The Popcorn Auteur

We don't claim to be action movie experts, but maybe McQuarrie never rerally saw himself becoming a blockbuster action director. Following an early Oscar and a near exit from the film industry, McQuarrie has paired with Tom Cruise for reliable box office success. DJ Valentine from Simplistic Reviews helps guide us through the four thinking-man action films written and directed by McQuarrie, from T...

Elaine May is a comedy legend with a directing career that came to an infamous end with Ishtar . Her film career has undergone a bit of a positive reappraisal lately, even with earning a Criterion entry for Mikey and Nickey . You don't have to look far either to find an Ishtar defender. Listen as we conduct our own appraisal of May's film output.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebo...

Bong Joon-ho is an Oscar winner with a diverse filmography ranging from serial killing to a creature feature. Coming in pretty ignorant of Joon-ho and Korean filmmaking, listen to see what we thought of this hot filmmaker.   Scene Picks: Parasite: Family comes home Okja: Leaving the compound As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook , on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur , or email us at popcornau...

Dee Rees has an Oscar nomination (for Mudbound ) and a Criterion collection film (for Pariah ) under her belt. She also can boast writing and directing Bessie , which won an Emmy for Best TV Movie. In this episode, we are joined by Mark Staron for a spoiler-filled discussion of these highs and the rest of Rees's filmography.   Radiolab - The Vanishing of Harry Pace (as mentioned by Chris) Show Not...

Steve McQueen is an accomplished filmmaker, both Cannes-approved ( Camera d'Or for Hunger ) and the director of an Oscar winning film ( 12 Years a Slave ). In this episode, we dive into the films written and directed by McQueen, included the ambitious Small Axe anthology. Widows car ride scene Hunger dialogue scene   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shame-2011 https://www.dga...

It's Halloween and Paul Kowalski is back to discuss the films of Sam Raimi. Raimi's a horror legend, but his films are like a haunted house with the lights on - things might be a little scary, but it's also pretty funny and almost comforting. Join us as we draft Raimi films and debate the worst protagonist decisions in the 7 films written and directed by Raimi.   Show Notes/Sources: Army of Darkne...

Paul Thomas Anderson has amassed an impressive filmography with his ninth feature film, Licorice Pizza , scheduled for release at the end of the year. Perhaps intimidated by the run-times and heavy themes or put off by a strange belief that there was only a place for one Anderson filmmaker in our lives, the sad reality is that we had missed most of Anderson's filmography. Luckily, Nick Rehak agree...

Matthew Vaughn is doing great. He's got his own cinematic universe (Kingsman), and he has also been compared to a Bond villain. While he's been largely successful with audiences, the critical reception has been more mixed. For this episode, we were joined by Richard Kirkham of the LAMBcast to journey through Vaughn's films.   More from Richard Kirkham: Kirkham A Movie a Day ( alternate link ) 80s...

Saulnier's films might remind you of some genre classics, but he's no imitator. We were lucky enough to have Jess Manzo ( French Toast Sunday ) help us work through Saulnier's rather tense filmography. As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook , on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur , or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com . Show Notes/Sources: http://archive.filmspotting.net/reviews/show-archive/4...

In this episode, we explore the three films of Tamara Jenkins. From Slums of Beverly Hills to Private Life , Jenkins has told engaging, intimate stories while always managing to find humor. She's not prolific, but give a listen and you'll find a lot to suggest this Oscar-nominated filmmaker.   As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook , on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur , or email us at popcorn...

Chloé Zhao just won the Best Director Academy Award for Nomadland , which also took home best picture. In perhaps our most timely episode, we delve into the three feature films of Zhao to educate ourselves about this Oscar winner whose next film just happens to exist in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.   Also, Chris was a guest on The Forgotten Filmcast .   As always let us know what we got wrong on...

This month, we cover another member of the Pixar brain trust. Pete Docter got in early at Pixar, he's directed Oscar winners, and now he's Pixar's Chief Creative Officer. Jonathan Sundy, official animation expert for the Popcorn Auteur, joined us as we talked about Docter's four films from Monsters, Inc. to 2020's Soul. Find out more about Jonathan's projects/products here: https://jollygoodgang.c...

We are back with part 2. We had a lot of fun discussing del Toro's second half. Hope you enjoy us debating if inter-species sex is Oscar bait and if ALF would have been a better character design than the fish man. Pan's Labyrinth Translations Opening Clip: Faun: You're Princess Moanna, daughter of the king of the Underworld. Ofelia: My father was a tailor. Faun: You are not born of man. It was the...

As we conclude season 4, we tackle one of the busiest filmmakers working today. Guillermo del Toro is a creator of genre fiction on film, television, and in print. He is also beloved by critics and has a recent Academy Award to round out his credentials. In this episode, we examine the first four films written and directed by del Toro. Translations from clips: The Devil's Backbone Opening Clip - C...

John Milius never reached the levels of acclaim as Spielberg, Lucas, or Coppola; however, the screenwriter behind Dirty Harry and Apocalypse Now  wrote and directed cult classics such as Conan the Barbarian and Red Dawn . He did it in a larger than life manner. In this episode, we are joined by Todd Liebenow of Forgotten Films to discuss and breakdown the films of Milius.    For more from Todd, vi...

As a filmmaker, Robert Eggers is clicking on all cylinders. His two films (both of modest budget), The Witch and The Lighthouse, have been nearly universally praised by critics. He's filming a new much bigger film, The Northman, with a star-studded cast. For our Halloween episode, Chris and Jon welcome back Paul Kowalski to help us consider the films of Robert Eggers.   Show Notes/Sources: https:/...

Gina Prince-Bythewood's name is trending this year. The classic Love & Basketball is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Additionally, Prince-Bythewood directed the recently released The Old Guard for Netflix. The attention even got her featured on the Blank Check podcast. Now it's time to listen to Chris and Jon take on GPB's filmography. Show notes/sources: https://film.avclub.com/love-basketball-...

The world is Taika Waititi's oyster. He just won an Oscar, he's a cog in the Marvel machine, and he's being given the keys to a part of the Star Wars universe while also developing a pirate show for HBO. He also acts. In this episode we take a look at Waititi's output to date and speculate on the future of this hot filmmaker.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.filmspotting.net/episodes-archive/2019...

Barry Jenkins has written and directed three critically acclaimed feature films. Will Chris and Jon take a contrarian opinion? Likely not, but listen as we discuss empathy, color, and social commentary.   Show Notes/Resources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/medicine-for-melancholy-2009   https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-moonlight-mov-rev-1024-20161024-column.html   https:...

Sadly, Lynn Shelton passed away earlier this year at the age of 54. On this episode, we dive into the seven feature films that Shelton left behind. From the wild set-ups of Humpday and Sword of Trust to the naturalistic and understated Outside In , Shelton gave us a varied and entertaining filmography.    Show Notes/Sources: https://filmmakermagazine.com/105073-we-are-all-cracked-vessels-writer-di...

Rebecca Sharp from Almost Ginger helps Jon and Chris examine the dark and visually striking films of Lynne Ramsay. Ramsay tackles a variety of dark subjects (an accidental child drowning, a suicide, a school shooting, and an underage sex ring), which means you may not want to watch these films, but you'll likely be pleased that you did.    Show Notes/Sources: https://youtu.be/KjY9kf7TuUU https://w...

Wes Anderson has occupied a rare space in film - critical appreciation, award show recognition, and box office consistency.  He's been able to do this while making nine feature films.  Before his tenth film, The French Dispatch , comes out later in 2020, Jon and Chris are joined by John Axford to discuss the works of Anderson, from Bottle Rocket to Isle of Dogs .   Show Notes/Sources:  https://pit...

Sam Peckinpah is the oldest and surely the most violent filmmaker that we have covered to this point.  Listen as we discuss this iconic and influential filmmaker while grappling with the implications of Peckinpah's world view.  From the seminal The Wild Bunch to the polarizing Straw Dogs , join Chris, Jon, and guest Pete Gerharz on this journey.    Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/re...

Alex Garland may not buy into the auteur theory (we may not either), but he's been at the helm of two of the most interesting science fiction films in the last decade.  Listen as we dive into Ex Machina and Annihilation .   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/ex-machina-2015 https://io9.gizmodo.com/director-alex-garland-explains-why-ex-machina-is-so-dis-1696309078 https://film.a...

Jeff Nichols hasn't made a feature film since 2016.  Despite being Cannes-approved and critically appreciated, Nichols' films have never broken through to mainstream audiences or the major award circuits.  Listen as we delve into his films.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.ifc.com/2011/09/jeff-nichols-take-shelter-interview https://www.buzzfeed.com/adambvary/midnight-special-ending https://podcas...