Jason and the Movienauts

Everybody loves Akira Kurosawa's samurai films, but his films set in current day Japan also rank as some of the greatest movies ever made. This time Eric, Dom and Jason discuss two of Kurosawa's darkest, most noir films: Stray Dog and The Bad Sleep Well. The trio find these films to be fascinating, amazing works of cinematic art definitely deserving a 90 minute discussion time. Please enjor, and i...

After a movie like Videodrome , it might be fair to call The Dead Zone and The Fly commercial sellouts. But as Shawn, Paul and Jason discuss, these two films show the brilliant David Cronenberg style on full display with their fascinating plots whch reveal as much abiout human nature as they do about, well, what happens when a man fuses with a fly. As usual, the group find a lot to discuss both in...

Keith and Jason have never been afraid of plunging into the question of separating the art from the artist. So why not jump into that rhetorical pool again by looking at two films by cinematic master Woody Allen. Annie Hall almost seems like a rough draft of Hannah and Her Sisters , or maybe an earlier version of themes Allen would explore more fully in Hannah , as both films mine similar territor...

Chris joins Jason to discuss two Alejandro Jodorowsky films, El Topo and The Dance of Reality . Both men are fascinated by the brilliant, fantastical worlds Jodorowsky creates in those films, and by the haunting images and spectacles presented by the master director. Please join Jason and Chris for a thoughtful examination of two of the more unique movies we've discussed here on the pod!

Eric and Jason continue their chronological exploration of Isao Takahata 's feature films with a look at Gauche the Cellist and The Story of Yanagawa’s Canals . One is a short animated feature; the other is a long and fascinating documentary. Both are true Takahata creations and show many of the hallmarks of his best work. Join them for 50 minutes of scintillating conversation about these relative...

Isao Takahata is one of the two great creative forces behind the brilliant animated films of Studio Ghibli. Eric had seen a few of Takahata's films, but Jason hasn't seen any of them. So what better filmmaker to inspire a new series of podcasts than Takahata? This time Eric and Jason explore his first two standalone films, the primitive but wonderful Horus Prince of the Sun and the delightful Chie...

Continuing our sequential series of reviews of David Cronenberg films, Paul Brian McCoy and Shawn Hill join Jason to discuss three films which show how rapidly the filmmaker became great: The Brood , Scanners and Videodrome , three late '70s and early '80s classics that elevate the state of filmed horror in North America. (Jason also discusses Cronenberg's non-horror film of the era, FastCo) . It'...

By 1970, Akira Kurosawa'a career had reached a low ebb. During the 1970s he only directed two movies released that decade, Dodes'ka-den and Dersou Uzala . Both films are hugely unconventional - and hugely entertaining. Join Dom, Eric and Jason as they discuss perhaps Kurosawa's most idiosyncratic masterpieces, films definitely worth a serious watch.

Starting a new series here on Movienauts, Jason and Paul will be looking back at the classic filmography of the great David Cronenberg. What better place is there to start than his first two features, Shivers and Rabid . Both have classic Cronenberg hallmarks such as some delightfully bizarre body horror, but both also have a fascinating low-budget Canadian vibe that echoes other classic early '70...

Chris is back, this time to chat with Jason about Werner Herzog, a director Chris has been obsessed about lately. The pair start with a true Herzo classic, the breathtaking Aguirre the Wrath of God , a movie that somehow manages to give a documentary feel to a film about 16th century explorers. They thenm move over to a very different film, the classic Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans st...

Our discussion of Akira Kurosawa classics continues as Jason, Dom and Eric discuss Yojimbo and Sanjuro , two classic samurai epics highlighted by amazing Toshiro Mifune performances. The guys have a greta conversation about the nature of heroism in these films, the ways the Mifune character is always two steps ahead, and of course the brilliant direction by Kurosawa. We think you'll enjoy this epi...

Gideon and Lorelei Marcus are two of the delightful purveyors of the Hugo-nominated Galactic Journey , a site which explores the world of 55 years ago as if it was happening now. That made them ideal guests to talk about a couple of great films from the mid-60s, The Russians are Coming, The Russians are Coming and The Flight of the Phoenix . It's a great fun chat we're sure you'll enjoy!

