The Filmlings

To kick off a new series of episodes that will give an overview of the history of the western genre, Alex and Jonathan start off by talking about three early western films from the pre-sound era: The Testing Block (1920), Sky High (1922), and The Iron Horse (1924). We discuss the development of both the themes and the action of the western genre, how the early westerns lacked many of the common tr...

For the winter wrap-up episode to close out the year, Alex and Jonathan talk about four films that focus on the ways that people have to survive in freezing and desperate situations: Touching the Void (2003), The Grey (2011), Everest (2015), and Arctic (2018). We discuss ways to tell a true story through documentary and historical reenactment, as well as how fictional survival stories can use them...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The December Marquee: https://thefilmlings.wordpress.com/2022/11/30/december-22/ Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

From the very first photographs of motion, horses have been integrated with the cinema, so today Alex and Jonathan talk about different ways horses can be used to drive a story in The Black Stallion (1979), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), Seabiscuit (2003), and War Horse (2011). We discuss horses as both thematic metaphors and characterizations, what makes them so compelling to watch on f...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The November Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

To fill some time while Alex and Jonathan are on break, we're releasing a commentary track for Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) which was recorded in 2018. Going scene-by-scene through the extended edition of the film allows us to break down some of the details and nuances of the filmmaking techniques, as well as giving plenty of time for nerdy lore discussions and behind the scen...

This month we'll be on break, but we have a special episode for October to fill the gap so stay tuned!

Taking a step behind the curtain of classic movie magic, today Alex and Jonathan discuss the techniques and creatures brought to the screen by VFX pioneer Ray Harryhausen in Mighty Joe Young (1949), The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958), Jason and the Argonauts (1963), and Clash of the Titans (1981). We discuss the evolution of the Dynamation and Dynarama processes, the ways that his techniques influenc...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The September Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

We are all interested in the future, which is why in this episode Alex and Jonathan take a look at some prominent entries into the time travel sub-genre of science fiction, specifically: Time After Time (1979), Back to the Future (1985), Groundhog Day (1993), and Tenet (2020). We discuss the various mechanisms for implementing time travel into a plot, how the device does or doesn't influence the d...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The August Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

Another legend of Hollywood's Golden Age is the spotlight for this episode as Alex and Jonathan talk about some of the classic works of Otto Preminger: Laura (1944), Bonjour Tristesse (1958), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), and Bunny Lake is Missing (1965). We discuss how Preminger builds character driven narrative through visuals, his real and perceived image as a directorial tyrant, and how he stack...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The July Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

Sit back and enjoy the ride as Alex and Jonathan talk through the road-trip style films of Abbas Kiarostami in Where Is the Friend's House? (1987), And Life Goes On (1992), Through the Olive Trees (1994), and Taste of Cherry (1997). We discuss the way Kiarostami blends truth and fiction, how he uses long takes to provoke deeper thought from the audience, and the detailed attention he pays to the w...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The June Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

This month Alex and Jonathan fly to a mythical Nordic world and discuss the recent animated trilogy How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014), and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). We discuss a brief history of dragons, ways to incorporate high stakes and family into children's movies, and adapting a sprawling fantasy world from book to screen. Skip to: 16...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The May Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

When it comes to acting, few names loom as large in the recent history of stage or screen as that of Laurence Olivier. Alex and Jonathan discuss his contributions to the film medium through his roles in Wuthering Heights (1939), Rebecca (1940), Richard III (1955), and Marathon Man (1976). We talk about his growth as a performer, his interactions with leading directors from various periods of film...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The April Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

The epic drama and action of director John Woo carries us away this month as Alex and Jonathan talk about The Killer (1989), Hard Boiled (1992), Face/Off (1997), and Red Cliff (2008). We talk about his pioneering of the "Honorable Bloodshed" genre, his distinct stylistic and thematic trademarks, and his continuing legacy on many modern directors and content creators. Skip to: 8:22 – The Killer 23:...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The March Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

Watch your back because in this episode Alex and Jonathan, talk about the history of American gangster films through four classic and contemporary tales within the genre: Scarface (1932), Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Scarface (1983), and Goodfellas (1990). We discuss the origins of gangster stories being pulled from the contemporary headlines, how the genre was affected by the strict regulation...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The February Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF

Kicking off season 6 of the podcast, Alex and Jonathan take a look at the films and careers of two oft-paired star performers: Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. We look at their films The Gay Divorcee (1934), Shall We Dance (1937), and The Barkleys of Broadway (1949), and discuss the history of each performer, the mesmerizing quality of watching performance talent on film, and the evolving taste and...

Find more info about the upcoming episode on The January Marquee . Join us on Discord to keep up with the discussion throughout the month: https://discord.gg/MAF6jh59cF