Jason and the Movienauts

Jason Sacks and Eric Hoffman continue their Shohei Imamura series with the two sprawling historical epics of his later career: Eijanaika (1981) and Zegen (1987). Both films are episodic, grotesque, darkly funny and deeply unromanticized. Imamura gives us no heroes and no grand political machinations. For him, history is driven by hunger, lust, fear, greed and the plain need to survive.In this episode:- Why both films can feel baffling for the first half hour, then come together as damning indictments of Japanese society- Eijanaika ("Why not?") and the real hysteria of the Meiji Restoration, a carnival of hedonism that the powers that be crush- Zegen, the pimp-turned-empire-builder, and Imamura's satire of bloated patriotism and imperial ambition- Why Imamura refuses the heroes and abstract codes of the Japanese historical epic, and tells the story of the working class, the downtrodden and the forgotten- Black comedy and grotesque characters, class structure in Japan and Britain, and why these films are not Altman-esque- Agency, sympathy, and Zegen's absurd devotion to the emperor- What 1981 and 1987 say about Japan's postwar transformation- Imamura as an older master looking back on the rebellious energy of the Japanese New Wave- Comparisons to Kurosawa (Drunken Angel, Dodes'ka-den), plus connections back to Pigs and Battleships, The Insect Woman, The Pornographers, Profound Desires of the Gods, Vengeance Is Mine and The EelWhere to watch: Jason and Eric both point to the Criterion Channel. Eric also notes Eijanaika can be found on the Internet Archive.CHAPTERS0:00 Intro: Eijanaika and Zegen, two culminating epics4:17 No heroes: history from the bottom up8:29 "Why not?": the Meiji Restoration hysteria14:12 Zegen and the sex trade of empire41:00 1981 vs. 1987: Japan's postwar change48:02 Imamura the master looks backHASHTAGS#ShoheiImamura #Eijanaika #Zegen #JapaneseNewWave #FilmPodcast #JasonAndTheMovienauts #Criterion

In the latest episode of our minute-by-minute review of Robert Altman's classic 1975 film Nashville, Haven Hamilton stops another take of "200 Years" to cut down his piano player: "Frog, he plays like a Frog." The joke is that Frog is played by Richard Baskin, who co-wrote the song as Nashville's 23-year-old music director. Jason and Dan dig into Baskin's story, from the Baskin-Robbins family and his SNL-photographer sister Edie to the pitch that won Altman over, and into why Nashville's songs work as character confessions. They also cover the film's Chem-Tone look, DP Paul Lohmann, and the nine-minute opening credits.Timestamps0:00 Intro1:03 Haven vs. Frog3:48 Who is Richard Baskin?5:36 How Baskin talked his way onto the film12:42 Altman: "Basically haiku"23:32 Chem-Tone and the look of Nashville

Jason Sacks, Paul McCoy and Shawn Hill continue their journey through the films of John Carpenter with the two movies that close out his run as a feature director: Ghosts of Mars (2001) and The Ward (2010). Neither is a lost classic, but there's plenty to dig into.Ghosts of Mars plays like a third-generation copy of Carpenter's own greatest hits: Assault on Precinct 13 on Mars, with Big Trouble in Little China's framing, Escape from New York's look and the Vampires villain back for another round. The guys praise the cast (Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Clea DuVall, Pam Grier, Joanna Cassidy), the model work and the costumes, then dig into what goes wrong: the nested flashbacks, the Martian temple we never get to explore, the late recasting of Natasha Henstridge's role (Courtney Love was originally cast) and a director flying solo without his usual collaborators. Plus: the other Mars movies of the era, the metal soundtrack and the alien language.Then The Ward: Amber Heard, a 1960s asylum, a twist you can see coming, and Carpenter's last feature to date. The guys talk about the Hitchcock-blonde setup, Jared Harris's thankless exposition, the hospital as a location, and why a ward with this many girls never says where everyone else is. Why did Carpenter take the job? And how do the two movies rate?Next time: Carpenter's television work.CHAPTERS0:00 Welcome: Ghosts of Mars as a Carpenter greatest-hits second album4:16 The cast, the model work and the costumes12:11 Why the script, the ending and the flashbacks don't land22:03 Other Mars movies, the alien language and the late recast33:57 The Ward (2010): Carpenter's last feature48:52 Why Carpenter said yes, and the ratingsTAGS#JohnCarpenter #GhostsOfMars #TheWard #HorrorMovies #MoviePodcast #FilmPodcast #AmberHeard #IceCube #JasonAndTheMovienauts

