The Playlist Podcast Network

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May 14, 2020 • 1h 17min

Remembering Irrfan Khan: Bollywood Icon and One of the Best Actors of his Generation [Be Reel Podcast]

Hollywood and Bollywood both suffered an incalculable loss last month with the untimely passing of actor Irrfan Khan. Known to American audiences for his character work in "Life of Pi" and "Jurassic World", the icon in India spent 30 years embodying quiet masculinity in chameleonic performances. Today, Chance and Noah look at some of his most notable Bollywood films: "Paan Singh Tomar" (2012), "The Lunchbox" (2013), and "Piku" (2015). To start the show, Chance is joined by Vulture contributor Mallika Rao to discuss Khan's career and her tremendous remembrance of the actor, which you can read below. https://www.vulture.com/2020/05/the-undefinable-something-of-irrfan-khan.html
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May 11, 2020 • 47min

Josh Trank Talks 'Capone,' 'Fantastic Four' Failure, Tom Hardy & More [Deep Focus Podcast]

A candid and affable Josh Trank ("Chronicle") gets on the line to get candid about his "Fantastic Four" failures, his fruitful collaboration with Tom Hardy (which may yield more films) and his latest movie, the surreal fever dream that is "Capone" (or "Fonzo" as he still refers to it), starring the aforementioned "Mad Max" star.  For the belatedly returning (?) podcast show Deep Focus very-infrequently hosted by The Playlist Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez.
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May 8, 2020 • 60min

TV Recap: 'Hollywood'

This week in the ever-flowing slipstream, Be Reel hosts Chance Solem-Pfeifer and Noah Ballard turn their sights to Ryan Murphy's Netflix original miniseries "Hollywood," a send-up/revisionist history of postwar... Hollywood. Over seven hour-long episodes, we follow the cast and crew of the fictional film "Meg" (Laura Harrier, Darren Criss, Samara Weaving, and more) as they rewrite American movie lore and vanquish countless obstacles for LGBTQ artists and artists of color. But is "Hollywood" an alluring political reverie or anachronistically reductive mumbo-jumbo? Well ... action. Episode Discussion Times: Ep. 1 - 6:20 Ep. 2 - 15:40 Ep. 3 - 26:20 Ep. 4 + 5 - 32:30 Ep. 6 - 41:05 Ep. 7 — 48:45
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May 7, 2020 • 39min

Morten Tyldum on How "Michael Clayton," "Mystic River," and Ingmar Bergman Influenced "Defending Jacob" The Fourth Wall #18:

While Apple TV+'s first wave of content was met with a lukewarm response, it hasn't stopped the tech company from continuing to collaborate with A-List talent. The tech company has already joined forces with such talent as M. Night Shyamalan, Steven Spielberg, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Kumail Nanjiani, Octavia Spencer, and countless others. However, the top tier collaborations don't stop there. In Apple TV+'s latest drama, "Defending Jacob," Academy Award-nominated director, Morten Tyldum ("The Imitation Game," "Passengers"), assembled an all-star team to bring to life an adaptation of the bestselling novel. The show has quickly become a topic of weekly television discourse. Starring Chris Evans, Michelle Dockery, Jaeden Martell, and Pablo Schrieber, "Defending Jacob" follows an assistant DA (Evans) and his family as their lives are uprooted following the shocking accusation that his son may be a murderer. The series not only features A-List talent in front of the camera but behind the camera as well. "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes" and "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" screenwriter, Mark Bombock, pens the script while Tyldum directs all eight episodes of the series. While Tyldum has had great success with his feature films, he's no stranger to television. The director helmed episodes of Amazon Prime's "Jack Ryan" and Starz's "Counterpart" and excels at bringing a cinematic sensibility to the format. That sensibility proved to be critical in constructing the visual language "Defending Jacob." Using the atmosphere to emphasize character drama, Tyldum specifically looked to some of his favorite adult thrillers and one of cinema's most influential voices. It's easy to get wrapped up in the atmosphere and mystery Tyldum crafts in "Defending Jacob," as it's immediately the first thing that hits you. However, Tyldum still wanted to ground the story as much as possible. Chris Evans' experience in live performance gave him exactly what he was looking for as it helped anchor the drama in reality. During our conversation with Tyldum on episode eighteen of The Fourth Wall, we talk about the importance of casting Chris Evans in the lead and why his lack of experience in roles like this is precisely why Tyldum wanted him. We also discuss the key to a successful book adaptation, taking creative liberties with the source material, THAT surprise casting choice, whether he prefers the binge model vs. week-to-week, the future of the theatrical experience, and much more. Additional reporting by Zach Pope
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Apr 29, 2020 • 47min

Justin Kurzel On 'True History Of The Kelly Gang,' Reflecting On 'Assassin's Creed' & More [The Fourth Wall #17]

