Secret Movie Club Podcast

SMC Pod #136: JACKASS + high art and low art!

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) rides the bull for the full eight seconds with the Jackass series, co-created by Johnny Knoxville and Spike Jonze, featuring Knoxville and a group of other knuckleheads doing ridiculous and vulgar pranks and stunts! The Team also analyzes high art and low art, the dubious distinction between the two, and whether or not these terms are even valid. Daniel and Connor bond over their adolescent obsessions with skater culture and recreating their own Jackass-style stunts. Craig doesn’t understand why people have to gatekeep art. Edwin gatekeeps art.

SMC Pod #135: JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE, 1080 BRUXELLES + Sight & Sound 2022!

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) sits down to talk about Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, which just topped Sight and Sound’s “Top 100 Greatest Films” critics’ list in 2022! The movie’s ascendance to number one was controversial for multiple reasons and the film itself splits our heroes. They also exchange a few words about the full list published by BFI, what they think about lists like this, and finally give their own top ten lists that they would have submitted to the poll! #potatogate

Connor’s favorite films: https://tinyurl.com/connorsfavoritefilms

SMC Pod #134: Winter Break ‘22/’23 Catch-Up!

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) reconvenes to detail what they’ve been up to for the last five weeks while they weren’t recording and what they’re hoping to bring into 2023. Connor is stoked about his big, cool box! Edwin brags about “watching” a lot of films and gaslights the others. Daniel went road trippin’ around the country. Craig deals with the technical aspects of editing a movie. And considering this is the Secret MOVIE Club Podcast, a few films are also discussed: Blood Beat, Surf Nazis Must Die (sorta), and Avatar: The Way of Water. Welcome back, Secret Movie Clubbers!

DEFEND THIS MOVIE #10: INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM

Screenwriter Steve Grest (originator of the Defend This Movie idea) returns to the pod to debate Secret Movie Club programmer and founder Craig Hammill about Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, starring Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, and Ke Huy Quan! The 1984 sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark was controversial upon release for its dark content, and Steve agrees that it is a joyless, annoying slog. Craig admits that Temple has its problems, but he also thinks the film is a nightmarish joy brimming with classic Spielbergian cinema. Listen, and we’ll let you decide who wins!

SMC Pod #133: Celebrating John Ford, Our Director of 2022

Secret Movie Club programmer and founder Craig Hammill is joined once more by SMC blog writer Patrick McElroy to start 2023 with a recap of our director of 2022, John Ford, maybe the most important American filmmaker of all time. Craig and Patrick love the old man and his films, which include classic westerns like The Searchers and Stagecoach as well as acclaimed dramas like The Grapes of Wrath and How Green Was My Valley. Along with diving deep into his movies, Craig and Patrick also delve into Ford’s Catholicism, his Irish heritage, his belief in America, and his incredible grasp of the art of cinema.

 

Check out Patrick at: https://www.facebook.com/patrick.mcelroy.3726 or his IG: @mcelroy.patrick

SMC Pod #132: Victor Sjöström’s THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE + New Year’s Eve in film

To close out 2022, the Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) toasts silent classic, The Phantom Carriage, directed by and starring Victor Sjöström, a sort of Swedish Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life set around New Year’s Eve! The Team also continues their journey through the holidays with NYE in film: Daniel thinks it’s about time to talk about About Time, Craig keeps going with The Godfather series, Edwin likes to end the year with Schwarzenegger’s End of Days, and Connor broadcasts from the local Dave & Buster’s. Happy New Year!

SMC Pod #131: Secret Santa Holiday Special!

Ho ho ho! The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) unwraps their gifts from themselves: they did a Secret Santa but with movies! Edwin has a hard time opening the 2003 martial arts film, Ong-Bak. Connor isn’t quite sure how to operate the star-studded disaster movie, Airport ‘77. Daniel didn’t ask for – but is pleasantly surprised by – 2014 indie sci-fi comedy, The Infinite Man. And, in a Christmas miracle, Craig gets exactly what he wanted: Spielberg’s new autobiographical film, The Fabelmans! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Secret Movie Clubbers!

SMC Pod #130: Edward Yang’s A BRIGHTER SUMMER DAY + International Noir

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) delves into Edward Yang’s 1991 masterpiece, A Brighter Summer Day, a sprawling four-hour Taiwanese crime film about teen gangs in 1950s Taipei. The Team also investigates other international movies with some noir in them! Craig loves Almodóvar’s Live Flesh. Daniel goes back to classic Korean film, The Housemaid. Connor brings up High & Low and half-remembers some other Kurosawa noirs. And – shocker – Edwin talks about Jackie Chan!

SMC Pod #129: Frank Darabont’s THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION + the “other” Stephen King

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) digs into Frank Darabont’s neo-classic, The Shawshank Redemption, starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman and adapted from Stephen King’s novella. King is a massive force in literary horror but he’s explored every genre, and here the Team flips through King’s non-horror work! Edwin is pumped on Schwarzenegger action flick The Running Man. Daniel finds Stand By Me to be his favorite. Craig wants to translate his favorite King books, The Stand and Wizard & Glass, to the screen. Connor pitches several adaptations of his own. Hollywood: he’s available!

SMC Pod #128: Movie Posters!

The Secret Movie Club Team (Connor Lloyd Crews, Edwin Gomez, Daniel Ott, and Craig Hammill) unfolds their opinions on movie posters in honor of SMC’s recent collaboration with Laurent Durieux! The Team reminisces about poster’s they’ve had on their own walls, explores the history of posters, and shares their thoughts on modern poster trends. Craig talks fake posters in films and what makes a good poster. Daniel talks Mondo and the resell market. Connor talks movies posters from Ghana and Eastern Europe. Edwin can’t stop selling.

Check out a gallery of the posters mentioned here: https://www.secretmovieclub.com/blog/poster-podcast-supplement