The Izzy and Murtada Picture Show

This week on the podcast, Izzy and Murtada take a look at Nicole Holofcener’s latest micro-melodrama, "You Hurt My Feelings." Julia Louis-Dreyfuss stars as a novelist who accidentally overhears her husband confess that he does not like her debut novel, despite the fact that he’d told her again and again that he loved it. The “betrayal” causes a crisis of confidence in the marriage, and forces her...

This week, Izzy and Murtada discuss HBO’s latest Sydney Sweeney vehicle, “Reality.” Sweeney stars as Reality Winner, the whistleblower accused of leaking classified intelligence documents about Russian interference in the 2016 election to the press. The film’s dialogue is sourced directly from transcripts of Winner’s interrogation by the FBI, forming a simultaneously tedious and thrilling chamber...

This week Izzy and Murtada gush about this year’s Sundance sensation, PAST LIVES. Celine Song’s film directorial debut tells the story of childhood friends Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) who are separated when Nora’s family immigrates from South Korea to Canada. Decades later, they reconnect, which prompts both of them to question the role that they play in each other’s lives and what the...

This week Izzy and Murtada welcome Isaac Butler, author of "The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act.” The trio discusses the scourge of biopics, how the standards of what is considered “good” or “bad” have changed over time, and how the Method redefined masculinity and what’s considered “fuckable” on screen but still gets such a bad wrap. Some of the actors discussed (though not all a...

This week Izzy and Murtada talk about the latest entry in their favorite subgenre (older actresses accepting roles to take vacations with their friends)...BOOK CLUB: THE NEXT CHAPTER. Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen star as friends for life who, inspired by Paul Coelho’s The Alchemist, travel to Italy for a Bachelorette extravaganza. Izzy simultaneously fawns over an...

This week, New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman joins the podcast to discuss his latest book, Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat and Tears. In a conversation that spans from the union-busting origins of the Academy to Halle Berry’s landmark win to the possibilities of the awards ceremony’s future, Izzy and Murtada seek to find out: who are the Academy Awards for? Follow the show...

Izzy and Murtada are on different coasts this week. In New York Murtada spoke to Lisa Cortés, the director of ' Little Richard: I Am Everything,' about how she brought Little Richard’s big queer personality to life in her entertaining film. Cortés also talks about her process and how she set out to “decolonize” the documentary form. In Los Angeles, Izzy spoke to Alicia Malone, author and host at T...

Izzy and Murtada discuss Kelly Reichardt’s latest film, Showing Up ! Michelle Williams stars as a sculptor who works tirelessly to finish works for her upcoming show, despite having no hot water, an injured pigeon, and escalating family drama. Murtada notes how Hong Chau steals the show (again), while Izzy admires the film’s intimacy and pace. Both raise the question…Could this be Kelly Reichardt’...

Kristen Lopez , film editor at The Wrap, joins the podcast to discuss her book, “ But Have You Read the Book?: 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films ,” a collaboration with TCM that explores some of the most famous book to film adaptations in American cinema. Izzy interviews her about her favorite and least favorite adaptations, what makes an adaptation successful, and the challenges s...

Todd Flaherty  and  Wyatt Fenner  drop by to talk about their new film,  Chrissy Judy —an examination of queer friendship that asks “What do you do when your chosen family no longer chooses you?” Flaherty plays Judy, an ambitious New York drag queen who must reinvent himself and his act when his best friend and collaborator, Chrissy (Fenner), chooses a relationship in another c...

“Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” was voted by the participants in Sight and Sound’s Greatest Films of All Time poll as #1. To get to the bottom of what makes this film resonate so deeply with viewers almost 50 years after its initial release, we spoke with Professor Catherine Fowler from the University of Otago, whose book on the film positions it as a ‘contrary classic’ that...

For the 80th anniversary of its release, the show revisits the classic film Casablanca . Izzy becomes mesmerized by Ingrid Bergman’s glow while Murtada is firmly team Humphrey Bogart’s Rick and has no time for Paul Henried’s Laszlo. Joining the conversation is film professor Noah Isenberg , author of the book We’ll Always Have Casablanca , who talks about the film’s enduring legacy and the immigra...

While Izzy and Murtada mourn TÁR’ s total lack of Academy recognition, they delight in Everything Everywhere All at Once ’s cultural resonance and its actors’ triumphant end of the Oscars season. Murtada questions the uncritical gaze of Navalny , while Izzy wonders why Bette Davis wasn’t featured in the Warner Bros centennial tribute. Plus favorite speeches and other moments from the Oscars show!...

In their inaugural podcast episode, Izzy and Murtada rank the Best Picture nominees for the 2022 Academy Awards! How will crowd-pleasers Top Gun and Avatar fare? Will two die-hard Cate Blanchett fans defy expectations and not give TÁR the top slot? (No). Things we mentioned in this podcast  Jenny Nicholson’s Avatar Theme Park Video Fresh Air with Steven Spielberg The World of Yesterday by Ste...

In their second podcast episode EVER, Izzy and Murtada discuss the acting nominees for the 2022 Academy Awards! Murtada succumbs to biopicitis, and Izzy actively tries not to award everyone in The Banshees of Inisherin . Both unequivocally, yet again, support Ms. Blanchett but try not to be annoying about it. And it all starts with Angela Bassett, of course. Things we mention in the podcast:&...

Meet Izzy and Murtada—two film enthusiasts who had the incredibly unique idea to start a podcast. Each week, they'll bring you reviews of current releases, interviews with artists and writers, awards show predictions, and more! Follow them on Twitter and Instagram @IMPictureShow and hit subscribe for new episodes every week! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy No...