Hit Factory

An introduction to our monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, Denzel Washington.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.

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.Creator of the "eventually, forever" newsletter and film twitter heavy Adam Sullivan joins us to discuss the brilliant Hayao Miyazaki and his 1992 film 'Porco Rosso'. Initially conceived as a short film exclusively for in-flight guests of Japan Airlines, the film eventually grew in ambition and scope and now stands as one of Miyazaki's most underrated, visually transcendent masterpieces. We discuss the film's many classic Hollywood touchpoints, including the films of Howard Hawks, Victor Fleming, and John Ford and how these influences create a sense of fantasy more grounded that other Miyazaki works. Then, we discuss the film's setting amidst the rising tide of fascism in the Adriatic and its connection to the moving character portrait at its core. Finally, we discuss how 'Porco Rosso' (perhaps more than any other film) suggests some of the director's late period affinities in works like 'The Wind Rises'.Plus: We talk Miyazaki's latest work 'The Boy & The Heron', which we have all had the chance to see ahead of its wide release in the US Friday, 12/8/23. Follow Adam Sullivan on Twitter.Read and subscribe to Adam's newsletter "eventually, forever".....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.We contracted the services of Jake Serwin, co-host of America's premier Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me, to take on a pair of films about a professional assassin having a crisis of conscience after botching his most recent job.First up, we talk The Replacement Killers, Antoine Fuqua's first feature and Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat's Hollywood debut, pairing him with recent Oscar winner Mira Sorvino for an extremely American riff on Hong Kong's Heroic Bloodshed genre, popularized by Chow and The Replacement Killers' executive producer John Woo. Then we wade in to David Fincher's latest film for Netflix, 'The Killer'. It's a sharp, potent thriller hybrid that spits copious venom at our hyperconnected modern existence, hustle culture, and the gig economy while also functioning as a kaleidoscopic reflection on Fincher's entire career and ethos as a filmmaker. Listen and subscribe to Pod Casty For Me.Follow Pod Casty For Me on Twitter.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish 

Journalist and writer Séamus Malekafzali returns to the program for a lengthy conversation about Martin Scorsese's 1995 crime epic 'Casino'. Initially viewed by critics and audiences as a retread of Scorsese's masterful crime saga 'Goodfellas', the film has since been reevaluated as a masterpiece in its own right - one enriched by the director's late period films and preoccupations.We discuss the film's dizzying construction, effectively evoking the glitz and glam of the Vegas strip through extended montages and voiceover (an effect masterfully rendered by Scorsese's deft hands as a director, a firecracker script with co-writer Nicholas Pileggi, and the brilliant editing of longtime Scorsese collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker). Then, we examine the brilliant, career-defining performance of Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna. It's a role that deserves every possible accolade, and strikes a note that no one but Stone could conceivably achieve. Finally, we discuss the film as capitalist allegory, and how Scorsese thoughtfully weaves commentary on the corporate centralization of the American economy and its steady collapsing of the middle class.We also offer some thoughts on Scorsese's latest, 'Killers of the Flower Moon', and the evolution of the director's views on capitalism, corruption, and consequence.  Follow Séamus on Twitter.Read Séamus's Substack on Middle East politics.Read & Listen to Burnt Nitrate, Séamus's explorations of lesser-known and lesser-discussed films.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. 

Chicago-based academic and horror obsessive Peter Raleigh joins to discuss reliable journeyman director Peter Hyams and his 1997 creature feature, 'The Relic'. Maligned critically and a failure at the box office upon its initial release, the film has endured as an example of the tactile, sturdy genre work of the 90s with capable hands on both sides of the camera, including brilliant creature designs from legendary special effects guru Stan Winston. We discuss the film's impressive balancing act, managing to glide over a host ludicrous genre tropes and plot holes with ease while maintining a keen pacing and immersion. Then, we praise the excellent directorial work of Hyams, who serves here as his own cinematographer and generates a mesmerizing, impressionistic array of horror imagery in stark, dimly lit spaces galore. Finally, we discuss the delights of the monster movie, its flattening of distinctions among people that make for compelling survival thrills, and why the sensibilities of the decade were uniquely attuned to the subgenre. Watch the 35mm trailer for The Relic. Follow Peter Raleigh on TwitterGet 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.Loose film critic and host of Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema podcast Nicole Veneto joins from Boston to discuss Alex Winter and Tom Stern's irreverent, gag-filled 1993 monster comedy 'Freaked'. The film is a genuine cult classic that was greelit, following the success of the Bill & Ted films and Winter and Stern's short-lived MTV program 'Idiot Box', with an impressive $12 million budget and then quickly killed by 20th Century Fox after a change in management. We discuss the film's unique cacophony of styles, taking inspiration from a number of cultural objects including Zucker Brothers comedies, punk rock legends Butthole Surfers, classic beach party films, and The Evil Dead movies. Then we praise the legendary team of practical special effects and makeup artists (including veterans of John Carpenter films like 'Big Trouble in Little China' and Chuck Russell's classic 1988 remake of 'The Blob') who brought the hilarious cast of freaks to life. Finally, we detail the executive decisions that very nearly railroaded 'Freaked' out of existence, and eulogize the brief moment in time when big studio money was willing to gamble on spectacular, impractical filmmaking and craft. Watch & Download 'Freaked' at the Internet Archive.Follow Nicole Veneto on LetterboxdListen to & Support Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish 

