Shows
Overlapping DialogueTHX 1138 & PossessorIn this episode of Overlapping Dialogue, we dive into the overwhelming abyss of past, present, and future techno sci-fi horror with THX 1138 and Possessor. Listen as we assess the ability, or lack thereof, to judge George Lucas's brilliant 1971 debut feature on its own terms and the also weighty pedigree inherent to any discussion of Brandon Cronenberg's 2020 messy assassin thriller.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at huffmanbrothersproductions@gmail.com with your questions, comments, and requests.
2024-05-312h 03
Overlapping DialogueMemorial Day Blue Plate Special Buy One Pay Double Buffet ExtravaganzaHave no fear, we're back! Overlapping Dialogue returns after an extended spring break with a special Memorial Day Blue Plate Special Buy One Pay Double Buffet Extravaganza! Ahead of a proper episode with our usual format later this week, we kick back and relax with a survey of a great many things that have occupied our attention over the past month and a half. Topics range from thoughts on the bankruptcy of Red Lobster, the Mad Men cameos in Unfrosted, the buzz from this year's Cannes Film Festival, and Ryan Reynolds's disgraceful christening of our new Hall of Shame, the...
2024-05-273h 42
Overlapping DialogueRoboCop & Highway PatrolmanPull over and keep your hands where we can see 'em: this episode, we take a look at two films' explorations of the dehumanizing nature law enforcement has on both its practitioners and recipients with RoboCop and Highway Patrolman. But before we throw the book at ya, we take a little joy ride through a Blue Plate Special discussion on pair of new releases- both of which act as extended homages to past eras of genre cinema- with Love Lies Bleeding and Late Night with the Devil. We eventually get around to our spotlighted double feature: listen as we dissect...
2024-04-052h 40
Overlapping DialogueHollywood Shuffle & Amazon Women on the MoonDon't touch that dial, dedicated listener! On this edition of Overlapping Dialogue, we take a look at a pair of zany explorations of the state of filmmaking and television circa 1987 with Hollywood Shuffle and Amazon Women on the Moon. Prior to that, we dine out on a Blue Plate Special discussion of Dune: Part Two, the follow-up to 2021's adaptation of Frank Herbert's expansive science fiction epic. Upon arriving to this week's double feature, we delight in both films' contemptuous obsessions with the daily programming which dominates our lives: join us as we find a lot to like about director...
2024-03-152h 55
Overlapping DialogueMo' Better Blues & If Beale Street Could TalkIn honor of Black History month, we decided to examine two disparate, albeit excellent, depictions of the African American experience with Mo' Better Blues and If Beale Street Could Talk. Ahead of our subjects, we sort through a premium selection of Blue Plate Special items, including our thoughts on the recently announced Sam Mendes' series of films on The Beatles, a pair of new releases in Bob Marley: One Love and Lisa Frankenstein, and the complicated legacy of departed country music superstar Toby Keith. We eventually turn the radio on over to the highest quality jazz station imaginable with our...
2024-03-012h 56
Overlapping DialogueContempt & Pierrot le FouAs the world prepares to enter an ultra charged Super Bowl weekend, we kick off the festivities with the most special of appetizers, a pair of French New Wave classics from the late Jean-Luc Godard with Contempt and Pierrot le Fou! But before we explore the auteur's signature brand of cinematic nihilism, we preview the upcoming big game, try and make sense of the WWE's #WeWantCody phenomenon, get excited about the prospects of a contemporary-set Paul Thomas Anderson movie, and cautiously sort through our thought on the latest Jonathan Glazer film, The Zone of Interest. Have no fear though, we...
2024-02-092h 44
Overlapping DialogueVelvet Goldmine & I'm Not ThereToss up the glitter and dust off that harmonica: that's right, we're celebrating two of Todd Haynes's most iconic films, a pair of musical dramas with Velvet Goldmine and I'm Not There. We do wade into the relatively shallow yet agreeable enough waters of the new horror flick Night Swim but primarily dedicate this episode to Haynes's explorations of fame, musicianship, fandom, the divergent yet similarly heavy legacies of glam rock and folk music, find joy in Velvet Goldmine's opaque approximation of David Bowie before puzzling over I'm Not There's narratively muddled yet aesthetically exceptional approach to adapting the Troubadour...
