The Popcorn Auteur

Mike Judge may be more successful on the small screen (Beavis & Butt-Head, King of the Hill, and Silicon Valley).  But, while his film work has not met with the same commercial success, his movies have certainly developed a following.  Despite Office Space and Idiocracy being box office failures, people still talk about them years after their release.  In this episode, we critique the films of Jud...

She's one of the most successful female filmmakers, but she hasn't had a hit in over 20 years.  In this episode, we look at the films of Amy Heckerling, the filmmaker that brought us Clueless and Look Who's Talking .  Have Heckerling's recent films gotten a fair shake?  Does a film with a baby voiced by Bruce Willis deserve critical praise?  Listen as we discuss these questions and more with speci...

Mike Birbiglia is a stand-up comedian, an actor, and a filmmaker.  In this episode, we'll take a look at Birbiglia's career behind the camera as a filmmaker for such films as Sleepwalk with Me and Don't Think Twice.  Does Birbiglia have what it takes to be a 21st Century comedy auteur?   Show Notes & Sources: https://film.avclub.com/nathan-rabin-sundance-2012-day-six-1798229514 http://theoldonespo...

Edgar Wright has had a camera in his hand for most of his life.  Renown for his filmmaking and celebrated for his hilarious homages to classic genres, is there anything that Wright can't do?  Listen as we discuss Wright's films from Shaun of the Dead to Baby Driver.   Show Notes: https://youtu.be/3FOzD4Sfgag https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/edgar-wright-i-am-a-film-school-reject-twice ht...

Harold Ramis is responsible for or has been involved in some of the greatest movies of all time.  A comedy legend and one of, if not the most, influential comedy filmmaker of the last fifty years.  We examine the highs and lows in his full career, and Jon may insult Robert De Niro's acting along the way.   Show Notes and Sources: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/04/19/comedy-first http://ww...

Judd Apatow has had his hand in some of the biggest comedies of the 21st Century, but only wrote and directed four films, The 40-Year-Old Virgin , Knocked Up , Funny People , and This is 40 .  We rank those films and look at the defining features of Apatow's work.  Is it dick jokes, man-children, or a realization that no one gets a "happy" ending?   Show Notes: http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article...

John Hughes was a major figure in the mainstream films of the 1980s.  Writing films at a furious pace throughout the decade, his films have remained basic cable staples while finding a place in many a teenager's heart.  This episode, we dive into the eight films written and directed by John Hughes from Sixteen Candles to Curly Sue.  Join us for the laughs, the teen angst, and of course John Candy....

Francis Ford Coppola was one of the biggest filmmakers coming into the 1980s.  Following multiple bankruptcies and a move into wine making, his more recent works have been largely ignored or quickly forgotten.  Are we, the film viewing public missing something?  Listen and find out.  Hint:  one of Coppola's later works contains Val Kilmer talking to a ghost of Edgar Allan Poe.   Show Notes: http:/...

Francis Ford Coppola is giant of American cinema.  He's won multiple Academy Awards and experienced a string of nearly unprecedented successes in the 1970s.  Coppola has too many films to cover in one episode, so we are tackling him in a two-parter.  Part 1 covers Coppola from the beginning to Apocalypse Now .   Show Notes: https://thedissolve.com/features/interdisciplinary/158-francis-ford-coppol...

10 filmmakers, 57 movies.  We discuss the best and worst of what we watched in season 1.  Also, we'll talk about what's next for our auteurs and The Popcorn Auteur.

Brad Bird has worked with Steven Spielberg, consulted on the Simpsons, directed the cult classic The Iron Giant , won multiple Oscars with Pixar, and helmed a critically acclaimed chapter of the Mission Impossible series.  Is there anything Brad Bird can't do?  Perhaps a live-action film loosely inspired by part of an amusement park was a bridge too far.   We are thrilled to be joined this episode...

Terry Gilliam is not the typical Hollywood filmmaker because he has rarely been a Hollywood filmmaker.  Luckily, the lack of studio support has not stopped Gilliam from making unique and audacious films throughout his four-decade career.  We'll examine the hits and misses among Gilliam's films and ask the important questions like:  How does Gilliam blur the lines between dreams and reality?  How d...

Andrew Stanton has been with Pixar since Toy Story and is responsible for some of the studio's biggest hits such as WALL-E and Finding Nemo; however, his attempt to make the transition to live action with John Carter fell flat.  Will we find a hidden gem in Stanton's flop?  Who will have more praise for WALL-E ?  Does Finding Dory signal that Stanton is getting lazy?  Listen as we discuss the answ...

George Lucas may be the most talked and written about filmmaker in the history of movies.  We take a fresh look at the full scope of Lucas's works, from THX 1138 to Revenge of the Sith .  Will we find genius and ambition in the prequels or half-baked fan service?  Will American Graffiti compare well to modern "gems" like Can't Hardly Wait and Superbad ?  Will Lucas ever direct again?   Episode Not...

On this episode of the Popcorn Auteur, Jon and Chris try to make sense of the ups and downs of the Wachowskis' fascinating filmmaking career.  Will Jon and Chris find films to like outside of The Matrix ?  Perhaps Speed Racer deserve a fresh look.  Will they be able to avoid making fun of Eddie Redmayne in Jupiter Ascending ?  Unlikely.  Will Jon be comfortable in the unfamiliar role of defending...

Alfonso Cuarón is our first Oscar winner for best directing and we were certainly impressed with his talent.  Listen as we discuss the effectiveness of Cuarón's filmmaking technique, his worldview, and the potency of Children of Men in today's political climate.  Will Jon be won over by Gravity ?  Will Chris understand how AIDs can be funny?  Listen to find out.  Note: We do our best with Spanish...

George Miller has a most curious filmography.  The same man responsible for four Mad Max movies wrote and directed the Happy Feet movies and Babe:  Pig in the City.  In this episode, we rank the Mad Max saga, discuss the merits of Happy Feet (winner of an Academy Award), and delve into the mythology and messages of Miller's films.  How did a low budget Australian action movie spawn a franchise?  H...

Joss Whedon's cult success and comic book credentials led him to The Avengers , which still ranks as the highest grossing superhero movie.  One of our favorites, Whedon's work ranges from science fiction to Shakespeare.  Is Whedon a complete filmmaker?  What can or will he do next?  Listen as Jon and Chris discuss. Show Notes and Sources: http://mentalfloss.com/article/63120/qa-joss-whedon-super-h...

JJ Abrams is one of the busiest men in Hollywood.  Between his producing, writing, and directing credits, Abrams has already amassed a career's worth of credits.  Yet, Abrams has only written and directed three movies:  Mission Impossible III , Super 8 , and Star Wars:  The Force Awakens .  Listen as Jon and Chris review the works of Abrams, assess his originality, and compare him to Dawson Leary....

Christopher Nolan is one of the biggest and most ambitious filmmakers working today.  Is he the Steven Spielberg of the 21st Century or a more talented M. Night Shyamalan ?  Is he a brilliant and innovative storyteller or a cold director relying on gimmicks to fool audiences?  Jon and Chris try to answer these and more questions in our examination of Nolan's work to date.    Show notes and sources...