Uncut Gems Podcast

In this episode of the show, we are opening what we jokingly call Michael Cricht-June, a short series of episodes devoted to the work of Michael Crichton. Therefore, it only makes sense to start with his directorial feature debut Westworld , as well as the 1976 follow-up to this movie, Futureworld . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about Westworld as a protoplast to Jurass...

Here's a short teaser of our brand new Patreon-exclusive episode of Uncut Gems Tie-ins, a monthly series where we take a classic movie and connect it to a film discussed on our main show. This month, we are celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park by, well, talking about it. This episode ties together with our main show conversation about the other dinosaur cloning movi...

In this episode of the show, we are marking the impending 30th anniversary of the release of Jurassic Park by talking about a movie that kinda ripped it off... a month ahead of its release, no less - Carnosaur . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about why this movie even exists, the business savvy of one Roger Corman, the career choices of one Diane Ladd, doing practical ef...

Here's a short teaser of our Patreon-exclusive podcast series where we will be examining the cinema of Steven Soderbergh. On our main show we are going through his more underrated works, while on our Patreon we are talking about Soderbergh's most prominent movies. This month, we are taking on the epic saga of Che that once again brought together Steven Soderbergh and Benicio del Toro. As w...

In this episode of the show, we are stopping over at the Soderbergh Station to talk about The Good German . Over the course of our chat you will hear us wonder why this movie was made, if it is an elaborate experiment and a directorial challenge or a genuine attempt to tell a compelling story, George Clooney's classic leading man appeal, Cate Blanchett as a modern-day Marlene Dietrich, Tobey M...

In this very special bonus episode of our show we had a pleasure to talk with Michael Lehmann, the director of Hudson Hawk , Heathers , Airheads and many other movies and TV shows! Over the course of our conversation you will hear him talk about how Hudson Hawk came together, what it was like to work with Bruce Willis and why perhaps people didn't get the movie at the time. We also talk about...

In this episode of the show, we are robbing auction houses to the tune of elevator jazz as we talk Hudson Hawk ! Over the course of our chat you will hear us wonder how this movie came together and how nobody got it at the time. We also try to figure out what this movie is at its core, identify its comedic roots, applaud Bruce Willis' timing, the wackiness of the movie's ideas and how it p...

Here's a short teaser of the fifth episode of the 2023 edition of Uncut Gems Marathons where we will - one by one - re-trace the directorial career of John Cassavetes. In this episode of our 2023 John Cassavetes Marathon we are talking about Husbands , his 1970 follow-up to Faces . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how this movie came together, how the world rejec...

In this episode of the show, we are continuing our journey through 90s capers as we are talking about Sneakers . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us wonder if this genre mishmash works in the first place, we comment on the ensemble comedy aspect of the film, its dense plotting, Ben Kingsley's running skills, David Strathairn's superpowers and more! Hosts: Jakub Flasz &...

Here's a short teaser of our brand new Patreon-exclusive episode of Uncut Gems Tie-ins, a monthly series where we take a classic movie and connect it to a film discussed on our main show. This month, we are bolstering our little journey through 90s heist movies by talking about perhaps the definitive caper of the decade, Michael Mann's Heat . Over the course of our conversation you will he...

In this episode of the show, we are beginning our May mini-journey through 90s heist movies with Wes Anderson's debut Bottle Rocket . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about Wes Anderson's artistic collaboration with Owen Wilson, how his style developed and where it began, whether the move is a heist movie at all, whether it is autobiographical in nature and - most...

Here's a short teaser of our Patreon-exclusive podcast series where we will be examining the cinema of Steven Soderbergh. On our main show we are going through his more underrated works, while on our Patreon we are talking about Soderbergh's most prominent movies. This month, are taking on the trifecta of Ocean's Eleven , Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen , three of Soderberg...

In this episode of the show, we are continuing our journey through the cinema of Steven Soderbergh as we talk his 2002 re-adaptation of Solaris . Over the course of our chat you will hear us talk about the allure of making a sci-fi spectacle and rubbing shoulders with Tarkovsky, using a genre template as a vehicle for a psychological drama, the idea of Solaris as a fully functional allegory the vi...

