Dystopian Mediocrity

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

#Cinema #Movies #Culture #Film #Showbiz #Entertainment #Entertainment Industry #Audioboom #Bulwark Goes To Hollywood

1:00:36

Do you have fond childhood memories of summer camp? For a chance at $250,000, campers must compete in a series of summer camp-themed challenges to prove that they are unbeatable, unhateable, and unbreakable. Host Chris Burns is joined by the multi-talented comedian Dana Moon to recap the first five episodes of season one of Battle Camp . Plus, Quori-Tyler (aka QT) joins the podcast to dish on the camp gossip, team dynamics, and the Watson to her Sherlock Holmes. Leave us a voice message at www.speakpipe.com/WeHaveTheReceipts Text us at (929) 487-3621 DM Chris @FatCarrieBradshaw on Instagram Follow We Have The Receipts wherever you listen, so you never miss an episode. Listen to more from Netflix Podcasts.…

about a year ago 34:57

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I am pleased to be rejoined this week by Bobby Miller to discuss his new novel, Situation Nowhere. Imagine Brazil by way of Idiocracy but goopier: That’s Situation Nowhere. We talked about some of his influences, the state of our increasingly recursive culture, and why we need to bring back shaming folks for selling out. If you’re in Los Angeles, check out Bobby’s event on Saturday at The Redwood Bar! And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. (And listen to last year’s episode with Bobby about the Blu-ray release of his film, The Cleanse.)

274 episodes

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

Dystopian Mediocrity

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

76 subscribers

published about a year ago

MP3•Episode home

274 episodes

#Cinema #Movies #Culture #Film #Showbiz #Entertainment #Entertainment Industry #Audioboom #Bulwark Goes To Hollywood

All episodes

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
One Family's Journey Through Hollywood 39:12

4 days ago39:12

39:12

I’m joined by Matthew Specktor, author of The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood . Part novel, part memoir, and entirely entertaining, Matthew’s book is a revealing look at life in Hollywood when you’re not on the A-list but occasionally adjacent to it. In addition to relating the drama that makes any family intriguing, Matthew’s book is a keen look at Hollywood in a time of flux, as the rise of the super agencies and the internationalization of the Hollywood studios radically altered the American cinematic landscape. If you enjoyed the episode, I hope you check out his book. And please, share this with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
How David Mamet Made His First Film in 12 Years 46:45

11 days ago46:45

46:45

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Evan Jonigkeit, the star and producer of Henry Johnson . Based on the play of the same name by David Mamet, Henry Johnson is Mamet’s first film in a dozen years and a beguiling provocation; I greatly enjoyed discussing not only the meaning of the movie with Jonigkeit but also how difficult it is to get a picture like this—a series of Socratic dialogues, a movie of complex ideas made for adults—in front of audiences. Henry Johnson is available to rent now from the film’s website and is playing in a handful of locations (including a one-night stop at the Aero in Los Angeles and a residency at Bryn Mawr). I hope you check it out. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The Hidden Art of 'Secret Mall Apartment' 41:26

18 days ago41:26

41:26

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Jeremy Workman, the director and producer of Secret Mall Apartment . We discussed the difficult process of getting your subjects to trust you, the trickiness of distributing an indie documentary in the modern cinematic landscape, and the importance of having a big star like Jesse Eisenberg willing to do a little press for you. The movie’s playing in theaters now; you can see if it’s in a cinema near you here . And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Hollywood Should Rely Less on Overseas Box Office 1:01:02

25 days ago1:01:02

1:01:02

On this week’s episode I’m rejoined by Scott Mendelson of The Outside Scoop to talk about the state of the box office thus far through 2025. It’s better than 2024—thank you, Minecraft —but not as good as 2023. Plus, we delve into some of the discussion surrounding Sinners ’s box office, particularly the foreign and domestic splits. Does its strength in North America demonstrate that Hollywood should be less concerned with appealing to foreign audiences and more worried about making big bucks (and better movies) for the homegrown crowd? All that and more on this episode; if you enjoyed it, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The Economics of Indie Distribution 1:11:37

