The Playlist Podcast Network

"Chicken Run" (2000) turns 20 this week, and to celebrate, Chance and Noah are looking back at the filmography of Nick Park, the chief creative voice of Aardman Animation through its heyday. To understand the origins of Park's droll but heartfelt world, we rewind to the original, Academy Award-winning "Wallace & Gromit" shorts and discuss all the hallmarks of tactility—exploding fruit, precocious critters and nightmarish “steam folk” machines—that made Aardman movies so singular. After a full-scale celebration of “Chicken Run,” we also review “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” (2005) and “Early Man” (2018).  * * * To support the causes of justice and equality for Black Americans in these times, please consider donating to: The AAR Diversity Internship Initiative Don’t Shoot PDX The Family of James Scurlock

Kathryn Hahn is having a sustained ongoing moment and it's arguably been happening since 2013. That year, she starred in Jill Soloway's "Afternoon Delight," and while the response to that Sundance indie was muted, it arguably transformed her career, taking her out of supporting "crazy lady" comedic roles and into the place of lead in complex comedic dramas about female identity, desire and the yearning for much more. Hahn has become something of a muse for many female filmmakers and "Afternoon Delight" lead to terrific turns in Soloway's "Transparent," the overlooked, but short-lived series,  "I Love Dick," and lead roles in Tamara Jenkins' "Private Life," and HBO's "Mrs. Fletcher" series from director Nicole Holofcener and author Tom Perrota (known for writing the novels of "Election" and "Little Children"). Hahn's latest two projects couldn't be more different. One is HBO's "I Know This Much Is True" from director Derek Cianfrance alongside Mark Ruffalo. The other is "Central Park," an animated AppleTV+ show from the makers of "Bob's Burgers." In our hour-long chat, we parsed all these topics, most of Hahn's entire career, and even touched a little upon "Wandavision," the upcoming Disney+ Marvel series that she has a role in. 

Ryan Oliver is joined by Nick Allen (RogerEbert.com, Vulture, MEL Magazine, The AV Club) to look back on the directorial debut of Judd Apatow, starting from "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" all the way to his latest film, "The King of Staten Island." All shows and episodes are a part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes The 4th Wall, Be Reel, Indie Beat, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. To listen on this page, you can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe, and drop us a comment or a rating as we do appreciate it. Thanks for listening.

On this episode, Ryan Oliver is joined by Kathia Woods (Cup of Soul Show, Philadelphia Tribune, Awards Watch) and Ronda Racha Penrice (Zora, NBC THINK, Atlanta Journal Constitution) to discuss the latest Spike Lee joint - "Da 5 Bloods" - while spending the bulk of the discussion looking back at the more underrated and under-appreciated films in Lee's four decades of filmmaking. 0:00-23:13 - "Da 5 Bloods" Review 23:14-End - The Underrated and Overlooked Films of Spike Lee "School Daze" "Get on the Bus" "4 Little Girls" "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts" "Summer of Sam" "Miracle at St. Anna" "Red Hook Summer" "Da Sweet Blood of Jesus" "Pass Over" All shows and episodes are a part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes The 4th Wall, Be Reel, Indie Beat, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. To listen on this page, you can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe, and drop us a comment or a rating as we do appreciate it. Thanks for listening.

Some cinematic properties are lost in production-limbo for ages, and yet, when the films are finally released, the timing could not have worked better for them. The Creator and author of "Artemis Fowl," Eoin Coffer, has jokingly stated that the film would be finished two years after his death. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait that long. But while the film took almost twenty years to make; those twenty years were very kind to the project. Disney was able to secure the rights, the studio was able to distance itself from Harvey Weinstein, and there was a change in director from Lawrence Guterman to the legendary Sir Kenneth Branagh. Finally, because of a delay due to the Disney/Fox merger, and with recent complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the film will hit Disney+ Friday, June 12th, in what is perhaps the perfect platform for this movie. "Artemis Fowl" stars Ferdia Shaw (grandson of the great Robert Shaw) as the title character, Lara McDonnell, Nonso Anozie, Colin Farrell, and returning to work with Branagh after "Murder on the Orient Express," Josh Gad and Judy Dench. It follows the story of a wunderkind, a self-proclaimed child-criminal genius who must breach the barrier between the world of man, and the world of Irish mythology to save his father from magical peril. Perhaps "Artemis Fowl" being an adaptation of Eoin Colfer's beloved fantasy novels is precisely why Branagh is a great choice to direct. He is no stranger to literary classics turned cinematic, and not simply because of the myriad of Shakespearean adaptations. The filmmaker has "Frankenstein," "Cinderella," "Murder on the Orient Express," and even more contemporary literature like "Thor" that help comprise his filmography. It's apparent that Branagh has a deep love for literature of all kinds and it's what helps fuel his adaptations. What's even more distinct about Branagh's adaptations is how he strikes a balance between traditional folklore ("Thor," "Artemis Fowl") and the contemporary. "Artemis Fowl," specifically, thrives on introducing this fabled world all while making it more accessible and relevant to its target demographic. However, audiences of all ages will be able to find something in this adventure they’ll enjoy, and it will undoubtedly speak to children everywhere, even if they have never read a single page of the novels. During our conversation with Kenneth Branagh, we not only discussed his love of literature and adaptations but his collaborations with Christopher Nolan and Kevin Feige, how he fostered a welcoming set for "Artemis Fowl's" child actors Ferdia Shaw and Lara McDonnell, how he selects which of his directed projects to star in, what we can expect from his upcoming "Death on the Nile" and much more. Additional reporting by Michael Winn Johnson

