The Filmographers

When a star singer stops for gas in small-town Nevada, two struggling songwriters hatch a plot that is in no way problematic: they hire a local prostitute to pose as the piano player’s wife and offer her to the singer, hoping he’ll buy one of their songs. Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmogra...

Sixteen years after winning an Oscar for writing “The Social Network,” Aaron Sorkin follows up by writing AND directing “The Social Reckoning.” He claims it’s not a sequel, but it IS a look at what happens when Mark Zuckerberg—and Facebook—are all grown up. Keir Graff and guest co-host Scott Dummler break it down and tell you whether you should friend, block, or report. Join our Patreon for episod...

Paul Diamond knew Billy Wilder well—his dad was Wilder’s writing partner, I. A. L. Diamond. A novelist, screenwriter, and movie producer himself, Paul spoke to Keir about meeting Marilyn Monroe, the true story behind his dad’s initials, and who wrote the line, “Nobody’s perfect.” Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social medi...

Billy Wilder’s last film, a savage satire of capitalism, was a flop. With Irma la Douce, he returned to the subject that gave him his greatest successes—sex!—by making a movie about a hooker with a heart of gold. Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmographers Bluesky  @thefilmographers.bsky.socia...

It's no secret that Billy Wilder was an important inspiration in Cameron Crowe's life and work. Crowe did, after all, write a book on Wilder. But how much of Wilder shows up in Crowe's movies? We look at Crowe's 1997 smash-hit Jerry Maguire and ask the most important question: Does Crowe show Wilder the money? Social media Instagram  @thefilmographers Bluesky  @thefilmographers.bsky.social Letterb...

Part existential road trip, part liminal horror nightmare, It Ends captivated audiences during its festival run and is hoping to build on that success with a theatrical release. We explore writer/director Alex Ullom's micro-budget effort and how it might give voice to the Covid generation. Also, we share two updates on our main squeeze, Steven Soderbergh! Join our Patreon for episodes and content...

It's 1961, and Hollywood is changing. Foreign films are wooing critics and audiences alike, and a new wave of filmmakers is starting to emerge. But while movies are taking a step forward, Wilder is taking a step back with One, Two, Three, a throwback comedy featuring an aging star. Grab yourself a Coca-Cola and find out if audiences would travel back with the classic auteur, of if he was, for the...

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's The Samurai and the Prisoner is an equally epic and intimate story of war, nobility, and murder in 16th-century Japan. Mike and Kevin explore its many layers, its narrative construction, and how Kurosawa taps into Sydney Lumet's rich tradition of "moral claustrophobia" to create something truly compelling. Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! P...

By 1960, nearly twenty years into his career as a writer/director, Billy Wilder had made one unforgettable film after another. And yet, his latest effort might just be his best yet--it is, some say, the quintessential Wilder movie: The Apartment.  But nothing's easy with Wilder, and making his groundbreaking comedy was no exception. Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere...

Nathan Deming is one of our favorite up-and-coming filmmakers. We previously discussed his film February, and now he's back with a new movie, Winter Hymns, an epic and wonderful story of life, death, and more. We chatted with him about his influences, specifically his experience studying under the great Mike Leigh and how Secrets and Lies helped shape his life.  Join our Patreon for episodes and c...

A movie as big as The Odyssey cannot be contained to just one episode. Since we've already reviewed Christopher Nolan's masterful epic, we're going to look at how The Odyssey fits into Nolan's filmography--the obsessions, the themes, the recurring motifs. Join us as we journey through Interstellar, Memento, Oppenheimer, and more.  Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere e...

Christopher Nolan is back, and he's going epic with an adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey. Does is reach the heights of his Academy Award-winning masterpiece Oppenheimer? Mike and producer Kevin share their thoughts, and they rank their five favorite Nolan movies! Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @the...