5 weeks ago1:11:37

1:11:37

On this week’s episode, I talked to Andrew Ortenberg of Briarcliff Entertainment about distributing tricky movies like The Apprentice and Magazine Dreams . How have the economics of cinematic distribution improved for distributors with the infrastructure in place to handle it? How have the various video-on-demand tiers shifted over the last few years? What should folks keep in mind before they declare a movie a hit or a flop? And why are family movies an under-utilized resource for the indie set? All that and more on this week’s episode. If you enjoyed it, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Hollywood Imagery's Impact on Politics 43:31

6 weeks ago43:31

43:31

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson to discuss her new book about Joan Didion, We Tell Ourselves Stories . I mentioned the book in a newsletter a couple of weeks back, but I wanted to focus on the ways in which the political world has borrowed showbiz’s penchant for image calibration, from the ways in which issues are decided upon to the means by which politicians decide which voters to target. Didion, of course, was a natural observer of these shifts, having spent years in Hollywood before becoming one of the nation’s most interesting political observers. If you enjoyed this episode, I hope you both pick up a copy of Alissa’s book and share this with friends!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Bringing Memories of 'Warfare' to Life 31:12

7 weeks ago31:12

31:12

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Ray Mendoza, who cowrote and codirected the new A24 movie Warfare with Alex Garland ( Civil War , Ex Machina ). We discussed the journalistic process of rebuilding the day’s actions portrayed in the film from the memory of those who participated, Mendoza’s work with Garland on Civil War , and the cinematic experience of trying to help people understand what it’s like to go into battle after getting your brain rattled. The movie releases on April 11, and I strongly recommend watching it in a theater to get that fully immersive sonic effect. And if you enjoyed this episode, I hope you share it with a friend.…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Dystopian Mediocrity 34:57

8 weeks ago34:57

34:57

I am pleased to be rejoined this week by Bobby Miller to discuss his new novel, Situation Nowhere . Imagine Brazil by way of Idiocracy but goopier: That’s Situation Nowhere . We talked about some of his influences, the state of our increasingly recursive culture, and why we need to bring back shaming folks for selling out. If you’re in Los Angeles, check out Bobby’s event on Saturday at The Redwood Bar ! And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. (And listen to last year’s episode with Bobby about the Blu-ray release of his film, The Cleanse .)…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The Low Culture That Brought Us to Trump 36:07

9 weeks ago36:07

36:07

On this week’s episode I’m joined by Ross Benes, the author of the forthcoming book 1999: The Year Low Culture Conquered America and Kickstarted Our Bizarre Times . It comes out in a few weeks and I hope you take a gander at it; we spent most of our time discussing the ways in which professional wrestling and the Insane Clown Posse help explain the phenomenon that is Donald J. Trump and his ascent through the political landscape, but there’s more to the book than that. And if you enjoyed this episode, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The 2000 Election That Changed America (with Jonathan Gruber) 19:24

9 weeks ago19:24

19:24

Sonny Bunch sits down with filmmaker Jonathan Gruber to discuss his new documentary, Centered , which explores the life and legacy of Joe Lieberman. As the first Jewish Vice Presidential candidate, Lieberman made history—only to later shake up politics by breaking with his own party. With the film releasing today, they dive into his career, key political battles, and the impact of centrism in modern politics.…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
How to Build Your Own Movie Library 38:25

9 weeks ago38:25

38:25

A weird question I sometimes get is this: “I want to get into buying movies on disc, Sonny, but I don’t know where to start.” I say it’s weird because the answer seems obvious to me: just buy movies you like to watch! But there are issues I take for granted like formats and resolutions, so I thought it would be useful to talk to Aidan Ryan of the Boston Globe about his recent piece in that newspaper’s magazine focused on the Gen Z/Young Millennial cohort that has gotten really into collecting movies on disc. From the dollar DVD bins to the high-quality UHD 4K collectors sets put out by the boutique labels, these younger collectors run the gamut. If you have questions of your own, feel free to leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The 2025 Stunt Awards! 38:30

