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

We get to Shane Black’s “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” party and discuss: Story & Writing, humor, subverting expectations; Screenplay snippets, how Shane Black’s voice is distinct; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “An action film can have too much action; picture an equalizer on a stereo, with all the knobs pegged at 10. […] The post Ep 222: “Kiss Kiss Bang...

We massage Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and discuss: Story & Writing, out of sequence storytelling, creating contrast, Tarantino’s dialog; Directing & Production value, long takes, music; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I steal from every movie ever made.“ – Quentin Tarantino Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: DGA &...

We ride along on Antoine Fuqua’s “Training Day” and discuss: Cinematography, the horizon line; Story & Writing, story outline; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.“ – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Notes & References: The original ending was far less violent (MentalFloss) Denzel won […] The po...

We migrate through “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and discuss: Humor, absurdism, dry humor; Comedy period piece; Guest Scott Garrett Graham joins us; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The most creative people have this childlike facility to play.“ – John Cleese Notes & References: Check out Scott Garrett Graham on Instagram, […] The post Ep 219: &#822...

We bump into Emily Ting’s “Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong” and discuss: Cinematography, filming in public spaces; Low budget filmmaking; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I despise formal restaurants. I find all of that formality to be very base and vile. I would much rather eat potato chips on the sidewalk.“ – […] The post Ep 218: “Already Tomorr...

We gallop across Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart” and discuss: Cinematography, recreating moonlight; Story & Writing, romance, symbolism; Directing & Performances, visual storytelling, ending a scene on a good note; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.“ – George Washington Notes & References: James Horne...

We’re talkin’ to Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” and discuss: Story & Writing, character studies; The Ending; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I don’t think it was uncomfortable for me; I think it was uncomfortable for other people, but it wasn’t really for me. I had been an actress for a long time, I […] The post Ep 216: “Taxi Dr...

We hole up with Tarantino’s “Reservoir Dogs” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork, off-screen violence; Story & Writing, “single location” filmmaking, skipping the robbery; Low-budget filmmaking tips on finding locations; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “You’ve gotta stand being bad if you want to be a writer, because if you don’t, you&#8...

We devour Wong Kar-Wai’s “My Blueberry Nights” and discuss: Music, keeping heavy moments light; Cinematography, step-printing, lighting, reflections, shallow depth of field; Story & Writing, the thesis and antithesis, stories of broken people, transportation as a metaphor; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “We’re all unlucky in love sometimes. When I am, I [&#8...

We unwrap Brendan Fraser’s “The Mummy Returns” and discuss: Story & Writing, expanding the universe; Shifting the tone of a sequel; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.“ – Jonathan Swift Watch us on YouTube! This Week’s Recommendations: The post Ep 213: “The Mummy Returns” (2001) app...

We get googly-eyed over the Daniels’ “Everything Everywhere All At Once” and discuss: Writing and Directing, crafting the edit in the script; Humor and drama, making tough subjects palatable for everyone; and other such stuff and things and stuff. A Persian King called his sages and asked them for one quote that would be accurate […] The post Ep 212: “Everything Every...

We resurrect Brendan Fraser’s “The Mummy” and discuss: Physical comedy, flourishes, and committing to the bit; Story, Writing, and keeping it PG-13, death in the shadows, exposition, progressing the action; Mummy fun facts; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I’m not funny. What I am is brave.“ – Lucille Ball Notes & References: […] The post Ep 211:...

We target Arnold Schwarzenegger’s regular “Predator” and discuss: Cinematography, framing bodybuilders; Predator fun facts; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “This story’s gonna grab people. It’s about this guy, he’s crazy about this girl, but he likes to wear dresses. Should he tell her? Should he not tell her? He’s torn, Georgie. This […]...

We slip ‘n fall into Bong Joon Ho’s “The Host” and discuss: Monster origin story; Everyone’s a moron; Directing and editing, match cuts; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “We need to tell each other our stories. We need to show that everyone — our neighbors, our families, our community leaders — everyone […] The post Ep 209: “The Host” (Bong...

We chew on Spielberg’s “Jaws” and discuss: Cinematography, day for night; Story & writing, Quint vs Hooper, shark cage; Shark fun facts! and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It is certain that the study of human psychology, if it were undertaken exclusively in prisons, would also lead to misrepresentation and absurd generalizations.“ – […] The post Ep...

We kneel before Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and discuss: Cinematography, a grand reveal; Story & writing, new depth to an old character; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “No Hard Drugs and No Superhero Movies.“ – Leonardo DiCaprio Notes & References: Harrison Ford Reddit AMA Douglas Slocombe escaped the Nazi […] The post Ep...

We attempt to responsibly discuss Spielberg’s “Munich” and discuss: Cinematography, heightening a moment through contrasting camerawork; Story & Writing, questions being raised, contextualizing the film; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It has perhaps always been the case that the waging of peace is the hardest form of leadership of all.“ – Queen [&#823...

We swing through Spielberg’s “Raider’s of the Lost Ark” and discuss: Cinematography, framing, blocking, cheating; Story & writing, setting up the supernatural, Indy the hero, epic failures; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The brave may not live forever – But the cautious do not live at all.“ – Richard Branson Notes & […] The post Ep 205...

We excavate Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park” and discuss: Cinematography, motivated camera moves; Story & writing, exposition, dialog cues, where the original succeeds and sequels fail; Sound, combining sound design with music to heighten a moment; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “It is a profound and necessary truth that the deep things in science […] The post Ep...

We’re charmed by Chan-wook Park’s “Oldboy” and discuss: Wes’ editing process and screenwriting blues; Story & writing, the opening shot, sex scenes in movies, hallway hammer sequence; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The ax forgets, but the tree remembers.“ – Proverb Notes & References: 2013 PBS Frontline Documentary on concussions in fo...

We toast a bottle of wine to Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth” and discuss: Story & writing, rule of threes, setting up tension, is this a metaphor?; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in […] The post Ep 202: “Pan’s Labyrint...

We cruise through Alfonso Cuarón’s “Children of Men” and discuss: Cinematography, immersing the audience; Story & writing, the real genre we’re in, who are the good guys; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I used to be very controlling with visuals and editing, and I would pretty much craft the performances; now I […] The post Ep 201: “Children of M...

We stay for Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” and discuss: Story & writing, adding texture, 90% honesty, emotional storytelling; Directing, moments of breathing, the scene with the emotional weight of the film; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.“ – Kip Thorne Notes & References: MacGuff...

We fly through Pixar’s “Lightyear” and discuss: Story & writing, character and story arcs; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “KEEP IN MIND THAT progress is not always linear. It takes constant course correcting and often a lot of zigzagging. Unfortunate things happen, accidents occur, and setbacks are usually painful, but that does […] The post Ep 199: “L...

We process Bong Joon Ho’s “Memories of Murder” and discuss: Cinematography, oner of crime scene, first frame + last frame; Story & writing, themes of misconduct; True crime, utility vs entertainment; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “What’s important at this time is to re-clarify the difference between hero and villain.“ – J. […] The post Ep...