2024-01-193h 19
Overlapping DialogueBest of 2023Another year gone, another year awaits...The team here at Overlapping Dialogue decided to ring in 2024 with an affectionate look back at the highs, lows, and above all else memorable moments of 2023 with our inaugural Harry Dean Awards! Listen as we discuss the many noteworthy performances of Oppenheimer, highlight our favorite aspects of Barbie, decide on the year's best use of Tilda Swinton, christen our Comeback Player of the Year, and dive into a great many more categories and distinctions, culminating in our recognizing of the Filmmaker and Film of the Year. The Academy "Awards" only grow all the more...
2024-01-053h 36
Overlapping DialogueHome AloneThis holiday season, cozy up to the fire, feast on some figgy pudding, and join Overlapping Dialogue as we deliver a special bonus audio commentary for one of our very favorite Christmas movies, Home Alone! Listen as we dissect the endless entertainment value inherent to Chris Columbus and John Hughes's family comedy without the family, complete with discussions of the McCallister's stately suburban Chicago estate, appreciations of the downright genius of pairing Joe Pesci with Daniel Stern, and a general agnosticism on the question of polka as a worthwhile art form.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us...
2023-12-222h 22
Overlapping DialogueHeaven Can Wait & Friday Night LightsAs you sort through your Thanksgiving leftovers and start your Christmas shopping, let Overlapping Dialogue serve the role of comforting holiday companion. We ring in the series of occasions with a pair of football movies that tug on the heartstrings- albeit in wildly different ways- with Heaven Can Wait and Friday Night Lights. But before they settle their respective differences on the gridiron, we as humble color commentators devour a full fledged meal with a Blue Plate Special lineup: listen as we discuss the latest edition of the Call of Duty franchise (Modern Warfare 3...again) and ponder what the yet-to-be-released...
2023-11-243h 15
Overlapping DialogueThe Stranger & The Lady from ShanghaiLight your cigs and scout the blotter: it's Noirvember, sugar bumps! This episode's pair of films, dedicated to one of classic Hollywood's richest legacies, celebrates the waning years of the legendary Orson Welles's time in the States with The Stranger and The Lady from Shanghai. But before we get lost in the shadows of postwar American ennui, our Blue Plate Special segment finds us diving ever so briefly back into the domain of bloody baboons with a discussion of the teaser trailer for Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. We eventually trade in our computer generated fur for some...
2023-11-102h 11
Overlapping DialoguePoltergeist & The Sixth SenseAs All Hallows' Eve approaches with a creeping intensity, Spooktober Spooktacular continues with two iconic cinematic ghost stories that have left an indelible impact with audiences of every subsequent generation: Poltergeist and The Sixth Sense. But before we exercise these spirits, we unpack and sort through our thoughts on the latest Martin Scorsese's historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon, look for answers in the satisfying labyrinth of The Blair Witch Project, and muse over the highs and lows of Hulu's small screen comedy-mystery Only Murders in the Building. Join us as we enter a pair of old dark houses...
2023-10-273h 19
Overlapping DialogueVampyr & Isle of the DeadBedazzle the cobwebs and yassify the cemetery: it's that time again, the third annual Overlapping Dialogue Spooktober Spooktacular! We dive into the Halloween spirit in with two black and white chillers from the 30s and 40s with Vampyr and Isle of the Dead. In addition to tangling with the undead, we get fat and happy with a Blue Plate Special bag of goodies, ranging from thoughts on the new Wes Anderson shorts adapting Roald Dahl on Netflix, predictions on what effects Swifties will have on theaters with the release of Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, and puzzle our way through...
2023-10-132h 49
Overlapping DialogueThe Untouchables & Public EnemiesIn this edition of Overlapping Dialogue, we make off with a load of fat greenbacks that turn out to be counterfeit junk with 1987's The Untouchables and 2009's Public Enemies. Though both films have generated healthy followings over the years, we take issue with their approaches to and executions of the crime genre, a medium we have particular passions for. Also, there's no Blue Plate Special this time but have no fear, we made a whole meal out of the cinematic dumpsters we're highlighting. Feel free to lock us up after this one and throw away the key: it's our...
