The Playlist Podcast Network

With December all but gone, Noah and Chance reflect on the year in film with a series of semi-original accolades. What was their favorite 2019 performance with no awards potential? Biggest in-theater laugh? Favorite shot? Steepest letdown? What movie will be talked about differently in 2029? In the end, they give their Top 10 lists and bid the year in movies a fond farewell. Happy new year!

This week, Chance and Noah dare to ask a question posed by many conned, spurned and murdered Patricia Highsmith characters: "Who are you, Tom Ripley?" As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of Anthony Minghella’s seminal Matt Damon vehicle "The Talented Mr. Ripley," we seek out the character’s origins in the acclaimed Highsmith novels and the many resulting film adaptations. In addition to the 1999 American hit, we're watching 1977's "The American Friend" (directed by the great Wim Wenders) and 2002's "Ripley's Game," starring John Malkovich. If you like your con artists with a side of sexual frustration and sun-soaked coasts, press play.

Ryan Oliver is joined by Lindsey Romain (Nerdist, Heylo Reylo) and Playlist Editor-in-Chief Rodrigo Perez to discuss "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," the ninth - and final - film in the "Star Wars" saga. 0:00-31:34: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Review 31:35-1:43:16: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” ***SPOILERS*** 1:43:17 - End: The Grab Bag                         Lindsey: “Little Women”                         Ryan: “Cats,” “6 Underground”

It’s less than two weeks until Christmas, so it’s only fitting that The Fourth Wall’s fifteenth episode, an interview with the impassioned and intelligent “Uncut Gems” composer Daniel Lopatin, also known by his music persona Oneohtrix Point Never, would be preceded by a mini-tailspin of manic energy more stressful than the click-clack of going shopping at the mall a few days before the holiday – a fitting anxiety-induced morning that mirrors the adrenaline assault of Lopatin and the Safdie Brothers latest cacophony of emotions. We had a phenomenal chat with Lopatin, a man whose love for artistry ooze out of him once he gets going on a subject. His relationship with the Safdies has kept the same creative treadmill running since their previous collaboration; following their success with “Good Time,” the trio just kept on “tumbling,” as Lopatin put it. Their shared love for movies being part of what lets their collaboration sing, and their inspiration as artists willing to push the envelope is only growing. The Safdies assemble a temporary audio cut for the composer that’s often stitched together pieces of records. “They cut it up so finely that it totally destroys the linearity of the original song, and they’re really just using it to show you beats, and spikes, and dynamics,” Lopatin said. Their direction providing a conduit to deliver the color and texture for the film, tethering that color to a sense of character." The apotheosis moment of a collaboration between myself and the Safdie Brothers is when we're in the studio and they’re reacting to a particular sound, not a melody, not any kind of musical progression, but a texture of feeling, a sound that they want me write with. It’s about finding those tools, those colors, and presenting those colors to see if they perk up." If you’ve seen “Good Times” or “Uncut Gems” already (which, we recommend you do before listening to this episode) it makes perfect sense why this approach lends itself so well to the brother’s style. “The scores work in a similar way,” Lopatin concedes. But the composer is always looking to coax different feelings out of his synthesizers. Sometimes, that involves looking back at history, and letting go of the futurist elements to his music. We truly had an awesome chat with the composer (Lopatin is a gentleman and a scholar) diving deep into his process and discussing certain song choices. He also told us a great story about watching the underrated hitman movie “Murder By Contract,” (one of Martin Scorsese’s favorite pictures) with the Safdie Brothers. Uncut Gems is now playing in NY/LA. This interview was conducted by Andrew Bundy.

