Alternate Sides

This week we take a stab at Adrian Lyne’s classic romantic thriller Fatal Attraction , starring Glenn Close and Michael Douglas. Plus: the two faces of Harrison Ford, and James’s habit of talking to the television. LINKS: Trailer for Fatal Attraction The original ending of Fatal Attraction Trailer for  Running on Empty Support the show

It’s a double-feature this week as we riff on two movies about musicians: Bertrand Tavernier’s Round Midnight and Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy . Plus: burned-out cars, slow television, and the unhelpful advice Robert Redford used to get. LINKS: Trailer for Sid & Nancy Trailer for Round Midnight Siskel & Ebert on Round Midnight "Slow Television": the train in Norway Support the show

This week we survey the expanses of Ran , Akira Kurosawa’s epic adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear . Plus: beds in cinemas, Werner Herzog on psychotherapy, and Sam’s aversion to movies set on ships. LINKS: Trailer for Ran "VIP Beds" in UK cinemas How an 18th-Century Sailing Warship Works Werner Herzog on psychology as a “catastrophe” Support the show

This week we tackle the Coen Brothers’ gritty debut feature, Blood Simple , starring Frances McDormand, John Getz, and M. Emmet Walsh. Plus: Wayne Shorter, rock climbing, and our experiences with first-time directors. LINKS: Trailer for Blood Simple Trailer for Wayne Shorter: Zero Gravity Let's go to court: a scene from  The Insider Support the show

This week we discuss Nicolas Roeg’s period drama Eureka , starring Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, and Rutger Hauer. Plus: Wynton Marsalis, washroom attendants, and James's recent trip to London. LINKS: Trailer for Eureka Wynton Marsalis does Louis Armstrong The Wolseley Climax of The Natural (Randy Newman) Support the show

It’s a special holiday episode! We’re deviating from our usual chronology to talk about Jon Favreau’s 2003 Christmas classic, Elf , starring Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, and James Caan. And it turns out that neither of us had ever seen this movie before this week. Plus: Ferris Bueller, overripe fruit, and “cross-hatched” dreams. LINKS: Trailer for Elf Will Ferrell takes a dart to the neck in Old...

This week we close out Season One of the podcast with a conversation about Ingmar Bergman’s family epic Fanny and Alexander , starring Bertil Guve, Ewa Fröling, and Jan Malmsjö. Plus: wind chimes, bookstore etiquette, and Gloomhaven. LINKS: Trailer for Fanny and Alexander Art Garfunkel in the studio Chevy Chase can't get left, from  European Vacation Support the show

This week we discuss Michael Mann’s gritty debut feature, Thief , starring James Caan and Tuesday Weld. Plus: spa treatments, house cats, and Pink Floyd knockoffs. LINKS: Trailer for Thief The VEMI treatment Steve Martin makes coffee in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid The end of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” (starting at 4:20) “Confrontation”, the final music cue in  Thief  (starting at 0:40) Sup...

This week we explore David Lynch’s black-and-white period drama The Elephant Man , starring Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt, and Anne Bancroft. Plus: Just how bad was James’s first screenplay? LINKS: Trailer for The Elephant Man Michael Jackson bids for Merrick's bones Three pages from  The Mourning Cloak  (1999) Support the show

This week we tackle two movies. Hal Ashby’s American satire Being There , starring Peter Sellers; and Terry Jones’s biblical spoof Monty Python’s Life of Brian , starring the Pythons. Plus: blooper reels, the death of Black Panther, and the apparently ambiguous ending of Planet of the Apes . LINKS: Trailer for Being There Trailer for Monty Python's Life of Brian James's mother's eye...

This week we discuss Terence Malick’s luminous period drama Days of Heaven , starring Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, and Sam Shepard. Plus: Virgil’s Eclogues , group dynamics, and the Identified Patient. LINKS: Trailer for Days of Heaven Steve Coogan's impression of Richard Gere (from The Trip ) The "identified patient" Support the show

This week we discuss Werner Herzog’s black comedy Stroszek , starring Bruno S, Eva Mattes, and Clemens Scheitz. Plus: Sam has a martini with Dianne Wiest. LINKS: Trailer for Stroszek Thieves stealing the "cat" Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason The afternoon tea menu Support the show

This week we discuss John Avildsen’s rousing and immortal Rocky , starring Sylvester Stallone and Talia Shire. Plus: Real tennis, a dead car battery, and the time Sam’s parents met Mike Tyson. LINKS: Trailer for Rocky The LOKITHOR car charger Charlie Chaplin boxing in City Lights Real tennis Support the show

This week we talk about Michelangelo Antonioni's existentialist thriller The Passenger , starring Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider. ​Plus: What George Plimpton found at the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. LINKS: Trailer for The Passenger The Weather Channel explains "wintry mix" Trailer for  Flesh Gordon  (1974; NSFW) Support the show

This week we talk about Hal Ashby's road movie The Last Detail , starring Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, and Randy Quaid.  ​Plus: James shares a bedroom with Sam's parents. LINKS: Trailer for The Last Detail "The Man Who Never Heard of Frank Sinatra" Trailer for  Flash Gordon  (1980) Support the show

At Sam's suggestion, James starts his journey with Nicolas Roeg's 1973 horror-thriller Don't Look Now , starring Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie. Plus, penalty kicks, second sight, and why not to keep loaded guns in the house. LINKS: Trailer for Don't Look Now Harry Kane misses World-Cup penalty Marquinhos's reaction after he misses his penalty Support the show

James accepts that it's time to overcome his fears and watch some movies, but he'll need some guidance. Sam, stuck in his car thanks to New York's alternate-side-parking regulations, is only too happy to oblige. LINKS: NYC alternate side parking rules Martin Scorsese’s thoughts on Tár Support the show