FROM THE HEART to discuss the two films’ use of high artifice, the troubled relationships and troubling men at their centers, and how their respective engagement with sex and nudity reflects the times in which they were made. Plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about ONE FROM THE HEART, ANNETTE, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Your Next Picture Show:

Josh: Julia Ducournau’s TITANE

Genevieve: Richard Linklater’s SCHOOL OF ROCK

Keith: David Bruckner’s THE NIGHT HOUSE

Tasha: Bill Benz’s THE NOWHERE INN

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Musical Variations, Pt. 1 — One From The Heart Aug 24, 2021

Show notes

As a self-consciously artificial musical about a troubled couple (among other things), Leos Carax’s new ANNETTE put us in mind of another original movie musical with little use for convention: Francis Ford Coppola’s 1982 folly ONE FROM THE HEART, a famous flop that also represents a singular artistic achievement. We’re joined this week by critic and old friend Joshua Rothkopf to consider how this tarnished labor of love stands the test of time, whether the film’s surplus of style is enough to offset its narrative and character deficiencies, and whether it represents Coppola’s “midlife crisis film.” Plus, we respond to some listener questions about music that takes us out of a movie, and “green” movies that draw us in.

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Knight Visions, Pt. 2 — The Green Knight Aug 17, 2021

Show notes

We just can’t resist discussing a new David Lowery film here at the Next Picture Show, and his latest, THE GREEN KNIGHT, gives us plenty to chew on, taking an alternately minimalist and maximalist approach to a story about honor, myth, and magic that takes place on the edges of King Arthur’s legend. Its bordering-on-abstract narrative stands in high contrast to the more expository approach seen in John Boorman’s EXCALIBUR last week, but the two films’ shared source legend provides a wealth of connections between them, including their respective examinations of honor and chivalry, of nature as magic, and of the symbolic and literal power wielded by women. We get into all of that, plus Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about EXCALIBUR, THE GREEN KNIGHT, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Show Notes

Works Cited:

• “The Green Knight is glorious and a little baffling. Let’s untangle it.” By Alissa Wilkinson (Vox.com)

• “Ralph Ineson spills the secrets of playing the Green Knight” By Tasha Robinson (Polygon.com)

Your Next Picture Show:

Genevieve: Janicza Bravo’s ZOLA

Scott: Ra’anan Alexandrowicz’s THE VIEWING BOOTH

Tasha: Edson Oda’s NINE DAYS

Keith: Kon Ichikawa’s TOKYO OLYMPIAD

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Knight Visions, Pt. 1 — Excalibur Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

The new low-key fantasy fable THE GREEN KNIGHT plays with favorite David Lowery themes like time and death and memory, cross-pollinated with familiar Arthurian themes like chivalry and honor, and one era giving way to another. That combination reminded us of a similarly personal vision of Arthurian legend, albeit one working in a decidedly different tonal register: John Boorman’s 1981 fantasy epic EXCALIBUR. In this first half of the pairing, we consider the unwieldy storytelling, unpredictable performances, and unruly style of Boorman’s Arthurian passion project, and how well its big, messy approach reflects an era of big, messy change. Plus, we respond to some listener feedback that critiques some of our recent critiques.

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Interior Angles, Pt. 2 – Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

**This episode contains discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, free help is available 24/7 by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or texting the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741).**

Continuing our pairing of documentaries about the interior life of dark-minded artists who became celebrities without expecting it, we take up Morgan Neville’s new Anthony Bourdain exploration ROADRUNNER, which in crafting its narrative about the late chef-turned-author-turned-TV personality makes some filmmaking choices that have prompted criticism and conversation about the distinctions between documentary and journalism. Those conversations feel like echoes of some of the ones that took place around the classic film in this pairing, Terry Zwigoff’s CRUMB, back in 1995, only in a much different cultural context. We unpack what has and hasn’t changed about biographical documentary in the space between these two films, plus their respective approaches to mental illness and celebrity, and the notable voices left out of the telling of each man’s story. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about CRUMB, ROADRUNNER, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Show Notes:

