The B-Side: A Film Stage Podcast

The Film Stage
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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. 149 – Gwyneth Paltrow (feat. Cory Everett)

    NOV 13

    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
  2. Ep. 148 – Vincent Price (feat. Gavin Mevius)

    OCT 28

    Ep. 148 – Vincent Price (feat. Gavin Mevius)

    Happy Halloween 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 talk about one of the greats––Vincent Price! Our guest this episode––as with every Halloween episode––is Gavin Mevius, co-host of The Mixed Reviews Podcast of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective. Make sure you listen to their own comprehensive episode on Vincent Price as well! Our B-Sides today are: The Baron of Arizona, Champagne for Caesar, War-Gods of the Deep, and finally Cry of the Banshee. We talk about Price, his interesting life and family history, and the diversity of roles he took on, some reflected in the above B-Sides. Price’s Nic Cage-like professional prolific-ness and “respect for the dollar” comes up, as does the real-life Charles Van Doren quiz show scandal from the ‘50s (the basis for the masterful Robert Redford film Quiz Show). There’s mention of the growing respect of filmmaker Samuel Fuller over the years as well as an appreciation of the great Jacques Tourneur and a brief delve into underwater photography. We mention this insightful comedy observation from Tina Fey, this incredible Bill Hader impersonation (and this one), and Price’s iconic work as Ratigan in The Great Mouse Detective. Last but not least, we discuss Gavin’s upcoming, exciting The Q Division Podcast, A James Bond Movie Marathon. 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.

    1h 23m
  3. Ep. 147 – Tim Burton (feat. Maria Lewis)

    OCT 21

    Ep. 147 – Tim Burton (feat. Maria Lewis)

    Happy Halloween 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 we talk about Tim Burton! The man! The brand! The artist! The director! The lothario (complimentary)! The B-Sides today include Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, and Frankenweenie. Our esteemed guest is Maria Lewis, “best-selling author, screenwriter, film curator and pop culture etymologist currently based in Australia.”  As Beetlejuice Beetlejuice still rakes in money in theaters, we discuss Burton’s influence, whether or not he’s actually a good director (something Burton himself has questioned in the past), his best films and his worst films, his inspirations, and the love-and-hate relationship with Disney from the very beginning of his career. There is also the observation that most of Tim Burton’s films are some version of Alice in Wonderland. Including, ahem, Alice in Wonderland. Also discussed is Maria’s very cool podcast “The Phantom Never Dies,” about the superhero serial character The Phantom. Another important mention is Milicent Patrick, the woman who designed the creature from the Creature from the Black Lagoon film. And finally, we take the time to appreciate the incredibly underrated Australian film director Simon Wincer.  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.

    1h 58m
  4. Ep. 146 – Barbra Streisand (feat. Chris Feil)

    SEP 27

    Ep. 146 – Barbra Streisand (feat. Chris Feil)

    Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. 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 is Barbra Streisand day! And what a day it is. Just one day after Babs herself announced the start to production of her approved documentary film, in which she plans to unveil the creative contents of her quite famous vault, we here at The B-Side tackle some of the legend’s lesser-seen films. They include The Owl and the Pussycat, Up the Sandbox, For Pete’s Sake, Nuts, and The Guilt Trip. Our guest on this long-in-the-making journey is Chris Feil, co-host of the incredible This Had Oscar Buzz podcast.  We talk about the autobiography in all of its glory. We talk about Barbra’s early years, Barbra’s late years, her passion for design, her complicated history with movie directors, and her best albums. There’s also hefty discussion about A-side Yentl, and why it’s funnier and sexier than you remember. It’s also a masterpiece.  There’s debate about how much The Guilt Trip ultimately worked, how exactly Barbra mastered playing a “regular person” by the time The Prince of Tides comes around, and how Nuts would’ve been better if Barbra had directed it. Additional highlights include mistaking Philip Bosco for Karl Malden, celebrating Richard Dreyfuss playing bothered to perfection, and Chris’ post-TIFF takes. Mike Leigh and Marianne Jean-Baptiste save us! And just to note, if you’re in NYC for NYFF62, come on out to one (or all!) of our four Cinephile Game Nights, on 9/28. 9/29, 9/30, and 10/8! You can win festival tickets among a bunch of other cool prizes. AND if you’re looking for more B-Side adjacent fun, we’re taking part in Vulture’s Movies Fantasy League: The Podcaster Division throughout awards season! You can join our min-league The Bsiders, or make a team of your own! 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.