2023-09-293h 08
Overlapping DialogueThe Mystery of Al Capone's VaultsMarcel Proust once said, "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes." Thankfully, legendary journalist and maestro of the mustache Geraldo Rivera took such advice to heart in the conception of his iconic, some might say infamous, television special The Mystery of Al Capone's Vaults. Join us as we provide our own commentary to Rivera's attempt to uncover secrets, loot, and- most importantly- anecdotes involving one of American gangland's most notorious figures. The ending may not exactly be what the Internal Revenue Service or sponsors of the special Budweiser and the Quaker...
2023-09-221h 53
Overlapping DialogueElection & American BeautyY2K looms large as Overlapping Dialogue concludes our series on the cinema of the 1990s with two satires situated deep in the Clinton years: Election and American Beauty. But before we celebrate the end of an era, we dive into a Blue Plate Special discussion involving our thoughts on some recent theatrical re-releases (American Graffiti and They Live) in the midst of the ongoing Hollywood strikes, puzzle over the impact of the "critical metric" site Rotten Tomatoes, and generally wrestle with the larger legacies left by the films of 1999 while also debating how it stacks up to other heralded...
2023-09-154h 29
Overlapping DialogueThe Last Days of Disco & American History XWe don't know whether to dance or weep on this edition of Overlapping Dialogue, which once again continues our journey through the 90s with a pairing that would leave even the hardiest party animal crying in the club: The Last Days of Disco and American History X. But before we put on our dancing shoes, we dig into a Blue Plate Special slate celebrating the lives of Terry Funk, Bray Wyatt, and Bob Barker; mull over the status of the ongoing Hollywood strikes; and offer up some thoughts on the latest chiller from Universal Studios, The Last Voyage of the...
2023-09-012h 46
Overlapping DialogueMy Best Friend's Wedding & Face/OffSometimes odd couples have the ability to go the long haul. In the spirit of labored cooperation, Overlapping Dialogue pairs two disparate 1997 darlings together for an episode you'll never forget: My Best Friend's Wedding and Face/Off! As always, we kick off the proceedings with a Blue Plate Special slate dedicated to celebrating the lives and legacies of William Friedkin and Robbie Robertson, burying once and for all the rote Airport franchise with The Concorde...Airport '79, praise the new release Past Lives, and attempt to assign coherence to a reluctant participant in Reflections of Evil. We eventually arrive to...
2023-08-183h 40
Overlapping DialogueHamlet & Lone StarAfter stepping out for a bit with a month-long hiatus, Overlapping Dialogue is back with our continued journey through 90s cinema, one that has us sorting out a pair of 1996 films riddled with daddy issues: Hamlet and Lone Star. But before we account for the sins of the father(s), we devour a Blue Plate Special slate sure to offer something for everyone as we assess some of this summer's most talked about releases with Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1, Oppenheimer, and Barbie. And yes, we do spend time unpacking the larger Barbenheimer phenomenon. Once the smoke clears and the...
2023-08-043h 41
Overlapping DialogueKids & GoldenEyeAs Overlapping Dialogue continues its quest through the cinema of the 1990s, we pair our most unlikely duo yet with the "edgy" coming-of-age drama Kids and the wildly popular entry in the James Bond franchise GoldenEye, both from 1995. But before we careen between the two widely disparate works, this edition's Blue Plate Special sees us tackling the reshuffling of Turner Classic Movies and pontificating on what it might mean for the future of the beloved institution; sorting through three recent releases in Asteroid City, No Hard Feelings, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; and celebrating the life and...
2023-07-073h 29
Overlapping DialogueIndependence DayWhat better way to honor not only our continued cruise through the cinema of the 1990s but of our nation's 247th birthday than with a surprise, holiday-edition commentary of Roland Emmerich's 1996 disaster epic, Independence Day?! Listen as we situate the film's place in the larger cinematic landscape of the decade, admire the unconventional "love" triangle conflict grounding the otherwise weightless action, question the general presence of Randy Quaid, and genuinely delight in Judd Hirsch's casual granting of fast-pass national security clearance through Area 51. Above all else, Overlapping Dialogue wishes you a happy July 4th vacation!
Feel free to skip to 45:29...
2023-07-033h 09
Overlapping DialogueThe River Wild & WolfContinuing our long, strange trip through the varied cinema of the 1990s, we do our best to enjoy the natural world and its inherent pitfalls, both real and imagined, with 1994's The River Wild and Wolf. Before we make like Chet Baker and get lost- in more ways than one- we dig into the much hyped Grimace Birthday Meal from the culinary geniuses at McDonald's, unpack the Walt Disney Company's recent censoring of New Hollywood classic The French Connection, and celebrate the lives and legacies of the Iron Sheik, Treat Williams, Cormac McCarthy, and Daniel Ellsberg. Upon saluting the departed...