Works Cited: “The Anthony Bourdain Documentary Faked His Voice. Would Other Filmmakers Do the Same?” By Sam Adams (Slate.com)

Your Next Picture Show:

Genevieve: TASTE THE NATION WITH PADMA LAKSHMI on Hulu

Noel: THE PURSUIT OF LOVE on Prime Video

Scott: E.L. Katz’s CHEAP THRILLS

Keith: Terry Zwigoff’s LOUIE BLUIE

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Interior Angles, Pt. 1 – Crumb Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

The new ROADRUNNER plumbs some of the darker emotional depths of the late Anthony Bourdain, and has come in for scrutiny about some of its methods for doing so. That combination reminded us of another documentary about a similarly unlikely public figure: CRUMB, Terry Zwigoff’s 1995 examination of his old friend and underground comics legend Robert Crumb, alongside some other more troubled members of his deeply troubled family. We’re joined this week by an old friend of our own, freelance critic Noel Murray, to discuss how CRUMB navigates its subject’s fraught upbringing and the often controversial ways it was manifested into art. Plus, a call from a listener prompts us to share some of our favorite “overlooked masterpieces” that due to timing or context haven’t received their proper due.

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The Summer of '69, Pt. 2: Summer of Soul Jul 20, 2021

Show notes

Our look at the musical happenings of the summer of 1969 shifts from upstate New York to uptown New York City to experience the Harlem Cultural Festival, rescued from historical obscurity by Amir “Questlove” Thompson in his new documentary SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED). We’re joined once again by music critic Steven Hyden to consider how SUMMER OF SOUL works as a music documentary both in its own right and as an “answer film” of sorts to Woodstock, the subject of the other half of this pairing. Then we bring the two films together to discuss their respective approaches to the concert film as a social document, and how the filmmakers behind them chose to depict the performers onstage as well as the audiences watching them. Plus, Your Next Picture Show, where we share recent filmgoing experiences in hopes of putting something new on your radar.

Please share your comments, thoughts, and questions about WOODSTOCK, SUMMER OF SOUL, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email to comments@nextpictureshow.net, or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730.

Show Notes:

Works Cited: “By the time we got to Woodstock 99” by Steven Hyden (avclub.com)

Your Next Picture Show:

Tasha: The Maysles’ GIMME SHELTER

Scott: John Badham’s SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (director’s cut)

Keith: Michael Sarnoski’s PIG

Steve: Garret Price’s WOODSTOCK 99: PEACE LOVE AND RAGE

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The Summer of '69, Pt. 1: Woodstock (1970) Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

The summer of 1969 saw several large-scale music festivals, but few have crossed into the realm of myth as definitively as Woodstock, thanks in no small part to Michael Wadleigh’s landmark 1970 documentary, released less than a year after its titular event. Questlove’s new film SUMMER OF SOUL seeks to add another, less-discussed concert to the musical narrative of that summer, which we will bring into the discussion next week, but in this WOODSTOCK-focused half of our pairing we’re joined by music critic Steven Hyden to debate whether it’s possible to separate Wadleigh’s film from the broader cultural understanding of, and nostalgia for, the festival, and how the movie’s hyper-verité style meshes with its generally sunny view of an event that had an oft-overlooked dark side. Plus, we’re still getting feedback about the Scott-provoked Shrek-toversy, which means we’re continuing our ongoing discussion about criticism, fandom, and the uncomfortable relationship between them.

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The State of Streaming Movies Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

When it comes to streaming services, we’re leaving the Wild West era and entering a new one where multiple corporations with slightly varying distribution models are jockeying for dominance in an increasingly crowded landscape. Where does this leave the new films landing on these services, the audiences who want to watch them, and the fate of the theatrical model as we emerge from the past pandemic year? In this episode, originally recorded for our Patreon subscribers, Scott, Tasha, Keith, and Genevieve got together to discuss those questions as they apply to some of the major streaming services — specifically, those that are acting as distributors of new films, rather than library-focused services. But, due to the multifaceted nature of these services, both library titles and television make their way into the discussion as well because, as Next Picture Show listeners know, no movie exists in a vacuum.

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