Best Pauline Kael Podcasts (2024)

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

19d 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

1M 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

2M 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

2M 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

3M 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

4M 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

4M 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

5M 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

5M 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

6M 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

6M 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

7M 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

7M 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

8M 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

8M 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

8M 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

9M 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

9M 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

10M 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

10M 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

10M 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

11M 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

12M 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

1y 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

1y 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

1y 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

1
Valentine's Day Ep w/ Cheyenne Ford 58:44

1+ y ago58:44

58:44

We talk some of the greatest Valentine day movie with Production Designer Cheyenne Ford! Known for her work on Shiva Baby, Give or Take, and Story Ave which is premiering at SXSW.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Jafar Panahi 50:55

1+ y ago50:55

50:55

Panahi made news recently for his release from Iranian prison after a hunger strike. The director made history in 1995 by winning the Caméra d'Or (best first feature film) at Cannes, making Panahi the first Iranian to win a major award at Cannes. He has since gone on to go on making classics like The Mirror, Offsides, This is Not a Film, Taxi, and …

1
S. Craig Zahler 58:53

1+ y ago58:53

58:53

Writer/Director of the gruesome movie Bone Tomahawk and the pretty good Vaughn flick Brawl in Cell Block 99, ye ol' Zah-dog gives the brothers a lot to talk about.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Leonard Maltin 58:51

1+ y ago58:51

58:51

Remember those old Movie Guide books you saw on your grandparents library? The one with the old dude smiling at you like he new everything about movies. Well we're talking about that guy.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Pauline Kael 58:50

1+ y ago58:50

58:50

Perhaps one of the most famous and influential American film critics, Pauline Kael is a tough person to tackle. But the brothers give it a go in this ongoing series of film critics.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Gene Siskel 57:00

1+ y ago57:00

57:00

The lesser known of the Siskel and Ebert show, Gene Siskel was a man with strong opinions. Watch the brothers remain undecided on him.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Spirit of Christmas 58:38

1+ y ago58:38

58:38

What is it!By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Possum Hill 58:23

1+ y ago58:23

58:23

The brothers talk to Possum Hill! Current head of content and creative at 1824 Universal Music Group, but also Sam's old boss back when he was a senior director of video production at Capitol Records and Sam was a wee intern.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
A.O. Scott 52:53

1+ y ago52:53

52:53

Mr. New york times movie review himself! We talk about one of the most iconic movie reviewers currently working.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Our 2022 Halloween Episode!!! 58:45

1+ y ago58:45

58:45

By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Bosley Crowther 58:46

1+ y ago58:46

58:46

Starting our new critics series off right. The old grouch himself. A dilly of a podcast. YEEHOOOOO!By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Jordan Studdard 58:41

2y ago58:41

58:41

The brothers talk to animator and tik toker (and perhaps soon to be children's book writer??) Jordan Studdard!By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Vinyl Interlude 58:45

2y ago58:45

58:45

With Zach out for moving to his new studio apartment, Sam plays his Vinyl records from Amadeus and West Side Story and reads some inspiring words.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Kid Nicoleman Promo 59:03

2y ago59:03

59:03

We take a break from our typical programming to promote our sister podcast and friend of the show's podcast Into the Ether with Kid Nicoleman, created by Nick Deveau. Check it out on Spotify or where ever you get podcasts.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Mob Actors Deaths 58:44

2y ago58:44

58:44

The brothers talk about the recent deaths and lives of several iconic actors who have played mobsters in movies and TV shows. Tony Sirico who plays Paulie in Sopranos, Michael Caan who plays Sonny in The Godfather, and Ray Liotta who plays Henry Hill in Goodfellas.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
1908: Lost Dudly Kay-Pax and Ishmael recordings 59:03

2y ago59:03

59:03

Once again, the brothers play an old episode from 1908 with Dudly Kay-Pax and Ishmael. This time, they have Thomas Edison on to talk about his new company. Let's just say, things get a little heated.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Mark DePasquale and VFX 57:53

2y ago57:53

57:53

The brothers geek out with Mark DePasquale about VFX. Mark is a VFX supervisor and director at Atlantic Pictures, and loves talking about that shinny ball VFX artists use.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Sleep with Sam as he reads Life of Pie 58:45

2y ago58:45

58:45

This was a tough one. Zach had just moved back to Pittsburgh, Sam was moving in two days, and work was spiraling out of control. So instead of doing a full on episode, Sam reads "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel and slowly falls asleep while playing the theme music to the movie.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Courtney O'Donnell 58:50

2y ago58:50

58:50

The brother talks to McDonalds social media manager and comedian Courtney O'Donnell!Get tickets for her June 15th Hot Cousin's show here.https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hot-cousin-tickets-357837651047By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Mothers Day 58:49

2y ago58:49

58:49

The brothers talk about all mothers days movies! And what exactly does that mean. Like in a metaphorical sense what is the narrative around being a mother? OH! we also talk about Scorsese's mom because ya know.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Easter Movies 58:45

2y ago58:45

58:45

The brothers bring on their parents to talk about Easter Movies and what exactly is the theme of Easter.By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Broadway to Hollywood 58:45

2y ago58:45

58:45

The brothers talk about broadway musicals that turn into hollywood movies (and visa versa).By Two Thumbs Undecided

1
Dick Lester 58:34

2y ago58:34

58:34

The brothers talk about Dick Lester! Famed surrealist director who started out with the Goon Show squad including Spike Milligan and Peter Sellers. He then went on to director the Beatles in Hard Days Night and Help! Finally ending up his career with Superman 2 and 3. And odd hodge podge of a career and we get into it.…

1
Audio Andy: Sound Mixer 58:51

2y ago58:51

58:51

Old Friend Andy Theiss @theaudioandy comes onto the show to talk about his time as a professional sound mixer. Some of his credits include sound mixer for "The Making of Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles" and "Gingerdead Man vs Evil Bong"By Two Thumbs Undecided

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