As the co-founder of Troma Entertainment, Lloyd Kaufman has blazed a singular trail through cinema for over 50 years. He's behind all-time classics such as The Toxic Avenger, Class of Nuke 'Em High, Tromeo and Juliet, and so many more. He's an icon, a cult legend, and we were thrilled to talk with him about Billy Wilder, classic movies, and the art of filmmaking. Join our Patreon for episodes and...

With his new writing partner at his side and a parade of hit movies trailing behind him, Billy Wilder was ready to start the next chapter of his career. While he began his latest act by making one of the greatest comedies of all-time, it came at a cost: The cost of doing business with Marilyn Monroe.  Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmograph...

Whether you've been following along with us all season or have only recently joined us, this brief recap will prepare you for our journey into the back half of Wilder's career, which kicks off on June 30 with our episode on Some Like It Hot. Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmographers Bluesky ...

Michael Sarnoski's The Death of Robin Hood is a dark and grim reevaluation of the Robin Hood mythos. But is it just another gritty take on a beloved character, or does the movie have something deeper on its mind? We discuss this very question, and more, in our review.  Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram...

Keir and Mike may not be martial artists, but they know a good fight when they see one, and The Furious has *a lot* of great fights. But is that enough to carry a movie? Plus, our five favorite fightin' movies!  Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmographers Bluesky  @thefilmographers.bsky.social...

Keir and Mike are joined by a very special guest and friend of the show—Pulitzer Prize-winning author Daniel Kraus!—to dissect Billy Wilder’s 10 Rules for Screenwriting. Which ones are still relevant? Which ones aren’t even rules? Listen and find out! Join our Patreon for episodes and content you won’t find anywhere else! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmographer...

Billy Wilder needed a hit, so who could he turn to? A hit-making machine: the one and only Agatha Christie. But change is in the air for Wilder, and his career is about to experience a plot twist that the queen of mystery herself couldn't see coming.  Like what we do here on the Filmographers? Then please consider joining our Patreon! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @th...

It's a Filmographers first: Mike is flying solo! Keir is away on writer business, but Mike saw two new horror releases that he's dying to discuss: Damian McCarthy's Hokum and Curry Barker's Obsession. Mike breaks down what works about each of these movies and what's a bunch of, well...hokum.  Like what we do here on the Filmographers? Then please consider joining our Patreon! Patreon.com/TheFilmog...

Billy Wilder’s last film was a flop. But he would get two do-overs in 1957—and the first was his Ernst Lubitsch homage, “Love in the Afternoon.” He also met his second great writing partner: I. A. L. Diamond. Like what we do here on the Filmographers? Then please consider joining our Patreon! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmographers Bluesky  @thefilmographers.b...

After stringing together three hit movies based on Broadway plays, Billy Wilder pivoted to new territory: a biopic of Charles Lindbergh. On one hand, Lindbergh was an American myth whose life story was ripe for Hollywood treatment. On the other, he was a Nazi sympathizer, and Wilder was a Jew who'd lost family in the Holocaust. The project was fraught with difficulties from the start--and that was...

They're no Billy Wilder, and this isn't a director's commentary, but Keir and Mike provide plenty of insight into what makes "Ace in the Hole" one of the best movies of all-time. Also, forgive their math. They're just writers, after all.  Enjoy this preview of our Patreon exclusive? Then sign up today! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmographers Bluesky  @thefilmo...

Steven Soderbergh is back! The Filmographers' OG director has returned to the scene with The Christophers, a movie about art and authenticity starring Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel. Is his latest effort a forgery, or is it the real deal? Like what we do here on the Filmographers? Then please consider joining our Patreon! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmographer...

We're nearly at the midway point of our second season, which means it's time to rank our favorite films from the first half of Billy Wilder's career. We also discuss Steven Soderbergh's embracing of AI, and Mike delivers his review of Exit 8.  Like what we do here on the Filmographers? Then please consider joining our Patreon! Patreon.com/TheFilmographersPodcast Social media Instagram  @thefilmogr...