Natter Cast

Join Jason, Sion, Gary and Jay as we discuss episode 4x08 of Better Call Saul: Coushatta!

JOIN JASON, GARY AND PATRICK as we discuss David Fincher's 2007 film Zodiac, based on the book by Robert Graysmith, featuring:


MARK RUFFALO as the gun-toting, bow-tie-wearing, Animal Cracker eating, Zodiac-investigating, due-process respecting, circumstantial evidence dismissing San Francisco super cop, Dave Toschi

JAKE GYLLENHAAL as the code-breaking, Aqua Velva drinking, California size underestimating, late night rainstorm surprise visiting author slash cartoonist (and not the other way around), Robert Graysmith

ANTHONY EDWARDS as the sushi-curious, apologetic, fast-moving, telefax-having homicide detective, Bill Armstrong

ELIAS KOTEAS as the pen-stealing, cigarette forbidding, shoe brand noticing Solano cop, Jack Mulanax

DONAL LOGUE as the Rick Marshall suspecting, cartoonist indulging, Riverside vacationing, fancy-big-city-telefax non-having Napa investigator, Ken Narlow

CHLOË SEVINGY as the reasonable precaution recommending, non-existent pasta dish ordering, sleazy plan suspecting, most interesting date having, book completion demanding Melanie Graysmith

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. as the vest-wearing, Vallejo crime covering, Aqua Velva disparaging, r-word denying, non-target-hitting, "whatever else it is he's doing" non-out cutting of it ace reporter, Paul Avery

JOHN CARROLL LYNCH as possible non-Zodiac killer, Arthur Leigh Allen

AND JAMES LEGROS as that one guy from Point Break

 In David Fincher's film Zodiac, author Robert Graysmith's former wife Melanie is portrayed by Chloë Sevigny. 

In this episode of Natter Cast, we speak with the real Melanie Graysmith about her experiences consulting on the film, the friendship she and Robert developed with San Francisco homicide investigator Dave Toschi and the impact both the real case and the 2007 film had on their lives.

Beyond her role in the Zodiac story, Melanie Graysmith is an accomplished writer, educator and artist. You can learn more about her work here on her website and on her Facebook page.

Melanie also has an interest in clockmaking. Pictured here is a clock she made for Dave Toschi commemorating Mark Ruffalo's performance in Fincher's film.

The Natter Cast extends its warmest thanks to Melanie for talking with us and for helping us with our podcast coverage of Fincher's film! 

Join Jason, Gary and Jay as we discuss episode 407 of Better Call Saul: Something Stupid

Join Jason, Sion, Jay and Gary as we discuss episode 4x06 of Better Call Saul: Piñata!

Join Jason, Gary, Sion and Jay as we discuss episode 4x05 of Better Call Saul, entitled "Quite A Ride!"

Join Jason, Gary, Sion and Jay as we discuss episode 4x04 of Better Call Saul: Talk

Featuring..

NACHO having a bad feeling in his gut.

JIMMY painting himself into a corner.

MIKE AND ANITA dining out.

AND KIM, cruising the courts for a little drama.

Join Jason, Sion, Gary and Donielle as we discuss three Netflix trigger warning shows, including:

Hannah Gadsby's one-woman non-comedy-comedy show,  Nanette, wherein Mz. Gadsby breaks new ground by literally calling Pablo Picasso an a-hole.

Noted Private School Negro, W Kamau Bell, who has no comment on Pablo Picasso, but gives his phone every reason to call him the n-word.

And lastly Jessica Biel shows us in The Sinner that huggin' and kissin' is all fun and games until it morphs into hittin' and stabbin'.

Join Jason, Gary and Jay as we discuss episode 4x03 of Better Call Saul: Something Beautiful

Join Jason, Sion, Gary and Jay as we discuss episode 402 of Better Call Saul, entitled "Breathe"

Join Jason, Sion, Gary and Jay as we discuss episode 4x01 of Better Call Saul: Smoke, featuring...

THE RETURN of Cinnabon Gene!



SAFETY INSPECTOR Mike Ehrmantrout!


BOO BOO ARM KIMMIE!

HOWARD and his cross to bear

NACHO taking a pill

AND, AS ALWAYS...a side of Frings!

Join Jason, Gary, Patrick and Sion for our discussion of two films inspired by the late San Francisco super-cop, Dave Toschi: Bullitt and Dirty Harry.

Some movies feature car chases, but Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen, is a car chase that features a movie.

Frank Bullitt, aka Frank Bullitt's Car's Sidekick, is a groovy, new wave bohemian jazz aficionado who knows that time is not only a flat circle, but it also starts now.

He's also San Francisco's top Lyft driver, with a city map whose accuracy makes Watch Dogs II look like the AuthaGraph.

Harry Callahan, on the other hand, is tough-as-nails, all-business, neo-fascist, ketchup-hating lunatic vigilante who has got to be compensating for something with that hand cannon of his.

But when Scorpio is running loose through the city and all the mayor/Animal House dean can think to do is put Harry on Double Secret Suspension, you've got to ask yourself one question: "Do I feel lucky?" 

And join us next month for our coverage of David Fincher's Zodiac, featuring Mark Ruffalo as the man who kept our city safe without driving recklessly or losing track of how many high powered bullets he fired into the middle of a crowded street.

And be sure to check out Duffy Jennings' upcoming memoir of his in San Francisco journalism!

Join Jason, Andrew and Sion as we discuss the essential elements of the William Peter Blatty Cinematic Universe, including...

THE EXORCIST, in which we learn that you're better off with the Pazuzu you know than the Pazuzu you don't, the bed must be on the floor and going through puberty in the 1970s is a much rougher ride than classic rock songs have led us to believe.

THE NINTH CONFIGURATION, in which Black Superman auditioning for a production of Hamlet for dogs is among the least bizarre thing that happens.



AND THE EXORCIST III, where Bill Blatty decides to finish off his story with characteristic elegance and subtlety.

Join Guillermo, Jason, Sion and Gary as we discuss Netflix's autism spectrum family melodramedy "Atypical", featuring:

SAM, whose turn ons include thinking about sex and thinking about penguins. Mostly penguins.

DOUG, who clearly didn't think through the ramifications of making one poor choice in your life when everyone you love is an obssessive-compulsive repressed rage-a-holic emotional sadist.

ELSA, who is played by Jennifer Jason Leigh and is therefore perfect and that's all you need to know and can we PLEASE talk about something else like for example what a complete a-hole Doug was to her a decade and a frickin' half ago already.

ZAHID, Sam's coworker and one-man #MeToo class action lawsuit waiting to happen.

CASEY, who loves her brother, but can't think about anything but running, running away, running anywhere, running all the way to the EFF...BEEE...EYE.  Okay, maybe just college instead of the FBI.

AND JULIA, who proves that no matter how neuro-typical you are, none of us is more than one chocolate covered strawberry away from blowing up our lives and shopping for a TV in our pajamas in the middle of the night.

Thank you for supporting the Natter Cast and thanks as always to The Distance for our opening music: Caffeinated Woman!

JOIN JASON, Sion, Gary and Patrick as we discuss the rapidly escalating degrees of crazy in four Netflix documentaries, including...

MERCURY 13 .. in which we learn that the ladies' auxiliary of the space program had to have the same right stuff as the guys, only backwards and in high heels.

THE PUSH .. in which we learn that destroying people's confidence in their own common human decency can be fun!

Check out the controversy on Derren Brown here.

THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR .. in which we learn that even in the 1930s, no matter where you go, there you are. Until you disappear and are mummified at sea.



WILD WILD COUNTRY, in which we learn that you cannot make an enlightened, sex-crazed cult community without breaking a few salmonella eggs over a salad bar.

Special thanks to The Distance for our music!

Join Jason and Gary as we natter about the 1987 classic buddy cop movie, "The Untouchables," featuring...

KEVIN COSTNER as Eliot Ness, the man who never stops verbing until the verbing's done.

SEAN CONNERY as Jimmy Malone, who is prepared to go all the way and then go all the way to get Capone, but not if it means maintaining an Irish accent.

ANDY GARCIA as George Stone. No, really...George Stone.

CHARLES MARTIN SMITH as Wallace, who finds dying in an elevator much more diverting than accounting.

AND ROBERT DENIRO as Al Capone, who should consider developing an enthusiasm for wiffle ball.

Join Jason, Gary, Sion and Patrick as we discuss our Netflix picks for February 2018, featuring...

BRIGHT, the film in which fairy lives don't matter. And neither does plot, character motivation or backstory. But character chemistry and fun action do, so there's that.

And be sure to check out Lindsay Ellis' video essay on the apotheosis of lazy worldbuilding in Bright.

RETRIBUTION aka ONE OF US, in which two Scottish families do their best to convince themselves that they're not in a Vince Gilligan series despite the looming presence of Lydia Rodarte-Quayle.

ALTERED CARBON, based on the book that envisioned a future of sex, drugs and rock n' roll, comes a series that envisions a future of sex, drugs and Edgar Allen Poe.


DIRTY MONEY, or "Mr. Robot - The Home Game" in which we learn that Volkswagon are naughty boys, there's a such a thing as a strategic maple syrup reserve and Donald Trump is the president. 

Thanks for listening and be sure to join us next month for more Netflix madness!

Join Jason, Patrick and Sion as we continue our Summer of Sean Connery (hey, it's summer somewhere!) with bonus discussion of PT Anderson's The Phantom Thread!

IN THE HUNT for Red October, we learn that Russians are not always the bad guys...and Americans are not always the good guys...for example:


MARCO RAMIUS, who chooses a somewhat radical option for protesting his country's health care system

VASYLI BORODIN, whose matrimonial aspirations might work out better in Utah than Montana or Arizona

JACK RYAN, who probably sends a memo every week suggesting that America should just start swiping nuclear submarines. It was bound to eventually be a good idea!

ADMIRAL GREER, who finds your lack of faith disturbing

JONESY, who can hear invisible submarines and has Pavorati coming out of his...wherever

CAPTAIN MANCUSO, whose talent for remembering Playmate of the Month measurements will probably be more applicable in the civilian job market

AND FRED THOMPSON, who takes patriotic pride in dumps of an unplanned nature

JOIN JASON, GARY AND SION as we discuss our latest binges on Netflix, with in-depth coverage of series 4 of Peaky Blinders!

And be sure to join us on Facebook in our binge-watching, film-loving, stream-addicted group, "I Can't Stop Watching Netflix!"

We open with a short discussion of some of the shows we've been watching, including...


GODLESS, in which we learn that there's nothing a man can do that a woman can't do better, unless that man is Jeff Daniels or Sam Waterson in which case it's an even money bet

WANTED, for those who love Breaking Bad, Thelma & Louise and Australia but just can't seem to pick one.

WORMWOOD, in which we learn that you should probably either drop acid or work for the CIA. It's not good to do both.

And then we continue to our in-depth coverage of Peaky Blinders, featuring...

THOMAS SHELBY, who is not a traitor to his class, just an extreme example of what a working man can accomplish

POLLY SHELBY, who is evidently trying to sleep with everyone on Game of Thrones

ARTHUR SHELBY, who should probably stick to ranching and fixing cars instead of fights

JESSIE EDEN, who is red all over, not just on her right hand

ALFIE SOLOMONS, who is thinking of retiring...maybe to Italy...nah

ABERAMA GOLD, whose red right hand has a finger of unusually small size...little, one might call it

AND LUCA CHANGRETTA, who will make the Blinders an offer they can't understand

Enjoy the show, and be sure to join us soon for the sheckond in our sheries of the Shummer of Sean Connery: The Hunt for Red October

And next month when we begin our tribute to a true San Francisco hero, Dave Toschi (who passed this week at age 86), starting with 1968's class Steve McQueen film, Bullitt.

Join Jason, Gary and Jay as we discuss Alan J. Pakula's 1976 classic, "All The President's Men," featuring..

BOB WOODWARD'S amazing grasp of human language

CARL BERNSTEIN'S record breaking nicotine consumption

BEN BRADLEE'S cranky insistence on verifiable facts

THE DARK WISDOM of Deep Throat

HUGH SLOAN'S shattered idealism

AND DON SEGRETTI'S nickel and dime rat fracking operation