Arthouse Garage: A Movie Podcast

"What are the people of Bacurau called?" "People!" In this episode, we dig into the weird and wonderful Brazilian film Bacurau, from directors Juliano Dornelles and Kleber Mendonça Filho. This film blends western, horror, and sci-fi into an unforgettable film-watching experience complete with sharp political commentary. Nothing is at it initially seems in this film, but it is absolutely one of the...

"I hear about a summer camp for the handicapped run by hippies. Somebody said you probably will smoke dope with the counselors, and I'm like...sign me up!" Click here for a full episode transcript In today's episode we look at the 2020 documentary Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, which tells the story of a remarkable summer camp for teens with disabilities called Camp Jened that operated in New...

"History isn't here yet. It's coming, but maybe this time we can take it on our own terms." Today's episode centers around the latest from director Kelly Reichardt, a lovely film called First Cow. The film stars John Magaro and Orion Lee as a pair of friends in pioneer days who sell baked goods....using stolen ingredients. It's a film about friendship, history, opportunity and capitalism, and it's...

We break down the top 10 films of this unusual year in a special LIVE episode. Links Top 10 Movies of 2020 (blog post) Note: This was recorded on instagram live, but unfortunately the app crashed and the video was lost. Not to worry! The audio lives on in podcast form, just don't go looking for a video online :(

“Now yeah The Beatles, they’re funny, but they ain’t no Sam Cooke.” We look at another probable awards season heavyweight this week with One Night in Miami. This is the directorial debut of Oscar-winning actor Regina King, and it tells the story of 4 legends of Black history and the time they all hung out together. In 1964, after an historic boxing match, Cassius Clay met up with Jim Brown, Malcom...

“I remember the first time I saw you as a person.” James Basham returns to the podcast to talk about Sofia Coppola’s latest, On the Rocks. This film stars Rashida Jones as Laura, a woman who is concerned about her husband’s faithfulness and trying to manage her relationship with her father Felix, played by Bill Murray. Murray shines as a larger-than-life New York playboy who’s charming as hell but...

“Home, is it just a word? Or is it something you carry within you?” Chloé Zhao's latest film Nomadland is likely to win big this awards season, and for good reason. This emotionally potent film stars Frances McDormand along with a number of real-life nomads as director Zhao seamlessly blends documentary and fiction in a story of economic hardship, community, and dealing with a troubled past. Filmm...

David Fincher is back with another dark and brooding drama, but this time he’s looking at Hollywood history. In his latest film Mank, Fincher and his collaborators depict the writing of Citizen Kane by screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz,  the relationships that inspired the story, and the behind the scenes drama. The film stars Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Dance, Lily Collins and more.&n...

Today’s film is Welcome to Chechnya, a powerful new documentary about the danger facing the LGBTQ+ community in that part of the world. The film details what’s going on there and follows a group of activists as they work to rescue people from the country. Welcome to Chechnya is streaming now on HBO Max. My guest is filmmaker (and my childhood best friend!) Dyar Bentz. He fills us in on his excitin...

"Whatever's going on, you can tell me." On this episode of the Arthouse Garage podcast, Andrew is joined by filmmaker and actor Sophie Barnes to discuss The Assistant (streaming now on Hulu). Julia Garner stars in this powerful and harrowing film about workplace sexual harassment, directed by Kitty Green. Join us as we discuss the film’s style, performances, and it’s messaging around gender inequa...

What does the 2020 pandemic mean for movie awards season? Welcome to season 6! In this episode, Andrew is joined by Omaya Jones to discuss the beautiful new film Dick Johnson is Dead from director Kirsten Johnson ( streaming now on Netflix ). The movie is a hilarious and heartwarming documentary about aging and death and power of human connection. They also discuss 2020 and how strange the movie y...

Exciting festival alert! The Kaleidoscope LGBTQ+ Film Festival is coming Nov. 5-8, and it will be virtual and FREE this year! This is the 6th annual Kaleidoscope, and the festival has gained a reputation over the years of bringing high quality films and queer stories to Central Arkansas. Executive Director Zack Baker and Festival Director Cameron Vaughan join the show to give us all the details an...

It’s Election Day 2020! To celebrate democracy, we discuss the new political documentary The Way I See It, which follows the career of White House photographer Pete Souza and his years working with President Reagan and President Obama. Arkansas filmmaker Chad Hill stops by the virtual podbooth to break the film down and how well it works as a film, as a historical document, and as a piece of polit...

