CineNation

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." For Episode 303, Brandon and Thomas close out Mob Month with one of the greatest movies of all time. Listen as the duo discuss the making of THE GODFATHER PART II. Find out why Paramount was worried about the title, what Robert De Niro did to prep for the role, and why Al Pacino said it was one of the most difficult movies of his career. Opening...

"Hands off the loot!" For Episode 302, David and Brandon travel down the beaten path to discuss the French New Wave crime film TOUCHEZ PAS AU GRISBI. Listen as they discuss the lives of the cast and crew before the film, which famous American director thought about remaking the movie, and how the film flips the tropes of the American gangster movie. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Mobster G...

"I should've killed you back in Philly." For Episode 301, Thomas and Brandon return to David Cronenberg's filmography to discuss A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE. Listen as they talk about the film's casting of Viggo Mortenson, the big changes they made from the original graphic novel, and how a Canadian filmmaker like Cronenberg captured the violence within America. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Mo...

"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster." For Episode 300, Brandon, Thomas, and David get together to celebrate the show's 300th episode and to celebrate Martin Scorsese's GOODFELLAS. Listen as the trio discusses what major stars were rumored for the movie, why Scorsese had cold feet about making it, and how the film helped redefine Scorsese for a new decade. Opening Bante...

"The world is yours." For Episode 299, David and Brandon return from CineNation's hiatus to kick off their series on Mobsters and Mafia. Listen as they discuss Brian De Palma's remake of SCARFACE, starring Al Pacino. They talk about the film's origins, the conflict between De Palma and the film's screenwriter Oliver Stone, and how it was received during its initial release. Opening Banter (00:00:1...

"May your life be far less complicated than mine." For the final throwback episode of our hiatus, let's look back to August 2021 for our series on female filmmakers. During the third part of the series, Brandon and Thomas discussed the works of Nancy Meyers. They talked about her early life, her filmography, and why she should be considered an auteur. Throwback Intro - (00:00:00) Opening (00:04:16...

"The girls will wake up...when they are hungry." For our fourth Throwback Episode, we look at our episode on HOUSE, which was a part of our Horror Comedy series. Originally released on October 7, 2020, Thomas and Brandon discuss the Japanese cult classic that left them both speechless for their first viewing. It was the first episode that Thomas wrote for the show, and he brought us some incredibl...

"The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." For our third Throwback episode, we're looking back at Episode 161 from May 2021 when Thomas and Brandon discussed Cameron Crowe's ALMOST FAMOUS. Listen as they talk about the film's casting process, who the characters were based on, and the troubles on set. Throwback Intro - (00:00:00) Opening...

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view." Originally released on September 2, 2021, Brandon and Thomas discuss one of the classic films of the Southern genre, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Listen as they talk about Harper Lee's original novel, the film's meticulous production design, and why the film's critical reception was lukewarm upon its release. Be sur...

"Ring out the old year, ring in the new. Ring-a-ding-ding." For the first episode in our Throwback Series, we're looking at episode 194 from December 2021 as Brandon and Thomas discuss one of their favorite New Year's Eve movies. Listen as they discuss the history of the film, Billy Wilder's career at this point, and how the movie perfectly captures the loneliness of the holidays. Throwback Intro...

"Faith is believing things when common sense tells you not to." For Episode 298, Brandon and Thomas finish their New York Christmas series with MIRACLE ON 34th STREET. Listen as they discuss the film's origins, its casting process, and how they pulled off filming during the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Some Housekeeping (00:03:10) Recap on the New York Christmas...

"For to be without friends is a serious form of poverty." For Episode 297, Thomas and Brandon discuss the underseen New York Christmas movie, IT HAPPENED ON FIFTH AVENUE. Listen as they find out about Frank Capra's involvement, the odd marketing campaign, and why it didn't gain a following until recently. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Intro to New York Christmas (00:07:19) Intro to It Happened on Fift...

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." For Episode 296, Brandon and Thomas kick the holiday season off with ELF as they cover some of their favorite New York Christmas movies. Listen as they discuss the film's early casting choices, Jon Favreau's vision for the film, and why Will Ferrell was worried about the film being a failure. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Intro...

"Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown." For Episode 295, Brandon and David finish off CineNation's Private Investigator month with CHINATOWN. Listen as they discuss Robert Towne's writing process, the reason the film's director of photography was fired, and how the Los Angeles Lakers caused one of the biggest fights on set. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Private Investigator Genre (00:05:42) In...

"Love usually leads to trouble." For Episode 294, David and Brandon decide to cover Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of INHERENT VICE. Liste as they talk about Anderson's writing process, the film's production, and how it is becoming a cult classic. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Private Investigator Genre (00:03:17) Intro to Inherent Vice (00:05:28) How Inherent Vice Got to Production (0...

"One final thing I have to do...and then I'll be free of the past." For Episode 293, Thomas and Brandon tackle one of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces. Listen as they discuss how Vertigo made it to the big screen, the cinematography innovations, and why it took a while before people truly discovered the film. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Private Investigator Genre (00:05:30) Intro to Vert...

"The murderer is right in this room." For Episode 292, Brandon and Thomas start Noirvember with THE THIN MAN. Listen as they discuss the film's fast production schedule, the chemistry between William Powell and Myrna Loy, and the film's legacy. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Intro to Private Investigator Genre (00:06:12) Intro to The Thin Man (00:14:05) How The Thin Man Got to Production (00:21:01) Fav...

"They're all pods, all of them!" For Episode 291, Brandon and Thomas cover Philip Kaufman's remake of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Listen as they discuss Kaufman's early career, the film's casting process, and how they mastered some of the film's memorable special effects. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap to Social Horror (00:09:54) Intro to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (00:11:45) How Invasion...

"They're coming to get you, Barbra" For Episode 290, David and Brandon discuss one of the most quintessential horror movies of all time. Listen as they talk about George A. Romero's early beginnings, the film's casting process and production, and the issues surrounding the film's release. Get your tickets for our upcoming screening of CHILDREN OF MEN at the Nuart Theatre on November 10th: https://...

"Something is very wrong with this town." For Episode 289, Thomas and Brandon go outside of their comfort zone to discuss Herschel Gordon Lewis' early splatter film, TWO THOUSAND MANIACS! Listen as they talk about Lewis' career, the rawness of the film, and the landscape of independent films at the time. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Intro to Social Horror (00:07:37) Intro to 2000 Maniacs (00:12:39) H...

"Now, you're in the sunken place." For Episode 288, Brandon and Thomas kick off their social horror series with Jordan Peele's GET OUT. Listen to find out more about Peele's writing process, last-minute production moves, and the immediate success of the film. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Intro to Social Horror (00:08:30) Intro to Get Out (00:14:20) History of Get Out Got to Production (00:22:55) Favo...

"You wanna be a big cop in a small town?" For Episode 287, Brandon and Thomas conclude their Stuck in a Small Town series with Edgar Wright's HOT FUZZ. Listen as they discuss the writing process of Wright and Simon Pegg, the film's casting, and the film's legacy. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Stuck in a Small Town Genre (00:05:09) Intro to Hot Fuzz (00:09:08) History of Hot Fuzz Got to Pr...

"This place is our West, and I wish they'd leave us alone!" For Episode 286, David and Brandon discuss a neo-Western film that fits within our Stuck in a Small Town Genre, BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK. Listen as they discuss the film's casting, its filming in the desert, and how one supporting actor had a big year in 1955. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Stuck in a Small Town Genre (00:03:39) Intr...

"Keep watching the sky, MacIntyre." For Episode 285, Thomas and Brandon talk about one of Thomas's favorite movies, LOCAL HERO. Listen as they discuss the movie's early beginnings, its Scottish history, and how it still has a loyal following today. Opening Banter (00:00:10) Recap of the Stuck in a Small Town Genre (00:05:16) Intro to Local Hero (00:07:13) History of How Local Hero Got to Productio...

"Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town." For Episode 284, Brandon and Thomas are kicking off their series of movies about Being Stuck in a Small Town. And for their first movie, they're discussing GROUNDHOG DAY. Listen as they talk about the development complications, the cold weather that plagued the shoot, and the massive tensions between Harold Ramis and Bill Murray during the film'...