Tame Aperture

A bowler, a rug, and one very unfortunate case of mistaken identity—this week on the podcast, we dive headfirst into the weird (Coen brothers) world of The Big Lebowski. Whether you're a first-time viewer or listener or maybe even a lifelong achiever ;) this episode of TA really pulls the whole conversation together! What do you think...did we cross the line with these ratings? Or should we mark i...

In this basement episode see what happens when a true crime story, a duffel bag of cocaine, and a very unfortunate bear collide? You get Allen and Gabe talking Cocaine Bear —one of the most gloriously unhinged high concept movies in recent memory.

If you love grindhouse homage, missing reels, zombies melting in neon light… and heroines with machine-gun legs — this one’s for you! This week on the podcast, we dive headfirst into Planet Terror--the gloriously unhinged half of the double-feature experiment known as Grindhouse, directed by the mad scientist himself, Robert Rodriguez.

Alright…seatbelts on. We’re talking about Death Proof — the sleazy, sun-bleached, tire-screeching half of Grindhouse — directed by none other than Quentin Tarantino a.k.a QT. This is the movie where dialogue hangs out longer than you expect and somewhere in the distance you can hear the rumble of a 1970s muscle car engine. Then about half way through--QT changes to an HD modern look...why? Is this...

In this episode, we talk The Shadow of the Sun, a powerful Venezuelan film that earned international attention as Venezuela’s Academy Awards International Feature Film nominee. It's a quietly powerful film that wrestles with memory, identity, and hope. We’re joined by director Miguel Angel Ferrer, who walks us through the personal origins of the project, themes that shaped it, and the creative dec...

Play this back in 1.5x speed! In this episode of the Tame Aperture Movie Podcast, we break down SLC Punk!—a loud, funny, and surprisingly thoughtful coming-of-age/slice of life film about identity, friendship, and growing up. In a lot of ways, SLC Punk! feels like the punk-rock cousin of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off—both are playful, fourth-wall-breaking snapshots of youth and growing up. But where Fe...

In this episode of the podcast, we dive deep into The Deer Hunter (1978), Michael Cimino’s haunting, controversial portrait of friendship, masculinity, and the psychological cost of the Vietnam War. We explore what makes The Deer Hunter such a defining piece of 1970s American cinema—from its deliberate pacing and immersive world-building to its unforgettable performances by Robert De Niro, Christo...

We sat down with filmmaker Michael Dahan to talk about his feature film Yes Repeat No. The conversation dives into a bold audition process in which three actors attempt to embody Palestinian-Jewish actor and activist Juliano Mer-Khamis—a former IDF paratrooper who famously described himself as “100% Palestinian and 100% Jewish.” Along the way, we unpack questions of identity, performance, directio...

With holiday schedules being a little wild and busy, throw this on at 1.5x speed—you’ll love it even more!!! In this holiday special, Tame Aperture dives into The Night Before (2015), starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, and Anthony Mackie. The holiday comedy that blends raunchy humor with surprising heart. Gabe and Allen break down what works, what hasn’t aged as cleanly, and why this film...

We’re diving into Saltburn directed by Emerald Fennell, the movie that left us asking “Wait… what just happened?” A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten. If you like spicy takes, overconfident theories, and hosts who think they’re way fu...

Watch out for bagel! I mean Bughull. A controversial true-crime writer finds a box of Super 8 home movies in his new home, revealing that the murder case he is currently researching could be the work of an unknown serial killer whose legacy dates back to the 1960s.

A Zach Cregger double feature. In Barbarian, a woman staying at an Airbnb discovers that the house she has rented is not what it seems. While in his newest film, all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, leaving a community questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.

Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), a well-liked high school government teacher, can't help but notice that successful student Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) uses less than ethical tactics to get what she wants. When Tracy runs for school president, Jim feels that she will be a poor influence on the student body and convinces Paul, a dim-witted but popular student athlete, to run against Tracy. W...

A newspaper cartoonist obsessed with solving San Francisco's infamous "Zodiac" serial killer case closes in on a suspect long after the case has become cold in this fact-based thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr.

Fueled by cheap whiskey, greed and hatred, Willie teams up once again with his angry little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve.

We talk the 2021 Netflix original out of Korea, by director Kim Tae-Hyoung. With prayer beads in one hand and an axe in the other, a monk hunts down a millennia-old spirit that's possessing humans and unleashing hell on Earth.

We talk the 2006 film "Slither" by director James Gunn. Wheelsy is a small town where not much happens and everyone minds his own business. No one notices when evil slips in quietly but, when people find mutilated livestock and a woman goes missing, Sheriff Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion) discovers an alien organism that threatens to devour all life on Earth.

We talk the 2007 anthology film, Trick 'r Treat, directed by Michael Dougherty. Five interwoven stories that occur on Halloween: An everyday high school principal has a secret life as a serial killer; a college virgin might have just met the guy for her; a group of teenagers pull a mean prank; a woman who loathes the night has to contend with her holiday-obsessed husband; and a mean old man meets...

We talk Halloween (2018) and dive into Laurie Strode's mission to confront her long-time foe Michael Myers, the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago. The film is directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Joe) and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Andi Matichak. We are also joined by Tame Aperture guest Brannon Richards...

We talk the 2019 film from director Robert Eggers titled "The Lighthouse" starring Wiliam DaFoe and Robert Pattinson. Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s. www.tameaperture.com

Comedy troupe “The Whitest Kids U Know” present “The Civil War on Drugs” follows two young men who mistakenly believe the Civil War is being waged over the legalization of marijuana. They join the cause and embark on a journey that brings them face to face with the Union, the Confederates, the Pony Express and even Abraham Lincoln.

We talk the 2004 Sundance stunner "Primer" directed by Shane Carruth. Intellectual engineers Aaron (Shane Carruth) and Abe (David Sullivan) build and sell error-checking technology with the help of their friends. But when Aaron and Abe accidentally invent what they think is a time machine, Abe builds a version capable of transporting a human and puts the device to the test. As the two friends obse...

We talk the 2019 Comedy Horror Satire by James Jarmusch titled "The Dead Don't Die" starring Bill Murray and Adam Driver at the forefront of an ensemble cast. The peaceful town of Centerville finds itself battling a zombie horde as the dead start rising from their graves.

We reach our 50th Episode of the podcast by tackling our first documentary review. Join us as we discuss the 2015 film from filmmaker Jimmy Chin titled "Meru" as we break down the journey of Conrad, Jimmy and Renan; as they suffer to scale one of the most indomitable mountains in the world.

We talk the 1993 directorial debut from Guillermo del Torro titled "Cronos" starring Federico Luppi, Ron Perlman and Claudio Brook. A mysterious device designed to provide its owner with eternal life resurfaces after four hundred years, leaving a trail of destruction in its path.