Best Alana Gibson Podcasts (2024)

1
Ah, Theatre! - The Iceman Cometh (1973) 2:26:46

5h ago2:26:46

2:26:46

Join us in celebrating Sam’s birthday with this special episode on the John Frankenheimer film version of Eugene O’Neill’s play The Iceman Cometh. The hosts dig in to the unusual experiment in cinematic stage plays that birthed this project. You might think a four-hour-long play about alcoholism and despair sounds like a weird birthday present to g…

1
Ballad of a Tall Man: Phantasm (1979) 1:51:54

10d ago1:51:54

1:51:54

The scares continue all through Halloween over here at KYI! The hosts, and their guest Levi Butner, wander the graveyards and get stuck in the muck as they discuss Don Coscarelli’s cult classic Phantasm. The obvious connections to Spielberg and Raimi are noted, as are the film’s roots in the Universal Monster tradition. Join us as we celebrate this…

1
Thrills. Chills. Catskills: Young Frankenstein (1974) 1:10:52

25d ago1:10:52

1:10:52

Horror comedy comes to life this episode with the Mel Brooks classic Young Frankenstein. This might be the first movie we’ve covered that almost everyone we’ve ever met has undoubtedly seen! The gags remain evergreen, but this watch through the hosts were primarily impressed by the beautiful filmmaking and imaginative storytelling on display. The w…

1
8 1/2 x 4: Fellini & Mazursky & Fosse & Allen 3:46:14

2M ago3:46:14

3:46:14

This is a big one, folks. Alana and Sam take a deep dive into cinematic meta-fiction as they explore the relationship between the seminal film 8 1/2 (1963) and its three most prominent New Hollywood descendants: Alex in Wonderland (1970), All That Jazz (1979), and Stardust Memories (1980). We approached this project with the seriousness and rigor w…

1
Xenophilia: Alien (1979) 1:46:51

3M ago1:46:51

1:46:51

Alana and Sam search for the familiar within the unknown as they immerse themselves in the world of Ridley Scott’s genre-defining classic Alien. They ruminate on the disturbing picture it paints of space and the cycles of nature and remark upon the hilarious improv skills of Yaphet Kotto. They also find time to touch on the recently released Alien:…

1
Book Report: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls 1:39:27

3M ago1:39:27

1:39:27

Put on your spectacles, nerds! We’re talking some long-form PROSE in this episode. Our subject today is Peter Biskind’s Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood. That’s right, not a MOVIE like we typically feature on this podcast, but a BOOK instead. We aim to give you a tour through the thrilling ye…

1
Jesus Egg-cetera: Cool Hand Luke (1967) 1:51:35

4M ago1:51:35

1:51:35

Ohohoho it’s getting sweaty over here! On this episode we are joined by Ryan and Katie from The List to chat about Cool Hand Luke. Perhaps the defining prison film of the New Hollywood era, Paul Newman’s megawatt star power is put to perfect use as the ultimate lovable loser. We had a ball making the episode and what emerged was more or less a comp…

1
War Giggles: MASH (1970) 1:50:26

4M ago1:50:26

1:50:26

Tonight’s episode of Kael Your Idols will be MASH! That’s right, Robert Altman’s MASH. Join Alana and Sam, that lovable pair of married movie fans as they dish the dirt on this beloved classic of early seventies cinema. A few laughs and a few tears, some contextual analysis of misogyny, and more on this evening’s Very Special Episode of Kael Your I…

1
Trailer Trash Triumphant: Pink Flamingos (1972) 1:58:13

5M ago1:58:13

1:58:13

Get ready for the most disgusting, amoral, nastiest podcast-iest episode ever! We are delighted to bring you a discussion of John Waters masterpiece of filth Pink Flamingos. Underground cinema edges closer to the mainstream with this early 70s midnight movie and Sam and Alana both have appropriately strong reactions to its subject matter. Topics in…

1
Primate Palooza: Planet of the Apes Franchise 2:34:49

6M ago2:34:49

2:34:49

We bring you a special new episode ahead of our usual schedule! The excitement of the release of the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has got all of the millions of the fans of the recent entries of the franchise abuzzing. So of course, given that the 1968 original is squarely a New Hollywood landmark we had to watch EVERY SINGLE MOVIE IN THE SERI…

