Hit Factory

Writer and resident Gilbert & Sullivan expert Julia Sirmons joins to discuss Mike Leigh's 'Topsy-Turvy', a story of the aforementioned musical duo and the production of one of their most popular shows, 'The Mikado'. It's a film that feels at once like an outliler in Leigh's career up to that point (his first film not set in contemporary working-class London) and a pitch-perfect culmination of many of his career-long explorations.

We begin with a discussion about the legacy of director Mike Leigh, his unusual method for drawing brilliant performances from his ensemble of some of the very best British actors, and his trademark style and narrative construction. Then, we unpack the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, exploring Topsy-Turvy's commitment to authenticity in its recreation of 19th century English theater culture, and the wise decision to focus the film on a particularly unstable moment in the long collaboration between the wordsmith and composer. Finally, we discuss the film's evocation of art and its production process, emphasizing the granular repetition of the work as well as the undergirding capitalist mechanics that necessitated performers assume a strong identity as a collective labor force.

Follow Julia Sirmons on Twitter.

Read Julia's recent piece on Sally Potter's 'The Tango Lesson' at Wig-Wag.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Jake Serwin & Ian Rhine, hosts of the preeminent Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me return to discuss one of the finest studio comedies of the 90s, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" starring Mike Myers. 

We discuss the film as both a product of broader ambient 60s nostalgia in the decade and an extension of Mike Myers deep personal affinity for the cultural output of the era. Then, we talk about the film itself as cultural juggernaut, and why Austin Powers and the Mike Myers brand felt inescapable. Finally, we talk about the film's lasting legacy and the way it in no small part shaped the trajectory of the James Bond franchise (and maybe a few others). 

Listen and Subcribe to Pod Casty For Me.

Follow Pod Casty for Me on Twitter. 

.

.

.

.

Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish 

New York-based filmmaker and producer Chadd Harbold joins to discuss the 1994 Tim Burton biopic 'Ed Wood', a sincere, loving portrait of the titular filmmaker and his band of Hollywood misfits coming together to make oddball, outsider B-movies that remain enduring works to this day.

We discuss Tim Burton as filmmaker, the increasingly diminishing returns of his artistry, and why Ed Wood stands as perhaps his finest achievement. Then, we talk about Martin Landau's Oscar-winning turn as the horror legend Bela Lugosi, lovingly depicted in the film flaws and all. Finally, we ponder the current state of American filmmaking, and ask, 'Is there still a route by which an Ed Wood could make these movie on the outskirts today, and if so, would anybody be able to see them?'

Follow Chadd Harbold on Twitter.

Stream Chadd's film Private Property on Hulu.

Stream Colin West's Linoleum, produced by Chadd, on Hulu.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson, creators of the excellent sci-fi/action satire graphic novel 'Justice Warriors' join to talk about one of our main guys - Paul Verhoeven (aka Pauly V) and his landmark sci-fi/action satire 'Total Recall' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale". 

We discuss the film's long gestation period under several different producers and directors, most notably as a project for Hit Factory fave David Cronenberg. Then we go long on the film's startling prescience, it's themes of revolution against the extractive brutalist of an imperialist force, and Verhoeven's metatextual commentary on filmic reality as psycholgical mirror and wish fulfillment fantasy. Elsewhere, we discuss the dire 2012 Len Wiseman remake starring Colin Farrell and how it betrays and insults its audience by stripping away any and all subtext. 

Check out Matt & Ben's graphin novel, Justice Warriors.

Follow Matt Bors on Twitter.

Follow Ben Clarkson on Twitter. 

.

.

.

.

Our theme song is Mirror by Chris Fish. 

Just in time for Sundance festivities and a whole new cycle of 'May December' discourse, we're back to discuss Todd Hayne's 1991 debut feature 'Poison'. Both the winner of the Best Feature Award at the aforementioned Park City festival and a characteristically controversial release from the filmmaker, 'Poison', based in part on the works of queer author Jean Genet, is a gripping triptych of tales (subtitled "Hero", "Horror" and "Homo" respectively) shot and edited in distinct styles and formats and brimming with righteous fury, contemplation, and provocation around the subject of queer identity in the wake of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.

