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

We feud through Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” and discuss: Story and writing, structure, and ramping up tension with precision; Directing, delivering a meaningful line, setting up a monologue; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Just because you have superpowers, that doesn’t mean your love life would be perfect. I don’t think superpowers […] The post Ep 197...

We mansplain Alex Garland’s “Men” and discuss: Cinematography, showing disconnect through framing; Story & writing, lessons, symbolism overload; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Ultimately, wouldn’t you rather be the person who actually finished the project you’re dreaming about, rather than the one who talks about ‘always having wanted to’?“ – J.K. Row...

We arrive at Mount Doom in Peter Jackson’s “The Return of the King” and discuss: Story & Writing, is there a Deus Ex Machina problem?; Sound design and music cues; and special guests Joe & Heather Howes take on our Lord of the Rings trivia challenge extravaganza; and other such stuff and things and stuff. […] The post Ep 195: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return...

We hit mach 10 through Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” and discuss: Story & writing, do great artists steal, who is Mary Sue; Cinematography, natural lighting for continuity; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “A leader is a dealer in hope.“ – Napoleon Bonaparte Notes & References: Christopher McQuarrie iMDB The cast trained […] The post Ep 194:...

We kick the tires and light the fires through Tony Scott’s classic “Top Gun” and discuss: Cinematography; Editing & Music, aerial combat, connecting sequences through music; Story & Writing, classic 80s plotlines; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If we worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true really is true, […] The post Ep 193: “Top G...

We punch our faces through Sam Raimi’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” and discuss: Netflix’s core problem and what their action plan should be to fix it (Timestamp: 00:00 – 36:30); Story & writing, dramatic needs and character arcs; Directing, set design, genre-bending; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Anyone can […] The post Ep 192...

We drive around Karen Gillan’s “Dual” and discuss: Story & writing, tone, “boring” finale, symbolism; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “And you may ask yourself, “How do I work this?” And you may ask yourself, “Where is that large automobile?” And you may tell yourself, “This is not my beautiful house” And […] Th...

We sneak into Wong Kar-Wai’s “Chungking Express” and discuss: Cinematography, step-printing, the emotional impression of motion blur; Story; Directing & Acting without lines; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I like it when somebody tells me a story, and I actually really feel that that’s becoming like a lost art in American cinema.“ […] The post E...

We raid Robert Eggers’ “The Northman” and discuss: Cinematography, locations, set design; Story & writing, exploring historic cultures; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “History is the autobiography of a madman.“ – Dan Carlin Notes & References: Amleth wiki Nicole Kidman’s salary was $2.5m according to ShowbizGalore.com, no idea if it’s r...

We haunt David Lowery’s “A Ghost Story” and discuss: Existentialism, the end of everything; we discuss what we remember from a Q&A at a screening with director David Lowery; Story & Writing, is the film underwritten or thoughtful?; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our […] The post Ep 188: “A Ghost Story...

We defuse Kathryn Bigelow’s “The Hurt Locker” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork, transitions; Story & writing, opening scene, what’s in a title; Interview an Army veteran brother of the pod, Justin; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.“ – General Patton [&#8230...

Todd interviews Wes about this odyssey of creating and running The Pestle Podcast. We discuss: How to start and maintain a podcast; What goes into every Pestle episode?; A “Lightning Round” with Wes; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “I do not always know what I want, but I do know what I […] The post Ep 186: How to Podcast or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love The Pestle appe...

We take the express elevator through James Cameron “Aliens” and discuss: Editing, director’s cut vs theatrical, tightening an edit to remove performance indicators; Story & Writing, differences in script-to-screen of first film and how it impacts sequel, cause & effect, offscreen action; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Don’t be evil.“ – Googl...

We mind our manners with David Fincher’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and discuss: Story & writing, structure, Mikael and Lisbeth’s strengths and weaknesses, social customs; Men getting credit for women’s contributions; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Your best and wisest refuge from all troubles is in your science.“ – Ada […] Th...

We devour & purge Brit Marling’s “Sound of My Voice” and discuss: Low-budget filmmaking, keeping the budget on screen; Cinematography, fitting the style to the story and budget; Story & writing, starting quickly, creepy moments, and cults; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, […] The post Ep 183: “So...

We investigate Robert Pattinson’s “The Batman” and discuss: Cinematography, edge lighting; Story & writing, Batman’s breaks, Catwoman’s story told through her boots, and all the plot payoffs; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Any woman can fool a man if she wants to and if he’s in love with her.“ – Agatha Christie […] The post Ep...

We break into Jim Caviezel’s “The Count of Monte Cristo” and discuss: Cinematography, framing, depth of field, and shutter angle; Story & writing, why comedic beats cut the tension, Edmond’s true enemy; Directing & Performance, adding significance to a moment, ending a scene with energy; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “All generalizations […] The p...

We pull up a seat to Sidney Poitier’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” and discuss: Cinematography, eye lights, and breaking the 180 rule; Story & writing, setting the stakes, the heart of the issue, and contextualizing art; Special guest Clyde, from the “This Is Us” podcast, “Kei and Clyde: Great TV, Good Talk” podcast, and the […] The post...

We sink into Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” and discuss: Cinematography, camerawork and how it relates to the story, the sunken place, using long holds; Story & writing, social horror, rewatchability, WTF moments; Performance of Daniel Kaluuya; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the […] The post Ep 179: “...

We grab our towel for Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and discuss: Cinematography, framing, and production design; Story & writing, hiding exposition in plain sight; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “Oh, would some Power give us the gift; To see ourselves as others see us!“ – Robert Burns (paraphrased) […] The post Ep 17...

We dig into Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” and discuss: Cinematography and editing, use of detail shots; Story & writing, what is being critiqued; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down? We might, if they screamed all the time, for no […] The post Ep 177: “Don’t Look Up” ap...

We do the math on Marvel’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and discuss: Story & writing, using humor to hide a weak setup; Bucking the trend of superhero films; and other such stuff and things and stuff. “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.“ – Mother Teresa Watch […] The post Ep 176: “Spider-Man: No Way Home”...

We have all we need to get through “CODA” and discuss: “big dog little dog” exercise; simple exposition; strong characters; changing perspectives; and other such stuff and things and stuff. Watch us on YouTube!   The post Ep 175: “CODA” (Patreon Bonus archive) appeared first on The Pestle .

We crawl up the water spout to compare and contrast “Underwater” vs “Sunshine” and discuss: best viewing order for this double-feature; the difference between the crews of Icarus II and the Roebuck; Danny Boyle vs William Eubank; giving hope and taking it away, letting moments breathe; and other such stuff and things and stuff. Notes […] The post Ep. 174: “Under...

We take a break from our normal format to interview Kevin M. Faulkner about his new novel, “The Sixth Traveler” and discuss: what does the process of working with an editor look like, how do you handle feedback and decide what to use and what to ignore, what good feedback looks like, writing habits, how […] The post Ep 173: Kevin M. Faulkner, author of “The Sixth Traveler&#...