The Pestle: In-depth Movie Talk, No Fluff | Film Review | Spoilers

In this episode we discuss Alex Garland’s directorial debut “Ex Machina”: Artificial Intelligence with special guest Byron Reese, host of Gigaom’s Voices in AI podcast; camerawork and visual storytelling techniques; the symbolism of Ex Machina; and much more! Check out Byron’s podcast: Gigaom’s Voices in AI Pre-order Byron’s book on Amazon: The Fourth Age:...

In this episode we take on Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” and discuss: the camerawork and technique of shooting in one room; we weigh in with a special guest about Tarantino’s use of the N-word; and much more! Big shout out to Shomari for joining us so last minute. It got lost in the episode […] The post Ep 21: “The Hateful Eight” appeared first on The...

In this episode we discuss Marvel’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and discuss: Good villains; Epic failures as a story device; origin stories; and much more! Notes & References: Four Quadrants This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 20: “Spider-Man: Homecoming” appeared first on The Pestle .

In this episode we discuss Netflix’s “Stranger Things”: the title sequence of Stranger Things; the composition & camerawork; pacing, themes, differences between seasons 1 & 2, and much more! The Byers are framed in two, above them is light in a separate panel, they’re below, with the snow swirling outside as if they’re in the […] The post Ep 19: “S...

In this episode we have special guest Joe Howes with us to discuss: the lighting of Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs the World”; transitions; sound design; and much more. “I think one of the things that really separates us from the high primates is that we’re tool builders. I read a study that measured the […] The post Ep 18: “Scott Pilgrim vs the World” a...

In this episode we discuss: the symbolism of La La Land; Technicolor; the 180º rule; music and Hollywood; being an artist, and pursuing your dreams; and much more. “The way I look at a musical, you are commenting on the human condition no matter what you do. A musical may be light and frivolous, but […] The post Ep 17: “La La Land” appeared first on The Pestle .

In this episode we discuss: The Overture of 1812; James McTeigue & The Wachowskis; Hugo Weaving & Natalie Portman’s amazing performances; the meaning of V for Vendetta, terrorism, patriotism, politics; and much more. “In a time of universal deceit – telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” – George Orwell Notes & References: Thomas Paine: […] The post Ep 16: &...

In this episode we discuss: the theme of Stephen King’s “It”; camerawork and editing techniques; horror dramas; child actors; and much more. “Even bad guys (most of them, anyway) see themselves as good—they are the heroes of their own lives. Giving them a fair chance as characters can create some interesting shades of gray—and shades […] The post Ep 15: Stephen King’s...

In this episode we check out Edgar Wright’s “Baby Driver” and discuss: Edgar Wright’s style; foreshadowing; editing on set; the opening scene and the title sequence; and much more. “Maybe directors who are more interested in realism and naturalism come from cities, where they see things on their doorstep every day. But growing up as […] The post Ep 14: “Baby Dri...

In this episode we discuss Danny Boyle’s scifi film “Sunshine” and discuss: the colors of Sunshine; Danny Boyle’s style vs David Fincher; the film’s theme; foreshadowing; and much more. “Truthfully, I can only say I was driven to make the film, that these images came to me and I did not question them. My only […] The post Ep 13: “Sunshine” appeared f...

In this episode the Coen Brothers cult classic hit “The Big Lebowski” and discuss: the Coen Brothers; the human comedy of The Big Lebowski; Philip Seymour Hoffman; the real antagonist; and much more. “If the material is challenging, it forces you to challenge yourself when handling it.” – Joel Coen Notes & References: Scott Graham […] The post Ep 12: “The Big Lebo...

In this episode we check out Gareth Edwards’ “Rogue One” and discuss: the cinematography of Rogue One; FX & set design; war; and much more. Wes’s additional thought: I really loved my friend Justin’s thoughts about the lack of character development, but after recording our episode and continuing to chew on this film I do […] The post Ep 11: “Rogue One&...

In this episode we take a look at David Fincher’s “The Social Network” and discuss: the audio & music of The Social Network; Aaron Sorkins tropes; David Fincher’s cinematography style; ways the plot is subtly underscored; Sean Parker’s role in the movie; and so much more. “Trying to guess what the audience wants and then […] The post Ep 10: “The Social...

In this episode we check out Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” and discuss: adapting Stephen King novels. The differences between The Gunslinger book and The Dark Tower movie. Moments of ineffective filmmaking. Enhancing the hero and villain. Girbaud vs Faded Glory, and much more! “Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside […] The post Ep 9: “The Dark...

  In this episode we look at the comedy classic “Clue” and discuss: turning a board game into a comedy Making exposition fun Camera work that plays into comedy The nature of comedy “What no one understands: ideas are a dime a dozen. An idea has no real value. It’s all about the execution of […] The post Ep 8: “Clue” – with special guest Joe Parsons ap...

In this episode we dive into Christopher Nolan’s WWII film “Dunkirk” and discuss: the artwork of Dunkirk; the true enemy; the nature of tension, and the ways it shows up; Nolan gives good context, and much more! “Every film should have its own world, a logic and feel to it that expands beyond the exact […] The post Ep 7: “Dunkirk” appeared first on The Pestle .

We take a look at Michael Bay’s latest robot movie “Transformers: The Last Knight” and discuss: The Extremes of Transformers Acting (in a bad movie) FX Respecting the audience & the world of your film And much more! “Creativity is an energy. It’s a precious energy, and it’s something to be protected. A lot of […] The post Ep 6: “Transformers: The Last...

In this episode the indie thriller “Whiplash” and discuss: Music & Jazz, tension & resolution; The colors of Whiplash; We debate the merits of Fletcher’s teaching techniques; and much more. “I always say that if I have another success, I’ll enjoy it more, but you don’t really.” – Danny Boyle Notes & References: Damien Chazelle […] The post Ep 5...

In this episode we check out James Gunn’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and discuss: Incongruity; The importance of a title sequence; Comparing intro & title sequences from Guardians 1 & 2; Wasteful FX; The colors of Guardians of the Galaxy 2; What is the theme of Guardians 2?; For the record, Zoe Saldana’s […] The post Ep 4: “Guardians of the Galaxy...

In this episode we check out the MMA film “Warrior” and look at: the variety of ways Warrior immerses us into its world, using audio, lighting, and more. Camerawork, angles, and how composition can tie in with the subtext of the scene or even the entire movie How Moby Dick ties in thematically Shooting on […] The post Ep 3: “Warrior” appeared first on The Pestle .

In this episode we look at Christopher Nolan’s scifi epic “Interstellar”: Wes babbles about 70mm film, and briefly touches on film vs digital Space and the science of Interstellar FX: TARS and CASE; projectors; Christopher Nolan piloting A deep dive of the theme of Interstellar: Evolving mankind; love transcending space & time “People will say, […] The post Ep 2:...

In this episode: Todd wanders into the Alamo Drafthouse’s women-only screening of Wonder Woman Wes’ most embarrassing memory The VFX of Wonder Woman Feminism in Wonder Woman (According to two men, anyway, come get your mansplaination!) “Life’s like a movie, write your own ending. Keep believing, keep pretending.” – Jim Henson Referenced Links: Alamo Drafthouse W...