Hit Factory

New York-based filmmaker and producer Chadd Harbold joins to discuss the 1994 Tim Burton biopic 'Ed Wood', a sincere, loving portrait of the titular filmmaker and his band of Hollywood misfits coming together to make oddball, outsider B-movies that remain enduring works to this day. We discuss Tim Burton as filmmaker, the increasingly diminishing returns of his artistry, and why Ed Wood stands as perhaps his finest achievement. Then, we talk about Martin Landau's Oscar-winning turn as the horror legend Bela Lugosi, lovingly depicted in the film flaws and all. Finally, we ponder the current state of American filmmaking, and ask, 'Is there still a route by which an Ed Wood could make these movie on the outskirts today, and if so, would anybody be able to see them?'Follow Chadd Harbold on Twitter. Stream Chadd's film Private Property on Hulu. Stream Colin West's Linoleum, produced by Chadd, on Hulu.Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson, creators of the excellent sci-fi/action satire graphic novel 'Justice Warriors' join to talk about one of our main guys - Paul Verhoeven (aka Pauly V) and his landmark sci-fi/action satire 'Total Recall' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale". We discuss the film's long gestation period under several different producers and directors, most notably as a project for Hit Factory fave David Cronenberg. Then we go long on the film's startling prescience, it's themes of revolution against the extractive brutalist of an imperialist force, and Verhoeven's metatextual commentary on filmic reality as psycholgical mirror and wish fulfillment fantasy. Elsewhere, we discuss the dire 2012 Len Wiseman remake starring Colin Farrell and how it betrays and insults its audience by stripping away any and all subtext. Check out Matt & Ben's graphin novel, Justice Warriors.Follow Matt Bors on Twitter.Follow Ben Clarkson on Twitter. ....Our theme song is Mirror by Chris Fish. 

Just in time for Sundance festivities and a whole new cycle of 'May December' discourse, we're back to discuss Todd Hayne's 1991 debut feature 'Poison'. Both the winner of the Best Feature Award at the aforementioned Park City festival and a characteristically controversial release from the filmmaker, 'Poison', based in part on the works of queer author Jean Genet, is a gripping triptych of tales (subtitled "Hero", "Horror" and "Homo" respectively) shot and edited in distinct styles and formats and brimming with righteous fury, contemplation, and provocation around the subject of queer identity in the wake of the AIDS crisis of the 1980s. We discuss the film's narrative gambit, and how it layers each entry in the triptych atop one another in brilliantly considered ways to achieve thematic continuity even as each element interrupts the work's stylistic coherence. Then, we discuss the controversy surrounding the film and how it became a culture war issue amongst right-wing figures and politicians seeking to undermine the National Endowment for the Arts. Finally, we talk about the most recent controversies and discourse surrounding Hayne's most recent work 'May December', and why many well-intentioned viewers aren't as far removed from the reactionary critics of the filmmaker's work from years past. Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.Aaron is joined by Jordan Fish and Ray Tintori of the preeminent Coen Bros. podcast, To The White Sea, to discuss the chilly, snow-capped neo-noir 'A Simple Plan', directed with uncharacteristic restraint by master stylist and Coen Brothers collaborator Sam Raimi.We discuss the career of Sam Raimi and the techniques he employs here to generate the unsettling, stern tone of the film. Then, we talk about the long gestation period of the project, and its many iterations attached to various directors (including Mike Nichols, John Dahl, and Ben Stiller!). Finally, we unpack the similarities and differences between Raimi's vision of the snowbound, Midwestern morality tale and that of his pals Joel & Ethan Coen in their 1996 landmark 'Fargo'.Listen & Subscribe to To The White Sea Follow Jordan Fish on TwitterFollow Ray Tintori on TwitterFollow To The White Sea on Twitter....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

It's officially 2024...Happy New Year? We're not getting our hopes up! While everyone nursed their hangovers and tried desperately to get back to "normal" everyday life, we decided to take a look back at all the things we watched in the past year and talk about some stuff that falls outside the usual scope of the show. Join us as we each count down our individual top five new-to-us watches of the past year, take time to reflect on your own highs and lows, and add some new recommendations to your watchlist.Lots of links to share from this episode: Check out The Carlee Canon (Carlee's Top 20 Films of the 1990s)Check out The Aaron Canon (Aaron's Top 20 Films of the 1990s)Read Carlee's piece, 'The Puritanical Eye: Hyper-Mediation, Sex on Film, and the Disavowal of Desire' at Lo Specchio ScuroRead benzostraydogs' Letterboxd Review of Sam Esmail's 'Leave the World Behind'Listen to Our Junk Filter Episode on Jim McBride's 1983 Remake of 'Breathless'Check Out Aaron's List of His Top 75 Non-2023 Watches of Last Year.Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Get access to this entire episode, the entire Denzember catalog, and all of our premium episodes by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.Universally beloved Vulture critic and Hit Factory all-star Roxana Hadadi returns to close out Denzember with a hefty chat about Mira Nair's 1991 romantic drama 'Mississippi Masala', a story of identity, the generational pursuit of belonging, and the possibility of new futures through the radical expression of love without boundaries. We discuss the career of the undersung Nair, from her start as a documentarian through her more recent narrative features like 'The Namesake' and 'The Reluctant Fundamentalist'. Then we discuss the film's wholly singular voice and level of representation; how it refuses simple binaries about a diverse set of cultures, and why extricating a white perspective allows the story to detail difficult realities of non-white experiences. Finally, we discuss the film's impossibly alluring romantic thread between Denzel Washington and first-time performer Sarita Choudhury and the honesty that can be revealed through the pairing of a veteran actor's craft and a non-actor's authenticity. Roxana's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:Honorable Mentions: The Pelican Brief, Much Ado About Nothing1. Mississippi Masala2. Malcolm X3. Man on Fire4. The Mancuiran Candidate5. Inside ManAaron's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:Honorable Mentions: Philadelphia, Crimson Tide1. Malcolm X2. Training Day3. Deja Vu4. Flight5. The Tragedy of MacbethCarlee's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:Honorable Mentions: Malcolm X, The Hurricane1. Ricochet2. Crimson Tide3. Training Day4. Flight5. Mississippi MasalaFollow Roxana Hadadi on Twitter....Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