t's hard to imagine someone who radiates love and positivity as much as Sterling K. Brown. As I entered the room to speak with the "This Is Us" star about his latest film "Waves" for Episode 14 of The Fourth Wall,  he was glancing at his phone all giddy, cheering with excitement. Naturally, it being a Saturday, I simply assumed his college football team scored, however, it was something far more heartwarming that spoke to the essence of who he is. Brown was receiving updates on his son's flag football game and got word that his son scored a touchdown. His reaction was the support of a proud father celebrating the achievements of his child as if his team just won the Super Bowl. So yes, I suppose you could say Brown is as family-oriented and fatherly as Randall Pearson makes him out to be. Brown lost his father at a young age, but was so "profoundly affected" and "wholely loved" by him that he anticipated being able to do the same for his own children someday. Being a parent has not only given him a great purpose in life, but it has also influenced how he approaches parental roles in film and television, specifically the character of Ronald in "Waves." Brown spoke to the fact that he strongly understands and empathizes with a father who is scared for the well-being of his children, even when unfortunately making decisions for them out of fear. The actor specifically touched on the pressures of raising a young African American boy in such an unforgiving climate. "You're raising a young Black boy in Florida and you know that life may not be appreciated the same way in the form of a young Black boy that it is appreciated in other people," said Brown. "So you want to keep him safe and more than anything you want to give him the tools to be excellent otherwise people may write him off as being not worth the investment and so you say you gotta be twice as good to get just as far." The actor continued on the unfair pressures of Black excellence and how it should be addressed. "My wife had a very astute observation, so credit to Ryan Michelle Bathe," said Brown. "Real success for a community is when they are given the ability to fail, and other people are still given opportunities after them. The openness and ability to fail and still get a second chance, that feels like a really good place to begin from in terms of what does it mean to move beyond that idea that I have to be twice as good to get just as far." During our conversation, Brown delves deeper into this topic, fatherhood, his own upbringing, wisdom imparted onto him by his children, "Waves'" banger soundtrack, and much more. And yes, Brown's son ended up winning that flag football game.

There’s a way of reading Martin Scorsese’s first-person mob epics—“Goodfellas” (1990), “Casino” (1995), and “The Irishman” (2019)—as three stages of criminal life. So on a new Be Reel, Noah and Chance look back through this spiritual trilogy for its groundbreaking style, the sometimes goofy repetitions of that style, and the shadow history of America created by 10 hours of mafiosos, teamsters and their middlemen. Oh, and Chance's dad—a Vegas craps dealer circa 1978—stops by for a lightning round of questions about “Casino," so happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

"There has to be a sense of what the angst of the city is," says Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman. The actor contemplates the ingredients that make up a successful depiction of New York City while joining me to discuss his new film "21 Bridges" for Episode 13 of The Fourth Wall over a cappuccino.  "We don't get to feel the pedestrian level of New York because this movie's [21 Bridges] moving too fast for that, but you need to feel the pressure, that intensity. When a crisis happens in New York, it's a bigger thing. But I want to do some other New York movie's where it's all about the food [laughs]. Like, 'that's my spot on Washington and Brooklyn, right by the park.' Like you want to feel that, but this movie is about movement." Boseman is no stranger to life in the concrete jungle, having spent several years living in Brooklyn before moving out to Los Angeles. As he discussed evoking the authenticity of New York, I could tell he had a sincere reverence for the city. It's precisely this reverence that led him to studiously examine life as an NYPD cop to deliver an honest portrayal. Not many performers consistently commit to every role in the way Boseman does. One need not look further than his portrayals of Jackie Robinson, James Brown, Thurgood Marshall, and T'Challa to get a sense of Boseman's dedication to truthful performances. While all daunting tasks, Boseman manages to embrace each challenge often going above and beyond what is required of him, and it's evident in his work. What's even more fascinating, however, is the actor may have been destined to play these characters, specifically T'Challa. During our conversation, we also discussed the creative differences between biopics and original works, the original concept for "21 Bridges' and how he helped change that, "Black Panther 2," what we can expect from Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods," and more. The Russo Brothers produced "21 Bridges" hits theaters this Friday, November 22nd.

