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

We clean Natalie Portman’s “The Professional” and discuss: Cinematography, widescreen; Story & Writing, Leon, the final battle; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.“ – Confucius Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: “Th...

We hunt Elle Fanning’s “Predator: Badlands” and discuss: Screenwriting, methods to start a script 0:00-18:53; Cinematography, creating a visual look; Story & Writing, revealing character through actions, theme, weapons; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Sometimes I write drunk and revise sober.“ – Peter De Vries, from “Reuben, Reuben” Notes &...

We press “REC” and discuss: Subtitles vs dubbing; Cinematography, lighting, camerawork; Story & Writing, runtime, immersion, themes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “People say you never remember anybody who dies in movies, and it’s true, you don’t. You don’t even remember people who disappear.“ – Danny Boyle Notes & References: Supports...

We shred Jeremy Saulnier’s “Green Room” and discuss: Cinematography, lighting, salt & pepper; Story & Writing, moments of tension, pockets of action, grounding us, theme; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they […] The post Ep 344: “Green R...

We go inside “Tron: Ares” and discuss: Story & Writing, small details, exposition, likeable characters; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge […] The post Ep 343: “Tron: Ares” appeared first on The Pestl...

We clobber Dwayne The Rock Johnson’s “The Smashing Machine” and discuss: Story & Writing, exposition, stakes, finales; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I’m always asked, ‘What’s the secret to success?’ But there are no secrets. Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.“ – Dwayne Johnson Notes […] T...

We spy Pierre Jeunet’s “Amélie” and discuss: Cinematography, dramatic camerawork; Story & Writing, voiceover, themes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.“ – Mahatma Gandhi Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! The Problem with Mary’s Room – thought experiment (Wiki […] Th...

We track down Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and discuss: Cinematography, tracking shot; Story & Writing, rats, chase sequence; Music adding tone, driving the story; Performances; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Yes, we do defend our office as we do defend our homes. This is a constitutional right everybody has, […] The post Ep 340: &#8220...

We trudge through Stephen King’s “The Long Walk” and discuss: Cinematography, constantly bouncing subjects; Story & Writing, themes; Reading books; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.“ – Ray Bradbury Notes & References: Supports us on our […] The post E...

We run through Tom Hanks’ “Forrest Gump” and discuss: Cinematography, long takes, Vietnam; Story & Writing, destiny vs random chance, stories of the downtrodden; Favorite moments; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Sooner or later, if man is ever to be worthy of his destiny, we must fill our hearts with tolerance.“ – […] The post Ep 338: “Forr...

We visit Edson Oda’s “Nine Days” and discuss: Cinematography, natural lighting, poor man’s process; Story & Writing, world building; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird, That cannot fly.“ – Langston Hughes “Dreams” Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon [&#82...

We dive into James Cameron’s “The Abyss” and discuss: Cinematography; Story & Writing, original ending changes everything, “yes, but” storytelling; Dramatizing real life things; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Curiosity is the most powerful thing you own.“ – James Cameron Notes & References: Supports us on our Patreon here! Michael Arnd...

We load up Zach Cregger’s “Weapons” and discuss: Cinematography, zooms and high angles; Story & Writing, witchy stuff; Music; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Our job as Americans and as Republicans is to dislodge the traitors from every place where they’ve been sent to do their traitorous work.” – Joseph McCarthy Notes […] The post Ep 335:...

We merge with Alison Brie’s “Together” and discuss: Simultaneous Invention, aka “You stole my idea!”; Story & Writing, symbolism, rules rules rules; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back.“ – Plato Notes & References: Check out our Patreon here! Simultaneous Invention (wik...

We rocket into Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” and discuss: Story & Writing, rule of resistance, the wall; Action Movie Energy; Sound design; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Imagine all the people living life in peace.“ – John Lennon, from “Imagine” Notes & References: Support us on our Patreon here! Watch us […] The post Ep 33...

We sight George Clooney’s “The American” and discuss: Cinematography, compositions, center framing; Story & Writing, cold opens, adding complexity to simple stories; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop.“ – H.L. Mencken Notes & References: “The American” Script link (scriptslug.com) &#821...

We try out Penny Marshall’s “A League of Their Own” and discuss: Editing, follow the eyes; Story & Writing, comedy, sports arcs, themes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The development of leadership, initiative, and self-confidence in the girls who are to have the tremendously increased responsibilities of women must carry in another […] The post Ep 331: &#8...

We soar into James Gunn’s “Superman” and discuss: Cinematography, wide angles; Story & Writing, punk rock, rule of repeats; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “To me, punk is about being an individual and going against the grain and standing up and saying ‘This is who I am’.“ – Joey Ramone Notes & […] The post Ep 330: “Superman&...

We salute Steve Martin’s “¡Three Amigos!” and discuss: Story & Writing, classic comedy, setting up the confusion; Favorite moments; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “All for one and one for all, united we stand divided we fall.“ – Alexandre Dumas, from The Three Musketeers Notes & References: Check out our Patreon here! […] The post Ep 329: &#8...

We joyride through Brad Pitt’s “F1: The Movie” and discuss: Cinematography, wide angles; Story & Writing, exposition, the real antagonist; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “No one is bigger than the team. If you can’t do things our way, you’re not getting time here and we don’t care who you are.“ – […] The post Ep 328: “F1&#...

We behold Danny Boyle’s “28 Years Later” and discuss: Cinematography, silhouettes; Story & Writing, sequels, genre tropes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The reason that clichés become clichés is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication.“ – Terry Pratchett Notes & References: 28 Days Later budget was […] The...

We conjure Rackaracka’s “Bring Her Back” and discuss: Child violence on screen; Story & Writing, torturing the audience & characters; Competent filmmaking, character work; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Come back. Even as a shadow, even as a dream.“ – Euripides Notes & References: The big crunch (wiki) Watch us on YouTube! […] The post E...

We scorch Ben Stiller’s “Tropic Thunder” and discuss: Cinematography, selling satire; Story & Writing, satire vs tropes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I think that the power is the principle. The principle of moving forward, as though you have the confidence to move forward, eventually gives you confidence when you look back […] The post Ep 325: “Tro...

We dive into Tom Cruise’s “Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning” and discuss: Editing dialog-heavy scenes; Story & Writing, exposition dumps, the real villain; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty.“ – Henry David Thoreau Notes & References: AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) (wiki) Emergent Phenomena...

We drill into Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood” and discuss: Story & Writing, plot vs character; Daniel Day-Lewis; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.“ – Upton Sinclair Notes & References: *first 15 […] The post Ep 323: “Th...