New York-based writer Ashley Reese joins us for our a very special Christmas installment of Denzember as we discuss Penny Marshall's 1996 romantic comedy 'The Preachers Wife'. We discuss the film as a metatextual exploration of Denzel Washington's celebrity image as well as part of Whitney's second leg as an international superstar and actress. We also discuss the film's monumental soundtrack, sung by Whitney herself, an album that remains the best selling gospel record of all time. Finally we discuss the flattening effect of family films of the era (especially those produced by Touchstone/Disney) and how they tend to flirt with societal issues while reaffirming the system that causes them. Follow Ashley Reese on TwitterGet access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Get access to this entire episode, the entire Denzember catalog, and all of our premium episodes by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.Denzember continues with GQ Senior Editor Frazier Tharpe II joining us to discuss Jonathan Demme's 'Philadelphia', one of the first major Hollywood films to take on the AIDS crisis. Far from a simple "issues picture", the movie overcomes many of its retrograde positions and dubious narrative decisions through the combination of Demme's masterful skill behind the camera and two powerhouse lead perfromances from Denzel and Tom Hanks (in a role that would net him his first Oscar win). We track the career of Jonathan Demme, from his time in the Roger Corman stable through his massive hit 'The Silence of the Lambs', and the bold decision to tackle 'Philadelphia' as a project. Then, we discuss the two seismic performances from Hanks and Washington, and how each bring their star-power and career arcs to the roles in vital ways. Finally, we discuss some of the many controversial creative decisions that went into the making of the film, how some might be handled today, and why the film still resonates in spite of these components.Frazier's Top 5 Denzel Washington Performances:1. Malcolm X2. Man on Fire3. Training Day4. Flight5. Out of TimeFollow Frazier Tharpe on Twitter.....Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Chapo Trap House and Movie Mindset's very own Will Menaker stops by to help celebrate Denzember and discuss Carl Franklin's 'Devil in a Blue Dress', based on the inaugural Easy Rawlins mystery novel of the same name by author Walter Mosley. It's a stylish period noir made by a filmmaker and team seemingly uninterested in reproducing the aesthetic trappings of classic film noir, instead opting for a rich and colorful evocation of parts of 1940s Los Angeles rarely seen in the movies. We discuss the career of Carl Franklin, as well as this film's thematic links to his 1992 neo-noir masterpiece One False Move. Then, we discuss the movie's thoughtful subversions of classic film noir, exploring the conditionality of freedom and access to the American Dream for Black Americans in postwar era South Central Los Angeles. Elsewhere, we continue our discussion on Denzel as actor and offer praise to his performance in addition to the movie's supporting performances from a scene-stealing Don Cheadle and the stunning, underrated Jennifer Beals.Will's Top 5 Denzel Reaction GIFS:1. Fallen2. Flight3. Denzel Door Slam4. Training Day5. Denzel Awards FaceWill's Top 5 Denzel Washinton Performances (Spike & Tony-Inclusive)1. Man of Fire2. Malcolm X3. Unstoppable4. He Got Game5. Glory Will's Top 5 Non-Spike & Tony Denzel Washington Performances (Unranked):1. Glory2. Devil in a Blue Dress 3. Ricochet 4. Philadelphia5. The Tragedy of Macbeth Follow Will Menaker on Twitter.Listen to & support Chapo Trap House on Patreon. Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.

Writer, editor and podcaster Edward Ongweso Jr. returns to the show to kick off Denzember, a monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, with a conversation about Spike Lee's seminal 1992 biopic 'Malcolm X'. It stands as one of Lee's most triumphant achievements and one of Denzel Washington's very best performances as one of the most significant figures of 20th century America. We discuss the film's trouble gestation period, taking nearly 30 years to get to the big screen then courting controversy throughout its production. We also discuss the film's portrait of Malcolm X and offer our readings of Spike's ultimate intention - presenting a fractured portrait that embraces the many sides of the man and the many ideologies and sects that claim him. Finally, we talk about the film's noteworthy detractors, including social critic and theorist bell hooks, who makes a compelling case that the film ultimately fails to bring a meaningful portrait of Malcolm to the big screen.Read bell hooks's review of Spike Lee's 'Malcolm X' at Artforum.Edward's Top 5 Denzel Performances:1. Malcolm X (1992)2. Fences (2016)3. Training Day (2001)4. The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)5. Philadelphia (1993)/The Hurricane (1999)Follow Edward Ongweso Jr. on Twitter. Listen & Subscribe to This Machine Kills.Read Edward's Substack The Tech Bubble.Get access to all forthcoming Denzember episodes as well as our entire back catalog and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.....Our Denzember theme song is "FUNK" by OPPO.