Hell of a Picture

The Coens keep coming this week on Hell of a Picture as we dive into the ‘87 screwball comedy, Raising Arizona. The guys open the show discussing the comedic influences of the film and how it manages to make horrible crimes both funny and endearing. Andrew talks about the semi-fantastical setting, while Dave touches on the movie’s political leanings. They talk about the American dream, the baby-bo...

After much ado about Anora, we finally get into our Coen brothers series beginning with their 1984 debut film, Blood Simple. The guys open the show talking about how and from whom the movie got its startup money. Dave tells us about the title, while Andrew addresses the use of sight, sound, and objects in the picture. They praise the cast, debate red herrings, and agonize over the final scene. The...

Every time we think we’re out, the Oscars drag us back in. After seeing what went down at this year’s Academy Awards we decided to delay our Cohen brothers series and take some time to talk Anora, the 2025 best picture winner. They guys debate the comedic value of the picture, the motivation of the lead character, and the run time of the film. They praise Mikey Madison for her performance, argue o...

Our Oscar winning series continues into the 2010s, with the 2014 Best picture winner, Birdman. We open up the show this week by talking about the unexpected connection to our last best picture No Country for Old Men. We dive into the blurred lines between what’s real and imagined, we talk about the difference between love and admiration and wax poetics on the meaning of the title the unexpected vi...

Our decade by decade series moves into the 2000’s, so to celebrate we’re taking it back to the 80’s with the Coen brothers best picture winner, No Country for Old Men. The boys open the show talking about tone in filmmaking, and just where it comes from. They discuss aging characters in a changing world, our lack of control, and the issues some people might have with the movie’s ending. How did we...

This week on HOAP our hearts and our Oscar series will go on as we discuss the 1997 phenomenon, Titanic. The guys open the show examining the technical achievements of the film. Dave tells us about lengths (pun intended) Cameron went to in recreating the ship, while Andrew talks about the film’s perfect blend of action and romance. They debate all the hotly contested points of the movie; like, “co...

Rock us Amadeus! This week on HOAP we enter the 80’s with the somewhat irregular period piece, Amadeus. The guys have a long talk about the nature of genius and where it comes from. They each share a story from the ‘85 Oscars, talk about the film’s unusually modern portrayals, and discuss the absolution of the ending. Dave tells us why he’d rather be Salieri over Mozart, while Andrew takes a minut...

Welcome to the jungle and welcome to the ‘70’s. This week on HOAP we’re going best picture hunting with the 1978 classic The Deer Hunter. Andrew opens the show talking about Michael Cimino, the film’s director, and his dubious war record, while Dave tells us about the difficulties of filming during a military coup. The guys debate the need for historical accuracy on screen, the central metaphor of...

This week on Hell of a Picture we enter the turbulence of the 1960’s with the world war one character study, Lawrence of Arabia. The guys open the show describing how the film embraces the wide range of opinions on Lawrence and how that branches out thematically in the picture. Andrew talks about the scope and scale of the cinematography, while Dave tells us about some of Lawrence’s most famous im...

Oscar season continues this week on Hell of a Picture with the 1955 best picture winner, On the Waterfront. Dave opens the show talking about the film’s director, Elia Kazan, and how art imitates life in the film, while Andrew tells us about Marlon Brando’s performance and the emergence of American realism in cinema. The guys talk about the movie’s veneration of the truth, original sin, and the in...

We’re back, baby! With the holiday season behind us, HOAP looks ahead to the next big season, Oscar season. And to do that, we’re examining one best picture winner from each decade leading up to the present day. First up, Casablanca. The guys open the show talking about the film’s little known origins as a failed play, and how much they love the bar setting of the picture. They examine the message...

It’s Christmas!!!!! So, to celebrate we’re rounding out our run of atypical Christmas movies with the 1992 Tim Burton film, Batman Returns. The guys open the show talking about the marketing snafu that had McDonald’s selling toys for this grisly story of attempted child murder and how the backlash led to the Joel Schumacher years - a much scarier place by some people’s reckoning. They break down t...

The season of giving rolls on, so we’re gonna give ‘er with the 1987 Richard Donner cop classic, Lethal Weapon. The guys open by discussing the Christmas elements of the film and why it feels less Christmasy than Die Hard. They talk about the movie’s dark leanings, its unusual lead characters, and the effect they both had on the genre. We hear some speculation on Mel Gibson’s stylist, some questio...

‘Tis the season for mayhem, so Hell of a Picture is getting into the spirit with a look at the Christmas action classic, Die Hard. The guys open the show talking about what makes something a Christmas movie and if Die Hard qualifies. Dave tells us about the bottled-up format of the film, while Andrew introduces us to John McClane: everyman. They have a merry old time laughing at their favourite pa...

This week on Hell of a Picture we wrap up the Scorsese, De Niro, and Pesci quartet of films with the 2019 epic, The Irishman. The guys open the show talking about the movie as part of a mob trilogy with Goodfellas and Casino, and whether or not this is Scorsese’s most personal film. Andrew tells us about the de-ageing process used in the production, while Dave asks if Frank is the most sympathetic...

This week, Hell of a Picture continues their run on the shared works of Scorsese, De Niro, and Pesci with a rare double-feature that discusses Goodfellas and Casino as sibling films. The guys ask each other if they think Casino suffers primarily for being second chronologically, or if Goodfellas is actually just the better picture. They talk about the film’s similarities, how they differ, and wher...

This week, Hell of a Picture stays inside the ropes for another look from the fighter’s perspective with Scorsese’s Raging Bull. They guys open the show talking about the partnership between Scorsese, De Niro, and Pesci before exploring Jake LaMotta the man and the character. Andrew takes us through the sight and sound of the film, while Dave grouses over some of the dialogue. The guys debate the...

Dust off your boxing gloves and ready your log cabins because this week on Hell of a Picture we’re talking Rocky IV! That’s right, the guys take a deep, montage-laced dive into arguably the most iconic film of an iconic franchise. They continue their discussion on propaganda in cinema and talk about Rocky as an expression of cold war rhetoric. Both Andrew and Dave rock out (pun intended) to the so...

This week Hell of a Picture is making a u-turn. Wait, should it be “an u-turn”? It starts with a vowel but it definitely doesn’t sound right. Anyway, however you say it, we decided to revisit an idea we had a few weeks ago and talk about the Chinese historical epic, Hero. The guys consider the source as they examine the movie as a piece of propaganda, albeit a stunning one. They praise the film’s...

It’s Halloween, and it’s horror movie time. Andrew convinced Dave to curb his fears and watch the 60s classic, “Rosemary’s Baby” and analyze how the film creates tension and hysteria. The guys question: does the film still work today? And where does it fall in the horror grand scheme of the horror genre? Hail Adrian? Or maybe just Hail Hell of a Picture!

Warning. This episode contains reference to sexual violence. It may be upsetting to some listeners.  Once you go noir, you never go far. Ok, that sucked. And you know who also sucks? Roman Polanski, that’s who. The guys open the show by ripping on Roman a while before setting aside the artist to try and objectively analyze the art. They talk about “Chinatown” as an ever present force in the film a...

We liked 1997 so much last week we’ve decided to hang out there a little longer by watching the ‘97 film noir hit, L.A Confidential. Dave and Andrew open the show with a throughline for all the noir and noir adjacent films they’ve done to date and examine the characters as people struggling to find their identities. The guys look at the movie as a faithful depiction of a genre rather than an era,...

Our Tarantino trio comes to an end this week with the 1997 blaxploitation homage piece, Jackie Brown. The guys open the show talking about the film’s reception at the time of its release and how opinions have since evolved. They discuss the film not only as a take on exploitation cinema, but also as a commentary on exploitation at large. Dave looks at the movie as a story of survival, while Andrew...

The Tarantino campaigns have just begun, and this week we marshall our forces for one thing and one thing only: killin’ nazis. That’s right, it’s Inglourious Basterds; Tarantino’s 2009 episodic historical-fiction-fairytale. The guys begin the show talking about the erosion of humanity in war, and the film’s twisting of the typical fairy tale formula. They discuss heroes and monsters, good and evil...

In a highly contrived pivot, the guys begin their Tarantino series with the filmmaker’s most recent effort, Once upon a time…in Hollywood. Dave opens the show asking if the great ones are ever judged fairly. Andrew talks about the seemingly bottomless bag of tricks in Tarantino’s repertoire and where it came from. The guys look at the film as a celebration and lamentation of things coming to an en...