10 weeks ago38:30

38:30

On this week’s episode, I’m plesaed to be rejoined by Brandon Struessnig to discuss one of my favorite packages of the year, Vulture’s annual stunt awards. Who were the big winners? What were some of the surprises? Just how long did it take George Miller to shoot that war rig sequence in Furiosa anyway? All that and more on this week’s episode. Make sure to check out the winners before listening to us discuss them. And if you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
How to Help Veterans Returning Home 43:15

11 weeks ago43:15

43:15

This week I was joined by Jake Rademacher, the director of Brothers After War to talk about his new documentary checking in with folks who have returned from the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq and how they are reintegrating into society. It’s a powerful and moving documentary, and I highly recommend checking it out if you get the chance, particularly if you have a veteran in your life. You can find showtimes nearest you here . And if you’re a veteran, you should still be able to get free tickets to the film by signing up at VetTix.org and searching for Brothers After War. If you enjoyed this episode, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
SNL At 50 43:57

12 weeks ago43:57

43:57

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by the New York Times’s James Poniewozik to discuss SNL’s (rather lengthy) 50th anniversary celebration. (Here’s a gift link to James’s piece on his favorite episode of SNL.) We discuss the show, how it has changed, and how changes in how people watch the show change its meaning (and our relationship to it). I also asked James about his book, Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America and how to best cover Trump without succumbing to the siren song of scolding; that clip starts a little before minute 30 if you want to skip all the SNL chatter. (But why would you?) If you enjoyed the episode, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
How to Make a Microbudget Movie 1:09:22

13 weeks ago1:09:22

1:09:22

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Jake VerKesen—some of you in the comments might know him by his handle, Jake VK—on the long and winding road to turning an idea for a micro-budgeted indie movie like I Agree With You from a dream into a reality. We discuss the paperwork, the delays, the fundraising, the shooting, the food, the editing, and, finally, the showing, that goes into getting an indie movie made and delivered to the people. As discussed on the episode, the movie’s not out just yet, but hopefully y’all will get a chance to see it soon. You can follow the film’s progress on its Substack and add I Agree With You to your Letterboxd watchlist .…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Documenting Horror 38:19

14 weeks ago38:19

38:19

On this week’s episode, I’m rejoined by writer/director Philip Gelatt and novelist Paul Tremblay (author of Horror Movie and The Cabin at the End of the World , among other scary books) to discuss the new Substack-hosted docu-horror series Etch . The concept is pretty cool: Philip has interviewed a quintet of horror authors—Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Laird Barron, Elizabeth Hand, and Mariana Enriquez—and every week he’s dropping another episode that combines that interview with a reading of a short story and video illustration. (Not quite a movie, exactly, more like creepy imagery.) I’ll say, as a longtime user/reader of Substack, it’s exciting to see folks push the boundaries of what the site can be. I think most people see Substack as a newsletter/podcast site, and most of the video I’ve seen on Substack has been, more or less, video versions of podcasts. (We have a lot of those here at The Bulwark!) But this is a great example of a creator deciding to bypass the studios and the streamers and just make something he wants to see in the world using the broadcast tools provided by Hamish McKenzie and his team at Substack and doing so in a way that allows you to “own” the readers/followers, a stark contrast from YouTube, TikTok, and other user-generated video sites. (It’ll be great when they drop a streaming-style app.) If you are into horror, I highly recommend checking this out. And if you enjoyed this episode, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
How Tariffs Will Make Movies More Expensive 45:18

15 weeks ago45:18

45:18

On this week’s episode, Sonny Bunch is rejoined by Jesse Nelson of DiabolikDVD and Cauldron Films to discuss the state of home video. We get to the tariff discussion around 32 minutes in, but before that, Jesse dispels some of the concerns about Sony’s recent announcement that they’re discontinuing recordable media like Blu-ray, what collectors are looking for from his store, and how he and his business partner go about deciding out what titles to distribute via their label, Cauldron Films. As mentioned on the episode, I enjoy Diabolik’s “ Browse by Label ” page to see what weird stuff is hitting Blu-ray and UHD in the upcoming months. Make sure to check out Cauldron’s lineup ; that Mad Foxes set seems pretty cool. If you enjoyed the episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Why Is Gaming Underperforming Expectations? 1:06:53

