The Letterboxd Show

Filmmaker Michael Mann joins Letterboxd in conversation about his favorite films, on the occasion of the launch of the Michael Mann Archives — Directing Ferrari. Links: Michael Mann's Letterboxd Films talked about in this conversation Michael Mann’s list of his 14 favorite films Michael Mann Archives — Directing Ferrari Mia Lee Vicino’s Letterboxd Video version of this conversation on our YouTube channel Credits: The conversation was recorded by Eileen Ruiz and edited by Shannon Keirce. Theme music: “Vampiros Danceoteque” by Moniker. Producers: Brian Formo and Gemma Gracewood. The Letterboxd Show is a TAPEDECK production. Chapters: (00:01:15) Ferrari and the Michael Mann Archives — Directing Ferrari⁠ (00:09:37) Turbo (00:10:58) Battleship Potemkin, Heat, and Last of the Mohicans (00:14:31) Apocalypse Now (00:16:14) The Conformist (00:17:01) From Here to Eternity and The Jericho Mile (00:18:32) The Hurt Locker (00:19:57) Dr. Strangelove and Heat (00:21:35) The Loved One (00:22:13) Poor Things (00:23:39) L’Atalante (00:24:36) The Sweet Smell of Success and The Insider (00:26:37) I Am Cuba and Ali (00:30:22) Raging Bull (00:31:18) Miami Vice, Heat, and the theatrical experience (00:33:00) Biutiful (00:34:04) Incendies (00:34:29) Pan’s Labyrinth (00:35:02) The Passion of Joan of Arc and The Insider (00:36:54) The Asphalt Jungle (00:38:54) Out of the Past (00:40:53) Memories of Murder, Manhunter, and serial killers (00:45:45) Pale Flower and Bicycle Thieves (00:46:57) Manhattan Melodrama and Public Enemies

For our grand finale, the Best in Show crew heads to the 96th Academy Awards! Brian, who had a golden ticket to the ceremony itself, recaps how it felt for his eyes to see Al Pacino announce, “My eyes see Oppenheimer!”, while Gemma and Mia recount their hectic day on the red carpet and evening in the press room—plus dancing with the Anatomy of a Fall lawyers at the afterparty. Finally, we invite our London correspondent/Best in Show newsletter extraordinaire George Fenwick to reflect on the awards season as a whole, and to submit his winning pick for the inaugural Bradley Moze (and Otis) Awards, named for our beloved cats who kept us grounded over the past few months. Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) Oscars experience (00:02:57) The show itself (00:11:14) George Fenwick interview (40:15) Bradley Moze & Otis Awards (00:53:32) Closing credits (00:59:40) Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, London and Auckland. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest.

This week, the Best in Show crew is full of Indie Spirit as they mingle on the carpet and out the back of the Film Independent Spirit Awards, where Zoe Lister-Jones, Jordan Firstman and the teams from Kokomo City and The Zone of Interest all stop by for chats about Cassavetes versus Altman, the secrets to a great director-producer relationship and epic movie dog moments. Brian meets his sporting hero Marshawn Lynch, and Mia settles in for a conversation with International Feature Spirit winner Justine Triet about the multiple languages of Anatomy of a Fall. Finally, Neil Hamburger himself (On Cinema’s Gregg Turkington, cast member in the John Cassavetes Award-winning Fremont) tells Mia and Gemma about the first award he ever won (and seems to keep on winning). Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) News (00:03:06) Justine Triet interview (00:33:34) Winner Winner Turkington Dinner (00:49:48) Closing credits (00:54:40) Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest. Lists & Links: Best in Show’s HQ Page, Film Independent’s HQ Page

This week, Brian, Gemma and Mia break down the art of visual effects with a little help from our friends: The Creator director Gareth Edwards and his visual effects on-set supervisor Andrew Roberts. More ‘Help!’ arrives in the form of Sean Lennon, co-writer of the Oscar-nominated short War Is Over!, via his chat with our New York correspondent, Julia Barrett-Mitchell. Mia and Brian also recap their Oscars Luncheon experience, which involved press and A-listers alike getting starstruck by Messi the dog, who plays Snoop in Anatomy of a Fall (and was snubbed for Best Supporting Actor). Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) Oscar luncheon and Barbie promo (00:02:03) Behind the curtain: visual effects (00:18:56) Gareth Edwards and Andrew Roberts interview (00:25:54) War is Over! interview (00:43:45) Winner Winner Chicken Run Dinner (00:54:37) Closing credits (01:01:44) Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Auckland. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest. Lists & Links: List of movies mentioned, Best in Show’s HQ Page, Gender at the Oscars

