Film School

You're just not feeling it. You want it. You know you can do it. It might even be close . . . but you just can't finish. You can't work on it, or when you do, you hate what you've done. WHAT IS THIS? WHY DOES THIS HAPPEN??? Josh and Ira have gone through it just like you. In fact, they still do! All the time! They share their thoughts, tips and hacks to get your butt back in your chair, churning o...

The water before you is somehow special... Shane Carouth exploded onto the indie scene with the time-traveling  Primer , and then kinda disappeared for a while. He roared back with our movie this week, the mind-bending  Upstream Color, which, like his first film, was made on an absolutely tiny, shoe-string budget. Perhaps not the instant classic that  Primer is, it nonetheless has a lot to offer....

In the world of hiring out work, everyone wants to spend less money, get the best quality of work, and get it in the least amount of time possible. Of course. But, here's the thing: of time, money, and quality...you can only ever get two at the same time. And here's the other thing: it's not just the world of hired work, it's kind of everything. We discuss! Also: Josh recommends Ethan Hawk's docum...

Somebody in this camp ain't what he appears to be. The Thing  was almost universally REVILED when it first came out in 1982, but time told the true story: people just weren't ready for it, it was so far ahead. John Carpenter had no interest in remaking the classic Howard Hawkes version, so he went back to the source material and found some real inspiration. The result is legit one of the most terr...

What is your relationship with failure? Do you embrace it, or avoid it at all cost? Because failure is a necessary and important part of success , a healthy relationship with it probably lies somewhere in between those two extremes. Josh and Ira discuss what works for them, and what doesn't. Also, Josh recommends John Carpenter's  Vampires , and Ira recommends the Apple TV+ documentary series  Hom...

Hurrah me yoller girls, doodle let me go! Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson star in Robert Eggers second feature as two men stationed on an island in the middle of the ocean and tasked with maintaining a lighthouse. Madness ensues, literally and/or metaphorically depending on how much stock you take in our main character's point of view. This one certainly brings the noise, kids. We discuss!

Are you a pantser or a plotter? Do you just sit down and write the story as it comes to you? Or do you outline and plan and plot out your story in detail before you actually write it? OR...something in between? This week, we talk about the spectrum of plotting and pantsing, what works for us, and the benefits and drawbacks to each end of that spectrum. Also: Josh recommends the 90s De Niro/Robin W...

Tetsuoooo!!!! This week, we take a peek at Katsuhiro Otomo's masterpiece, and one of the definitive anime films full-stop,  Akira . It's over thirty years old now, which is crazy because we're still making this movie. An all-time influential movie, it's up there with Bladerunner in terms of how many movies owe a debt to the way they depict the near-future. So, after all these years, how does it ho...

What *is* "ego," anyway? How does it get in our way, and how do we need it? This episode, we dive into walking the fine line between self-esteem/confidence, and delusion/insecurity. Also: Josh recommends A Monster Calls on Netflix, and Ira (really, really highly) recommends 3:10 to Yuma from 2007, which is currently playing on Hulu.

My wife deserves vengeance... This week, we watch the film that put Christopher Nolan on the map. Guy Pierce stars as Leonard, a man who can no longer make memories. His last memory is of his wife being raped and murdered, and he's obsessed with finding the man responsible and bringing him to justice. But, if he can't remember anything...how? Top-notch premise. Great acting. An Academy Award-nomin...

When writing/creating, how do you know what to throw into the trash bin, and how do you know what to keep and tweak until it's working right? It's the central question of editing and revising, and there is no easy, simple answer. But, there *IS* an answer. Josh and Ira share their thoughts on the matter. Also, Josh recommends Hulu's docu-series  The Deep End , and Ira recommends the 1973 horror cl...

The monsters of the id! Easily one of the most influential sci-fi films ever made,  Forbidden Planet was the standard set for space opera for an entire generation including Gene Roddenberry, the guy behind Star Trek. Leslie Nielsen is there before his spoofy comedy days. It was a sensation in terms of its special effects. It introduced the beloved character Robby the Robot. We watch and discuss!

