The B-Side: A Film Stage Podcast

The Film Stage
The B-Side: A Film Stage Podcast

Welcome to The B-Side, a podcast for The Film Stage! Here we talk about movie stars and directors. Not the movies that made them famous, or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. From box office fiascos, to interesting curios, and hidden gems, we examine the also-rans of Hollywood and beyond.

  1. Ep. 153 – In Conversation with: Julia Stiles

    17 JAN

    Ep. 153 – In Conversation with: Julia Stiles

    Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars and move directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Sometimes we are lucky enough to even speak with them about their work. And sometimes, they are both a movie star and a movie director. Today that’s Julia Stiles, director of Wish You Were Here, now in theaters and available digitally on February 4th. Our B-Sides today include O, The Business of Strangers, and It’s a Disaster. Stiles discusses the filmmakers she’s worked with in the past and how they influenced her decisions sitting in the director’s chair (the best ones “set a tone of calmness” she says), making friends on the South Carolina set of O, and becoming more intentional with the creative choices in her career (including auditioning for Silver Linings Playbook). We also chat about Wish You Were Here, her feature debut as a filmmaker. Stiles mentions guarding against the saccharine to tell “a mature love story.” There’s also considerable praise of lead actress Isabelle Fuhrman and her incredible range, as well as a story about calling filmmaker Doug Liman for sailing advice. Speaking of Liman, Dan and Conor take a moment to unpack Nicky Parsons from the Bourne franchise, the efforts(?) of Tony Gilroy, and a crucial line read in Ultimatum that adds so much depth to Stiles’ role. Finally, we cover how exactly Stiles got the great Vanessa Carlton and her partner John McCauley to do the score to her film. Early 2000s icons unite! And there is a brief, insightful conversation on why exactly Stiles chose to do all of those Shakespeare adaptations early on in her career. Be sure to give us a follow on social at @tfsbside.bsky.social. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

    1h 6m
  2. BONUS Ep. – Adrien Brody On "The Brutalist"

    8 JAN

    BONUS Ep. – Adrien Brody On "The Brutalist"

    Giving the performance of his career as László Tóth, Adrien Brody is the magnificent center of Brady Corbet’s intimate yet sprawling epic The Brutalist. Emigrating from Hungary following the Holocaust to restart his architectural ambitions in America under the patronage of Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce), Brody’s layered performance is one of passion, persistence, and pain. With the film now in limited release, We spoke with Brody, who returned to The B-Side to discuss the personal history that helped him prepare for his performance, how the film is a metaphor for artist-driven filmmaking, some of his most overlooked performances, and getting to act with Beyoncé.

    24 min
  3. Ep. 152 – Al Pacino (feat. Mitchell Beaupre)

    26/12/2024

    Ep. 152 – Al Pacino (feat. Mitchell Beaupre)

    Happy Holidays from The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today we discuss the incomparable Al Pacino with the returning Mitchell Beaupre! Our B-Sides today include Bobby Deerfield, Revolution, Frankie & Johnny, and Danny Collins. We discuss Pacino’s legacy (is he our greatest living actor?), his Oscar win for Scent of a Woman (what a silly plot that movie has!), and his deeply earnest autobiography Sonny Boy.  We dish on what doesn’t work about Bobby Deerfield (for one, it’s too quiet), what does work about Revolution (hint: it’s the production design), how Michelle Pfeiffer was unfairly criticized for Frankie & Johnny, and why Danny Collins is much better than you think. Conor asks: Is Adam Sandler the new Pacino? Mitchell asks: Was Pacino’s smallness in Bobby Deerfield and its failure a primary reason he stayed big for so long? Dan asks: Hey Baby Doll, what’s going on? There’s a reflection on Dan’s problematic review of Jack & Jill from over thirteen years ago (yikes!), a tacit comparison between Pacino and Kenneth Branagh (whose recent King Lear production has been criticized, though we thoroughly enjoyed it), and a recollection of Jerry Weintraub helping Ellen Barkin with Ocean’s Thirteen. Be sure to give us a follow on social at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

    2h 15m
  4. BONUS Ep. – Guy Pearce on "The Brutalist"

    25/12/2024

    BONUS Ep. – Guy Pearce on "The Brutalist"

    A benefactor to Adrien Brody’s architect character László Tóth, the patronage of Guy Pearce’s wealthy Harrison Lee Van Buren eventually metastasizes into something far darker as Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist examines balances of power and privilege. Giving one of the best performances of his career, Pearce initially brings a boisterous levity before the film’s central partnership curdles. With the film now in limited release, we spoke with Pearce, who returned to The B-Side to discuss the insecurities and egoism at the heart of his character, the humor of the film, an overlooked performance you should seek out, his painful conversations with Adrien Brody about The Thin Red Line, and more.