2023-06-235h 03
Overlapping DialogueFearless & Groundhog DayAfter last episode's sex and violence-fueled theatrics, we decided to take a much needed trip to the confessional booth to consider two of the 90s greatest explorations of faith and humanity with 1993's Fearless and Groundhog Day. But before we find religion, this edition's Blue Plate Special incites a good dose of outsized outrage over well substantiated rumors about the forthcoming comic book Tower of Babel known as The Flash, prompts an opportunity to reflect on the conclusion of Succession and its legacy within the larger landscape of contemporary television, and revel in the madness of Netflix's new show Beef...
2023-06-092h 41
Overlapping DialogueHard Boiled & Basic InstinctFans of lewdness and vulgarity: look no further! This edition of Overlapping Dialogue, in continuing our journey through the loud and proud 1990s, spotlights two of the decade's most stylish entries with Hard Boiled and Basic Instinct. But before we dive face-first into the carnage, our Blue Plate Special sampling forces us to confront the passing of iconic (albeit fictional) TV and screen legend Rick Dalton, offer up some brief thoughts on new releases Hypnotic and Peter Pan & Wendy, and analyze from afar a host of headlines emanating from the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. After trashing Jonathan Debt (enemy of the...
2023-05-263h 00
Overlapping DialogueA Brighter Summer Day & Until the End of the World2023 was the year that Overlapping Dialogue went out of control. No one knew where it might land. It soared above the ozone layer like a lethal bird of prey. The whole world was alarmed. Only Kyle & Levi couldn't care less...
In our second episode celebrating the cinema of the 1990s, we hitch a ride in the way-back machine and head straight ahead into the year of 1991 with a double feature that would collectively captivate you for nearly 9 hours: A Brighter Summer Day & Until the End of the World! But before we travel through the weighty contexts surrounding both films, we...
2023-05-123h 11
Overlapping DialogueHavana & Dick TracyAfter a two month hiatus, Overlapping Dialogue makes its triumphant return with our 71st edition, kicking off a 10 episode look at one of the most widely beloved periods in contemporary film history: the 1990s! But before we travel back in time to the era of Beanie Babies and horrific homegrown domestic terrorism, we sort through a Blue Plate Special gauntlet tacking a slew of new releases in Cocaine Bear, 65, Renfield, and the much anticipated Beau is Afraid. And don't worry, we even find some time to return to our semi-recurring segment on the Airport franchise of the 70s, this time...
2023-04-283h 48
Overlapping DialogueHeat & Max Keeble's Big MoveFor us, the action is the juice with a double feature for the ages, the very sort of pairing that fights for freedom and lives for love (IYKYK): Heat & Max Keeble's Big Move! But before we explore these insane moves- large and small- this edition's Blue Plate Special digs into recent ticket price hikes at AMC Theatres, M. Night Shyamalan's latest thriller Knock at the Cabin, the 2000 hyperlink landmark Amores Perros, and an Amazon order mix-up (not once but twice!!) that's destined to forever live in infamy. But the men of the hour (Pacino, De Niro, and Linz) inevitably make...
2023-02-173h 34
Overlapping DialogueCabiria & Steamboat Bill, Jr.This episode, we decided to give voice to the voiceless by spotlighting two sizable monuments in the silent film canon: Cabiria and Steamboat Bill, Jr. First things first though...our Blue Plate Special broods over two moody genre flicks with 1994's The Crow and new release Infinity Pool. Upon inspecting cinema's earliest days, we discuss the strained theatrics of Cabiria, the slight hilarity of Steamboat Bill, Jr., and the clearly observable influence both movies had on not only their respective genres but on the development of cinema writ large.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all...
2023-02-031h 45
Overlapping DialogueThe Misfits & Dunston Checks InIn undoubtedly the most twisted double feature we've yet to conceive, this episode focuses on a pair of films centered on the vulgar, animalistic urges which threaten to undo not only our relations with those we thought we loved but even our own attainment of anything resembling contentment or peace. You guessed it, we're tackling The Misfits and Dunston Checks In! But before we get around to horse wrangling and monkey business, this edition's Blue Plate Special prompts a discussion of two flawed yet thrilling new releases in Gerard Butler's latest action flick Plane and the feature film debut of...
