Secret Movie Club Podcast

SMC Pod #61: The Pieces of Cinema-Screenwriting

The SMC Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) return to their occasional series on the different disciplines that go into making a great movie. Today, they discuss screenwriting. Connor and Craig nerd out on structure. Edwin praises Quentin Tarantino. Network gets mentioned. And Daniel brings up the key point that co-writers can often make a script better by introducing flavors/tones/creative ideas that a single writer might never come up with, without a partner to bat around ideas. 

SMC Pod #60: Kubrick's Strangelove/2001 & other amazing Film Director Runs

The SMC Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discusses amazing director runs starting with Stanley Kubrick's 1-2 punch of DR. STRANGELOVE and 2001.  John Carpenter's 1970's-1990's run, Greta Gerwig's current mini-run, Sam Peckinpah's amazing run, and amazing runs by diverse directors Don Siegel, Kenji Misumi, Jacques Becker get discussed. Also Craig is emphatic this is NOT the DR. STRANGELOVE or 2001 episode. Those movies will get solo podcasts dedicated to them. 

SMC DEFEND THIS MOVIE #1: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969, dir Peter Hunt, UK/US)

A new occasional podcast where two Secret Movie Clubbers debate a controversial or divisive movie. Today, screenwriter Steve Grest (who came up with this idea) demands that Secret Movie Club programmer.founder Craig Hammill defend Craig's love for the 1969 James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service starring the only one-time Bond, George Lazenby, Diana Rigg, and Telly Savalas. OHMSS is one of Craig's top #3 Bond movies, Steve doesn't think the movie works at all. LET THE DEBATE BEGIN! 

SMC Pod #59: The Pieces of Cinema-Editing

The SMC team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) return to their occasional series about elements of cinema. Today we discuss the art of editing, examples of great cuts in movies like Point Blank, The Wild Bunch, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Little Women, Hostel and great all-time editors like Dede Allen, Paul Hirsch, Sergei Eisenstein, Michael Kahn, Anne V. Coates among others. 

SMC Pod #58: Steven Spielberg's DUEL & the return to movie theaters in 2021

Special Guest Brian Robert (@brirob9) and the SMC team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discuss Steven Spielberg's audacious 1971 feature film debut DUEL, how the first week back in movie theaters since COVID began went, and feelings in general about the communal aspects of the theater going experience. Plus everyone endlessly razzes Edwin about MAMMA MIA until he explodes with a rant about CAN'T STOP THE MUSIC and the Village People. 

SMC Pod #57: The Pieces of Cinema Pt 1 Cinematography

The SMC team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) begin an occasional re-occurring series where they discuss one key aspect of the movie making process and how it contributes to the success of the whole! Shout outs to The Evil Dead, Goodfellas, Arrival, Heaven's Gate, among many others occur. 

SMC Pod #56: The 1st Annual Secret Movie Club Oscars Special (2020 Edition)

The Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discusses 2020 Best Picture winner NOMADLAND directed by (Best Director winner) Chloe Zhao starring (Best Actress winner) Frances McDormand, what the team thinks of the Oscars/Academy Awards, and some of the team's favorite movies of 2020, a very tough year for cinema.  Edwin asserts that JAWS 3 is the best vinyl purchase he made all week. 

SMC Pod #55: REAR WINDOW & Alfred Hitchcock

The SMC Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discuss Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 all time classic Rear Window starring Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Raymond Burr. The team then discusses Hitchcock as a filmmaker (for the first time ever on podcast!), his incredible strengths and potential character flaws. Craig reveals his Mom went to high school with Hitchcock's granddaughter. Covid vaccines also get discussed (by the time you hear this, the entire team will have been vaccinated!). 

SMC Pod #54: Howard Hawks' THE BIG SLEEP & creative works that inspire other creative works

The SMC team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discuss Howard Hawks' all-time classic noir THE BIG SLEEP (1946, US) and the many movies it inspired (Altman's THE LONG GOODBYE, The Coens' THE BIG LEBOWSKI, Anderson's INHERENT VICE) as well as other movies inspired/catalyzed by earlier great works.  Edwin gives all his thoughts before he rushes out to a date at the Northridge Mall.  Connor cuts Craig off when Craig tries to get real. 

SMC Pod #53: Martin Scorsese's THE WOLF OF WALL STREET & Divisive/Controversial movies

The Secret Movie Club team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discuss Martin Scorsese's & Leonardo Di Caprio's 2013 THE WOLF OF WALL STREET and other movies that have been divisive, controversial, or potentially misunderstood. Connor goes off on the new DOOM video games. Daniel makes a plea for JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS.