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Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael c**k their pistols and fire at Stanley Kubrick's 1975 historical drama "Barry Lyndon." This was our first and long-overdue chance to talk about Stan the Man, a director we both revere. We discussed how this film fits into Kubrick's esteemed filmography; we talked about the extraordinary and gorgeous attention to detail in this film -- from the sets to the costumes -- and debated the existential question of whether Barry's path is fated to happen or if he creates his own fortune (both good and bad). So pull up your tankard, light the candles, hold on to those guineas, and come join us for the latest episode of That '70s Movie Podcast. If you're enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to subscribe, leave a comment, or even ⁠buy us a cup of coffee⁠. Also, check out ⁠Jonathan's recent piece in Bright Lines magazine⁠ on another Kubrick masterpiece, "Eyes Wide Shut." Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael head to the desert for the 1975 classic, "The Passenger." Although it stars Jack Nicholson and is directed by the legendary Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni, this film is not well known—partly because it was out of circulation for years. But make no mistake, this is a masterpiece of '70s cinema and one of the most beautifully shot films that you'll ever see.  The production values are second to none, the desert vistas are awe-inspiring, Nicholson and Maria Schneider deliver some of the best performances of their careers, and the legendary final one-shot is, as Jonathon would say, cin-e-ma. So grab your guns, head to church, and check out this week's episode of "That '70s Movie Podcast." If you're enjoying the podcast, don't forget to hit that like button, leave a review, or ⁠buy us a cup of coffee⁠! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail APOLOGIES FOR THE PROBLEMS WITH THE EARLIER AUDIO. EVERYTHING IS FIXED NOW, AND THE ENTIRE EPISODE IS LIVE!!! This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael go fishing for the 2001 neo-noir thriller, The Pledge. One of the podcast's founding credos is that not every '70s film was made in the 1970s—and few modern movies embody the ethos of '70s filmmaking quite like "The Pledge." Moral ambiguity, a flawed male protagonist, and a decidedly bleak ending ... The Pledge has it all! We were particularly impressed by Jack Nicholson's restrained, against-type performance, but disagreed on his motivation and the reasons for his descent into madness. However, we agreed on Sean Penn's deft direction and brilliant visual storytelling, and loved the film's wonderful cameo performances, from Helen Mirren and Vanessa Redgrave to Mickey Rourke and Harry Dean Stanton. So grab a bottle of Glenfiddich, keep your eyes out for porcupines, and join us for this week's episode of That '70s Movie Podcast. Don't forget to leave a comment, subscribe to the podcast, and buy us a cup of coffee. Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on "That '70s Movie Podcast," Jonathan and Michael prepare to atone for their sins with the 1973 Martin Scorsese classic, "Mean Streets." While we both enjoyed the feel and craft of this movie, we had slightly mixed feelings about it. Michael saw it more as a vibe than a movie and felt it was largely a collection of vignettes organized around a plot—and Jonathan thought that is precisely what makes the film so great! Both of us had enormous praise for Scorsese's legacy as a director, with Jonathan describing "Mean Streets" as the ur-text of his extraordinary career. And, of course, we loved Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro's breakout performances. So sidle up to the jukebox, put your hand in the fire, and don't forget to pay your debts as you join us for this week's episode. If you're enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to give us a thumbs up, leave a comment, or even ⁠buy us a cup of coffee.⁠ Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on "That '70s Movie Podcast," Jonathan and Michael hit the hustings for the 1972 political satire, "The Candidate." With ten weeks to go until the midterms, what better time to revisit this classic take on the inner workings of a political campaign? We both loved Robert Redford's performance as Bill McKay, though we slightly disagreed on whether he is a sympathetic character caught up in the dog-and-pony show of electoral politics or a willing participant. We also wondered whether the movie's satirical arrows were pointed at the politicians, the consultants, or perhaps the voters. Finally, any movie with Peter Boyle and Allen Garfield can't be all bad! So hold our hot dog, check the polls, and remember, vote early and vote often for this week's episode of "That 70s Movie Podcast." Please take a moment to follow us, rate the podcast, leave a comment, or ⁠⁠buy us a cup of coffee⁠.