The Popcorn Auteur

For a while Neill Blomkamp seemed to inhabit a unique space in modern filmmaking - big original science fiction films.  Then Chappie happened. Listen as we dive into the three films of Blomkamp starting with District 9 , the critical darling that garnered a Best Picture nomination, and ending with Chappie , basically a reimagining of Short Circuit.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.denofgeek.com/u...

Oftentimes strange, consistently unpredictable, increasingly political and entirely fun.  Are we describing John Carpenter's second half or this podcast episode?  Listen to find out.  Paul Kowalski returns for the trip through Carpenter's later films.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/oct/10/john-carpenter-interview-anthology-film-scores https://www.rogerebert.com/review...

John Carpenter's films have been remade, imitated, and satirized.  In this episode, we go to the source material and dive into the first five films that Carpenter wrote and directed, included cult classic Assault on Precinct 13 .  Also, it's Halloween!  What better time to check out the works of a horror master?  Paul Kowalski joins to help us appreciate ghost pirates.    Show Notes/Sources: https...

When you have a fan that recommends a filmmaker that "carries on the legacy" of Jane Campion, it's worth taking note.  Andrea Arnold's films may not be easy to watch, but there is power in her work.  In this episode, we immerse ourselves in the Arnold's films.    Show Notes/Sources: https://www.npr.org/2016/09/29/495924904/filmmaker-andrea-arnold-on-american-honey-and-preserving-mystery-in-film ht...

Ryan Coogler went from student-athlete and film fan to box office king in a little over a dozen years.  He's done three successful and critically acclaimed movies in his short career, from the potent and personal Fruitvale Station to the comic book grandeur of Black Panther . Listen as we gush and occasionally rant (mostly Chris) about the films Ryan Coogler.  As always let us know what we got wro...

Jane Campion's films will stick with you.  You'll be forced to use your brain and consider varying and at times rather peculiar perspectives.  Listen as we try to work our way through Campion's complex films, from the critically renowned The Piano to Meg Ryan in an erotic thriller.  As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook , on Twitter , or our email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com .   Sh...

Damien Chazelle is younger than Jon and Chris.  Jon and Chris would rather not dwell on that fact.  In his short career, Chazelle has become an A-list Hollywood director with an Academy Award under his belt.  In this episode, we consider Chazelle's filmmaking and his worldview.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/whiplash-getting-jazz-right-movies https://www.shri...

Armando Iannucci is probably best known in the US for the political satire Veep .  Across the pond, he also has a number of successful TV credits; however, this TV showrunner has also made two of the best reviewed comedies in the last ten years with In the Loop and The Death of Stalin .  We didn't get to him in our comedy episode, so we are remedying that now.  In this episode, we are joined by Ma...

Debra Granik deserves to be included on any list of the best filmmakers of the 21st century.  That should give you an idea of what we thought of Granik's four films, which include the Oscar nominated Winter's Bone and last year's Leave No Trace . Show Notes/Sources:  https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/director-debra-granik-explains-why-been-eight-long-years-between-winters-bone-leave-no-trace-...

When we did our Alfonso Cuarón episode, he was coming off of Gravity , a movie that won 6 Oscars, including Best Director.  Not much has changed, except Roma only won 3 Oscars, including Best Director.  Listen as we fit Roma into Cuarón's body of work. As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook , Twitter , or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com .

Nicole Holofcener got nominated for an Oscar and won a Writers Guild of America award for best adapted screenplay for Can You Ever Forgive Me?   In this episode, we are talking about her other 2018 release, The Land of Steady Habits.   Did a male lead and no Catherine Keener lead to Netflix success? As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook , Twitter , or email us at popcornauteur@gmail....

We are again playing catch-up with one of our auteurs.  This time we review Brad Bird's Incredibles 2 and put it into context with the rest of Bird's films.    As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/popcornauteur/ , on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur , or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com .

Are we really just talking about one movie?  In this episode, we revisit Christopher Nolan, reviewing his film Dunkirk and assessing how it fits into his oeuvre.  As always let us know what we got wrong on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/popcornauteur/ , on Twitter, @PopcornAuteur , or email us at popcornauteur@gmail.com .

You won't see the latter half of Mel Brooks's films on an AFI list or ranked among his best.  In this episode, we discuss if the comedy legend's "lesser" works still bring the laughs or if you should stick with the classics.  Show Notes/Sources: https://io9.gizmodo.com/bill-pullman-didnt-bother-watching-star-wars-before-app-1796393445 https://film.avclub.com/when-mel-brooks-watched-star-wars-he-sa...

It felt wrong to leave our comedy season before considering the works of Mel Brooks (and Chris's Dad wouldn't have allowed it).  In Part 1, we look at the golden age of Brook's career.  He won an Academy Award and delivered a string of hits throughout the 1970s.  Hell, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein came out in the same year and both finished in the top five of the highest grossing films t...

Gillian Robespierre has been compared to Nora Ephron and Nicole Holofcener.  With that distinguished company and a desire to see more Jenny Slate, we were excited to dive into the two films of Robespierre.    Show Notes/Sources: https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/ct-mov-jenny-slate-interview-0728-20170727-column.html https://www.tvovermind.com/5-things-didnt-know-gillian-robespier...

David Zucker was one of the creative minds behind Airplane and The Naked Gun films.  He is now one of the creative minds behind the Scary Movie sequels.  Luckily (we think), he didn't both write and direct those movies (officially).  In this episode, we are joined by Sam Young to discuss the films of David Zucker . . . and to figure out how weird it is to see O.J. Simpson acting.  Sorry for the po...

A bonus this month - We take a break from the straight comedies to cover not one, but two filmmakers in our first ever "Battle" of the Network Stars. Zach Braff and Josh Radnor square off (sort of) to determine who is the sitcom star turned true auteur.  It may be a little lazy of a comparison, but we had quite a bit of fun with this one.   Show Notes/Sources: https://film.avclub.com/liberal-arts-...

Richard Ayoade seems to to do it all:  He's an actor, an author, a TV game show host, and (for our interests) he's a filmmaker.  We weren't aware of any of this before this episode.  Listen as we get to know Richard Ayoade's limited filmography and assess his potential as a filmmaker.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/submarine-2011 https://www.indiewire.com/2011/10/submarin...

David Wain never seems to stop working.  As a writer, director, and actor, his work can be seen nearly everywhere.  In this episode, we are lucky enough to be joined by Jay Cluitt, shepherd over at The LAMB , to discuss the five films written and directed by David Wain; from the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer to box office success with Role Models.   Show Notes/Sources: http://davidwain.com/...

You may not think "filmmaker" when you think Chris Rock, but he's written and directed three films.  His first two films were critical disappointments; however, his latest, Top Five, was certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.  In this episode, we take a look at Rock's limited filmography to see if the comedian is a hidden auteur.   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/top-five-f...

Christopher Guest has a strong comedic pedigree (National Lampoon & SNL) and was a creator of the faux documentary, heavily improvised model of modern comedy.  For this episode, we are joined by Jonathan Sundy ( https://jollygoodgang.com/) to discuss the films of Christopher Guest.    Show Notes/Sources: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36532132-improv-nation https://www.goodreads.com/book/show...

You may not initially think of Ben Stiller as a filmmaker, but he delivered a cult comedy with Zoolander .  In this episode, we look at the small filmography of Ben Stiller and consider if there is more to him  than starring in ridiculously successful movies.  Also, is Zoolander 2 really that bad?   Show Notes/Sources: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/07/25/lets-p...

You may not be familiar with the works of Nicole Holofcener (we weren't), but she's directed some of the best reviewed female-led comedies in the past quarter century.  We are joined by Rebecca Sharp of Almost Ginger to discuss Holofcener's films. Check out Rebecca's site here:  http://almostginger.com/   Show Notes and Sources: https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/nicole-holofcener-nail...

Adam McKay could have made a career of writing and directing Will Ferrell comedies, but he branched out with The Big Short and won an Oscar in the process.  In this episode, we examine McKay's films and discuss his Trojan horse satire.   Show Notes and Sources:  https://youtu.be/2hFddhvb2-Q - video we reference in the oeuvre https://news.avclub.com/let-s-explore-adam-mckay-s-secretly-brilliant-bra...