16 weeks ago1:06:53

1:06:53

On this week’s supersized episode of The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood, I’m rejoined by Matthew Ball to discuss his epic examination of the state of the video game industry and how its growing pains reflect what we’ve seen in other entertainment industries like film. I’d recommend at least scanning his report (you can download the pdf here ) even if you’re not a gamer—I am, as discussed in the opening moments, at best a “filthy casual”—because if you’re familiar with the growth patterns of nearly any industry, you’ll likely find some congruences.…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Revisiting 'Inglourious Basterds' 56:58

17 weeks ago56:58

56:58

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Bill Ryan and Dennis Cozzalio to discuss their contribution to the new Arrow Limited Edition release of Inglourious Basterds on 4K. The booklet features a blog-era (remember blogs?) conversation about the film that occurred when it was initially released, in addition to, among other things, a postcard with a recipe for apple strudel (whip cream NOT optional). It’s a great set with lots of extras and I highly recommend picking it up if you can find a copy. We discussed the initial response to the film and our own feelings about it some 15 years or so later, as well as that weirdly exciting moment of online film criticism. If you enjoyed the episode, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Awards Season in Flux 49:15

18 weeks ago49:15

49:15

This week I’m joined by Richard Rushfield and Katey Rich of The Ankler to discuss the state of the awards season post-Golden Globes and in the midst of the Los Angeles fires. (Indeed, Los Angeles resident Richard is in the city to give us an on-the-ground update of the state of things from his perspective. Please excuse any background noise/distortion that you may hear as a result!) We talked about how the Globes might affect the Oscars , how the Globes has devolved into an incestuous web of self-dealing , and how the fires might affect Academy Award voting patterns. We also discussed the new Ankler Pundits prediction site , which I am honored to have been asked to take part in. Check it out and feel free to mock my picks. And look: I understand the impulse to avoid discussing awards given everything that’s going on out west. I want to reiterate that there are good charities that can be donated to if you’re looking to help out: If you can’t wait to donate, you can never go wrong with José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen , which has teams on the ground helping feed first responders. Two additional charities I’ve had folks recommend are Global Empowerment Mission and the California Community Foundation . I’m sure they’ll all make good use of every penny. I also think halting the awards will do little to improve anyone’s financial standing and will in fact hurt the folks who work for all the ancillary events. Not just the awards shows themselves, but the parties, the limo drivers, the caterers, the dress designers, people whose whole year is made or broken by this stretch in Los Angeles. Awards may feel silly but even silly things can be worthwhile, particularly when your livelihood depends on it. If you enjoyed this show, I hope you share it with a friend.…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The Fascinating Legacy of 'Yacht Rock' 46:07

19 weeks ago46:07

46:07

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Steven Hyden, who—in addition to being the author of books on Bruce Springsteen , Pearl Jam , and Radiohead , and a prolific author at Uproxx —served as the story producer on HBO’s new film, Yacht Rock: A Dockumentary . In addition to discussing just what it means to be a story producer on a documentary, we discussed the making of this film, the evolution of the term “yacht rock,” and why (some) artists have (slowly) warmed to the term. I really can’t recommend the documentary enough: it’s both entertaining and informative. And if you enjoyed this episode, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Everything There Is to Know About Star Wars 49:33

21 weeks ago49:33

49:33

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Brandon Wainerdi to discuss DK’s hefty and handsome new reference book, Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy . We discussed how he broke into writing about Star Wars, researching his entries for the book, and why so much of what we obsessives know about Star Wars comes not from the films but the surrounding products. Brandon’s interview podcast, Talking Bay 94 , is a must-listen if you’re a fan of the series. I’ll just say, on a personal note, that this is a really beautiful book: lots of illustrations, tons of information. If you have a precocious tween who loves Star Wars in your life, you could do much worse than this as a gift for them this Christmas. And if you enjoyed this episode, I hope you share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Bringing Novels Into the Internet Age 30:19

