Uncut Gems Podcast

In this episode of the show we are discussing Ridley Scott's A Good Year , arguably a standout feature in the illustrious catalogue of this iconic filmmaker... but not necessarily in the conventional way. Over the course of our conversation we argue profusely whether this film is successful in what it is attempting to do. In fact, we also try to figure out what it is that it's attempting to do in...

In this episode of the show we are talking about Mission: Impossible 2 , perhaps the most maligned and underappreciated entry in this multibillion dollar franchise. Even though it became the biggest financial hit of its year, the John Woo-directed opus is looked down upon by fans the world over and in our discussion we are attempting to find out of there is any credence to this phenomenon. We talk...

In this episode of the show we are observing the ninth anniversary of Tony Scott's untimely passing by talking about perhaps one of his most mature, layered and complete films, Man on Fire . Over the course of our discussion, we delve deep into the fabric of the story, examine Scott's new-found stylized aesthetic, marvel over the amazing chemistry between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning, and...

In this episode of the show we are discussing Peter Jackson's first official Hollywood movie, The Frighteners . Over the course of this long-winded and meandering conversation we touched on Jackson's roots in splatter horror, where his career went later and what we think he could do in the future. In addition, we identified the multitude of references found in The Frighteners , opined on the film'...

In this episode of the show we are going on a mission to save The Sun from dying together with the crew of Icarus II in Sunshine . Over the course of this discussion we talk at length about the film's divisive third act, the idea of using a star as a villain or a god, the multiple pop-cultural connections tethering Sunshine to the canon of the genre, the wonderful chemistry between the cast and mu...

In this episode of the show we are paying a visit to the misty and gothic haunted house of The Others , written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar. Over the course of the discussion we pinpoint how this film is connected to the wave of supernatural horror that swept through cinemas at the turn of the century, analyze its twists and turns, dig deep to find and interrogate whatever the filmmakers hi...

In this episode of the show we are venturing into the mystical woods of New England and talking about M. Night Shyamalan's The Village . Over the course of this yet another gargantuan conversation we dig into the film's problematic reception upon its release, comment on the differences between what ended up in the film and what leaked out online during production, find multiple meanings and readin...

In this episode of the show we are tying our conversation, albeit loosely, to the previous episode about Duel and discussing two films arguably inspired by Steven Spielberg's breakout hit, Joy Ride and Unhinged . Over the course of our long-winded and multi-faceted conversation you will hear us talk about the dichotomy between what Joy Ride wants to be and what it actually is, the idea of Paul Wal...

In this episode of the show we are taking a close look at Steven Spielberg's auspicious debut Duel , a film that put him on the map and set him on the trajectory to become one of the most successful Hollywood filmmakers. Over the course of the discussion we talk about the film's iconic villain, its multiple connections to Jaws as well as to the works of Alfred Hitchcock and even John Carpenter. We...

In this episode of the show we are discussing Quentin Tarantino's most maligned movie, Death Proof . Over the course of this wildly heated discussion we interrogate Tarantino's style, critique his indulgences, look for social commentary embedded within the character of Stuntman Mike, and naturally tip our hats to the great legacy of stuntmen and stuntwomen of Hollywood. Join for the movie talk, st...

In this episode of the show we are travelling all the way back to the 70s to discuss Richard C. Sarafian's Vanishing Point , a counterculture cult classic about a man barrelling down the road at breakneck speeds in an iconic white Dodge Challenger. Over the course of our conversation we touch on the unique qualities of the film's main character played by Barry Newman, obsess over the film's vibes...

In this episode of the show we get into our fancy sports cars and race across America together with Burt Reynolds and his friends as we are discussing Hal Needham's 1981 romp The Cannonball Run . Over the course of our discussion we try to figure out whether the movie is about a race or not, we interrogate the quality of its comedy and identify its problems, all in addition to hatching a plan to t...

In this episode of the show we are taking the train to Actionville as we are talking about not one but two train-centered action thrillers, Andrey Konchalovsky's Runaway Train and Tony Scott's Unstoppable . Over the course of this conversation we try to identify the layers of social commentary embedded under the edifice of genre schlock in Runaway Train , actively seek out the vestiges of Akira Ku...

In this episode of the show we are looking back at 1941 , Steven Spielberg's WWII spoof that followed off the heels of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind and became one of the biggest disappointments in the director's filmmaking career. Over the course of the discussion we attempt to interrogate the reasons why this film was so poorly received, figure out if it is a satire, a parody, a sp...

In this episode of the show we continue revisiting Darren Aronofsky's cinema as we dig into his latest opus mother! Supremely controversial upon its release and eventually tragically unsuccessful, this film was powerful enough a catalyst for the gang to argue over its merits for nearly five hours! Over the course of this gargantuan discussion we left no stone unturned as we examined the film's int...

In this episode of the show we discuss The Fountain , Darren Aronofsky's follow-up to his immensely successful breakthrough hit Requiem For a Dream , which for some reason (and we get into the possible reasons why) ended up swept under the rug of history. We dig into the film's rich thematic headspace, appreciate its filmmaking craft, identify potential strands connecting the film to its creator a...

In this episode of the show we venture back to 2006 and re-appraise Michael Mann's Miami Vice . Over the course of this long-winded and nuance-rich discussion we break down Michael Mann's directorial style, opine over his influence on cinema, share our own memories connected to the filmmaker and - most importantly - take a critical look at the film itself. We ponder over its multiple production is...

In this episode of the show we talk about the most maligned and unfortunate entry in the Star Wars franchise, Solo - A Star Wars Story . Over the course of this epic discussion we talk at length about the troubled history of this film and its multiple flaws, though at least some of us try to make a positive case for it anyway. In addition, you will be able to hear us sound off about the trajectory...

In this episode of the show we embark on an epic adventure leading us all the way back to the 1980s when the genre of fantasy was making a rapid resurgence and discuss Krull . We talk about how this film came to be, what possibly inspired it and - most importantly - try to understand why it became a spectacular box office bomb. We obsess over its lush production design, ridicule its ludicrous plot...

In this episode of the show we are (prematurely) celebrating Alien Day by talking about David Fincher’s directorial debut, Alien 3 . We leave no stone unturned as we delve into the intricacies of the film’s production, controversies surrounding the evolution of Ellen Ripley’s character, as well as the way the 2003 Assembly Cut attempted to rectify some of its flaws. As an added bonus, we also talk...

In this episode of the show we are taking a deep dive into the world of swashbuckling adventure, corny romance, ancient curses, revived corpses and sand (lots of sand) as we are discussing The Mummy and The Mummy Returns , with a side order of adding our few cents about The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and even a few words on The Scorpion King . We marvel over the chemistry Brendan Fraser and...

In this episode of the show we are indulging in a truly deep dive into Bringing Out The Dead , an underseen and underrated effort from Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader and starring Nicolas Cage. Over the course of this rather long and twisty conversation we attempt to unpack the thematic richness hidden within this film which includes (among others) seeing it as a spiritual successor to T...

In this episode of the show we having an absolute ball discussing Frank Marshall's 1995 adventure romp, Congo . Over the course of the discussion, which got heated and eventually went completely off the rails, we tried to get to the bottom of whether this film is great, abysmal or so-bad-it's-awesome. We also pontificated over just how much high calibre talent was found behind the scenes, shared a...

In this episode of the show we are taking a look at Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go , an adaptation of a Kazuo Ishiguro novel penned by none other than Alex Garland. Over the course of our discussion we ponder how easy it is for this film to hide its science-fiction high concept backbone, ruminate over the film's multitude of interpretations, hail its great performances and even attempt to view it...

In this episode of the show we are discussing a mostly orphaned western from 1962, Lonely Are the Brave directed by David Miller and starring Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, and Walter Matthau. We are trying to figure out if this film can still be classified as a western despite its modern setting, discuss the impact it had on movies that came after it and see if it can be read as an early tell-tale...