The Best in Show team welcomes our East Coast correspondent Adesola Thomas to chat about her best of the Park City fest, among them the raucous Irish-language rap-musical Kneecap, sisterly drama In the Summers and coming-of-age charmer Dìdi (弟弟). Then, Mia and Gemma head to Osage County with five-time Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West for an in-depth interview on her “method costuming” techniques for Killers of the Flower Moon—which included close collaboration with fellow nominees Lily Gladstone and Martin Scorsese, as well as Osage wardrobe consultant Julie O’Keefe. She also shares how she creates a real-life closet to help her actors inhabit their characters’ wardrobes, an insightful approach that Jessica Chastain has requested on all of her films since working with West on The Tree of Life. Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) News (00:01:28) Sundance (00:07:27) Jacqueline West interview (00:19:58) Winner Winner Chicken Run Dinner (00:50:31) Closing credits (00:59:42) Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, New York and Auckland. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo and our newsletter edited by George Fenwick. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest. Lists & Links: List of movies mentioned, Best in Show’s HQ Page

The BAFTA nominations are in—Lily Gladstone and Andrew Scott are out. What’s that about? London Editor Ella Kemp joins Mia and Gemma for a rant. Plus: the invisible but visceral art of sound design with The Zone of Interest and Poor Things sound designer Johnnie Burn, Society of the Snow director JA Bayona, and Killers of the Flower Moon sound mixer Mark Ulano. Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) BAFTAs (00:02:39) Sound design (00:13:13) JA Bayona interview (00:20:50) Mark Ulano interview (00:28:26) Johnnie Burn interview (00:29:42) Winner Winner Chicken Run Dinner (00:46:13) Closing credits (00:58:06) Sponsor: Searchlight Pictures’ All of Us Strangers Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, London, and Auckland. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest. Lists & Links: List of movies mentioned, Best in Show’s HQ Page, Gemma’s interview with Molly Manning Walker, Ella’s interview with Charlotte Regan

In this art direction-focused episode of Best in Show, Mia chats with the production designers behind the mad world of Poor Things—James Price and Shona Heath—about their human anatomy-inspired sets, and Gemma catches up with an old friend: Grant Major, Academy Award-winning production designer of a little film saga called The Lord of the Rings. The crew also hears from a few contenders at the Governors Awards (including a serenade from The Holdovers’ Dominic Sessa), rages against the SAG nomination snubs (WHERE is Charles Melton?!) and goes in on those Golden Globes (Stone and Gladstone world domination). Oh, and Mark Ruffalo, Yorgos Lanthimos and ol’ blue eyes Cillian Murphy may just stop by, too. Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) Governor’s Awards (00:02:17) SAG Nominations (00:15:05) Golden Globes (00:17:47) Production Design (00:26:45) Grant Major interview (00:28:00) James Price + Shona Heath interview (00:46:25) Winner Winner Chicken Run Dinner (01:06:12) Closing credits (01:15:17) Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and Auckland. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest. Lists & Links: List of movies mentioned, Best in Show’s HQ Page, Wood & Ella’s Playtime reviews

This week, the Best in Show crew dives deep into two documentaries that just made the 96th Academy Awards shortlist. After answering some mailbag questions about pesky release dates and Oscars eligiblity rules, London Editor Ella Kemp swoops in to take us in front of the camera with Jon Batiste—the composer and subject at the center of American Symphony—then Gemma goes behind the camera with Maciek Hamela, director of In the Rearview, which chronicles the immediate refugee crisis created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Plus, Mia discovers the cat-centric Chlotrudis Awards, leading to her and Brian’s creating a new awards body for film and feline fans. Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) Oscar shortlist reckons (00:01:51) Listener mailbag (00:09:59) American Symphony thoughts (22:51) Jon Batiste interview (00:27:33) Maciek Hamela interview (00:44:29) Winner Winner Chicken Run Dinner (00:53:08) Closing credits (01:04:53) Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, Auckland, London, and Toronto. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest. Lists & Links: List of movies mentioned, Best in Show’s HQ Page, Sydney’s Society of Snow review

Season’s greetings! Join us as the Letterboxd crew sits down with their hot chocolate for a roundtable discussion about Love Actually. Slim⁠ watches this “classic” for the first time in preparation and welcomes ⁠Gemma⁠, ⁠Mia⁠, and Ella into the Letterboxd Studio to walk down memory lane on their first-time watches, how viewings of certain movies change over time, favorite moments, and much more. Ella explaining the haunted inner workings of a Build-a-Bear workshop to Gemma will likely stay with you for several years. They also discuss how not to seduce someone, the bonkers fashion and musical choices, if Mr. Firth has rebounded into fully formed human being on-screen, and of course offer up some other holiday romantic comedy recommendations. It’s a miracle! Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) Love Actually roundtable (00:005:23) Holiday Rom Com Recommendations (00:56:35) Closing credits (01:03:24) Sponsor: NEON’s Ferrari. Credits: Recorded in Auckland, LA, London, and Philadelphia. Edited by Slim. Theme music: “Vampiros Danceoteque” by Moniker. Editorial producer: Brian Formo. Production manager: Sophie Shin. The Letterboxd Show is a TAPEDECK production. Email us!

