Director's Club

Jim Laczkowski
Director's Club

A monthly show that reviews one film director per episode with the occasional bonus episode. Episodes 123-172 were hosted by Brad & Al. As of 2022, new episodes will be hosted by Jim and/or Bill. directorsclub.substack.com

  1. Episode 230: Michael Mann Redux (feat. Brian Tallerico & Ryan Verrill)

    NOV 25

    Episode 230: Michael Mann Redux (feat. Brian Tallerico & Ryan Verrill)

    Have you been waiting for the Mann? Well it's been over a decade since we last discussed his work back when Patrick and I mainly covered our love for both Heat & The Insider. Cut to present time, I have recruited two of my favorite returning guests to touch upon nearly every title by Michael Mann focusing on his post-Collateral output since it wasn't covered last time.  Grateful to both Ryan Verrill (The Disc-Connected) and Brian Tallerico (RogerEbert.com) for joining me for a delightful conversation about Michael Mann, from his humble beginnings to his foray into digital video and more! Next month after awards season voting ends, we'll be back with a brand new episode covering the directorial work of the legendary Jackie Chan! Stay tuned for an upcoming bonus interview episode featuring filmmaker Joel Potrykus (Vulcanizadora, Buzzard, Relaxer).  00:00 - 04:49 - Introduction 04:50 - 50:30 - Early Michael Mann 50:31 - 01:17:20 - Middle-Period Mann  01:17:21 - 01:44:10 - Recent Mann / Top 3 Favorites / Outro Be sure to follow Brian! https://bsky.app/profile/briantallerico.bsky.social https://www.rogerebert.com/contributors/brian-tallerico https://letterboxd.com/briantt Be sure to follow Ryan! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChV1P_yx88ACwyXKKEOFLcw https://letterboxd.com/disc_connected https://bsky.app/profile/disc-connected.bsky.social Subscribe to my Substack / Bluesky! https://5years.substack.com https://bsky.app/profile/jimlaczkowski.bsky.social Get full access to Director's Club at directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 44m
  2. Episode 229: Guillermo Del Toro (feat. Chloe Waryan)

    OCT 28

    Episode 229: Guillermo Del Toro (feat. Chloe Waryan)

    The spooky season is here! Why not indulge in the twisted fantasy worlds of one renowned, revered Mexican filmmaker by the name of Guillermo Del Toro! Of course I needed to enlist a super fan of his and I was lucky enough to have returning guest Chloe Waryan back on the show for another truly delightful discussion. Chloe may very well be my go-to guest every October (well at least for next year so we can finally talk about Mike Flanagan). Not to mention, you're in for a surprise when Chloe and I introduce a bonus segment after the movie reviews that I know you'll enjoy! We start out the first ten minutes with some recent horror discoveries from Chloe and a quick review of a documentary I got to catch at the Chicago International Film Festival. For more reviews from there, do check out my Substack linked below! Before Thanksgiving, you'll be treated to a brand new Michael Mann redux episode so stay tuned for that. Thank you so much to Chloe for coming back on and to you for listening.  00:00 - 11:34 - Introduction / Recent Horror Recs 11:35 - 42:05 - Cronos, Mimic, The Devil's Backbone 42:06 - 01:02:47 - Blade II, Hellboys, Pacific Rim 01:02:48 - 01:24:29 - Pan's Labyrinth, Crimson Peak 01:24:30 - 01:49:49 - Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley, Pinocchio 01:49:50 - 02:11:21 - Surprise Segment / Top 3 / Outro Be sure to follow Chloe! https://chloesnotscared.com Chloe's IG https://www.instagram.com/chloesnotscared Subscribe to my Substack! https://5years.substack.com Beach Too Sandy Water Too Wet podcast! https://www.beachtoosandy.com Get full access to Director's Club at directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

    2h 11m
  3. Bonus Episode: Longlegs & In a Violent Nature (feat. Patrick Ripoll)

    JUL 29

    Bonus Episode: Longlegs & In a Violent Nature (feat. Patrick Ripoll)

    Get it on, bang a gong, get it on! Patrick Ripoll (of 96 Greers) joins me once again, returning to discuss two horror films that left me a bit perplexed. About six years ago, I asked Patrick to come back on to review David Gordon Green's Halloween along with the Suspiria remake simply because I wanted to hear his thoughts. Upon walking out of both Longlegs and In a Violent Nature, I had that same feeling of needing Patrick to come over for a couple hours so we could hash out my thoughts (and neurosis) about these two new films, the horror genre in general, hot takes, being inundated with social media and compulsive Letterboxd likes.  Plus a lot more comes up along the way. In addition, be sure to listen to the intro for your chance to win an Amazon Gift Card as well as a cool new film-related book I was lucky enough to receive that I know you'll enjoy if you're a fan of this show. Thanks for listening and to my intelligent, passionate and very kind friend for coming back on! 00:00 - 17:06 - Introduction 17:07 - 55:49 - Longlegs Review 55:50 - 01:15:33 - In a Violent Nature Review 01:15:34 - 01:39:23 - More Thoughts / Outro Check out Patrick and Reg's podcast: https://ninetysixgreers.podbean.com Halloween (2018) & Suspiria Reviews: https://podbay.fm/p/directors-club/e/1541656800 Leave A Review: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/directors-club/id414288912 Subscribe to the newsletter: https://5years.substack.com Get full access to Director's Club at directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

    1h 39m
  4. Bonus Episode: 1994 Review - The Year In Music

    JUL 3

    Bonus Episode: 1994 Review - The Year In Music

    For this excursion into something besides movies, in case you didn't know, I once hosted Voices & Visions and I would recruit friend and Austin-based journalist Dan Solomon to go back 20 years to talk about a year in music - an art form that I love every bit much as film. For this summer tradition, my guests and I curate a new list of ten favorite records from a favorite year, playing snippets of certain songs and discussing our feelings about music in general. As of 2021, I decided to include my friend Jason Simpson, also a writer, to join us in this endeavor, he's back to experience the fun as well. As listeners know, I've been going back 30 years to talk about the year in film with Collin Souter and Erik Childress, so I asked Jason and Dan to do the same from now on with records. Hopefully everyone enjoys this discussion about our favorite records from 1994. It was such a blast sharing memories with dear friends from high school as well as getting to hear a lot of incredible music from the mid-90s. Next year, we have a makeup homework assignment: the year 1999, which we missed.  If you want to hear the older episodes of the music retrospective, they are now archived below as well. Thank you so much for listening and much gratitude to Dan & Jay for their insights, opinions and a 30-year plus friendship. Stay tuned for the next official episode when Keith Gordon returns in late July! Other episodes recorded over the years: https://www.directorsclubpodcast.com/archives/yearlymusicretrospectives Check out Dan's Beehiiv: the gardener (beehiiv.com) Follow Dan On BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/dansolomon.bsky.social Buy Dan's Book: https://northstareditions.com/product/the-fight-for-midnight Follow Jason on Twitter: https://twitter.com/for3stpunk Hear Me Talk All About Exile in Guyville on The Great Albums: https://thegreatalbums.libsyn.com/liz-phair-exile-in-guyville-w-guest-jim-laczkowski Get full access to Director's Club at directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

    2h 6m
  5. Episode 226: Christopher Nolan Part II (feat. Erik Childress)

    JUN 19

    Episode 226: Christopher Nolan Part II (feat. Erik Childress)

    Once again, the format has changed a little for an experiment. Not quite a magic trick if you will, but Erik and I hope to "incept" you with our collaborative ranking of a director's filmography (not a draft, repeat not a draft). Last time Erik Childress was on to talk Christopher Nolan, it was way back in 2011 - the very first year of this podcast. Now the time has come for a sequel especially since my personal favorite Nolan film came out a few years after that first recording. My love for it transcends time and space.  You'll hear us talk about each Nolan film, some longer than others, but Erik and I were tasked to come to a consensus and at the very end, you'll hear how we compromised to come up with our own ranking of all 12 titles. Not to mention a cameo towards the end of the original co-host of this show, Patrick Ripoll (of 96 Greers!). Cinephiles are in for a treat. Thank you so much for listening! 00:00 - 11:11 - Introduction 11:12 - 01:09:26 - Ranking #12-7 01:09:27 - 02:24:55 - Ranking #6-1 02:24:56 - 02:37:37 - The final list / Patrick's list / Outro Erik's podcasts: https://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/the-friendship-dilemma https://www.nowplayingnetwork.net/moviemadness Christopher Nolan Part I (2011): https://directorsclubpodcast.libsyn.com/website/episode-19-christopher-nolan Elk Grove Cinema Screenings! https://www.classiccinemas.com/events/class-of-84/128?location=elk-grove Get full access to Director's Club at directorsclub.substack.com/subscribe

    2h 38m
4.4
out of 5
142 Ratings

About

A monthly show that reviews one film director per episode with the occasional bonus episode. Episodes 123-172 were hosted by Brad & Al. As of 2022, new episodes will be hosted by Jim and/or Bill. directorsclub.substack.com

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