It's time to throw our reviewers credentials in the trash, because Shawn, Paul and Jason all agree the two Twilight Breaking Dawn movies are kinda... umm... pretty good? Wait, hear us out and give the episode a listen before you completely trash us please. Because we all had a great time and not in an ironic way. 

So Paul McCoy was pondering, as he often does, about the state of supernatural franchises in the world of cinema these days, and he realized the Twilight saga was a major hole in his watching. So Paul asked his friends Shawn Hill and Jason Sacks to watch the five Twilight films with him. We cover the first three films this week and will discuss the last two films next week. So in brief, what did w...

High and Low , directed by Akira Kurosawa, takes place in contemporary Tokyo and tells the story of the kidnapping of a young boy and the police's subsequent efforts to find and free that boy. One of the great police procedurals ever filmed, this movie draws the reader into the many levels of high and low in Tokyo, delivering a blistering take on a deeply compromised society. Eric and Jason dig de...

Is Moonstruck a five star movie? Jason says "who cares" as Carl and he share their favorite lines from this essential 80s film classic. Join us this week and smile - and be sure to stick around for Jason singing like Vikki Carr... or like Oscar the Grouch.

Keith joins Jason again and this time they're chatting about love as portrayed in a few movies. They start with the seminal Love Story from 1970, looking at its clever structure, its lovely couple and its very outdated sexual roles. A movie from 50 years ago is an interesting contrast to two 2021 films which present much more complex and nuanced views on the mysteries of human relationships, The W...

Larry Cohen made some brilliant and odd movies in his career, which makes him the perfect filmmaker for Jason and Chris to discuss in this episode of Movienauts. Jason fills Chris in on Cohen's career, based on the recent documentary about Cohen's life, then the guys dig into the cryptic greatness of Bone and the wacky greatness of Q: the Winged Serpant , which is kind of a gritty sideways twist o...

Now that Spider-Man: No Way Home is finally out on PPV, it's time to wrap up this round of the Marvelcast with a perfect wrapup. Spider-Man: No Way Home is in some ways a culmination of the Spider-Man films, with all its guest stars and its tight integration with the MCU. Jason and Carlos dig deep into the movie and find a whole lot to enjoy. Warning: there are spoilers for this movie in the pod.

The Batman has been getting rave reviews and is bringing people back to theatres. But is it a good watch? Paul and Shawn join Jason to explore the complexity of Matt Reeves's take on Vengeance, with a 90 minute, tangent filled conversation filled with insights, some laughs and some very smart takes.  Please note: there are spoilers in this episode! If you enjoy the pod, please subscribe and l...

Dominick Grace and Eric Hoffman join Jason for another chapter in their ongoing series looking at classic films by the great Akira Kurosawa. This time: his deeply moving and complex film Ikiru , an internal, domestic drama that reveals some astounding truths about the human condition. Join Dom, Eric and Jason for an hour-long exploration of this very special picture. If you enjoyed this episode, p...

Harmony Korine has directed some of the most idiosyncratic films of recent years, so who better for Chris and Jason to talk about as they continue their conversations about filmmakers whose work goes off the beaten path. They start by talking about Gummo , which Jason didn't like on a visceral level but appreciated. Chris persuades Jason of its stronger qualities, then both of them groove over Mat...

Eric joins Jason again this week, and as they usually do, Eric and Jason discuss a whole set of movies by one of their favorite directors. This week Hal Ashby gets the spotlight. The guys chat about the acclaimed director of the classics Harold & Maude and Being There (along with many others), discuss how Ashby is an anomaly among classic '70s directors, Ashby's stylistic quirks, and his great...

In many ways, Frenzy and The Trouble with Harry are oddball Alfred Hitchcock films. In the case of Frenzy , it's an anomaly because it includes nudity and explicit violence far beyond anything Hitch ever displayed on film before. In the case of The Trouble with Harry , it's an anomaly because, well, it's a comedy-slash-pastoral piece which has at its center a very disliked dead man. Keith and Jaso...

This past weekend I had the wonderful experience of facilitating a discussion of Robert Altman's classic Nashville with a group of my friends. 7 or 8 of us dug deep into the film, finding fascinating connections and an intriguing world in this most complex and brilliant movie. It was a treat to host the group and it's a treat to get to share this recording with you. Hope you enjoy. If you did enjo...