My Favorite Movie is...

What does it mean for a movie to have integrity? It’s an interesting question because, before the conversation you are about to hear today, you likely have never heard that word used to describe a movie before. Maybe you've heard it used to describe characters in a movie, or filmmakers themselves, but never extrapolated to all facets of a movie, and especially not things like production and sound design or extras in the background. But that’s how Alex Calleros, Senior Video Editor at BioWare and co-host of the film podcast Beyond The Screenplay, describes his all-time favorite movie, Children of Men: a movie with integrity in all aspects of its filmmaking. How exactly can we see this in every facet of filmmaking, and where can find in every nook and cranny of Alfonso Cuaron’s sci-fi masterwork?

How do we conquer our fear of the unknown? We’ve discussed a number of horror films on this show and, at the end of the day, almost all of their scariest elements come down to fear of the unknown. Cannibal families, demonic cults, seeing dead people, they’re all really bizarre and frightening because of it. But sometimes, even things closer to home can be just as elusive. Say, something we share our oceans with? Spielberg understood this when he ignited his career with Jaws, one of cinema’s first ever blockbusters, but there’s more to it than just fear. In fact, according to today’s guest, it’s a movie about facing your fear. Taylor D. Adams is a fellow storyteller and podcaster who hosts the Film Nuts Podcast, where he talks to artists of all backgrounds and concentrations about their favorite movies and television shows. Today, the turns have tabled, and now he will be talking about his favorite movie, Jaws, and how it taught him, and can teach us, the key to conquering our fear of the unknown.

It's the Fourth of July! And yet, it doesn't quite feel like a time to celebrate. Regardless of wherever you stand on whatever issue, our country is just in a really weird place, more divided and isolated than ever. So it might sound weird to suggest that an antidote to all of these feelings might just be...Independence Day. No, I'm not talking about the holiday this time. I'm talking about Roland Emerick's 1996 landmark blockbuster. The movie is certainly patriotic, but more in a 1996 kind of way, rather than a 2022 kind of way. It was pre-9/11 after all, and that often makes the film feel more like an oddity or a time capsule than a modern masterpiece. But I recently heard a perspective that had me reconsidering all of that, courtesy of podcaster and educator, Marlin Wilford. He is the host of his own solo podcast, Marlin's Corner, as well as one of the co-hosts on the roundtable podcast, Geek Force. Both shows focus on pop culture, media, and politics through a POC lens. When Marlin explained his take on sci-fi and aliens and Independence Day, I was floored. It was inspiring to hear that even a movie as massive and as 90s as Independence Day could still speak to the current cultural moment and imbue it with hope. He completely reshaped the way I saw this movie and by the end of this episode, it's gonna do the same for you.

Very few filmmakers can honestly, and accurately, portray the plight of very young children on screen. But one of those filmmakers has always been M. Night Shyamalan. Despite his divisive reputation, he has often featured young characters at the heart of his stories while always maintaining a sensitivity in how he has them interact with the horror and thriller elements of his movies. This all started from the jump with The Sixth Sense, M. Night's directorial debut. His fall from grace has shrouded this movie in the past, but its honest portrayal of childhood, not to mention its iconic twist, keeps it just as memorable as it was over twenty years ago. But how does M. Night place someone so young at the center of something so tragic without turning them into a martyr? Why is he still one of the only filmmakers who can take such a vulnerable age group and treat them with such respect and dignity? To answer this, I brought in a Sixth Sense superfan and a horror lover through and through: Anna Chazelle. She is an incredibly talented triple threat--an actor, writer, and director--whose directorial debut, Narrow, proved that she knows what goes into making an effective psychological horror story. Today, she's going to share with us her insight into how the The Sixth Sense's central relationship, gripping performances, and terrifying ghosts make for one of cinema's most effective stories on childhood trauma.

Have you ever heard the phrase "they just don’t make ‘em like they used to?" I'm sure you have. Maybe you've even caught yourself saying it once or twice. There are certain creative mindsets that have been abandoned by studios in the franchise era that we’re living through right now. Back in the 80s and 90s, visionary filmmakers were taking bold story ideas that, on paper, sounded a little bizarre but, in execution, became all-time classics. Nobody did this kind of film better than Steven Spielberg, and one film proves it more than any other--Jurassic Park. There are plenty of reasons why the film was so successful but, when you break it all down, there’s really only one. And in today's episode, accomplished screenwriter, author, and podcaster, Tricia Aurand, is going to share that one key reason. It uncovers exactly why Jurassic Park remains one of the greatest films of all time and how maybe…just maybe…we can start making them like we used to.

Star Wars. Just those two words evoke so much in so many of us: distant planets, unforgettable characters, and a battle of good versus evil spanning generations. But it's important to remember where it all began–with a young snarky farm boy from a desert planet who was destined to save the entire gallery. The original Star Wars remains to this day a very simple and accessible story. But it's also pretty damn complex, and for all that has already been said about it, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what that complexity is. So what is it? And how can a movie be simple and complex at the same time? Michael Tucker, the creator and voice behind Lessons From The Screenplay and Beyond The Screenplay, is here to crack the code on how the first installment in pop culture's most beloved space opera is actually simpler and more complex than you remember.

Any passionate movie fan will tell you that deciding your all-time favorite movie is a painstaking process. But what happens when somebody's favorite movie isn't their favorite by choice?

Casablanca is considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time. There's very little that anybody could say that hasn't already been said. But what if I told you that I found the exception to that rule?

We may be on hiatus until the Spring, but you can connect with me and our community of fellow filmmakers, storytellers, and film fans on Discord!

What the heck is a Daisies? You may have never heard of this film from the Czech New Wave, but it was a monumental exploration of female friendships, paving the way for modern classics like Lady Bird and Booksmart! Actress and filmmaker Anna Dale Robinson joins Larry on the show this week, diving deep into the complex female friendship at the center of Věra Chytilová's 1966 surrealist comedy masterwork.

The beloved cult classic Scott Pilgrim vs. The World seems to have a problematic reputation. After all, its characters...kinda suck. But that's what makes them great. Scott Niswander of the YouTube video essay channel "NerdSync" sits down with Larry to explain how the film's flawed characters and strong themes unlock a profound depth to one of cinema's most entertaining comic book romps. We also discuss how the film creates its own unique cinematic language in bringing its source materials' panels to the big screen.

This October, we're dedicating episodes of "My Favorite Movie is..." to movies that scare us, and horror and surrealist photographer Alice Guzman is scared of Lou Bloom. He may not be your traditional horror movie monster, but his sunken eyes, lanky body, and cutthroat stare provide the same effect, if not moreso. Alice joins Larry to gush over Dan Gilroy's chilling suspense-thriller Nightcrawler and Gyllenhaal's masterful performance at its center.