We discuss the film's narrative gambit, and how it layers each entry in the triptych atop one another in brilliantly considered ways to achieve thematic continuity even as each element interrupts the work's stylistic coherence. Then, we discuss the controversy surrounding the film and how it became a culture war issue amongst right-wing figures and politicians seeking to undermine the National Endowment for the Arts. Finally, we talk about the most recent controversies and discourse surrounding Hayne's most recent work 'May December', and why many well-intentioned viewers aren't as far removed from the reactionary critics of the filmmaker's work from years past.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Aaron is joined by Jordan Fish and Ray Tintori of the preeminent Coen Bros. podcast, To The White Sea, to discuss the chilly, snow-capped neo-noir 'A Simple Plan', directed with uncharacteristic restraint by master stylist and Coen Brothers collaborator Sam Raimi.

We discuss the career of Sam Raimi and the techniques he employs here to generate the unsettling, stern tone of the film. Then, we talk about the long gestation period of the project, and its many iterations attached to various directors (including Mike Nichols, John Dahl, and Ben Stiller!). Finally, we unpack the similarities and differences between Raimi's vision of the snowbound, Midwestern morality tale and that of his pals Joel & Ethan Coen in their 1996 landmark 'Fargo'.

Listen & Subscribe to To The White Sea 

Follow Jordan Fish on Twitter

Follow Ray Tintori on Twitter

Follow To The White Sea on Twitter

.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

It's officially 2024...Happy New Year? We're not getting our hopes up! While everyone nursed their hangovers and tried desperately to get back to "normal" everyday life, we decided to take a look back at all the things we watched in the past year and talk about some stuff that falls outside the usual scope of the show. Join us as we each count down our individual top five new-to-us watches of the past year, take time to reflect on your own highs and lows, and add some new recommendations to your watchlist.

Lots of links to share from this episode:

Check out The Carlee Canon (Carlee's Top 20 Films of the 1990s)

Check out The Aaron Canon (Aaron's Top 20 Films of the 1990s)

Read Carlee's piece, 'The Puritanical Eye: Hyper-Mediation, Sex on Film, and the Disavowal of Desire' at Lo Specchio Scuro

Read benzostraydogs' Letterboxd Review of Sam Esmail's 'Leave the World Behind'

Listen to Our Junk Filter Episode on Jim McBride's 1983 Remake of 'Breathless'

Check Out Aaron's List of His Top 75 Non-2023 Watches of Last Year.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode, the entire Denzember catalog, and all of our premium episodes by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Universally beloved Vulture critic and Hit Factory all-star Roxana Hadadi returns to close out Denzember with a hefty chat about Mira Nair's 1991 romantic drama 'Mississippi Masala', a story of identity, the generational pursuit of belonging, and the possibility of new futures through the radical expression of love without boundaries. 

We discuss the career of the undersung Nair, from her start as a documentarian through her more recent narrative features like 'The Namesake' and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'. Then we discuss the film's wholly singular voice and level of representation; how it refuses simple binaries about a diverse set of cultures, and why extricating a white perspective allows the story to detail difficult realities of non-white experiences. Finally, we discuss the film's impossibly alluring romantic thread between Denzel Washington and first-time performer Sarita Choudhury and the honesty that can be revealed through the pairing of a veteran actor's craft and a non-actor's authenticity. 

Roxana's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

Honorable Mentions: The Pelican Brief, Much Ado About Nothing

1. Mississippi Masala

2. Malcolm X

3. Man on Fire

4. The Mancuiran Candidate

5. Inside Man

Aaron's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

Honorable Mentions: Philadelphia, Crimson Tide

1. Malcolm X

2. Training Day

3. Deja Vu

4. Flight

5. The Tragedy of Macbeth

Carlee's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

Honorable Mentions: Malcolm X, The Hurricane

1. Ricochet

2. Crimson Tide

3. Training Day

4. Flight

5. Mississippi Masala

Follow Roxana Hadadi on Twitter

.
.
.
.
Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

New York-based writer Ashley Reese joins us for our a very special Christmas installment of Denzember as we discuss Penny Marshall's 1996 romantic comedy 'The Preachers Wife'.