"I’m an actress, I won’t tell the naked truth. It’s far from interesting." Andrew and Omaya close out season 5 of the podcast by looking at Hirokazu Koreeda’s latest feature, The Truth. This is Koreeda’s first film that isn’t in Japanese and tells the story of the strained relationship between a famous French actress and her daughter. They also look back at season 5 and reflect on the season as a...

"Usually you can't choose your own parents." "But then, maybe it's stronger when you choose them yourself." Andrew and Omaya talk Koreeada’s Shoplifters, a film about family and connection that won the Palme d’Or in 2018. It’s a beautiful story with lots of surprises, as emotionally moving as it is shocking. Listen as we discuss each character as well as Koreeada's career thus far. Click here to r...

Andrew is joined on the podcast by Russell Sharman, executive director of the Fayetteville Film Fest, coming Nov 5-14. Russell explains the 2020 festival, which will be all online and pay-what-you-want. It’s not limited to just Arkansas residents, so you can tune in from anywhere in the U.S. There will be a number of narrative and documentary films, both feature length and short films, so tune in...

“Everyone has their preordained position, and everyone is in their place except you.” “That’s what people in the best place say to the people in the worst place.” Andrew and Omaya look at Bong Joon Ho’s 2013 film Snowpiercer, a creative dystopian action film filled with social commentary and great performances Read a full episode transcript here SEASON 5 LINEUP Apichatpong Weerasethakul Uncle Boon...

Film festival alert! Every year the Arkansas Cinema Society holds FILMLAND, an exciting event that showcases a diverse selection of quality feature films plus a number of features and shorts from Arkansas filmmakers. Some INCREDIBLE films are coming this year, including Nomadland and One Night in Miami, and the festival is coming up this week Oct 1-4. This year's festival looks a little different,...

“When a parent’s heart breaks, the sound travels for miles.” The podcast turns toward South Korea as we examine the work of Bong Joon Ho. In today’s episode, we look at his 2006 blockbuster The Host. This action-packed film was the highest grossing of all time in South Korea when it came out, and it’s a real crowd-pleaser with its family drama and humor right alongside horror and political comment...

“The world’s larger than the inside of your own head.” In this episode, we explore and try to help explain the new film I’m Thinking of Ending Things from writer/director Charlie Kaufman. This mysterious new film, which was released on Netflix Sep. 4th, is overflowing with possible meanings, so it’s the perfect movie to discuss on a podcast. I’m joined by frequent collaborator and Kaufman-fan, And...

“When you’re asleep, even the bright city lights feel dull.” In this episode, Andrew and guest Omaya Jones take a look at another film from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2015’s Cemetery of Splendor. This film explores a number of spiritual themes, including the nature of sleep, dreams, reincarnation and meditation, and it’s visually quite stunning as well. Read a full transcript of the...

“Ghosts aren’t attached to places, but to people, to the living.” Welcome to Season 5! Andrew and Omaya take a look at the award-winning film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul. This unique, meditative film asks more questions than it answers, and leads the viewer to have their own experience with it. It’s a story of life and death, ghosts, rei...

“I guess you followed me. It’s one of those infinite time loop situations you might have heard about.” Bonus episode! Andrew is joined by film critic Philip Price to discuss the new movie Palm Springs starring Andy Samberg, Cristin Millioti and J.K. Simmons. This hilarious indie took Sundance by storm this year and is now streaming online. Catch it on Hulu now and then tune it to hear our thoughts...

“Father… Mother… Always you wrestle inside me. Always you will.” In the season finale, Andrew & Andrew give their reactions to Terrence Malick’s 2011 masterpiece The Tree of Life. They talk about the spiritual aspects of the film and get into Malick and this film’s place in his body of work. Finally, they give some parting thoughts on season 4 of the podcast, which has been a great one. Mark T...

“Now I have only one thing left to do: nothing.” In this episode, we take a close look at Krzysztof Kieslowski’s 1993 film Blue, which tells the beautiful story of a woman dealing with life after a major tragedy. The film stars the wonderful Juliette Binoche as she navigates grief and how to go on living in the wake of tremendous loss. We also discuss Kieslowski’s filmmaking career and the other f...