With over a hundred acting credits to his name, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more productive actor in the business than Willem Dafoe. From superhero blockbusters to prestige pictures, to anime adaptations, to video games, to a nautical descent into madness, Dafoe has done it all, and now the actor joins me for this special episode of The Fourth Wall to discuss his incredible year between "The Lighthouse" and "Motherless Brooklyn." It was only last year that Dafoe garnered awards recognition by way of a Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of Vincent Van Gogh in "At Eternity's Gate" and Best Supporting Actor the year prior for his work in "The Florida Project." While the 2020 Awards Season is still young, Oscar Buzz has been circling the actor yet again for his salty Shakespearean lighthouse keeper in Robert Eggers' "The Lighthouse" ever since it's premiere at Sundance earlier this year. There's no doubt that Dafoe's proven ability and desire to select distinct and interesting projects has allowed him to deliver some of his best work to date as of late. However, what's truly captivating about the 64-year-old as a performer is his unabashed love of the art form. It's precisely this passion that seeps into each of Dafoe's performances and is what's driven the actor to remain consistently active as he broadens his horizons. During our conversation, we discussed Dafoe's love of acting, his drive to remain busy, creative differences between playing characters based off of existing source material vs. wholly original ones, his process for delivering "The Lighthouse's" epic monologues, working with both Edward Norton the director and actor, his excitement for collaborating with Guillermo del Toro on "Nightmare Ally" and much more.

Writer/Director Trey Edward Shults joins me for Episode 12 of The Fourth Wall to talk about his third feature "Waves" (my FAVORITE film of the year) discussing the critical moments in his own life that directly inspired the events of the film. As A24's "Waves" comes crashing into select theaters this Friday, it's astounding to think that such a profoundly human, visceral, and heartwrenching tale is the work of a filmmaker on their third feature film, however, not every filmmaker is Trey Edward Shults. The Houston native, who's previous two works, "Krisha" and "It Comes at Night," both garnered praise for their craftsmanship and intimate exploration of family, puts forth his most personal venture yet cementing his utter mastery over the art of filmmaking. He’s a storyteller who thinks with emotions first and how he can let those feelings take flight in a way that allows audiences to experience what he so deeply feels. Perhaps his prowess over the visual grammar of filmmaking originated during his time working on Terrence Malick movies possessing the same cerebral tendencies as the master above. However, there’s something distinctly provocative about how Shults captures the human experience, and nowhere is this more apparent than in"Waves." Across all three of his feature films, Shults has explored a constant thematic through-line of complicated family relationships to which the director himself admits inherently seeps its way into his work. Much of this stems from his upbringing and turbulent relationship with his biological father who's impact has been the subject of exploration across Shults' feature films with "Waves" harkening back to the pivotal final moments he spent with his father in autobiographical fashion. By boldly utilizing direct experiences from his own life, Shults understands the innate power in being open and honest with an audience. During our conversation, it became clearer that the filmmaker is someone who will always speak from the heart through personal experiences. This openness comes in the form of a wrestling injury, a pivotal conversation he had with his stepfather, a road trip he and his girlfriend took, and most importantly, his friendship with Kelvin Harrison Jr. as they bonded and meditated over "Waves" to Frank Ocean's "Blond" and "Endless." Shults recalls and interweaves these specific exchanges in such vivid detail, conveying his mastery of human emotion and understanding the relatable power these personal experiences will have in allowing an audience to connect. Those moments truly come alive, however, through the use of a perfectly curated soundtrack that was formative in the creation of the film and an interactive scripting process. During our conversation, we also discuss the first time Shults listened to Radiohead's "Moon Shaped Pool," his use of aspect ratio, color, movement, and how he discovered his cinematic voice.

With “Parasite” poised to become 2019's highest-grossing foreign film within the US and already among the year's most lauded features, Be Reel is taking this week for an episode entirely focused on Bong Joon-ho and his two decades of routinely stellar work. In addition to the "Parasite" deep-dive, longtime listeners might notice the Be Reel guys breaking a cardinal rule: they once swore to never discuss “Snowpiercer” on the podcast because of the unrest it caused their friendship in 2013. Buckle up. Then, “The Host” rounds out today’s main trio of genre pictures that are not anything that they seem. Finally, Chance stumps for the elusive "Memories of Murder" and Be Reel asks, "Why do Director Bong's observations on Korean culture seem to resonate so strongly with American cinephiles? (**Please note: "Parasite" spoilers commence hard between 15 and 36 minutes.)