We discuss the film as a metatextual exploration of Denzel Washington's celebrity image as well as part of Whitney's second leg as an international superstar and actress. We also discuss the film's monumental soundtrack, sung by Whitney herself, an album that remains the best selling gospel record of all time. Finally we discuss the flattening effect of family films of the era (especially those produced by Touchstone/Disney) and how they tend to flirt with societal issues while reaffirming the system that causes them.

Follow Ashley Reese on Twitter

Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Get access to this entire episode, the entire Denzember catalog, and all of our premium episodes by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Denzember continues with GQ Senior Editor Frazier Tharpe II joining us to discuss Jonathan Demme's 'Philadelphia', one of the first major Hollywood films to take on the AIDS crisis. Far from a simple "issues picture", the movie overcomes many of its retrograde positions and dubious narrative decisions through the combination of Demme's masterful skill behind the camera and two powerhouse lead perfromances from Denzel and Tom Hanks (in a role that would net him his first Oscar win). 

We track the career of Jonathan Demme, from his time in the Roger Corman stable through his massive hit 'The Silence of the Lambs', and the bold decision to tackle 'Philadelphia' as a project. Then, we discuss the two seismic performances from Hanks and Washington, and how each bring their star-power and career arcs to the roles in vital ways. Finally, we discuss some of the many controversial creative decisions that went into the making of the film, how some might be handled today, and why the film still resonates in spite of these components.

Frazier's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:

1. Malcolm X

2. Man on Fire

3. Training Day

4. Flight

5. Out of Time

Follow Frazier Tharpe on Twitter.

.
.
.
.
Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Chapo Trap House and Movie Mindset's very own Will Menaker stops by to help celebrate Denzember and discuss Carl Franklin's 'Devil in a Blue Dress', based on the inaugural Easy Rawlins mystery novel of the same name by author Walter Mosley. It's a stylish period noir made by a filmmaker and team seemingly uninterested in reproducing the aesthetic trappings of classic film noir, instead opting for a rich and colorful evocation of parts of 1940s Los Angeles rarely seen in the movies.

We discuss the career of Carl Franklin, as well as this film's thematic links to his 1992 neo-noir masterpiece One False Move. Then, we discuss the movie's thoughtful subversions of classic film noir, exploring the conditionality of freedom and access to the American Dream for Black Americans in postwar era South Central Los Angeles. Elsewhere, we continue our discussion on Denzel as actor and offer praise to his performance in addition to the movie's supporting performances from a scene-stealing Don Cheadle and the stunning, underrated Jennifer Beals.

Will's Top 5 Denzel Reaction GIFS:
1. Fallen
2. Flight
3. Denzel Door Slam
4. Training Day
5. Denzel Awards Face

Will's Top 5 Denzel Washinton Performances (Spike & Tony-Inclusive)
1. Man of Fire
2. Malcolm X
3. Unstoppable
4. He Got Game
5. Glory

Will's Top 5 Non-Spike & Tony Denzel Washington Performances (Unranked):
1. Glory
2. Devil in a Blue Dress
3. Ricochet
4. Philadelphia
5. The Tragedy of Macbeth

Follow Will Menaker on Twitter.

Listen to & support Chapo Trap House on Patreon.

Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Writer, editor and podcaster Edward Ongweso Jr. returns to the show to kick off Denzember, a monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, with a conversation about Spike Lee's seminal 1992 biopic 'Malcolm X'. It stands as one of Lee's most triumphant achievements and one of Denzel Washington's very best performances as one of the most significant figures of 20th century America.

We discuss the film's trouble gestation period, taking nearly 30 years to get to the big screen then courting controversy throughout its production. We also discuss the film's portrait of Malcolm X and offer our readings of Spike's ultimate intention - presenting a fractured portrait that embraces the many sides of the man and the many ideologies and sects that claim him. Finally, we talk about the film's noteworthy detractors, including social critic and theorist bell hooks, who makes a compelling case that the film ultimately fails to bring a meaningful portrait of Malcolm to the big screen.

Read bell hooks's review of Spike Lee's 'Malcolm X' at Artforum.

Edward's Top 5 Denzel Performances:
1. Malcolm X (1992)
2. Fences (2016)
3. Training Day (2001)
4. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)
5. Philadelphia (1993)/The Hurricane (1999)

Follow Edward Ongweso Jr. on Twitter.

Listen & Subscribe to This Machine Kills.

Read Edward's Substack The Tech Bubble.

Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

An introduction to our monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, Denzel Washington.

Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Creator of the "eventually, forever" newsletter and film twitter heavy Adam Sullivan joins us to discuss the brilliant Hayao Miyazaki and his 1992 film 'Porco Rosso'. Initially conceived as a short film exclusively for in-flight guests of Japan Airlines, the film eventually grew in ambition and scope and now stands as one of Miyazaki's most underrated, visually transcendent masterpieces. 

We discuss the film's many classic Hollywood touchpoints, including the films of Howard Hawks, Victor Fleming, and John Ford and how these influences create a sense of fantasy more grounded that other Miyazaki works. Then, we discuss the film's setting amidst the rising tide of fascism in the Adriatic and its connection to the moving character portrait at its core. Finally, we discuss how 'Porco Rosso' (perhaps more than any other film) suggests some of the director's late period affinities in works like 'The Wind Rises'.

Plus: We talk Miyazaki's latest work 'The Boy & The Heron', which we have all had the chance to see ahead of its wide release in the US Friday, 12/8/23. 

Follow Adam Sullivan on Twitter.

Read and subscribe to Adam's newsletter "eventually, forever".

.

.

.

.

Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

We contracted the services of Jake Serwin, co-host of America's premier Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me, to take on a pair of films about a professional assassin having a crisis of conscience after botching his most recent job.

First up, we talk The Replacement Killers, Antoine Fuqua's first feature and Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat's Hollywood debut, pairing him with recent Oscar winner Mira Sorvino for an extremely American riff on Hong Kong's Heroic Bloodshed genre, popularized by Chow and The Replacement Killers' executive producer John Woo. 

Then we wade in to David Fincher's latest film for Netflix, 'The Killer'. It's a sharp, potent thriller hybrid that spits copious venom at our hyperconnected modern existence, hustle culture, and the gig economy while also functioning as a kaleidoscopic reflection on Fincher's entire career and ethos as a filmmaker. 

Listen and subscribe to Pod Casty For Me.

Follow Pod Casty For Me on Twitter.

.

.

.

.

Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish 

Journalist and writer Séamus Malekafzali returns to the program for a lengthy conversation about Martin Scorsese's 1995 crime epic 'Casino'. Initially viewed by critics and audiences as a retread of Scorsese's masterful crime saga 'Goodfellas', the film has since been reevaluated as a masterpiece in its own right - one enriched by the director's late period films and preoccupations.

We discuss the film's dizzying construction, effectively evoking the glitz and glam of the Vegas strip through extended montages and voiceover (an effect masterfully rendered by Scorsese's deft hands as a director, a firecracker script with co-writer Nicholas Pileggi, and the brilliant editing of longtime Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker). Then, we examine the brilliant, career-defining performance of Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna. It's a role that deserves every possible accolade, and strikes a note that no one but Stone could conceivably achieve. Finally, we discuss the film as capitalist allegory, and how Scorsese thoughtfully weaves commentary on the corporate centralization of the American economy and its steady collapsing of the middle class.

We also offer some thoughts on Scorsese's latest, 'Killers of the Flower Moon', and the evolution of the director's views on capitalism, corruption, and consequence.  

Follow Séamus on Twitter.

Read Séamus's Substack on Middle East politics.

Read & Listen to Burnt Nitrate, Séamus's explorations of lesser-known and lesser-discussed films.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Chicago-based academic and horror obsessive Peter Raleigh joins to discuss reliable journeyman director Peter Hyams and his 1997 creature feature, 'The Relic'. Maligned critically and a failure at the box office upon its initial release, the film has endured as an example of the tactile, sturdy genre work of the 90s with capable hands on both sides of the camera, including brilliant creature designs from legendary special effects guru Stan Winston.

