2008: The Wrestler

We close out Season Four with Joshua Oppenheimer’s surreal and disturbing documentary The Act of Killing.Plus: the difficulties of dealing with mice, and a potential new car for Sam.LINKS:Trailer for The Act of KillingTrailer for DiggerChristopher Hitchens's moral challengeSupport the show

This episode we explore Kenneth Lonergan’s underseen coming-of-age drama Margaret, starring Anna Paquin, J. Smith-Cameron, and Mark Ruffalo.Plus: a heat wave, the power of art, and the lingering specter of 9/11.LINKS:Trailer for Margaret“Spring and Fall” by Gerard Manley HopkinsThe music of Richard Strauss in Wild at HeartSupport the show

This week we tune up our ukuleles to sing the praises of Derek Cianfrance’s romantic drama Blue Valentine, starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling.Plus: the magic of theater, the return of the World Cup, and James takes his car to the shop.LINKS:Trailer for Blue ValentineRosamund Pike speaks out about texting during performancesMichael Haneke on SpielbergSupport the show

This week we we travel back to 1914 for Michael Haneke’s austere period drama The White Ribbon.Plus: the devaluing ubiquity of music, the less pleasant aspects of parenthood, and James's return to urban living.LINKS:Trailer for The White Ribbon“Forbidden Friendship” from How to Train Your Dragon“The Parable of the Old Man and the Young” by Wilfred Owen“The Tale of the Three Brothers”, from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part OneSupport the show

This week we’re stepping into the ring to confront Darren Aronofsky's washed-up-tough-guy drama The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei.Plus: Primordial Soup, the end of The Bad Plus, and James’s retirement from film-scoring.LINKS:Trailer for The Wrestler​The Bad Plus (original lineup) plays "Prehensile Dream"[it is worth your patience; let it develop]​The "Married Life" montage from UpSupport the show

This week we saddle up for Andrew Dominik’s 2007 revisionist western The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck.Plus: an Oscar-winning case of temp love, the evolution of John Wayne’s characters, and James’s new cold-plunge pod.LINKS:Trailer for The Assassination of Jesse James...Max Richter's "On the Nature of Daylight"Martin Scorsese on the evolution of John Wayne's charactersSupport the show

This week we investigate the spies, bureaucrats, artists and lovers of Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Cold War thriller The Lives of Others, starring Ulrich Mühe, Sebastian Koch, and Martina Gedeck.Plus: government protests, Star-Wars-themed cruises, and the question of whether people can ever really change.LINKS:Trailer for The Lives of OthersThe Star Wars "Galactic Starcruiser"Anton Ego's flashback in RatatouilleSupport the show

This week we push our stroller through the post-industrial Belgian streets of the Dardenne Brothers’ moral thriller The Child, starring Jérémie Renier and Déborah François.Plus: Sam takes on a new role at work, considers hiring a new mechanic, and we mourn the passing of three legends.LINKS:Trailer for The ChildTrailer for Mr ScorseseWikipedia entry for production designer Stuart CraigSupport the show

This week we wend our way through Richard Linklater’s decades-spanning Before trilogy, starring Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke.Plus: Sam gets a taste of empty-nesterdom, and James walks into a glass door.LINKS:Trailers for the three Before moviesEthan Hawke's first novel, The Hottest State“Dawn”, from the Pride and Prejudice score, by Dario MarianelliSupport the show

This episode we hammer our way through Park Chan-wook’s action-thriller Oldboy, starring Choi Min-sik.Plus: the time Sam met Bruce Willis, and the event that almost ended our friendship.LINKS:Trailer for Oldboy“Prologue” from Alexander Desplat's score for Birth The Return of BrunoEternal Sunshine.... waltz, by Jon BrionSupport the show