The Film Hobbyist

Duck Soup (1933): When Silly Becomes Serious

On an oppressively hot day, come join Lydia in the attic for a conversation about a very silly film that accidentally became important. Next Episode: The Pitt Season 2 (2026) It is available on HBO Max. Attributions: * Opening music: Struggling performed by the Johnny Dodds Trio, obtained from the Open Music Archive [https://www.openmusicarchive.org/], licensed under the Public Domain. * Closing music: Beautiful Cinematic Piano Music by Denis-Pavlov-Music [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-beautiful-cinematic-piano-music-219303/] used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. * Soundscape: Various clips used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. Mourning dove sound clip by Spanac [https://www.freesoundslibrary.com/mourning-dove-sound-effect/] used with permission from the Free Sounds Library under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] license.

Rachel Getting Married (2008): Obscured in Naturalism

It's wedding season. In honor of the occasion, join Lydia for a discussion about the faux documentary filmmaking Jonathan Demme used to turn what could have been a twisty family drama into a thoughtful character study. Next Episode: Duck Soup (1933) It is available to rent YouTube, AppleTV, and Prime and is easy to find at a local library. Attributions: * Opening music: Struggling performed by the Johnny Dodds Trio, obtained from the Open Music Archive [https://www.openmusicarchive.org/], licensed under the Public Domain. * Closing music: Beautiful Cinematic Piano Music by Denis-Pavlov-Music [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-beautiful-cinematic-piano-music-219303/] used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. * Soundscape: Various clips used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. Mourning dove sound clip by Spanac [https://www.freesoundslibrary.com/mourning-dove-sound-effect/] used with permission from the Free Sounds Library under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] license.

Swiss Family Robinson (1960) : A Prototype for the Blockbuster

It's the beginning of summer movie season and Lydia is giddy to share how important a sense of adventure is to a good Blockbuster by outlining the many similarities between a corny Disney film and 1977's Star Wars. Next episode: Rachel Getting Married (2008) Attributions: * Opening music: Struggling performed by the Johnny Dodds Trio, obtained from the Open Music Archive [https://www.openmusicarchive.org/], licensed under the Public Domain. * Closing music: Beautiful Cinematic Piano Music by Denis-Pavlov-Music [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-beautiful-cinematic-piano-music-219303/] used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. * Soundscape: Various clips used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. Mourning dove sound clip by Spanac [https://www.freesoundslibrary.com/mourning-dove-sound-effect/] used with permission from the Free Sounds Library under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] license.

Journey for Margaret (1942): The Changing Perspective of Time

Due to a fallen tree and a downed power line, Lydia's attic room is out of commission. So join her in her hotel suite for a discussion on a film she watched as a child, too young to understand the complex historical context and pychological realities depicted, and how that changing perspective is key to this movie's legacy. Attributions: * Opening music: Struggling performed by the Johnny Dodds Trio, obtained from the Open Music Archive [https://www.openmusicarchive.org/], licensed under the Public Domain. * Closing music: Beautiful Cinematic Piano Music by Denis-Pavlov-Music [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-beautiful-cinematic-piano-music-219303/] used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. * Soundscape: Various clips used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. Mourning dove sound clip by Spanac [https://www.freesoundslibrary.com/mourning-dove-sound-effect/] used with permission from the Free Sounds Library under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] license.

Wake Up Dead Man (2025): Subverting Subversion

Grab your cardigan and a cup of tea, and join Lydia on her front porch to discover Rian Johnson's career spanning love of subversion and irony, why it makes him such a good master of mystery, and how Lydia was surprised by how he chose to tackle a thorny subject in his most recent film. Attributions: * Opening music: Struggling performed by the Johnny Dodds Trio, obtained from the Open Music Archive [https://www.openmusicarchive.org/], licensed under the Public Domain. * Closing music: Beautiful Cinematic Piano Music by Denis-Pavlov-Music [https://pixabay.com/music/modern-classical-beautiful-cinematic-piano-music-219303/] used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. * Soundscape: Various clips used with permission under the Pixabay License [https://pixabay.com/service/license-summary/]. Mourning dove sound clip by Spanac [https://www.freesoundslibrary.com/mourning-dove-sound-effect/] used with permission from the Free Sounds Library under the Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/] license.