The Tree of Life

Wes Anderson

Wes was the beginning of indie for us. He deserves discussion. We are joined by hometown friend (and hero) Matthew Gossett as we cover last year's French Dispatch and the full array of our favorite Wes Anderson films, not limited to but with certain focus on The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Is Tim's theory of his slump correct, that he's abandoned good characters and become "dollhouse" in his later works? Will no Renaissance arrive? Tune in for the controversy, for quoted lines, and more.

Belfast

The Academy Award train rolls onto Northern Ireland, as we discuss Kenneth Branagh's autobiographical boyhood film which won Best Original Screenplay. The man is more than a Shakespearean actor it seems. We are joined on our journey by a guest-friend-warrior-poet, Dan Canders. By virtue of his degree from the University of Notre Dame, he is a perfect expert on the topic people who happen to fight and are also Irish. We discuss: "The Troubles", other pieces of Irish cinema, childhood, and immigration.

Soul, Stress, & So Forth

Our first episode on music docs. If you know the name Mahalia Jackson or if you don't, this episode is for you. If you want to be a fly on the wall for Metallica's group therapy sessions, this episode is for you. Join us as we cover this year's Academy Award for Best Documentary, Summer of Soul, a work by Questlove on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. We also review the film Metallica: Some Kind of Monster, following the band's dysfunction as they record their 2003 album St. Anger. We also discuss: Bill's workout routines, Stevie Wonder on the drum kit, and the music doc genre itself.

"I'll Take a Trifecta on Ridley Scott"

Aaand we're back. To kick of Season 2 of more princes and more cinema, we invite you to deep dive into an immersive director you all know and love. Join in as we explore Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), and Gladiator (at the dawn of the new millennium). Themes may seem disparate, from outer space to ancient Rome, but we tie it all together with secret insights and visual clues. Join us.

The Tree of Life

For the season finale, Crown Prince William must decide if Tim's all-time favorite film can unseat La Dolce Vita from the top of the podium. They are joined in conversation by Jessica Sweeney of the Collegium Institute in Philadelphia and John O'Brien of the Aquinas Forum in Denver.  The aim: Explore themes universal and particular in Terrence Malick's 2011 film, which won the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes and which Wikipedia dubs "an American epic experimental drama film." What more could we add?  Journey with us to the childhood streets of Waco, TX and all the way to the Big Bang itself. As Malick's screenplay says, using images gives a sense of scope: "A child; the similarity in form between the shape of his ear and that of an oyster shell, between the cowlick at the crown of his head and a galaxy."