    19 min
  5. BONUS Ep. – Alessandro Nivola on "The Brutalist"

    17/12/2024

    BONUS Ep. – Alessandro Nivola on "The Brutalist"

    BONUS Ep. – Alessandro Nivola on "The Brutalist" by The Film Stage

    25 min
  6. Ep. 151 – Jack Lemmon (feat. Mitchell Beaupre)

    13/12/2024

    Ep. 151 – Jack Lemmon (feat. Mitchell Beaupre)

    Happy Holidays from The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today we discuss the great Jack Lemmon with the great Mitchell Beaupre! Our B-Sides today include Cowboy, The April Fools, Tribute, and Out to Sea. There’s also a lengthy appreciation of Save the Tiger, which won Lemmon his second Oscar. The three of us try to define how exactly Lemmon so perfectly encapsulated the average, American male for so many decades, while digging into his long career, that includes both filmmaker Billy Wilder and Walter Matthau. We discuss how Cowboy was ahead of its time, how The April Fools skates by on immense, charming chemistry, and how Tribute falters due to a stunted co-lead (sorry Robby Benson!).  There’s a lot in this episode. A true holiday gift! We appreciate the great film critic Janet Maslin. We recount that time when Ving Rhames won a Golden Globe and called Lemmon on stage to gift him the award out of respect. There’s a brief reflection on the strange career of Tribute director Bob Clark, a discovery that our greatest living cinematographer lensed 80 for Brady, and an appropriate acknowledgement that Dyan Cannon, co-star of Out to Sea, makes every film better. Be sure to give us a follow on social at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

    1h 58m
  7. Ep. 150 – Ridley Scott (feat. Maria Lewis)

    27/11/2024

    Ep. 150 – Ridley Scott (feat. Maria Lewis)

    Happy Thanksgiving from The B-Side! Here we talk about movie directors! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today, for our 150th(!) episode, we are thankful for Ridley Scott! As Gladiator II reigns supreme at the box office, our B-Sides today include Legend, Matchstick Men, Exodus: Gods and Kings, and The Last Duel. Our esteemed guest Maria Lewis - “best-selling author, screenwriter, film curator and pop culture etymologist currently based in Australia - is back! Much is discussed over two-and-a-half glorious hours. Ridler’s pioneering Apple Ad; his recent breakneck pace as filmmaker; his movies being on Australian television constantly; and his production empire. Maria laments her experience watching Legend for the first time while Dan and Conor celebrate the film’s importance in their childhood. Ridley’s fascination with death comes up, as do the competing Christopher Columbus film projects in 1992. There’s talk of his legacy and Ridley’s consideration of it. The “best intentions” of The Last Duel are discussed at length (name a woman!), as are the top-notch performances and the disappointing box office. Dan also fumbles over a tacit defense of G.I. Jane. It’s embarrassing! Be sure to give us a follow on social at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

    2h 31m
  8. Ep. 149 – Gwyneth Paltrow (feat. Cory Everett)

    13/11/2024

    Ep. 149 – Gwyneth Paltrow (feat. Cory Everett)

    Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today we gush (and hush) over Gwyneth Paltrow with our past, present, and future guest Cory Everett, creator of Cinephile: A Card Game and the ever-expanding My First Movie books! Our B-Sides today are: Flesh and Bone, Hard Eight, Hush, and Sliding Doors. The main focus revolves around her banner year of 1998. Paltrow had FIVE films released in ‘98, including Shakespeare in Love, which won her an Oscar. We talk about her superb SNL opening monologue from 1999 (and her cameo in Ben Affleck’s monologue the next year), her deep cultural resonance at the time (some credit her for bringing the color pink back into fashion), the films she made before and after Emma, and her waning movie star era after the year 2000. Of the nearly fifty films in which she has appeared, there have been precious few since 2010 that were not Marvel movies. There was, of course, Mortdecai. And, perhaps most famously, her lifestyle company Goop. There’s Hush’s infamous test screenings and wig-heavy reshoots (years later, Jessica Lange called the film “a piece of shit”), Sliding Doors’ haircuts and soundtrack, and Flesh and Bone’s slow-cooked, well-worn dramatics. Also mentioned is that amazing Patrick Doyle score for Great Expectations, The Film Stage’s Holiday Gift Guide, And then there’s Duets and Gwyneth’s hit cover song “Cruisin’” with Huey Lewis. Be sure to give us a follow on Twitter and Facebook at @TFSBSide. Also enter our giveaways, get access to our private Slack channel, and support new episodes by becoming a Patreon contributor.

    2h 8m
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About

Welcome to The B-Side, a podcast for The Film Stage! Here we talk about movie stars and directors. Not the movies that made them famous, or kept them famous, but the ones they made in between. From box office fiascos, to interesting curios, and hidden gems, we examine the also-rans of Hollywood and beyond.

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