Pivotal Film

Ugh...the hits just keep on coming in 2020. A storm in Connecticut knocked down a bunch of trees and a bunch of power and Eversource is terrible, so Mario and Tom werent able to get together this week. Instead they present this Christopher Nolan Super Pod! Its ever Christopher Nolan conversation theyve had on the show all in one place. Thats something you wanted, right? Batman Begins(1:25), The Da...

Mario and Tom talk about Elem Klimov's 1985 film "Come and See" (4:45), and the new adaptation of Jerzy Kosinski's "The Painted Bird" (40:24).

Mario and Tom talks about "Palm Springs" (4:04), and "First Cow" (19:58).

Mario and Tom get together for the first time in four months to talk about Charlie Kaufman's new novel "Antkind."

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and strong, and passionate, and as positive as they can. “Hamilton” came out on Disney + on Friday; Mario and Tom watched it, and begin this week's show by talking about it (5:35). Then they get a pound of pure and step into the ring with their number 23’s: Mario (28:50),...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and strong, and passionate, and as positive as they can. Mario and Tom begin the week by talking about some critically acclaimed documentaries now playing on Netflix: “Crip Camp” (9:45), and “Athlete A” (24:40). Then they spend some time touring some dreamlands while tryin...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and strong, and passionate, and as positive as they can. They made it, folks. Mario and Tom are finished with three-quarters of their list! This is the home stretch and its fitting that that episode be one of the longest yet. They start by wondering what is up with the new...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and strong, and passionate, and as positive as they can. Mario and Tom start this week by talking about the new Spike Lee joint “Da 5 Bloods” starring Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, Clarke Peters and Chaswick Boseman (7:40). Then they pass through a stargate while looking...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and strong, and passionate, and as positive as they can. Mario and Tom start this week by talking about a couple of new streaming releases: “The Vast of Night,” on Amazon Prime (9:15), and “Shirley,” on Hulu, starring Elizabeth Moss (31:29). Then they listen to some Nico w...

When you feel like you cant do anything, take a step back and then do something: https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/ https://8cantwait.org/ We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and strong, and passionate, and as positive as they can. Mario and Tom go back to the BFI list again this week to talk about a couple of films by Ingmar Bergman: “Wild Strawberries” (16:30), and “Persona” (1:06:03...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and as positive as they can. It is the rarest thing in the world now, folks: a list episode! First they talk about Michael Showalter’s new film “The Lovebirds,” starring Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae (12:15). And then, after a night at the Bates Motel they go back to Brazil...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and as positive as they can. It’s another BFI episode today folks: Carl Dreyer’s “Ordet” (28:02), and Chantal Akerman’s “Jeanne Dielman” (1:02:40). But first they talk about David Lynch’s new animated short film “Fire (Pozar)” (13:41), and the tragedy of Lynn Shelton’s sud...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and as positive as they can. Mario and Tom go back to the BFI Sight and Sound list this week, because they feel like it. They talk about Wong Kar-wai’s “In the Mood For Love” (11:25), before taking a detour to talk about Luis Bunuel’s “Belle Du Jour” (37:00). Music Credits...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and as positive as they can. They did it! Mario and Tom go back to their lists this week! But first they have a chat about Alice Wu’s Tribeca Film Festival Best Feature award winning “The Half of It” (10:05). Then, after two months, Mario and Tom walk into town looking for...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and as positive as they can. Mario and Tom and friend-of-the-program Chris spend some time on the Zoom talking about Nobuhiko Obayashi’s psychedelic-horror classic “House” (17:10). Then Tom and Mario think out loud about Disney+’s “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made,” direc...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe, and as positive as they can. Mario and Tom are taking the week off, so they decided to make one long conversation about a movie that appears on both of their lists. This week Hayao Miyazaki’s, “Spirited Away” (Tom – 62, Mario – 47). Music Credits: “Her Eyes Play Tricks on...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe. While still under stay-at-home orders, Mario and Tom talk about Robert Bresson’s 1966 film, “Au Hasard Balthazar.” They follow that up with a chat about “Trolls World Tour,” and why movies for children are bad (48:35). As always their conversation is peppered with their li...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe. Mario and Tom talk new movies this week: First up is Pixar’s new flick “Onward,” featuring the voices of Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Octavia Spencer (12:08). Then they tackle Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (40:10). Then they spend a w...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. We hope everyone is staying healthy, and safe. This week in their continuing series of classic movies that they haven’t seen yet, Mario and Tom talk about Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Mirror,” which inevitably involves “Ivan’s Childhood,” “Andrei Rublev,” and “Stalker.” Life in the coronavirus epoch comes as well. Music Credits...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. Give us a call and tell us what your Pivotal Film is!!!!! 475-777-2450 Mario and Tom continue their program of talking about cinema classics. This week they talk about Jean-Luc Godard’s 1963 film, Contempt. They also spend a couple minutes talking about Celine Sciamma’s first feature ‘Water Lillies’ (59:00). As always...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. Give us a call and tell us what your Pivotal Film is!!!!! 475-777-2450 Um, so, ok. Things are happening… Mario and Tom use a spotty Zoom connection to talk about Celine Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Afterwards and before they commiserate on the experience of living in the COVID-19 epoch. On Tap! Mario drinks...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. Give us a call and tell us what your Pivotal Film is!!!!! 475-777-2450 This week’s episode starts with Mario and Tom trying to see if they can figure out whats up with “The Invisible Man,” starring a great, Elisabeth Moss (11:42). Finally, they spend some time in portals of one kind, or another, trying to get inside th...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. Give us a call and tell us what your Pivotal Film is!!!!! 475-777-2450 Mario and Tom take the week off from their lists to talk about some 1996 action films: The Substitute (12:30), The Rock (25:45), Executive Decision (42:30), Broken Arrow (1:02:20), Independence Day (1:20:00), and Twister (1:45:30). Music Credits: “H...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. Give us a call and tell us what your Pivotal Film is!!!!! 475-777-2450 This week’s episode starts with Tom speeding through a review of “Sonic the Hedgehog,” starring Kim Carrey and James Marsden (6:15). Then they sit for a while with Hu Bo’s “An Elephant Sitting Still” (19:20). Finally, they take some shots at their n...

pivotalfilmpodcast@gmail.com, www.twitter.com/filmpivotal, www.pivotalfilm.com. Give us a call and tell us what your Pivotal Film is!!!!! 475-777-2450 This week Mario and Tom start by talking about “The Staggering Girl,” a short film by Luca Guadagnino, starring Julianne Moore, Kyle MacLachlan, Mia Goth, Kiki Layne, with a score by Ryuichi Sakamoto (10:25). Then they drop bombs on their number 32’...