In this episode of the show, we are blasting into the stratosphere together with Joe Johnston's The Rocketeer ! Listen as we put a bow on our April trek through 90s superheroes, marvel at this film's Spielbergian energy, talk about Nazi blimps in America and the technical accuracy of flying with a rocket strapped to your back, Howard Hughes, The Rocketeer as a family-friendly piece of Amer...

Here's a short teaser of the second episode of the 2023 edition of Uncut Gems Marathons where we will - one by one - re-trace the directorial career of John Cassavetes. In this episode of our 2023 John Cassavetes marathon, we talk about Faces, John Cassavetes' return to indie filmmaking. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us marvel at the believability of the character work,...

In this episode of the show, we are talking about The Shadow and The Phantom , two 90s adaptations of comic strips from the 1930s. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how Tim Burton's Batman incentivized Hollywood to look for other superheroes from the past, Alec Baldwin as a Bruce Wayne-esque leading man, the tonal shifts in The Shadow , the idea of wearing a purpl...

In this episode of the show, we are embarking on our April journey through 90s superheroes as we talk about Sam Raimi's Darkman . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about Raimi as a studio filmmaker, Liam Neeson as a leading man, Darkman as a synthesis of Universal Monsters and Tim Burton's Batman , the difficulty of manufacturing an icon and much more! Enjoy! Hosts:...

Here's a short teaser of our brand new Patreon-exclusive episode of Uncut Gems Tie-ins, a monthly series where we take a classic movie and connect it to a film discussed on our main show. This month, in connection to our theme of 90s superheroes explored on the main show, we decided to tie into it with a conversation about Tim Burton's 1989 Batman , the movie without which the 90s superher...

It's the first Friday of the month so we are checking in at the Soderbergh Hotel to talk about some of his less well known films. In this episode we are taking a look at Full Frontal , Bubble and Eros , in which Soderbergh contributed a vignette to accompany one from Wong Kar Wai and one from Michelangelo Antonioni. Over the course of our rich and meandering conversation you will hear us talk...

Here's a short teaser of our Patreon-exclusive podcast series where we will be examining the cinema of Steven Soderbergh. On our main show we are going through his more underrated works, while on our Patreon we are talking about Soderbergh's most prominent movies. This month, we are trying to stay on top of the tightly woven labyrinth of stories that make up Traffic , Soderbergh's most...

In this episode of the show, we are marking the 30th anniversary of Brandon Lee's untimely passing by talking about his final film, The Crow . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the movie as a mixture of a cathartic revenge fantasy and a gothic love story, Brandon Lee's iconic portrayal of Eric Draven as compared to Heath Ledger's take on Joker in The Dark...

Here's a short teaser of the second episode of the 2023 edition of Uncut Gems Marathons where we will - one by one - re-trace the directorial career of John Cassavetes. In this episode of our 2023 John Cassavetes marathon, we take a look at the other of Cassavetes' early studio efforts, A Child Is Waiting starring Burt Lancaster, Judy Garland and Gena Rowlands. Over the course of our conve...

In this episode of the show, we are taking our Brandon Lee journey to the next level as we talk his 1992 Rapid Fire . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about Brandon Lee channeling Jackie Chan, his maturation to become a bona fide action star, the film's meta connection with real life, Powers Boothe playing a good guy for a change, the oddity of navel kissing to the tun...

In this episode of the show, we are continuing our trek through the cinema of Brandon Lee as we talk about Showdown in Little Tokyo . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the buddy cop energy of this movie, Brandon channeling Mel Gibson,  Dolph Lundgren as an underrated action man, the latent homoerotic energy of the movie, the idea of Showdown in Little Tokyo being...

Here's a short teaser of our brand new Patreon-exclusive episode of Uncut Gems Tie-ins, a monthly series where we take a classic movie and connect it to a film discussed on our main show. This month, in connection to our series on Brandon Lee's cinema, we are tying in with a conversation about the last movie starring Bruce Lee - Game of Death . Over the course of our conversation you will hear us...