22 weeks ago30:19

30:19

On this week’s episode, I’m joined by novelist and Broadway producer Michael Wolk to discuss his new interactive novel, Devil’s Game. You can check it out yourself here ; it’s an interesting mix of web-first design and apocalyptic airport thriller. We talked about what drove him to write this novel and also discussed the state of Broadway and live theater more generally. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The Copyrighted Material Being Used to Train AI 40:10

23 weeks ago40:10

40:10

On this week’s episode, I talked to Alex Reisner about his pieces in The Atlantic highlighting the copyrighted material being hoovered into large language models to help AI chatbots simulate human speech. If you’re a screenwriter and would like to see which of your work has been appropriated to aid in the effort, click here; he has assembled a searchable database of nearly 140,000 movie and TV scripts that have been used without permission. (And you should read his other stories about copyright law reaching its breaking point and “ the memorization problem .”) In this episode, we also got into the metaphysics of art and asked what sort of questions need to be asked as we hurtle toward the future. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Comcast Is Spinning Off Its Cable Assets: What Does that Mean? 40:12

25 weeks ago40:12

40:12

This week I’m rejoined by Sean McNulty of The Ankler’s morning roundup newsletter, The Wakeup , to discuss the big news in cable land: ComcastNBCUniversal’s decision to spin (most of!) their cable properties into a new, separate company, called SpinCo for now. What does this mean for MSNBC, USA, and the rest of the impacted channels? Why is Bravo staying under the Comcast umbrella? What impact will this have on NBC? All of these questions are asked and some answers are given. Warning: There is a fair amount of rank speculation in this episode, but that couldn’t be avoided.…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Melding Video Games and TV Shows 58:56

26 weeks ago58:56

58:56

This week I’m thrilled to be joined by Jacob Navok, the CEO of Genvid Entertainment, to discuss his company’s new partnership with DC Comics, DC Heroes United. A combination mobile game and Justice League television show, DC Heroes United is a fascinating hybrid entertainment experience, one that Navok has been working on in various forms for years now. The first 20 minutes or so of the show are largely about DC Heroes United; after that, we discuss the evolution of this sort of interactive gaming/viewing more broadly, including earlier experiments on Facebook and with properties like The Walking Dead and Silent Hill . It’s a fascinating new arena of entertainment, and I hope you learn something about how the next generation is interacting with media even if you’re not that interested in the properties themselves. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The Christmas Movie Industrial Complex 52:32

27 weeks ago52:32

52:32

This week I’m joined by Russell Hainline, the screenwriter of the forthcoming Netflix original Hot Frosty as well as a whole bunch of Hallmark original Christmas movies (including last year’s The Santa Summit and the forthcoming The Santa Class ). I asked him on today to talk about the burgeoning market for Christmas movies on channels like Hallmark and streaming services like Netflix, and we had a great chat about how Hallmark resembles a cable network less than the old Hollywood studios like RKO and MGM. What lessons can the rest of the industry learn from them? If you enjoyed this episode, share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
Alfred Hitchcock, Master of Fear and Desire 33:52

28 weeks ago33:52

33:52

This week I’m joined by Mark Cousins, the writer and director of the new documentary, My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock . We talked about his movie’s unorthodox presentation, why Hitchcock remains eternally relevant, and how he puts together his incredible video essays. (If you’ve never seen his The Story of Film: An Odyssey , you really should.) And then he turned the tables on me with some closing questions! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
The Four Horsemen of the Media Apocalypse 1:03:29

29 weeks ago1:03:29

1:03:29

Good show, long show today with the Entertainment Strategy Guy (subscribe to his Substack here ). I’m going to offer up timestamps here, which I don’t usually do, because there’s a ton of stuff covered in this podcast. Amongst the topics we discussed: Marvel vs. DC in the TV realm (:40); Tulsa King’s status as a surprise hit for Paramount+ (11:40); what the data about Netflix’s second season of Monsters suggests about its completion rate and why that matters (16:06); why horror has a lower streaming ceiling than theatrical ceiling (21:29); Prime Video’s moves into sports and news (30:56); the four horsemen of the media apocalypse (38:41); and a cautious defense of embattled WB-Discovery honcho David Zaslav (56:17). Phew! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend!…

The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood

1
A Second Look at 'Caligula' 45:31

30 weeks ago45:31