1
Déjà Who’s Your Daddy: Obsession (1976) 2:28:23

6M ago2:28:23

2:28:23

Question: If a movie about doppelgängers is itself a doppelgänger of another movie about doppelgängers… uh… like… what’s up with that, huh? Our hosts will attempt to answer at least a version of that question as they voyeuristically peek into the world of Brian De Palma’s “Obsession”. This episode could prove extra confusing if you haven’t actually…

1
Toons of the City: Heavy Traffic (1973) 1:58:47

7M ago1:58:47

1:58:47

It’s Problematic Art Week on KYI! This episode Alana and Sam are joined by animator Frank Gidlewski for a round-table on Ralph Bakshi’s 1973 Künstlerroman "Heavy Traffic". There is much talk of the film's depictions of various taboos both sexual and racial, so, be warned. Also much rumination on the woes of the modern film/animation landscape so…TW…

1
The Greatest Depression: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) 1:30:49

8M ago1:30:49

1:30:49

Destiny’s dance continues! This week the hosts go around and around in their conversation on Sydney Pollack’s 1969 ode to the hopelessness of human existence (under capitalism)! This 1930s era Jane Fonda vehicle proves to be delightful fodder for Alana and Sam to morbidly contemplate its grim vision of fate. And speaking of grim fates: the film als…

1
Conspiracy Buddies: All the President’s Men (1976) 2:13:55

8M ago2:13:55

2:13:55

It’s Watergate time on Kael Your Idols! Sorry to jump right in to it but we didn’t want to bury the lede. In this episode the hosts get drawn into a web of lies and cover-ups as they discuss the 1976 classic “All The President’s Men”. This tale of the greatest newspaper caper ever provides the perfect launching off point for discussing a plethora o…

1
Anti-Protagonist: Wanda (1970) 2:36:31

9M ago2:36:31

2:36:31

This week on the ol’ podcast: Barbara Loden’s massively under-seen film Wanda (1970). We held this conversation a few months ago in the wake of the film placing 49th on the most recent Sight and Sound poll. Is this reputation warranted? Has the movie gone too quickly from being something no one ever heard of to supposedly being considered one of th…

1
Director Spotlight: Three from Hal Ashby 2:37:22

9M ago2:37:22

2:37:22

If you want to sing out! Sing out! Kael Your Idols is pleased to bring you another Very Special Episode as we turn our attention and our empathy towards the career of Hal Ashby. The hosts are joined by film person Michael J. Dougherty to trace the tragicomic trajectory of this titan of 70s cinema; starting with Ashby's work as an acclaimed editor a…

1
Transcendent Neo Wave: Taxi Driver (1976) 2:33:56

10M ago2:33:56

2:33:56

Welcome to 2024 fellow Kael Your Idolators! For this first episode of the New Year we’re gassed up, got the meter running, and we’re offering you a midnight ride into the twisted minds of De Niro, Scorsese, and Schrader. These three New Hollywood geniuses unite for the first time to create one of cinema’s greatest achievements: Taxi Driver. Join Al…

1
Our top 5 movies of 1973 AND 2023 2:38:59

10M ago2:38:59

2:38:59

1973 vs 2023: the match-up of the century! To celebrate the new year we are counting down our top 5 films from these two years in cinema. Which movies were our favorites? Which movies missed the mark? And will 1973 or 2023 reign supreme? Listen to find out.By Sam Ludwig and Alana Gibson

1
A Final Fan Dance: The Right Stuff (1983) 1:38:22

11M ago1:38:22

1:38:22

The pod is taking a slight temporal detour this week and covering The Right Stuff - a film that began its development during New Hollywood and was finished and released in the wake of the Heaven’s Gate debacle. Sam and Alana pontificate about whether or not this ambitious space epic retains the artistic spirit of the 70s or if it can’t quite achiev…

1
Nostalgia for the Recent Past: American Graffiti (1973) 1:31:32

11M ago1:31:32

1:31:32

This week Kael Your Idols welcomes filmmaker Levi Butner to discuss George Lucas’s mega-hit American Graffiti. The film is, in a sense, the director’s first prequel - showing a day in the life of some Modesto teens in 1962 way way back before those pesky social changes came to define the decade. Topics include: similarities to Dazed and Confused, L…