How important is it to have community as a creative person? How do you choose the people to surround yourself with? Josh and Ira talk about how they've chosen their own communities, and what to look for. Also, Josh recommends  Shrek , and Ira discusses his recent watches of Kingdom of Heaven  and  The VVitch .

Vampires in Iran! Easily one of the 'coolest' films we've ever watched on this podcast, A Girl Walks Home is pure gothic punk rock from foot to fangs. Made in SoCal, it's  set in Iran, a place where the subject matter would get you arrested. Hard to imagine when the core of this tale is so sweet, and so wholesome. We discuss!

If it's not going to go off, it shouldn't be hanging there. This week, we're talking about the term "Chekhov's Gun," what it refers to, and how it applies to our writing, storytelling, and just plain-old enjoyment of the stories we consume. Also, Josh recommends the 90s scifi-camp Johnny Neumonic which is on Netflix right now, and Ira gives a (lengthy) recommendation of the Teal Swan cult-exposé d...

So, go get him for Pete's sake! Jean-Pierre Jeunet masterpiece is a sweet, charming, whimsical and magic-filled romance about an awkward shut-in who turns to taking care of everyone around her on her journey toward taking care of herself . . . and finding love. Audrey Tatou is Amélie. Good God she's wonderful, as is this film. We discuss!

When driving forward, it can be so easy to go go go so fast that we either burn ourselves out before we can finish, or we miss too much, skimp on the details, and what we have when we finish doesn't work. Crushing, either way. So, how can we avoid that? How can we tell the difference between "ambition" and "impatience." Also, Josh once again recommends  Top Chef, currently on Hulu; Ira recommends ...

Imagine, if you will, you're a severed hand. You wake up in a freezer, no memory of how you got there, just flashes of the chaotic end, where you were separated from your body. All you want is to be reunited. Such is the premise of this delightful, inventive animated French film. We watch and discuss!  

When you need to feel inspired, creative, safe and free . . . where do you go? Where--that actually exists--can you go that fills you up with the warm fuzzies, where the memories, sights, sounds, smells and textures are so thick you can still reach out and touch them any time you think about them? We share a couple of those places for us. Also, Josh recommends  Top Chef , which is on Hulu right no...

Alfredo! This jaunt down memory lane is credited with reviving the Italian film industry in the late-80s and the 90s. Giuseppe Tornatore dips into his own history in spinning a tale about a young small-town boy who falls in love with movies, falls in love-love, and then abruptly moves away to pursue his dreams as a director. Now, his childhood mentor has passed, and he's called home to face all th...

Does writer's block even exist? Some writers--a lot of writers--will tell you that it doesn't. And yet, we have a TERM for it, so sure it must be something . What is it then? Josh and Ira break down their experience with the phenomenon of staring at the empty page and struggling with something to write. PLUS...Josh recommends one of his comfort shows  King of the Hill , and Ira recommends  The Dro...

What's the tale, nightingale? What a gem! It's always such a rush to find a film that almost nobody else knows about, made by someone you've never heard of (because this is his first feature), acted by faces you don't recognize . . . and it's wonderful. That is  The Vast of Night , a tale of secret government projects, odd sounds over the airwaves, and aliens in the skies, all set in the warm and...

Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3; how do we tell them apart? What distinguishes the beginning of our story, the middle, and the end? Ya boys talk about how to sort a story into three, neat, easy-to-use parts. Also, Josh recommends the documentary Closed for Storm and Ira recommends Werner Herzog's doc Wings of Hope , and Anthony Bourdain's travel/food/culture shows No Reservations and  Parts Unknown .

Once there was a Hushpuppy, and she lived with her daddy in the Bathtub. It was an indie darling that went all the way to a Best Picture Oscar nomination. Benh Zeitlin's debut feature, set loosely in the New Orleans south around the hurricane, really has its beating heart in 9-year-old Quvenzhané Wallis, the sweet, moral, defiant Hushpuppy. 

Breaks are so important. So, how do you work them into a busy schedule? How do you make sure that you get the rest you need, but don't lose your momentum? We discuss! Also, Josh recommends  Alien and Aliens , and Ira recommends Top Chef on Hulu.