Skylight Books Podcast Series

You go after him, and you'll find his shadow - or his song - and you'll have to go home. There'll never be another: THIN MAN! Jen Johans (Watch With Jen podcast) joins the Better Than the Movie crew for a holiday classic (of sorts). It's the William Powell and Myrna Loy comic mystery that launched a 6-film series, THE THIN MAN, directed by W.S. Van Dyke, with a script by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, based on the novel by the great Dashiell Hammett. This is Nick and Nora, and NO infinite playlist. Tyler, Allan, Justin, and Jen also discuss other offbeat yuletide tales that AREN'T freakin' DIE HARD. Produced by Allan Traylor and Justin Remer.  Recorded at the LAPL Octavia Lab.  Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire  Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band 

Skylight royalty Rosecrans Baldwin joins Elodie to talk about his Los Angeles classic Everything Now. He talks about what makes L.A. a city-state, what makes it such a beautiful and conflicting place to be, and his three quintessential L.A. reads! (Spoilers below!) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Produced by Elodie Saint-Louis and Mick Kowaleski Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire Closing music:  "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band Rosecrans's Three L.A. Reads: Mike Davis, Ecology of Fear Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower Myriam Gurba, Mean  

Get ready for a serious discussion of a funny book! Kliph Nesteroff's OUTRAGEOUS is the author's third investigation into the world of comedy, following THE COMEDIANS and WE HAD A LITTLE REAL ESTATE PROBLEM. While pundits may posit that you can't joke about anything anymore, Nesteroff's history shows that comic entertainment has been the frequent target of outrage for the better part of two centuries. In this discussion with Tyler Austin, Nesteroff digs into the political influences that have guided American cultural and political rhetoric, and he repeats a few gleefully random showbiz anecdotes. Produced by Justin Remer  Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire Closing music:  "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

Hello listeners! On this episode Tyler talks to film and television critic Charles Bramesco about his book, "Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes"    Produced by Tyler Austin & Alena Saunders Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

A fairy tale romance or blatant child abuse? Today, the BTTM crew tackles another nonfiction film adaptation, Sofia Coppola's PRISCILLA, taken from the memoir ELVIS AND ME by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley and Sandra Harmon. Musician and educator Collin Jonkman helps assess the grandeur of Coppola's filmmaking, the quality of Presley's prose, and the toxicity of what could be described as a "May-February romance." Collin, Allan, Tyler, and Justin also discuss the pitfalls of music memoirs and biopics. Produced by Justin Remer and Allan Traylor. Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire  Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band 

Time to investigate! It's the BTTM crew's first dissection of a nonfiction adaptation: the new Martin Scorsese film, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, which is based on the book by David Grann. Fellow bookseller David Kimbel joins the core trio of Justin Remer, Allan Traylor, and Tyler Austin in their analysis of these two related retellings of the bloody Reign of Terror which targeted the wealthy Osage Indian population of Oklahoma in the 1920s. Other essential works of true crime and nonfiction storytelling are also discussed.  Produced by Justin Remer and Allan Traylor.  Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire  Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

Trick or treat! Allan Traylor, Tyler Austin, and Justin Remer take a spooky stroll down memory lane, exploring the world of the kiddie horror book series GOOSEBUMPS by R.L. Stine. Allan is the (relative) expert of the group, so he assigns titles for Tyler and Justin to read. He also springs a GOOSEBUMPS title trivia game on the other two. All three fellas watch the 2015 film and... they have some notes. This was recorded before the new Disney/Hulu series was released, but the BTTM crew talks about the classic '90s TV version, as well as other throwback shows like EERIE, INDIANA and ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK? Let's get spooOOOOooooky!  Produced by Justin Remer.  Opening music: "Rumination: If I Should Die (Slowed / Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire  Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

Hello listeners! On this episode Tyler talks to James Park, food writer and author of the new cookbook "Chili Crisp: 50+ Recipes to Satisfy Your Spicy, Crunchy, Garlicky Cravings" about all things-- you guessed it-- chili crisp.    Produced by Tyler Austin & Alena Saunders Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

It's spooky season, and our LITTLE GREY CELLS are HAUNTED! Former Skylight booksellers Natalie Freeman and Allison Miriam Smith return to the store to join Allan, Tyler, and Justin for the Better Than the Movie crew's most rambunctious (and, let's admit it, CHAOTIC) episode yet.  This fulsome fivesome discuss Kenneth Branagh's third movie outing as detective Hercule Poirot, A HAUNTING IN VENICE, and its credited source material, HALLOWE'EN PARTY by Agatha Christie, which is a completely different story. It's a SPOILERS-HEAVY discussion, full of digressions and talking over each other. Lots of laughter and fun. Produced by Justin Remer and Mick Kowaleski.  Opening music: "Rumination: If I Should Die (Slowed / Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band

She's his number one fan. The hilarious and well-read Mark Rennie (TWO OLD QUEENS podcast) joins a reduced BTTM crew to discuss MISERY, the Stephen King novel and the Oscar-winning film from screenwriter William Goldman and director Rob Reiner. (And cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld!!) With a new documentary about King adaptations out in theaters, KING ON SCREEN, the fellas also discuss some other King faves on page and screen. Produced by Justin Remer and Mick Kowaleski.  Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band