1
Magic Hour Meditations: Days of Heaven (1978) 1:04:14

12M ago1:04:14

1:04:14

Love! Betrayal! Sunsets! That’s right - Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven gets the Kael Your Idols treatment this week. A Texas farm sets the scene for this unusual love triangle unfolding amidst some very loopy voice-over narration. This deeply mysterious film attempts to uncover the hidden beauty and ulterior meaning behind life, nature, and the j…

1
Director Spotlight: 4 Films by Sidney Lumet 1:48:27

1y ago1:48:27

1:48:27

This week we have a change of pace for the show. Instead of an episode on a single movie, Alana and Sam turn their focus onto the career of a filmmaker - namely the legendary Sidney Lumet. This is the first of many special episodes we have planned focusing on the figures (writers, actors, directors, even studio execs) who made New Hollywood what it…

1
The Times They Are a-Zombie-ing: Night of the Living Dead (1968) 1:18:15

1y ago1:18:15

1:18:15

In this episode Sam and Alana sink their teeth into one of the most influential films of all time: George Romero’s independently produced Night of the Living Dead (1968). A gripping flick about flesh eating Ghouls and the people trying to fight them off - it also happens to be one of our favorite films ever made. The movie is so rich in social comm…

1
Satan Goes Mainstream: The Exorcist (1973) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023) 2:33:16

1y ago2:33:16

2:33:16

When we found out that the 70s classic The Exorcist was to be the latest victim in Hollywood’s obsession with Legacy Sequels, a terrifying truth became all too clear: we would have to cover BOTH films on the podcast. This week your hosts braved the original William Friedkin film; widely considered to be a genre-defining work that changed the future…

1
Suburban Sexual Revolution: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) 1:17:21

1y ago1:17:21

1:17:21

This week Alana and Sam bring a somewhat *ahem* personal touch to the podcast in discussing Paul Mazursky’s tale of two upper-class couples in the late 60s doing what swingin’ 60s couples were wont to doooo. The New Hollywood touches are myriad with this film from the styles of acting on display, the particular performers chosen for the project (fi…

1
Birth of New Hollywood Part 2: The Graduate (1967) 1:11:24

1y ago1:11:24

1:11:24

The One-Two punch that began New Hollywood continues with the suburban dramedy, “The Graduate”. This sophomore effort from director Mike Nichols is a highly quotable tale of a listless youngster falling into an affair with first the wife, and then daughter of a family friend. The movie still resonates (for some people at least…), due in no small pa…

1
Birth of New Hollywood Part 1: Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 1:05:38

1y ago1:05:38

1:05:38

At long last: the central conceit of the podcast has arrived! We celebrate New Hollywood officially beginning with… what else but Warner Bros. megahit “Bonnie and Clyde”. In this episode, Kael Your Idols’ own dynamic duo explores the fascinating critical response to this divisive classic. Known for its extreme violence and fascinating central relat…

1
Japanese New Wave Influences: Crazed Fruit (1956) and Tokyo Drifter (1966) 1:30:10

1y ago1:30:10

1:30:10

In this episode Sam and Alana continue to explore the foreign film movements that served as precursors to New Hollywood. The focus is on Japan and its studio-mandated ‘New Wave’ which allowed for salacious sex, violence, and a more anti-nationalistic worldview. In the spotlight are two very different films: Crazed Fruit directed by Kō Nakahira and …

1
French New Wave Influences Part 2: La Pointe Courte (1955) 1:13:52

1y ago1:13:52

1:13:52

On the previous episode we discussed Jean-Luc Godard and the influence of Cahiers du Cinéma, the famed French film magazine. This week we tell the tale of Agnès Varda and the other half of the French New Wave: the filmmakers associated with the ‘Left Bank’. Varda’s debut film, La Pointe Courte, is an intriguing first stab at many of the themes she …

1
French New Wave Influences Part 1: Pierrot le Fou (1965) 1:09:27

1+ y ago1:09:27

1:09:27

New Hollywood didn’t just come out of nowhere, ya know! European and Asian art movements from the 50s and 60s had a profound impact on American filmmakers and inspired many of the revolutionary impulses they brought to mainstream USA. The next few episodes of the pod focus on a couple different groups of these foreign precursors. This episode the s…