Heading into 2016, no director showed more promise than Justin Kurzel. After shocking audiences with his disturbing and intimate examination of the Snowtown Murders in 2011's "Snowtown," the filmmaker instantly became one of Australia's exciting new voices. This excitement only amplified following his striking adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard. Personifying the playwright's own words of "sound and fury" with fire and blood, Kurzel created a visual mood poem that solidified his mastery over cinematic grammar. Kurzel's continued exploration of "outlaws" paired with "Macbeth's" astonishing visuals and primal action sequences positioned him nicely for a successful adaptation of the popular video game franchise "Assassin's Creed." Sadly (while I enjoyed and defend that film),  the film was met with harsh criticism. At the time, Kurzel was living in London and the failure of "Assassin's" paired with a detachment from Australia caused the filmmaker to feel a bit lost. It was during this period of soul searching and missing home that Kurzel found Peter Carey's novel, "True History of the Kelly Gang." "True History," both the novel and Kurzel's film, tells the story of famed Australian bushranger turned legend Ned Kelly (George MacKay) and his gang as they oppose British rule and flee from the authorities during the 1870s. As opposed to more historical examinations of Kelly, "True History" is a fictitious interpretation told through the perspective of the infamous outlaw himself. It's precisely this lens that grabbed hold of Kurzel in a way the legend from his childhood hadn't before allowing him to return to his filmmaking roots. During my conversation with director Justin Kurzel, we not only discuss his relationship with Ned Kelly but delve into his fascination with morally gray characters. We also discuss how Kurosawa, Béla Tarr, Gus Van Sant's "Elephant," and Scorsese's originally storyboards for "Raging Bull" helped shape his filmmaking sensibilities, how Ted Kotcheff's "Wake in Fright" influenced "True History," his experience making "Assassin's Creed," why "Joker" inspired him, and much more.
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Apr 24, 2020 • 1h 27min

Al Pacino, Our Favorite Movie Detective [Be Reel Podcast]

To celebrate Al Pacino’s 80th birthday, Be Reel zeroes in on one of the acting legend’s favorite archetypes—the ragged police detective. Today, we trace Pacino’s investigative methods all the way from iconic “Serpico” (1973) to controversial “Cruising” (1980) to charged “Sea of Love” (1989) to unimpeachable “Heat” (1995) to perhaps underrated “Insomnia” (2002), all the way to VOD schlock like “Hangman” (2017). It’s a trajectory that reveals Pacino's groundbreaking subtlety transforming into meme-able gravitas and intersects with some of the absolute best directors of the last half-century. Join us; there’s definitely a gold shield in it for you.
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Apr 21, 2020 • 1h 5min

TV Recap: 'Devs' Episodes 5-8 (feat. Tochi Onyebuchi)

This week, Chance and Noah decipher the back half of Alex Garland's “Devs.” With the help of sci-fi writer Tochi Onyebuchi, the guys examine the exciting, loose-end-tying, head-scratching, quantum-defying final episodes of the FX on Hulu series. Be Reel gives many thanks to this episode’s sponsors: Podcorn and California College of the Arts’ Writing MFA program. -PODCORN: Explore sponsorship opportunities and start monetizing your podcast by signing up at podcorn.com/podcasters. -California College of the Arts: Start your journey toward a writing MFA at CCA.edu/writingmfa.
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Apr 14, 2020 • 1h 16min

Barbra Streisand Can (And Did) Do Everything [Be Reel Podcast]

For much of the late-20th century, Barbra Streisand was a ubiquitous star of stage, album, and screen. And the EGOT winner’s artistic vision was never clearer than in her three forays into directing, producing and starring in her own movies: "Yentl" (1983), "The Prince of Tides" (1991) and "The Mirror Has Two Faces" (1996). Each film features a touch of Streisand’s cross-medium talents: a little musicality, a little slapstick comedy, a little Judaism and feminism intermingling to define the persona of an underexplored icon. * * * -You can find "The Prince of Tides" newly added to the Criterion Collection: https://www.criterion.com/films/29571-the-prince-of-tides -BE REEL is brought to you by California College of the Arts’ Writing MFA Program. Learn more about their wonderful work at cca.edu/writingmfa.
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Mar 27, 2020 • 1h 8min

TV Recap: 'Devs' Episodes 1-4

With theaters closed indefinitely, 'Be Reel' hosts Chance and Noah sink into the existential blur of the FX/Hulu limited series "Devs." The new show from Alex Garland ("Ex Machina" and "Annihilation")  unravels the mind-bending and violent workings of a quantum computer company. Episode discussion time stamps are below: 0:00 - Show Overview 16:50 - Episode 1 Spoilers 26:00 - Episode 2 38:40 - Episode 3 52:10 - Episode 4
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Mar 26, 2020 • 1h 14min

How Alex Garland Imagines The World's End [Be Reel Podcast]

When it comes to contemporary sci-fi, Alex Garland sits at the highest level of Hollywood writers/directors/creators. Whether penning original ideas about humanity’s undoing (“Ex Machina,” “28 Days Later,” “Sunshine”) or adapting bestselling books (“Annihilation,” “Never Let Me Go”) to his own specifications, Garland has had a hand in several of the most intriguing sci-fi and horror films of the past 20 years. This week, Be Reel studies most things Garland, with an emphasis on his screenwriting, leading  to our forthcoming recap of his new Hulu/FX show "Devs.” Keep your eyes peeled for that shortly. 

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