Vancouver-based filmmaker, educator, and podcaster Devan Scott joins to discuss Street Fighter: The Movie, based on the hugely popular Capcom video game franchise. Dismissed by both critics and fans of the game at the time of its release as a disaster, the film has since found a small but vocal faction of champions nearly 30 years later. We discuss the film as an example of what Devan calls "The Anti-Masterpiece": A film that through no fault of its author becomes an astonishing work, either in spite or because of a distinct lack of conventional competence. Then, we discuss the pleasure of watching a film featuring a massive ensemble cast, none of whom can seem to agree on what kind of movie is being made - from Jean-Claude Van Damme's incidentially self-referential Colonel Guile to Raul Julia's genuinely great, Shakespearean take on despotic warlord General M. Bison. Finally, we discuss the film's inadvertantly prescient take on the American imperial project of the 21st century, and how its caroonishness and brazen stupidity feel right at home in a post-Trump America.  Follow Devan Scott on Twitter.Read Brandon Streussnig's "Wrapped In Plastic: JCVD's Street Fighter" for Secret Handshake.Read Chris Plante's "Street Fighter: The Movie - What Went Wrong" for Polygon.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.Artist and podcaster Kayte Terry joins from Philadelphia to discuss David Lynch's 1990 Palme d'Or winner 'Wild at Heart' starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as starcrossed lovers on the run in an oddball road movie that showcases the director at his most earnest and emotionally frank.We discuss what people get wrong about Lynch, his style and tone, and why pervasiveness of the the term "Lynchian" robs it of meaning. Next, we talk about the incredible ensemble that brings Lynch's romance to life, praising especially the brilliance of its leads Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as well as supporting performers like Diane Ladd (Laura Dern's real life mother, who netted an Oscar nod for her work in the film) and Willem Dafoe as one of Lynch's most memorable villains. Finally, we key into the political textures of Lynch's career-long preoccupations, and how he interrogates the parameters of society, forcing us to conceive of existences liberated from the confines of the quotidian.Follow Kayte Terry on Twitter.Listen and Subscribe to Kayte's podcasts, Fangs For The Memories and Tender Subject.....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

This week we're joined by our good friends Ian Rhine and Jake Serwin of the teriffic Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me to discuss the Italian director Nanni Moretti and his 1993 personal essay/anthology film 'Caro Diario', awarded Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 when Clint served as the Jury President. We discuss Moretti as subject within his own films, and how his arch and effacing tone offers perhaps a more palatable substitute to the films of a once-prominent filmmaker (now mired in controversy) known for his neurotic, self-referential films. Then, we discuss the film's stylistic markers that place it in conversation with not just the legacy of the Italian film industry, but with cinema as a whole. Finally, we talk about family planning and the wonderful world of vasectomies. (*Editor's Note* Aaron's procedure is in November, not Feburary as stated on the show. He's not sure why he said that, but wants listeners to know that he's not planning out his recovery watchlist 4 months in advance like a loser). Listen & Subscribe to Pod Casty For Me. Follow Pod Casty For Me on TwitterFollow Jake Serwin on Twitter. Follow Ian Rhine on Twitter (if he lets you). 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.Another solo episode this week as we discuss Michael Mann's thriller 'The Insider', based on the true story of whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand and his explosive 1996 interview with 60 Minutes that exposed secrets about the tobacco industry and their complicity in manipulating their product with known carcinogens to increase the addictive effect of nicotine. The film is at once the story of the the tremendous power of corporate entities to take down those who seek to share the truth with the American public and an expressionist masterpiece that showcases some of Mann's most disciplined and mature directorial work. We discuss the film's seismic lead performances from dual leads Al Pacino and a career-best Russell Crowe. Then, we praise the Michael Mann & Eric Roth script, and its critical portrayal of its subjects, avoiding lionization. Finally, we discuss the story's terrible prescience, and how the film's shock at corporate media interests overruling the efforts of journalists can sometimes feel quaint by today's standards. Read Marie Brenner's profile of Jeffrey Wigand "The Man Who Knew Too Much" in Vanity Fair. ....Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish