Secret Movie Club Podcast

SMC Pod #94: AMERICAN MOVIE & a deeper dive into the documentary

The SMC team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discuss Chris Smith's 1999 classic doc AMERICAN MOVIE about Wisconsin filmmaker Mark Borchardt's near quixotic quest to complete his horror short movie COVEN to finance his feature NORTHWEST with the help of his family andd best friend Mike Schenk. The team talks about other documentaries that have blown them away from Robert Flaherty's 1940's LOUISIANA STORY all the way to the current run of Netflix amazing true-crime docs like THE STAIRCASE. Edwin finds Fellini's LA DOLCE VITA boring. Craig ends the podcast with a song he wrote for Edwin on guitar and harmonica while waiting for the team to log in to Skype. 

SMC Pod #93: BAND OF OUTSIDERS & Jean Luc Godard

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) talk French New Wave master Jean Luc Godard's 1964 BAND OF OUTSIDERS, how so many moviemakers post 60's were influenced by Godard's revolutionary film experimentation, why Tarantino named his company after this movie, and much more. Also Mr. Godard suddenly calls in to yell at Edwin.  Plus Craig tells a story about being invited to smoke hash by two women in Prague and how his nerdiness blew everything.

SMC Pod #92: Law of Desire & Pedro Almodovar

The Secret Movie Club team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Craig Hammill; Daniel Ott is still out on a shoot) discuss Spanish master filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, his transgressive daring, often LGBTQ focus, with a specific look at his transitional work 1987's LAW OF DESIRE. Two of the team-members have seen it. One tries to fake his way through. All discuss Almodovar's incredible talent with color, framing, and injecting Hitchcockian tension into almost any genre including melodrama. Edwin and Craig extol Almodovar's darker work, particularly THE SKIN I LIVE IN. 

SMC Pod #91: Genres we’re not hot on

The Secret Movie Club team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Craig Hammill; Daniel is off shooting) discusses genres its not super hot on. Connor and Edwin explain why romcoms and Hugh Grant aren't their jam. Craig expresses his ambivalence about the slasher genre. Edwin airs his grievances about kid's movie CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. Connor makes the key point that despite this, many movies beloved by the entire team are in genres they don't gravitate to because greatness always transcends. 

SMC Pod #90: The Art of the Short Film

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) talks about the short film as an art form. Everything from avante garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage to 80's/90's music videos to omnibus movies where famous directors get together to make a collection of 30 minute shorts around a theme gets discussed. And even Orson Welles' French TV hour-long The Immortal Story get name-checked. Plus Edwin no longer needs compliments, Daniel has developed an edge, and Craig has a John Ford dream.  

SMC Calendar Pod: FEBRUARY 2022 HIGHLIGHTS

The SMC Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) works to evolve and be dynamic by changing up our monthly podcast to a "Highlights" podcast. You can always go to our website to see our entire calendar (https://www.secretmovieclub.com/calendar?view=calendar&month=02-2022). Here we just shout out a few special events we want to put on your radar. And why. Plus Edwin bites his tongue and we all make fun of him. 

SMC Pod #89: When Comedians Move to Art Films & Drama

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) discuss when comedians begin to make dramas and art films, a transition that often happens mid-career. Well known examples of Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler get discussed as well as international art house sensation Beat Takashi. The Team then flips the script and discusses when action and drama stars start making comedies like The Rock in PAIN & GAIN. Edwin yet again attacks Craig for perceived programming slights. Connor remotes in from Texas after some dental work. 

SMC Pod #88:Celebrating Stanley Kubrick, our director of 2020!

The SMC Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) finally-FINALLY!-gets to do the celebration episode of Stanley Kubrick, our 2020 director of the year. COVID halted the year but once SMC was able to show movies indoors again in May 2021, we picked up and finished the series. DR. STRANGELOVE, FULL METAL JACKET, PATHS OF GLORY, and LOLITA all get special looks. Connor makes the important distinction that Kubrick was definitely Great (as an artist) but may not have always been good (to people he directed or worked with). Daniel notes Kubrick's strange and unique approach to characters. Craig recounts the excitement of discovering Kubrick and Lolita as a teenager becoming aware of the vast ocean of cinema. 

SMC Pod #87: I Know What You Did Over Winter Break 2021-2022

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, Craig Hammill) re-assembles after various and sundry adventures over winter break 2021-2022 to discuss what they saw. Spider Man No Way Home, the use of multiverses, Spielberg's West Side Story, Edwin's love for Daniel Day Lewis, Amir "Questlove" Johnson's Summer of Soul, Frank Zappa's blistering guitar solos all get discussed. 

DEFEND THIS MOVIE #4: Ingmar Bergman’s Persona

Like Godzilla vs King Kong, Edwin Caesar Gomez and Craig Herbert Hammill of Secret Movie Club go head to head on Ingmar Bergman's 1966 PERSONA.  Edwin doesn't get it and thinks a lot of Bergman doesn't work. Craig thinks PERSONA is one of the greatest movies ever made and Bergman one of the greatest moviemakers who ever lived. Thus. . .Craig has to DEFEND THIS MOVIE. Who wins? Is the point even winning? At the very least we hope you'll take a listen and watch PERSONA to make up your own mind.  Here we go...