Director's Clu‪b‬ Director's Club

What started back six years ago with 1985 continues. This time it’s one entire episode instead of split into two: all six hours plus of an annual tradition co-starring yours truly, Collin Souter and Erik Childress as we run down nearly every film that came out thirty years ago. This time it’s all about 1991!

If you’re a fan of nostalgia, sound clips, trailers, 1991 songs, laugh out loud moments and memories, then you’re in for a treat. Granted we don’t cover every single title but as always, we come pretty close. To follow along with our resource / guide, feel free to click on this link. See you in a year when we’ll do it all again for the following year and thank you so much for listening and for the support.
Footnote: this year we weren't able to record in person obviously so the sound quality may not be as strong as previous years.

Follow us all on Letterboxd:
http://letterboxd.com/nowplayingjim
http://letterboxd.com/cdsouter
http://letterboxd.com/erikthemovieman

It's been a long while since I was contacted about possible interviews, probably because there has been a lot going in the world or more than likely, I've been too busy to reply every single one. Well here are two I simply did not want to pass up because I thoroughly enjoyed the films we discuss. First up, as you heard during Episode 185, I sang the praises of I Blame Society, the latest from Gillian Wallace Horvat. For 15 minutes, we talk about what it was like making one of the year's best films so far and a whole lot more. Right after that, a longer discussion ensues with Mike P. Nelson who previously helmed The Domestics, a favorite from Cinepocalypse where it premiered here in Chicago. This time, he's responsible for a terrific remake / reboot of Wrong Turn. Surprisingly enough, this updating comes from the original screenwriter as well making some big changes along the way. Thanks so much to my great, very talented guests for their insights and delights. A couple more bonus episodes are coming before the next director-centric episode in mid-March.
00:00 - 06:35 - Intro
06:36 - 20:25 - Gillian Wallace Horvat (I Blame Society)
20:26 - 52:02 - Mike P. Nelson (Wrong Turn 2021)
52:03 - 52:59 - Outro
My Review Of I Blame Society:
https://www.voicesvisions.net/reviews/society
Rent I Blame Society:
https://crankedupfilms.com/iblamesociety

Wrong Turn (2021):
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9110170/
Vidiots - Donate and Save Their Store:
https://www.vidiotsfoundation.org
Switchblade Sisters Podcast (w/Gillian):
https://maximumfun.org/episodes/switchblade-sisters/episode-171-to-die-for-with-i-blame-society-director-gillian-wallace-horvat/
 

Chicago filmmaker and friend Sean Pierce returns to the podcast to discuss a Swedish director unlike any other. His choice was Roy Andersson and after seeing the majority of his work, I now understand why there is so much acclaim. It’s pretty much nothing but praise all-around particularly for a film that he made early in his career which will also be brought when I talk to Keith Gordon in a week or so. Sean and I had a blast catching up with lots of fun digressions along the way. We should’ve broken this up into vignettes / segments with quirky music in the background but really, Andersson’s films have to be seen to be believed. They’re an acquired taste but both Sean and I hope you acquire it. For the What We Watched segment, we also review I BLAME SOCIETY, IN AND OF ITSELF as well as FALLING & LAST AND FIRST MEN.
00:00 - 13:00 - Introduction
13:01 - 51:05 - What We Watched This Week
51:06 - 52:26 - Director Song
52:27 - 01:30:08 - Roy Andersson Discussion
01:30:09 - 01:48:59 - A Swedish Love Story
01:49:00 - 02:09:49 - Top 3 Films / Outro
Sean’s Work:
https://seanmpierce.com/personal
Patrick’s Work:
https://vimeo.com/user27805792
A Swedish Love Story:
https://www.curzonartificialeye.com/a-swedish-love-story

Sean on Letterboxd:
https://letterboxd.com/seanmpierce/

Episode 184 (technically episode 276 if you count bonus episodes) consists of something special - something we’ve never done before in the history of this show. A collaborative top ten list curated by the two individuals that started this show a decade ago. Normally, we fight and bicker but there’s just a little bit of that this time. Patrick Ripoll and I decided to happily piece together our very favorite films from the Obama Era which is essentially when we hosted this show together, on and off. These particular selections were released between 2009-2016 and a lot of familiar favorites do come up, but there are also surprises along the way. For the first four hours everything went smoothly, but as you’ll hear, there’s a bit of a change at the four-hour mark as we concluded due to technical difficulties.
No worries, you’ll get to hear most of our decisions, justifications and opinions on what the ten best films are from the years 2009-2016, back when things were a bit brighter in the world. We did this to cheer ourselves up and it worked! No time tracks this time since it’s all about the master list and getting it down to ten titles. Happy 10th anniversary to this show and thank you all for listening to me and Patrick ramble on for over four hours about some of our favorite films. 
The Master List:
http://bit.ly/dcobama

Follow Patrick:
https://letterboxd.com/patrickripoll
Listen to his show!
http://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/tracksofthedamned

Check out the last anniversary special:
http://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/blog/50favoritefilms

For the first 10th anniversary special of Director’s Club, you get 6 hours and 45 minutes of me and Bill Ackerman talking about our 50 favorite films of all time. Granted, we did end up spending a little time before that revealing our favorites from 2020 as well, but for the most part you get to learn about what each of us think are all-timers when it comes to movies we love. Some have changed for me including my #1.

Towards the end of the month, you’ll get a second anniversary special featuring Patrick Ripoll, original co-host for a surprise edition that should be quite different than anything we’ve done before. (Which means you’re likely to at least get a total of ten hours of content for January). My full of 100 favorites is available at Letterboxd but don’t spoil the fun, listen to the episode first to see what has changed these past five years since I last revised the list. Be sure to subscribe to Bill’s spectacular show, Supporting Characters. Catch up with all the episodes from the past and stay tuned for more in the future! Thank you so much for supporting Director’s Club this past decade and looking forward to at least another year’s worth of new episodes. See you in a couple of weeks for one more anniversary special - Jim

00:00 - 06:28 - Intro

06:29 - 51:59 - Favorites From 2020

52:00 - 03:13:07 - Favorite Films #50-#26

03:13:08 - 05:21:24 - Favorite Films #25-#11

05:21:25 - 06:44:30 - Favorite Films #10-#1

06:44:31 - 06:47:31 - Outro

BE SURE TO LISTEN TO THE VERY END FOR A SURPRISE CAMEO!  For the last official episode of 2020, I brought on two very special guests from one of my new favorite podcasts, Screen Drafts to talk about one of my favorite writer/directors, James L. Brooks. The great Clay Keller and Ryan Marker join me to discuss his entire filmography since it’s relatively small (unless you count his work in TV) and focus mainly on our love for his first two films. One of which is not only my favorite screenplay of all time but Clay’s favorite movie of all time. Early on, we also provide quick reviews on TIME, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and WILD MOUNTAIN THYME! What a great way to end the year and be sure to stay subscribed for two very special anniversary episodes in January! Obviously, I expect all of you to subscribe to Screen Drafts if you haven’t yet.
00:00 - 15:30 - Introduction
15:31 - 37:03 - What We Watched This Week
37:04 - 38:07 - Director Song
38:08 - 01:33:11 - Terms of Endearment + Broadcast News
01:33:12 - 01:57:34 - The Rest Of His Films
01:57:35 - 02:10:02 - Top Three / Outro / Surprise!
Screen Drafts:
https://screendrafts.libsyn.com/
https://twitter.com/ScreenDrafts
https://letterboxd.com/screendrafts/
https://www.patreon.com/screendrafts