We discuss the film's impressive balancing act, managing to glide over a host ludicrous genre tropes and plot holes with ease while maintining a keen pacing and immersion. Then, we praise the excellent directorial work of Hyams, who serves here as his own cinematographer and generates a mesmerizing, impressionistic array of horror imagery in stark, dimly lit spaces galore. Finally, we discuss the delights of the monster movie, its flattening of distinctions among people that make for compelling survival thrills, and why the sensibilities of the decade were uniquely attuned to the subgenre.

Watch the 35mm trailer for The Relic.

Follow Peter Raleigh on Twitter

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Loose film critic and host of Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema podcast Nicole Veneto joins from Boston to discuss Alex Winter and Tom Stern's irreverent, gag-filled 1993 monster comedy 'Freaked'. The film is a genuine cult classic that was greelit, following the success of the Bill & Ted films and Winter and Stern's short-lived MTV program 'Idiot Box', with an impressive $12 million budget and then quickly killed by 20th Century Fox after a change in management. 

We discuss the film's unique cacophony of styles, taking inspiration from a number of cultural objects including Zucker Brothers comedies, punk rock legends Butthole Surfers, classic beach party films, and The Evil Dead movies. Then we praise the legendary team of practical special effects and makeup artists (including veterans of John Carpenter films like 'Big Trouble in Little China' and Chuck Russell's classic 1988 remake of 'The Blob') who brought the hilarious cast of freaks to life. Finally, we detail the executive decisions that very nearly railroaded 'Freaked' out of existence, and eulogize the brief moment in time when big studio money was willing to gamble on spectacular, impractical filmmaking and craft. 

Watch & Download 'Freaked' at the Internet Archive.

Follow Nicole Veneto on Letterboxd

Listen to & Support Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema.

.

.

.

.

Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish 

Vancouver-based filmmaker, educator, and podcaster Devan Scott joins to discuss Street Fighter: The Movie, based on the hugely popular Capcom video game franchise. Dismissed by both critics and fans of the game at the time of its release as a disaster, the film has since found a small but vocal faction of champions nearly 30 years later.

We discuss the film as an example of what Devan calls "The Anti-Masterpiece": A film that through no fault of its author becomes an astonishing work, either in spite or because of a distinct lack of conventional competence. Then, we discuss the pleasure of watching a film featuring a massive ensemble cast, none of whom can seem to agree on what kind of movie is being made - from Jean-Claude Van Damme's incidentially self-referential Colonel Guile to Raul Julia's genuinely great, Shakespearean take on despotic warlord General M. Bison. Finally, we discuss the film's inadvertantly prescient take on the American imperial project of the 21st century, and how its caroonishness and brazen stupidity feel right at home in a post-Trump America. 

Follow Devan Scott on Twitter.

Read Brandon Streussnig's "Wrapped In Plastic: JCVD's Street Fighter" for Secret Handshake.

Read Chris Plante's "Street Fighter: The Movie - What Went Wrong" for Polygon.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.
.
.
.
.
Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Artist and podcaster Kayte Terry joins from Philadelphia to discuss David Lynch's 1990 Palme d'Or winner 'Wild at Heart' starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as starcrossed lovers on the run in an oddball road movie that showcases the director at his most earnest and emotionally frank.

We discuss what people get wrong about Lynch, his style and tone, and why pervasiveness of the the term "Lynchian" robs it of meaning. Next, we talk about the incredible ensemble that brings Lynch's romance to life, praising especially the brilliance of its leads Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as well as supporting performers like Diane Ladd (Laura Dern's real life mother, who netted an Oscar nod for her work in the film) and Willem Dafoe as one of Lynch's most memorable villains. Finally, we key into the political textures of Lynch's career-long preoccupations, and how he interrogates the parameters of society, forcing us to conceive of existences liberated from the confines of the quotidian.

Follow Kayte Terry on Twitter.

Listen and Subscribe to Kayte's podcasts, Fangs For The Memories and Tender Subject.

.

.

.

.

Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish