Ben Reiser talks with Nick Libbey and Zach Tomasovic, the filmmakers behind Sawyer County, 2020, which screened at the 2022 Wisconsin Film Festival.

This survey of a cross-section of Sawyer County, Wisconsin residents in the immediate runup to the 2020 presidential election reveals a lot about the state of the state and the ever-increasing divide between neighbors.

Ep 90 -  Sawyer County, 2020

On the long-awaited return of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, Scott and Ben indulge their 70s Heston-Dystopia fixation with a double bill of The Omega Man and Soylent Green. 

Soak in the radiation vibes as S&B:

- Wax poetic about dad bods and tummy hair
- Argue for the inclusion of The Omega Man as a blaxploitation forefather
- Discover the origins of Phantasm and Dawn of the Dead
- Get all squishy about squibs and uzis
- Wonder about the wardrobe departments of both of these 70s sci-fi fashion-awkward spectacles.

And so much more!

Ep. 45 - The Omega Man + Soylent Green

All aboard as Scott Lucas and Ben Reiser dissect one of the all-time great thrillers, Joseph Sargent's The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. Hang on to your straps as we:

 - Wrap our heads around the catch-all: Neo-Noir
 - Bow down to the great Peter Stone (Not a pen name!)
 - Pay our respects to Tom Pedi
 - Talk NYC Jews and Italians
 - Badmouth Tony Scott
 - Guess the mayor
 - Say gesundheit!

And much, much more!!

Ep. 46 - The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)

On a special double feature/dual podcast episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s/Cinematalk commemorating the screenings of both films at UW Cinematheque, Ben Reiser and Jim Healy take a deep dive into a “Fistful of Feiffers”, discussing both LITTLE MURDERS (1971) and CARNAL KNOWLEDGE (1971). ‘71 was a big year for screenwriter/playwright/cartoonist Jules Feiffer, with Alan Arkin’s LITTLE MURDERS and Mike Nichols’ CARNAL KNOWLEDGE both hitting screens within six months of each other. Listen along as Jim and Ben try to suss out Feiffer’s inspirations, figure out what genres these films do and don’t fall into, Elliott Gould on top of the world, Candice Bergen’s best work, waiting for Godard, Gordon Willis goes wild, Nicholson as man-baby, magnificent Ann Margret, and much more, including not one, but TWO rounds of “What else was playing that week?”.

Ep 90 - Little Murders & Carnal Knowledge

Ep. 47 - Little Murders (1971) & Carnal Knowledge (1971)

On a spirited, contentious new episode, Scott and Ben discuss Richard Attenborough's 1978 spook show, MAGIC. Listen and weigh in with your opinions about:
- Fats: sentient or wood
- Corky: psychic or trickster
- Peggy: boobs or eyebrows
- Burgess Meredith: can this guy tell time, or what?
- David Ogden Stiers: hairpiece or herpes?
- William Goldman: old-fashioned or just old school
- Ventriloquism: to throw or not to throw, that is the question
and much much more, including Dead of Night, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone, and Soap!

Ep. 48 - Magic (1978)

On an all-new episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, Ben and Scott cover Martin Scorsese's left-turn follow up to Mean Streets. Topics include:
*Burstyn as auteur
*Voices sell visuals
*Keitel's accents
*Alfred Lutter III is John Cazale Jr.
*Mott the Hoople vs. The Boss vs. Bob Seger
*Vic Tayback, superstar
*What's Happening is NOT Cooley High
*The joy of low-stakes cinema
*The joy of secret jump cuts
*Kristofferson as manic-pixie-beardo

And much much more!

Ep. 49 - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

On an all-star episode of 70 Movies We Saw in the 70s, Jim Healy and Scooter McCrae join Scott and Ben for an apocalyptic assault on John Boorman's one-of-a-kind dystopian sex/death romp, Zardoz! Listen along as the quartet analyzes everything from Sean Connery's speedo-loincloth to Sean Connery's bearded ponytail. Hold on to your headphones as we careen down memory lane with tales of close encounters with John Boorman, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and the Coen Brothers. Break out the green bread, this one's a doozy!

Ep. 50 - Zardoz (1974)

On a special Christmas-themed episode, Scott and Ben dive down the 70s conspiracy thriller rabbit hole with Sidney Pollack's THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR. See if you can follow the breadcrumbs as we:

*Relish Redford's mo-ped machismo
*Casually comment on Cliff's combover
*Fawn fondly over Faye's fabulous photos
PLUS
*Sidney Pollack out-hitches Hitch as the original king of Cameo
*Von Sydow lays a glove on us
*Hank Garrett smushes a schnoz
*Encyclopedia Brown vs. Dick Tracy
AND
*A Seinfeld conspiracy
*What was playing that week?

Ep. 51 - Three Days Of The Condor (1975)

In conjunction with UW Cinematheque's view-at-home presentation of the newly restored Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959), this episode of Cinematalk takes a close look at the influential concert documentary filmed at the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival. In the first segment, UW Madison Film Professor Jeff Smith talks with the Cinematheque's Mike King about the cultural and historical significance of the artists who appeared at Newport and the influence of Jazz on a Summer’s Day on subsequently made concert movies. In the second segment, Cinematheque's Ben Reiser talks with his fellow SUNY Purchase classmates, filmmakers Jeff Kushner and Bob Gosse, about their Film Professor, Aram Avakian, and Avakian's contributions to Jazz on a Summer's Day.

15. JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY w/Jeff Smith, Jeff Kushner, & Bob Gosse

A UW Madison Department of Communication Arts Podcast

15. JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY w/Jeff Smith, Jeff Kushner, & Bob Gosse

Cinematalk

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