⁠ Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on "That '70s Movie Podcast," Jonathan and Michael are on the prowl for the 1971 action-thriller "Dirty Harry." We had mixed feelings about this film, with Jonathan offering qualified praise for its first 71 minutes and Michael unequivocally labeling it a fascist movie.   In fairness, Jonathan called the third act a "catastrophic train wreck," but he liked the night-for-night shooting and thought the first two-thirds of the movie was an extremely effective police thriller. Michael praised Lalo Schifrin's evocative score and found elements of the movie attractive, but neither of us could get away from the fact that "Dirty Harry" is fundamentally reactionary and exploits fears about rising crime rates in the early 1970s. So grab your gun, don't lose count, and join us for this week's episode of "That 70s Movie Podcast." Please take a moment to follow us, rate the podcast, leave a comment, subscribe, or even ⁠buy us a cup of coffee.⁠ Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Michael and Jonathan play cat and mouse with the 1973 political thriller, "The Day of the Jackal." After several weeks of character-driven movies that led us to conclude plot-shmot, we both agreed that this movie leans into the plot and declares quite assuredly—character-schmaracter.  We loved how the process in the film—both the assassination plan and the police investigation—is the payoff, and what a payoff it is! Even though we know what happens in the end (before the movie even begins), this film does a fantastic job of creating tension and suspense, even in the most mundane details. So grab your passport, check your watch, and come join us for the latest episode of That '70s Movie Podcast! Please take a moment to give us a thumbs up, leave a note, ⁠become a subscriber⁠, or ⁠buy us a cup of coffee⁠! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on "That '70s Movie Podcast," Jonathan and Michael dive into the water for the 1975 neo-noir thriller, "Night Moves." This is one of Jonathan's favorite movies, and it shows! He talked with great passion about the enigma of Harry Moseby (played by Gene Hackman), his complicated relationship with Ellen, and Harry's consistent ability to connect the dots but miss the bigger picture. Michael enjoyed the movie as well, and while he particularly loved Alan Sharp's dialogue, he was a bit more critical of the film's plot holes, occasional contrivances, and somewhat bizarre ending (which we tried to unpack). But this was nothing if not a spirited conversation about a movie that contains multitudes! So pack up your chessboard, fix your engine, and join us for the latest episode of "That '70s Movie Podcast." Please take a moment to leave a review, become a ⁠subscriber,⁠ or ⁠buy us a cup of coffee⁠! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Michael and Jonathan jump in the ocean for the 1975 thriller, "Jaws." Though we usually see eye to eye (or at least close to it), it was "disagreement" week on the podcast. Michael argued that Jaws is peak joyride filmmaking, with great character development, director Steven Spielberg's masterful ratcheting up of suspense and tension, and the film's bravura set-pieces. Jonathan praised the editing and cinematography, but found the movie a bit bloated and unrealistic. Both agreed, however, that Jaws forever changed 70s filmmaking -- and not necessarily for the better. So grab two bottles of wine, check your scars for authenticity, and give this week's episode a listen! Please take a moment to subscribe, leave a comment, or buy us a ⁠cup of coffee ⁠(or even do all three). Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on "That 70s Movie Podcast," Jonathan and Michael hit the frontlines for Woody Allen's 1975 comedy classic "Love and Death" and also his four other "early funny ones" - "Take the Money and Run," "Bananas", "Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex (*But Were Afraid to Ask)," and "Sleeper." It's not often we talk about five different films in one sitting, but tackling Allen's early comedy movies gave us a chance to chart his evolution as a filmmaker, chronicle the early part of his career, and examine what has changed and what has stayed consistent in his filmmaking.  We also talked about the brilliance of Diane Keaton as his comedic co-star, Allen's embrace of the New Hollywood ethos throughout his career, and above all, our favorite jokes from these hilarious early movies. So grab your gub and your catcher mitt, watch out for snakebites, don't slip on the banana peels, and join us for this week's episode of "That 70s Movie Podcast." Also, check out our guest appearance on The Thinking Mind Podcast, as we discussed the 1988 Woody Allen drama "Another Woman." Please also take a moment to subscribe to the podcast, leave a review, and buy us a cup of coffee! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael are jumping in the phone booth for the 1976 crime drama, "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie." We loved the moral ambiguity at the heart of the movie, the focus on character over plot, the night-for-night shooting, and above all the extraordinary performance by Ben Gazzara as LA club owner -- and degenerate gambler -- Cosmo Vitelli. This movie is an underappreciated gem of '70s filmmaking -- and one of John Cassavetes' best-directed films -- with one scene in particular that is arguably the pinnacle of New Hollywood filmmaking. So grab a dozen burgers (no wrappers, please), put on your corsage, draw on some face paint, and remember, we can't give you anything but love for this week's episode of "That '70s Movie Podcast." Please take a moment to give the podcast a thumbs up, leave a note, and buy us a cup of coffee! Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael climb the gate for the 1976 classic "Mikey and Nicky." We were thrilled to finally discuss a film directed by the legendary Elaine May -- one of the few female directors who cracked this glass ceiling in the male-dominated New Hollywood.  We loved May's directorial choices and her razor-sharp script. We were wowed by the astonishing, emotionally wrought performances from co-leads John Cassavetes and Peter Falk, the beautiful night-time filming, and the thematic richness of this movie. There's so much to discuss with "Mikey and Nicky," and Jonathan and I did our best to hit it all! So grab 15 bottles of cream, listen to the latest news on Indochina, recite the Kaddish, and check out this week's edition of "That '70s Movie Podcast." If you can, please take a moment to subscribe, leave a comment, or buy us a cup of coffee! buymeacoffee.com/70smovies Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael check under the hood for the 1971 cult classic "Two Lane Blacktop." We were joined this week by film critic extraordinaire and author of "Sofia Coppola: The Complete Unofficial Guide," Christina Newland. We talked with Christina about director Monte Hellman's existential approach to filmmaking, Mr. Warren Oates' wonderful performance, the more "wooden" acting from James Taylor and Dennis Wilson, and, most of all, the film's exploration of masculinity, aimlessness, searching for the next high, and the uniquely American phenomenon of the road movie. This was a great discussion with a fantastic guest! So peel some hard-boiled eggs, grab your mechanic, and come join us for the latest episode of That '70s Movie Podcast. If you're enjoying the show, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, or even buy us a cup of coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/70smovies Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on that '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael get brutally honest about the 1989 indie classic, "Sex, Lies and Videotape." One of the credos of the podcast is that not every '70s film was made in the 1970s, and "Sex, Lies and Videotape," written and directed by Steven Soderbergh, is the kind of small, personal, character-driven film that reflects the ethos of the New Hollywood. Plus, it's a fantastic movie and in a storied filmmaking career, Soderbergh's masterpiece. We loved all the acting performances, particularly Andie McDowell, who is simply astonishing. We talked at length about the naturalistic dialogue, Soderbergh's subtle yet effective directorial and editing choices that belie his inexperience as a filmmaker, and the deeper themes of intimacy and sexuality at the heart of this movie. So turn on the camera, pour yourself a glass of iced tea (no lemon), cancel all your meetings, and join us for this week's episode of That '70s Movie Podcast. If you haven't already, please take a moment to subscribe to the podcast and if you're enjoying it, consider buying us a cup of coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/70smovies Support the show

Send us Fan Mail This week on That '70s Movie Podcast, Jonathan and Michael wave the white flag for the 1975 classic "Dog Day Afternoon." This is 70s, New York filmmaking at its absolute peak. Phenomenal acting performances from Al Pacino, John Cazale, Charles Durning, and Chris Sarandon, inspired direction from the underappreciated master Sidney Lumet, Dede Allen's brilliantly paced editing, a razor-sharp screenplay by Frank Pierson, and wonderful cinematography from Victor Kemper. It doesn't get much better than this stone-cold classic. So grab your guns, book your flight to Wyoming, and step out on the sidewalk for the latest episode of "That '70s Movie Podcast." If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe and also buy us a cup of coffee! https://buymeacoffee.com/70smovies Support the show