    1h 49m
  5. Ep. 145 – Kevin Costner: Part II (feat. Chadd Harbold)

    JUL 25

    Ep. 145 – Kevin Costner: Part II (feat. Chadd Harbold)

    Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. 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 return to discuss a living legend with a big, new, ambitious project. Perhaps his most ambitious project yet! Our subject is Kevin Costner, the great American filmmaker whose new film Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 is now available to rent or buy on VOD. Sadly, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 2 has been postponed to a later time in order to allow for a wider audience to discover Chapter 1. Our B-Sides this time around include No Way Out, Revenge, The Upside of Anger, and Let Him Go. Filmmaker Chadd Harbold joins us. His new film Crumb Catcher, directed by Chris Skotchdopole and produced by Harbold, is now in theaters. We discuss Costner’s origin story, his brilliance at self-mythology, his humble egotism, and the incredible run of success from 1987 through 1992. There’s the story of how Costner wanted to direct Revenge but lost out thanks to producer Ray Stark. There’s Madonna’s infamous reaction to Costner’s use of the word “neat” after one of her shows in Madonna: Truth or Dare (“Anybody who says my show is neat has to go.” Also, watch Warren Beatty age in real time). There’s the incredible chemistry between Costner and Diane Lane in Let Him Go (and Man of Steel for that matter). Costner is a relic of another time. He represents an ambition that does not really exist anymore in Hollywood. Celebrated and criticized in equal measure over these past four decades, here is an artist still striving for individuality and greatness. 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 19m
  6. Ep. 144 – Chris Pine

    JUL 12

    Ep. 144 – Chris Pine

    Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. 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 talk about the best Chris - Chris Pine of course! Our B-Sides include Small Town Saturday Night, People Like Us, The Finest Hours, Outlaw King, All The Old Knives, and Poolman. It’s a packed episode! And it’s just Conor and Dan, ripping it up like the old days.  A lot of the conversation revolves around how charming Pine is. There’s also discussion of that underwhelming ending of The Finest Hours, what about Small Town Saturday Night resonates with young filmmakers, the brave opening of Outlaw King, the old-fashioned crackle of All The Old Knives (and that incredible restaurant location), and the lackluster direction of People Like Us. Questions are asked such as: Is there anything better than a tired spy? Who is the best Jack Ryan? Why does this Big Daddy clip feature the funniest ADR line in the history of cinema? Additional topics include Jordan and Dan’s fateful trip to see an early screening of Avatar in late 2009, the stark difference (despite career similarities) between Pine and Ryan Reynolds, the incredible show Psych, and this spot-on Bilge Ebiri article about the Argylle release and why it matters. Finally, Conor and Dan try to understand why people hate the very charming, very Los Angeles Poolman so much. Though there should’ve been more pool stuff in Poolman! One correction: Safe House came out 2012, not 2010. Sorry about that! 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 31m
  7. Ep. 143 – In Conversation with: Screenwriter Daniel Waters

    JUN 28

    Ep. 143 – In Conversation with: Screenwriter Daniel Waters

    Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about filmmakers! Not the films that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between. Today, as a sort of B-Side to our own recent Bruce Willis B-Side episode, Dan speaks to screenwriter Daniel Waters about Hudson Hawk! And much, much, much more! Daniel and Dan talk about the overnight success of Heathers getting made, the overnight failure of Hudson Hawk, followed by the complicated reaction to Batman Returns. Oh, and what about the three seashells in Demolition Man? They also discuss Renny Harlin and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, that incredible Sandra Bullock performance, and his underseen directorial efforts (Happy Campers and Sex and Death 101). Questions asked and answered include: what happened to all of the individual style in screenplays? Why does everybody save the cat these days? Is there a reason there have been two different homages to Hudson Hawk in big 2024 blockbusters? Is writing a novel fun after spending three decades writing screenplays? Is Mark Waters’ best film really Freaky Friday? 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.

    1h 1m
  8. Ep. 142 – Bruce Willis (feat. Jen Johans)

    JUN 14

    Ep. 142 – Bruce Willis (feat. Jen Johans)

    Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. 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 talk about Bruce Willis, one of our great American movie stars. A man with perfect angles and a perfectly imperfect hairline. The man who spoke up for Seagram’s Golden when nobody else would. It’s wet and it’s dry. Play that harmonica, Bruno! Our guest today is the great Jen Johans, host of the Watch With Jen podcast. Our B-Sides include In Country, Mortal Thoughts, Disney’s The Kid, and Richard Donner's final film, 16 Blocks. We discuss Willis’ early career, his propensity to try new things, and the sad and unfair dismissal of Hudson Hawk. We examine how his acting chops evolved throughout a very turbulent ‘90s decade, culminating in an incredible run of success birthed from a controversial, canceled movie called Broadway Brawler. There’s a lot of love for the underrated crime comedy Bandits, that song he did with June Pointer (seek out the album The Return of Bruno and the companion “documentary” if you get a few free minutes today), and the lovely Robert Benton picture Nobody’s Fool. And then there’s that opening car chase in Striking Distance. Incredible work there. Oh, and that cameo in The Player. And finally, in honor of our subject, please go to https://aphasia.org/ and donate if you are so inclined. Here’s to you Bruce, you’re one of one. 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 5m
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5
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27 Ratings

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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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