1
The Fall of Old Hollywood: Doctor Dolittle (1967) 1:00:36

1+ y ago1:00:36

1:00:36

We've seen Old Hollywood at its best, now let's see it at its worst. Recall how last episode was a splashy Old Hollywood Musical? Well, this episode is basically the same thing except instead of a delightful masterpiece, it’s a godawful film that bankrupted a studio and helped push the entire movie biz in a different direction. That’s right friends…

1
Zenith of Old Hollywood: Mary Poppins (1964) 1:12:58

1+ y ago1:12:58

1:12:58

Ready for more New Hollywood? Hold your horses! Let’s first see what the films of the late 60s and 70s were reacting to by going *back* to the eras and movements that directly preceded New Hollywood. This week finds Alana and Sam traveling back to the zenith of Old Hollywood to discuss Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins. Topics include the film’s depiction…

1
Quintessential New Hollywood: Apocalypse Now (1979) 55:45

1+ y ago55:45

55:45

In this episode Alana and Sam begin their journey through New Hollywood by jumping nearly to the end of the era as they discuss Francis Ford Coppola's controversial masterpiece Apocalypse Now. Topics include: the nature of celebrity, the drug culture, Marlon Brando's brilliant/stupid improvisations and the portrayal of coolness in war movies.…

1
What is this podcast? 14:29

1+ y ago14:29

14:29

This is a preview episode. Alana reveals her lack of film knowledge surrounding New Hollywood. Sam quizzes her about the film movement's historical context. They discuss the conceit of the podcast. What fun.By Sam Ludwig and Alana Gibson

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Alana Gibson Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Kael Your Idols: A New Hollywood Podcast

Sam Ludwig and Alana Gibson

1
Ah, Theatre! - The Iceman Cometh (1973) 2:26:46

1
Ballad of a Tall Man: Phantasm (1979) 1:51:54

1
Thrills. Chills. Catskills: Young Frankenstein (1974) 1:10:52

1
8 1/2 x 4: Fellini & Mazursky & Fosse & Allen 3:46:14

1
Xenophilia: Alien (1979) 1:46:51

1
Book Report: Easy Riders, Raging Bulls 1:39:27

1
Jesus Egg-cetera: Cool Hand Luke (1967) 1:51:35

1
War Giggles: MASH (1970) 1:50:26

1
Trailer Trash Triumphant: Pink Flamingos (1972) 1:58:13

1
Primate Palooza: Planet of the Apes Franchise 2:34:49

1
Déjà Who’s Your Daddy: Obsession (1976) 2:28:23

1
Toons of the City: Heavy Traffic (1973) 1:58:47

1
The Greatest Depression: They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) 1:30:49

1
Conspiracy Buddies: All the President’s Men (1976) 2:13:55

1
Anti-Protagonist: Wanda (1970) 2:36:31

1
Director Spotlight: Three from Hal Ashby 2:37:22

1
Transcendent Neo Wave: Taxi Driver (1976) 2:33:56

1
Our top 5 movies of 1973 AND 2023 2:38:59

1
A Final Fan Dance: The Right Stuff (1983) 1:38:22

1
Nostalgia for the Recent Past: American Graffiti (1973) 1:31:32

1
Magic Hour Meditations: Days of Heaven (1978) 1:04:14

1
Director Spotlight: 4 Films by Sidney Lumet 1:48:27

1
The Times They Are a-Zombie-ing: Night of the Living Dead (1968) 1:18:15

1
Satan Goes Mainstream: The Exorcist (1973) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023) 2:33:16

1
Suburban Sexual Revolution: Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969) 1:17:21

1
Birth of New Hollywood Part 2: The Graduate (1967) 1:11:24

1
Birth of New Hollywood Part 1: Bonnie and Clyde (1967) 1:05:38

1
Japanese New Wave Influences: Crazed Fruit (1956) and Tokyo Drifter (1966) 1:30:10

1
French New Wave Influences Part 2: La Pointe Courte (1955) 1:13:52

1
French New Wave Influences Part 1: Pierrot le Fou (1965) 1:09:27

1
The Fall of Old Hollywood: Doctor Dolittle (1967) 1:00:36

1
Zenith of Old Hollywood: Mary Poppins (1964) 1:12:58

1
Quintessential New Hollywood: Apocalypse Now (1979) 55:45

1
What is this podcast? 14:29

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