The Playlist Podcast Network

Welcome back to the Deep Focus podcast. My guests this week are a duo: Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe, the co-directors, co-writers and co-stars of IFC Films’ “The Beta Test,” and let me say that yes, this conversation is well-overdue. "The Beta Test" came out in late November, but hey, it’s on VOD and more importantly, in a little teaser of what’s to come: you will see "The Beta Test" on our upcoming list of the Best Films Of 2021 That You Didn’t See. If that feels like a backhanded compliment. It's not meant to be. The film is just sorely overlooked and we urge people to see it. "The Beta Test" is about a married Hollywood agent—played by Cummings—who receives a mysterious letter for an anonymous sexual encounter and becomes ensnared in a big web of deceit, lies, and twist and turns. It's a dark, satirical look at Hollywood, cancel culture, the woke age of empathy and how that's really just terrified a lot of white men. Cummings and McCabe also talk about one of their indie heroes David Gordon Green who they have worked with a little bit and tease two more indie films they have in the works and suffice to say they are very ambitious. 

Welcome back to the Deep Focus podcast (like our new logo?) My guest this week is none other than Alan Haim from the rock group HAIM, but more importantly, she is the star of Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film “Licorice Pizza.” "Licorice Pizza" is Anderson’s latest throwback, vintage, nostalgic look at the 1970s San Fernando Valley, his old stomping grounds, and the place he loves to keep returning to. In a recent Q&A I attended with PTA, the filmmaker said unapologetically about “Licorice Pizza,” and his return to his roots, “if nostalgia is a disease, well I guess I have it.” "Licorice Pizza" is unabashedly throwback, but it's still very different from "Boogie Nights" and "Magnolia." More importantly, Haim, in her debut screen performance is just terrific in the movie. She told me all about making it, working with PTA and the uber-secretive, circuitous way he pitched the movie to her--an mysterious email with an attachment sent to her in the middle or the night. 

The Yellowstoners, Mike DeAngelo and Rodrigo Perez, are back and there’s an absolute rip roarin’, rootin’ tootin’ ton of "Yellowstone" developments to discuss. During the podcast, the hosts discuss Episodes 7 and 8 of "Yellowstone," and the premiere episodes of the prequel, "1883," and finish off with an interview with actor-musician Tim McGraw.

What came first, the chicken or the egg? And in the case of “The Matrix Resurrections,” was the film conceived purely as a way for Lana Wachowski to tell an epic love story, or was the meta sequel the result of boardroom discussions and urging from the studio? When you watch the film, you can’t really tell, as ‘Resurrections’ truly feels like a film at war with its own existence. But would you expect anything less from a ‘Matrix’ sequel? In this episode of The Playlist Podcast, we discuss “The Matrix Resurrections” and see if the film will be enough to satisfy skeptics and those who have a rocky history with the franchise.

If there are two things American moviegoers love most, the first is football, and the second is a good underdog story. This Christmas, the two are being combined for a touchdown reception on the big screen in the appropriately titled “American Underdog,” starring “Shazam!” himself, Zachary Levi, as Kurt Warner, the talented and dedicated quarterback who fought his way into the NFL in the ‘90s. Warner’s efforts paid off with a twelve-season career that included winning Super Bowl XXXIV, and being named MVP of both that game, and the season as a whole. "Our journeys are multi-layered and dynamic, and one of the coolest things about Kurt's story is how he's been out in the wilderness,” said Levi, as he sat down to talk about the film and its parallels to his own rise as an actor. Born in Louisiana and having made his stage debut at the age of six, Levi first made a name for himself on the stage of the Ojai Art Center, with starring roles in productions of “Grease,” “Oklahoma!,” and “The Wizard of Oz,” to name but a sampling of his early work. Levi became so accustomed to the sensibilities of the stage, that when he finally broke through to the screen in the mid-2000s, he had to make broad adjustments to his craft. “In theater, everything is way bigger, you're projecting and your diction needs to be clearer so people can understand what you're saying,” said Levi, whose breakthrough role came in 2007, when he was cast as the titular character in “Chuck,” going on to lead the spy-comedy series for five seasons. “Transitioning into film and television, you gotta learn how to chill that out. If you're giving a musical theater animated face, that doesn't work on camera. You have to learn how not to force it." Between his time on stage and his rise on screen, however, Levi was no stranger to the financial realities of being a performer. In many ways, Levi’s work ethic and determination to always make ends meet, mirrors Warner’s rise to the NFL against various pitfalls, such as when he didn’t make the 1994 Green Bay Packers’ team, but continued to push for his dream, joining the Arena Football League and working at a supermarket in order to provide for himself. Levi’s star launched permanently out of orbit, however, when he joined the DCEU as Shazam, a role he got through a chain of events that began when he auditioned to play Star-Lord in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” And, of course, I couldn’t let Levi go before asking about the sequel, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” which is currently slated for release in June of 2023, and what we can expect from it. During our conversation with Levi, we also discuss the importance of kindness and humility in Hollywood, what impression the actor hopes he has left on people with his brand, and more! "American Underdog" is now playing in theaters.

Finally, after what seems like a decade of speculation, leaks, rumors, and general social media debate, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is in theaters. And with that, it’s time that people know the truth about the latest film in the Sony/Marvel Studios partnership—it’s actually really great… or maybe it’s just yet another legacy sequel that hopes nostalgia will help gloss over some glaring flaws? The Playlist Podcast is here to dive deep into all aspects of ‘No Way Home’ to hopefully give a definitive answer.

I’m not going to lie, this is a nerdy interview episode of The Playlist Podcast, as legendary comic book creator, Todd McFarlane, joins to talk about the release of “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” on VOD and Blu-ray. Why is Todd McFarlane talking about ‘Venom?’ Well, if you don’t know, McFarlane is one of the co-creators of the character, and in the interview, we talk about the process of creating the character who has now dominated the box office in multiple films, as well as creator’s rights in the film and TV realm, and, of course, “Spawn.”

Stellan Skarsgård is an actor that has popped up in nearly every recent major franchise. Whether it’s the beloved Eric Selvig of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the dreadful and ominous Baron Harkonnen in "Dune," you’ve likely seen his face on your screen rather recently. In this episode of The Discourse, Stellan Skarsgård sits down to talk about his latest film "Last Words," which features Stellan as a reluctant leader of the last human community at the end of the world.

Writer/producer/director Simon Kinberg has been able to play in some truly massive sandboxes over the course of his career, with the biggest perhaps being his time working on 20th Century Fox’s 'X-Men' universe. Recently, Kinberg has co-created his own universe in Apple TV+’s series, "Invasion," which recently got picked up for a second season and is airing its first season finale on December 10. In this episode of The Discourse, Simon Kinberg talks about bringing that project to life.

In this episode of The Playlist Podcast directing duo, Bert & Bertie, join to talk about their most recent work on Marvel Studios “Hawkeye.” For those unaware, “Hawkeye” is the new Disney+ series featuring the title character played by Jeremy Renner, who finally is getting the spotlight for his own project. Previously, I spoke to Rhys Thomas, who directs episodes 1, 2, and 6, which is the finale, but crammed in between are episodes from Bert & Bertie, who work on 3, 4, and 5. In the interview, we talk about how the duo got the Marvel Studios gig and why “Hawkeye” is the project they resonated with the most. They also talk about Episode 3, titled “Echoes,” which sees the introduction of Maya Lopez, aka Echo, played by newcomer Alaqua Cox.