Rebecca Hall talks about her role as an emotionally closed-off physicist in Amazon Prime's humanist sci-fi series "Tales From The Loop" with the Deep Focus host Rodrigo Perez. Hall is also making her directorial debut with the upcoming film "Passing," starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga. It's an adaptation of Nella Larsen's 1920s Harlem Renaissance novel, which explores the practice of racial passing, a term used for a person classified as a member of one racial group who seeks to be accepted by a different racial group. But for Hall, it's a complicated story for her to reckon with the legacy of her own complicated family -- a bi-racial grandfather and mother who grappled with some of the same issues of identity. We also talked about her approach to acting, her career, her many roles, working with Christopher Nolan, and much more. It's a long, hour-long podcast, so buckle in, and hopefully, you'll enjoy it. 

Like everything, it's been a strange world for the film industry in the midst of COVID-19. On this long-belated episode, Ryan Oliver is joined by Playlist Managing Editor Charles Barfield, and the former hosts of Playlist Podcast Adjust Your Tracking - Erik McClanahan and Joe von Appen - to discuss the state of theatrical moviegoing. We speculate on if theaters will hit their proposed July release date, in time for Christopher Nolan's "Tenet," and if it's the right thing to do. We also discuss how the industry is adapting amidst the pandemic (such as PVOD and selling titles to other streaming services) and further cementing co-existence between theatrical and digital. It's a broad topic with no easy answers, but the discussion remains thoughtful. If you have the means, please consider donating to Black Lives Matter (https://blacklivesmatter.com/) and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (https://www.naacpldf.org/), among other organizations. All shows and episodes are a part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes The 4th Wall, Be Reel, Indie Beat, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and iHeartRadio. To listen on this page, you can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe, and drop us a comment or a rating as we do appreciate it.

He’s been called the Lizard King, the Iceman, the Dark Knight, and is perpetually applying for the post of your Huckleberry. Val Kilmer is one of the most fascinating and elusive screen presences of the last 40 years. In the wake of Val's new memoir, Noah and Chance chronicle the highlights of a roller-coaster career from 1985 to present. The questions are as high-minded and dire as Kilmer’s work: was Val the most talented actor of his generation? And if that’s true, why was he done making relevant work by age 45? We certainly acknowledge there are far more important things in the world right now, but we hope you’ll come along with us when you can, at least from "Real Genius" to "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang."

Over the last decade, you’ve undoubtedly seen both Sam Hargrave and his work without even knowing it. In fifteen years, he has racked up 80 credits working as either a stunt performer or stunt coordinator in both television and film. He's doubled for Hugh Jackman, Chris Evans, and Justin Timberlake, along with many others; and is responsible for staging some of the biggest and most exciting action sequences in recent years. Hargrave served as a stunt coordinator on "Avengers: Endgame," "Deadpool 2," "Captain America: Civil War," "Atomic Blonde," and all but the first film in the "Hunger Games" franchise, just to name a few. While stunt performance allowed Hargrave to make a name for himself, his true passion always lied with directing. In April, he was finally able to turn that passion into a reality with his directorial debut with "Extraction." "Extraction" is a Netflix Original action film written by Joe Russo, produced by the Russo Brothers, and starring Chris Hemsworth and David Harbour. The film tells the story of a mercenary sent in to extricate the son of an international crime lord from the clutches of kidnappers. When Hemsworth’s character (Tyler Rake) is double-crossed, he faces enemies on all sides as he battles to protect the boy and escape town. "Extraction" was an instant hit for Netflix. According to the streaming service, the film "is well on its way to becoming the biggest-ever film premiere on Netflix — with a projected 90 million households getting in on the action in the first 4 weeks." The movie appears to have been the right movie at the right time. While movie theaters are shut down and virtually all theatrical releases have been postponed, Netflix offered an exciting action film produced by the directors of the biggest movie of the past decade, featuring one of today’s leading men, and directed by one of the premier stunt coordinators in the business. People seemed more than willing to tune in. Perhaps much of this has to do with a yearning for more mid-budget action movies. The filmmaker himself even cited the works of Jackie Chan and John McTiernan along with "Rambo"  as works that impacted his filmmaking sensibilities. During our conversation with director Sam Hargrave, we discussed not only "Extraction," its success, and the already announced sequel (and whether he’ll be involved), but also action movies in general, as well as Netflix as a vessel for more niche films to be made and seen. We also learn what action films inspired him as a director and filmmaker, and find out what he has been watching while stuck at home during the pandemic.

American independent film lost a guiding light this month with the sudden passing of Lynn Shelton. From 2006 to 2019, Shelton created a multi-film roadmap for considering the dimensionality of place (often Seattle) and deep personal meaning from simple conversation. This week, Be Reel looks back at "We Go Way Back" (2006), "Humpday" (2009), "Your Sister's Sister" (2011), "Laggies" (2014) and "Sword of Trust" (2019) to celebrate an aspirational career, cut tragically short.