May December screenwriter Samy Burch joins Mia and Gemma for a chat, fresh from her New York Film Critics Circle win for Best Screenplay. Topics range from Melanie Lynskey to Sister Act to Persona (and Burch’s favorite Letterboxd review), and how the presence of major tabloid figures such as Monica Lewinsky informed her themes of media obsession, performance and agency. We also welcome our London editor Ella Kemp and Best in Show newsletter scribe George Fenwick to give us the lowdown on their attending the British Independent Film Awards, including its big winner All of Us Strangers. Cheers! Sponsor: Film Independent Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, London and Auckland. Edited by Slim, production manager Sophie Shin, editorial producer Brian Formo. Theme: ‘Hyperlight’ by Letterboxd member Trent Walton (AKA Echo Wolf). Artwork by Danny Haas. Best in Show is a TAPEDECK production. Title courtesy of Christopher Guest. Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) BIFA (00:04:06) Samy Burch (00:16:32) Winner Winner Chicken Run Dinner (00:39:55) Closing credits (00:44:15) Lists & Links: List of movies mentioned Film Independent’s HQ page on Letterboxd Ella & George’s Letterboxd profiles Brian’s interview with Todd Haynes Christian Jacob Ramón & Josiah Morgan’s May December reviews

Writer and Executive Producer of Scott Pilgrim Takes Off BenDavid Grabinski joins slim and Flynn to chat about Big Trouble in Little China, Stop Making Sense, Midnight Run, and The Legend of Billie Jean. They also discuss their favorite concert experiences, Harry Potter midnight releases, forcing their relatives to watch Planes, Trains, and Automobiles every Thanksgiving, poorly marketed rom-coms, and much more. Chapters: Searchlight (00:00:00) Big Trouble in Little China (00:04:44) Stop Making Sense (00:12:16) Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (00:20:14) Midnight Run (00:27:53) Legend of Billie Jean (00:37:52) Closing credits (00:48:00) Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles, Massachusetts, and Philadelphia. Edited by Slim. Theme music: “Vampiros Danceoteque” by Moniker. Production manager: Sophie Shin. The Letterboxd Show is a TAPEDECK production. Email us!

On this very special episode of The Letterboxd Show, we focus on Martin Scorsese’s latest film, Killers of the Flower Moon. This special is structured like the book that it’s based on: in three acts. The main interview is with staff writer for The New Yorker and National Book Award finalist, David Grann, whose searing account of the Osage murders is the basis of Scorsese’s new film. We speak to not just Grann, but also include two bits from a roundtable interview with Scorsese himself, paired with Osage Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear. You’ll hear from Scorsese himself about adapting Grann’s book, then an in interview with Grann, wherein he talks at greater length about some of the broader history that he charts in his phenomenal book and about some of the Osage writing that made it into the film. And finally this special will close with some words from Chief Standing Bear about their trust in Grann and the trust that Scorsese had to earn. Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles and New York City; produced by Brian Formo, edited by Slim; features music from Robbie Robertson’s score for Killers of the Flower Moon. Lists & Links: Martin Scorsese’s Letterboxd account

Horror maven and Dread Central editor-in-chief Mary Beth McAndrews joins Mia and Flynn to trauma bond with the girlies over her four favorite films: Joel Anderson’s Lake Mungo, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cure, Bob Clark’s Black Christmas and Dusty Mancinelli & Madeleine Sims-Fewer’s Violation. Our conversation covers Mary Beth’s academic specialties in found footage horror and woman-helmed rape-revenge narratives, Hugh Grant’s shocking middle name (hidden in one of these film’s titles), the coming-of-age ritual of showing your friends The Midnight Meat Train on a high school sleepover and how all three of us have survived EMDR therapy. Plus! Read Mia’s deep-dive into Letterboxd’s most obsessively rewatched horror movies on Journal. Chapters: Opening credits (00:00:00) Lake Mungo (00:04:43) Cure (00:19:14) Black Christmas (00:27:51) Violation (00:37:34) Closing credits (00:52:33) Sponsor: Apple Original Film: Fingernails. Credits: Recorded in Los Angeles CA, Nantucket MA and Washington DC. Edited by Slim. Theme music: “Vampiros Danceoteque” by Moniker. Editorial producer: Brian Formo. Production manager: Sophie Shin. The Letterboxd Show is a TAPEDECK production. Email us! Lists & Links: Mary Beth’s podcasts Scarred For Life and Watched Once, Never Again Holli’s Black Christmas review