In the latest episode of our minute-by-minute review of Robert Altman's classic 1975 film Nashville, we leave Haven's icy recording booth for the warmth of the Fisk choir, as Linnea Reese leads "Yes, I Do." Jason and Dan compare the two studios and what Altman sets up between Haven and Linnea, his two central characters: business against passion, polish against looseness, a fixed tradition against a gospel sound that was still new. Why is the least polished singer in the room singing lead? Plus Lily Tomlin on getting cast (in a role meant for Louise Fletcher), Opal's "darkest Africa" monologue, Geraldine Chaplin's layered costume, and Steve Altman in the credits.Timestamps0:00 Intro0:44 "Yes, I Do" vs. "200 Years"8:42 Why is Linnea singing lead?27:48 Lily Tomlin on getting cast30:21 Opal in the gospel studio35:40 The credits and Altman's son Steve

Jason and Michelle kick off a new Jason and the Movienauts series on Ernst Lubitsch, the director Billy Wilder idolized, with two of his wild, delightfully naughty German silents: The Doll (1919) and The Wildcat (1921). In The Doll, Lubitsch himself builds the set by hand before the story comes to life. A shy young man is sent to marry a lifelike doll, and the doll maker's daughter, Ossi Oswalda, ends up playing the doll. We talk about the gluttonous monks, the paper-and-paint sets and a heroine who is never just a puppet. In The Wildcat, Pola Negri blazes across the screen as Rischka, a mountain bandit determined to have the dashing (well, "dashing") lieutenant Alexis. Lubitsch frames nearly every shot through stars, circles and other masks, and he lampoons the military two years after Germany's defeat. Along the way: Lubitsch vs. Chaplin (from Joseph McBride's How Did Lubitsch Do It?), Pola Negri's larger-than-life career, why this kind of acting can't be recreated today (sorry, Babylon), and a preview of the series ahead, from The Oyster Princess to Trouble in Paradise, Design for Living and The Shop Around the Corner. Both films are restored, in the public domain and free to watch on YouTube. CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome: launching our Ernst Lubitsch series02:25 The Lubitsch touch, and silent films05:02 The Doll (1919): the dollhouse opening and Ossi Oswalda13:54 Lubitsch vs. Chaplin16:20 Lancelot, the monks, and the doll's wedding night18:45 The handmade sets20:50 The Wildcat (1921): masks, cutouts and Pola Negri 27:57 Alexis, the "irresistible" lieutenant, and military satire33:24 Big acting you can't recreate today36:33 What's coming up in the series #ErnstLubitsch #SilentFilm #PolaNegri #TheDoll #TheWildcat #ClassicFilm #FilmPodcast #JasonAndTheMovienauts

In the latest episode of their discussion of Robert Altman's classic Nashville, Bud steers Opal next door to Studio B, where Lily Tomlin's Linnea is singing with a gospel choir from Fisk University. Jason Sacks and Dan Story compare the loose, joyful energy there with Haven's tightly controlled session, unpack Opal's improvised missionary story and Bud's barely-straight-faced reactions, and wonder whether that's screenwriter Joan Tewkesbury on the couch. Plus Geraldine Chaplin on playing Opal, the Fisk Jubilee Singers tradition, and the many sides of Linnea in Robert Altman's Nashville.01:30 Studio A vs. Studio B07:44 Opal's "cozy" studio11:03 Geraldine Chaplin on Opal16:46 Is that Joan Tewkesbury?27:53 The Fisk University choir32:53 The many sides of Linnea

Jason and Michelle wrap up their series on Douglas Sirk, Hollywood's master of melodrama, by counting down all 13 Sirk films they covered, from the noir thrills of Lured to the towering tearjerker Imitation of Life. They agree on seven spots, including #1 and #13, but the biggest fight is over Written on the Wind: Jason puts it at #6, while Michelle, for whom it's her all-time favorite Sirk, puts it at #2.How would you rank them? Tell us your top Sirk in the comments, and like and subscribe for more director deep dives.CHAPTERS0:00 Intro0:33 #13 Taza, Son of Cochise (1954)1:33 #12 Sleep, My Love (1948)2:46 #11 Shockproof (1949)3:47 #10 Lured / All I Desire4:35 #9 All I Desire / Lured6:52 #8 Interlude / Magnificent Obsession8:11 #7 Magnificent Obsession / Interlude11:27 #6 Written on the Wind / A Time to Love and A Time to Die13:15 #5 The Tarnished Angels (1957)15:10 #4 A Time to Love and A Time to Die / There's Always Tomorrow16:33 #3 All That Heaven Allows (1955)18:14 #2 There's Always Tomorrow / Written on the Wind21:54 #1 Imitation of Life (1959)26:20 More Sirk worth seeking out27:59 Fassbinder and Sirk29:22 The final rankingsAlso discussed: Battle Hymn, Thunder on the Hill, Hitler's Madman, Never Say Goodbye and Meet Me at the Fair, plus Rainer Werner Fassbinder with Douglas Sirk.Music: "Together We Stand" by Kaazoom.#DouglasSirk #ImitationOfLife #WrittenOnTheWind #AllThatHeavenAllows #ClassicFilm #Melodrama #MoviePodcast

In the latest episode of their minute by minute discussion of Robert Altman's epochal film Nashville, Haven stops everything to have Opal thrown out of his studio, and Nashville gives us its first burst of overlapping dialogue. Jason Sacks and Dan Story explain the Lion's Gate 8-track sound system behind it, ask how far "I'm Opal from the BBC" could get you in 1975, and look at Bud snapping to attention when his father calls him "Buddy." Plus Haven's double standard about studio guests, Henry Gibson's career, and the what-if of Robert Duvall playing Haven Hamilton.00:50 Altman's overlapping dialogue01:55 "I'm Opal from the BBC"07:08 The 8-track sound system10:12 Bud and "Buddy"16:01 Henry Gibson's performance21:44 What if Robert Duvall played Haven?

Jason Sacks, Paul McCoy and Shawn Hill continue their journey through the films of John Carpenter with his late-’90s pair: Village of the Damned (1995) and Vampires (1998). Neither is anyone’s new favorite Carpenter. The verdict is “very, very okay.” But there’s plenty to dig into.Village of the Damned was a work-for-hire job. Universal offered it in exchange for a Creature from the Black Lagoon remake that never happened, and Carpenter stuck close to the 1960 original he loved as a kid. The guys weigh a strong cast (Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski, Mark Hamill, Meredith Salenger) against blank, robotic children and a flat look. Vampires started as a $60 million Dolph Lundgren project and became a $20 million James Woods movie. It’s gorgeously shot by Gary B. Kibbe and full of Carpenter finally getting to make his Western, with Sheryl Lee bringing Fire Walk with Me energy. Plus: casting stars who later became problematic, Maximilian Schell’s cameo, and a look ahead to Ghosts of Mars and The Ward.Next time: Ghosts of Mars and The Ward.#JohnCarpenter #VillageOfTheDamned #Vampires #HorrorMovies #MoviePodcast #JasonAndTheMovienauts

In the latest discussion of Robert Altman's brilliant Nashville, Haven Hamilton finally takes the mic, recording his bicentennial anthem "200 Years," and Jason Sacks and Dan Story ask whether it's the most pandering song in Robert Altman's Nashville. They read Joan Tewkesbury's screenplay description of Haven, size up Henry Gibson's controlling star and meet Bud and Lady Pearl, the family in his orbit. Plus Altman's assistant directors Tommy Thompson and Alan Rudolph, the background extras with stories of their own, Geraldine Chaplin's Opal wandering in, and some unforgettable 1970s outfits.00:24 "200 Years"07:22 Tewkesbury on Haven14:15 Bud and Lady Pearl20:03 Altman's assistant directors25:04 Opal arrives31:23 Those 1970s outfits