Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here, Sean Fennessey is finally on our podcast! The Big Picture Pod host joins Griffin and David to talk about Kubrick’s razor-sharp satire, the Peter Sellers tour-de-force that is “Dr. Strangelove”. We’re asking all the questions - Could Sellers have played *every* character in this movie? Is the film paradoxically funnier because Kubrick isn’t really a comedy guy? Would George C. Scott hate this podcast? Would you give “Tom Jones” a middling three stars on Letterboxd? And more!

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Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey

She saw the star fall and reached out toward the sky to catch it
"We're what they call lovebirds, and I have wings when you are with me
So don't you mock me"

He said, "The stars in your eyes are all that I can wish for
Bright are the freckles in your smile, and I'll make constellations
Though you're impatient"

And we may fight over words
They may say we're just in love to know how our hearts even work
And sometimes it takes mistakes to know just how lucky we were

I'm at the bottom of the fall and stuck inside the well deep
I try to keep the waters down when you're not here to fly me
So come and find me

And we'll make love
We'll make up for time we will have lost when we will see
Each other's scars once again
And sometimes we make mistakes to know just how lucky we've been

We're not a metaphor, but we are only what we make, Kay
I'll be cartographer and chart your ever-wondrous landscapes
I'll be your weatherman and call for sunshine in the darkness
I'll be astronomer and plot the stars as they pass by us
And I'm still jobless

But I'll apply for the post of always-hopeful-sometimes-crabby Michael
For you, and I'll screw up
But sometimes I fake mistakes to know just how lucky I was

Pardon the Fanfare

Some folks think "Home Alone 2" is just the same movie again (and they're right). But to others, it's an "obscene artifact"—and a superior sequel at that. On today's show, old friend and literary agent extraordinaire Noah Ballard makes his case for why Kevin McCallister's Christmas déjà vu succeeds in going darker, showcasing unforgettable audio technology, and presaging the ills of the next American century. Everybody say, "Hiya, pal!"

'Home Alone 2: Lost In New York' with Noah Ballard

I was asked to write a lullaby for Stephen Colbert as part of a skit for the show.  Unfortunately the bit was cut for time/content.  

Maybe, Sweet One, You Won't Have Nightmares Tonight

In the Playlist debut of "Be Reel," genre-hopping podcast hosts Chance Solem-Pfeifer and Noah Ballard dive into the career of screenwriting titan William Goldman, who passed away last month at age 87. 

They revisit his major works like “The Princess Bride,” “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All The President’s Men,” and Slate’s Marissa Martinelli joins the program to discuss the far deeper world of Goldman’s “The Princess Bride” novel.

Be Reel: The Essential Films of William Goldman

Oktay, Ryan, and Erik put 2018 to bed by each discussing their five most under-appreciated, under-seen, or undervalued films of the year.

Over/Under Movies #78 - Most Underrated Films of 2018

JC Chandor's "Triple Frontier" isn't the first movie to wonder what would happen if a few rogue soldiers tried to get rich while allegedly doing the right thing. On a new "Be Reel," Chance and Noah review Netflix's latest film and compare its themes and all-star casts to "Three Kings" (1999) and "Kelly's Heroes" (1970).

Be Reel: Triple Frontier, Three Kings & the Military Heist Film

With the untimely passing of writer/director/producer John Singleton last month, Be Reel takes stock of his life, times and film career. From the seminal “Boyz N the Hood” to the endlessly meme-able “Poetic Justice” to the unsung epic “Rosewood,” Chance, Noah, and author Tochi Onyebuchi reflect on Singleton's role as a preeminent black filmmaker and all the beauty and ugliness wrapped up in his both timely and timeless portraits of America.

Find more episodes of Be Reel on ThePlaylist.net.

Be Reel: The Essential Films of John Singleton

The Playlist Podcast has rebranded! Welcome to the very first episode of The Discourse! As this show has become more of a rotating door of guests with fresh voices and perspectives on the discussions we have each week, the name felt appropriate. On the first episode, Ryan Oliver is joined by Matt Donato (/Film, Atom Tickets) for a double-dose of creepy doll action to discuss "Annabelle Comes Home" and the remake of "Child's Play."

0:00-8:20: Recommendations
 Matt: “Ghost Killers vs. Bloody Mary,” “Belzebuth” 
Ryan: “Piranha” (1978) 
8:21-34:18: “Annabelle Comes Home” 
34:19-End: “Child’s Play” (2019)

The Discourse #1: Annabelle Comes Home / Child's Play

Singer-songwriter Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee, and comedian Whitmer Thomas have each released perhaps the best work of their careers thus far in the past month or so: Waxahatchee with her new LP, Saint Cloud, Whitmer with his HBO comedy special The Golden One. The two are huge fans of each other's emotionally vulnerable work; having recently met, they have, as Katie puts it in this talk, “a weird kismet connection."

In their open and honest conversation, Katie and Whitmer take us through their careers, from their beginnings as teenage rockers in Alabama to their current professional successes, and the processes of making their powerful new works. We also hear about the benefits of a slower professional trajectory; pre-album-release shame when you’ve been completely open about your life in your art; and how Katie getting sober changed her music.

Check it out, and subscribe now to stay in the loop on future episodes of the Talkhouse Podcast, including upcoming shows featuring Jarvis Cocker (Pulp) with the Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt; Black Belt Eagle Scout with Sasami; and George Saunders with fellow author Dana Spiotta.
—Elia Einhorn, Talkhouse Podcast host and producer 

This week's show was recorded by Claire Morison at Bedrock.la and in Brooklyn by Talkhouse Film's Editor-in-chief Nick Dawson and myself in our respective #stayhome studios. The Talkhouse Podcast's co-producer is Mark Yoshizumi.

Our theme song was composed and performed by The Range.

Please direct all podcast-related ideas, vitriol, and compliments to elia@thetalkhouse.com.

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Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) with Whitmer Thomas

Mask On

Go on a themed movie kick with host Chance Solem-Pfeifer. We're currently on Kick #2 ... Sports Romances. Seven episodes leading up to the release of "Challengers."

'Home Alone 2: Lost In New York' with Noah Ballard

The Kick

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