2023-01-202h 33
Overlapping DialogueDuck Soup & Big FishHappy New Year! We decided to kick off 2023 right by focusing our attention on a pair of films that at once signal disastrous ends and new beginnings, all yoked with the tempered romance of yesteryears: Duck Soup and Big Fish. But before we double dip, we navigate a Blue Plate Special slate focused on three thought-provoking new releases, ranging from whodunit Glass Onion, the profane epic Babylon, and finally the long awaited adaptation of Don DeLillo's White Noise. In moving forward though, this episode's subject films send us scrambling for the old way-back machine: listen as we delight in the...
2023-01-063h 11
Overlapping DialogueThe Year Without a Santa Claus & It's a Wonderful LifeAs the march to Christmas draws to its inevitable close, we put a bow on the festivities by discussing two very special gifts of any holiday season, The Year Without a Santa Claus and It's a Wonderful Life. But before we dig under the tree and paw away at the goodies, this week's Blue Plate Special prompts a conversation on two new releases- The Fabelmans and Avatar: The Way of Water (leading to two new entrants into our hall of fame, the Immune)- and a rash of new trailers for movies awaiting audiences in the summer of 2023. Nevertheless, our...
2022-12-233h 50
Overlapping DialogueChristmas with the Kranks & Deck the HallsUnpack the ornaments, adjust the tree, and hang the wreaths: this edition of Overlapping Dialogue has us unwrapping and failing to admire much about two bad holiday family comedies from the 2000s, Christmas with the Kranks and Deck the Halls. But before we untangle the holiday mayhem, we roast some chestnuts over an open fire with an extended Blue Plate Special discussion of the 2022 Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time Poll. Upon dispensing with the art, we dive headfirst into two films unlikely to ever be included in such canonized company. Listen as we surprisingly take little issue...
2022-12-093h 14
Overlapping DialogueWedding Crashers & American PsychoThis holiday weekend, as the leaves of Thanksgiving transition into the tinsel of Christmas, we take some time to settle down, gather together, and needlessly subject ourselves to two overstuffed cinematic turduckens of toxic masculinity: Wedding Crashers and American Psycho. Listen as we grapple with the intermittent highs and frequent lows of both films, discuss how Wedding Crashers fits into the 2000s comedy landscape, scoff at the shallow profundity American Psycho attempts to achieve, and generally question why we went with this flawed yet apt pairing. No Blue Plate Special this week but here's to hoping you have plenty of...
2022-11-251h 17
Overlapping DialogueStranger Than Paradise & Dumb and DumberBig Gulps, huh? Alright...well, why you're here, you might as well get comfy, settle down for a spell, and catch up with old friends. This edition of Overlapping Dialogue has us hitting the highway for two road classics, Stranger Than Paradise & Dumb and Dumber! But before we arrive there, we take a few detours with a Blue Plate Special discussion of the surprisingly adequate Halloween Ends, the wickedly talented (iykyk) The Devils, and the considered brilliance of Tár, Todd Field's long awaited return to filmmaking. This week's duo is just as offbeat and eclectic: listen as we discuss J...
2022-11-113h 17
Overlapping DialogueDay of the Dead & Addams Family ReunionOverlapping Dialogue's 2nd Annual Spooktober Spooktacular marches on with a duo of films that will be sure to scare your socks off, either through genuine terror or the fact that they're genuinely terrible. Up first, George Romero's 1985 conclusion to his legendary zombie "trilogy," Day of the Dead. We dig into a discussion about why exactly this least celebrated entry of the three is perhaps the series' most narratively and thematically daring offering and find every opportunity to crack up at the ironically excessive performance of Joe Pilato as Captain Rhodes. Speaking of unhinged hilarity...our second film, Addams Family Reunion...
2022-10-212h 35
Overlapping DialogueNight of the Living Dead & Dawn of the DeadCalling all ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and goodhearted scaredy cats! Overlapping Dialogue's 2nd annual Spooktober Spooktacular kicks off with a horror duology as iconic as they come: Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, George Romero's prescient codas on the decaying state of human flesh and the, you know, larger state of humanity. But before we devour those, join us for a discussion of a twisted modern day pairing in Don't Worry Darling and Blonde, new releases that have generated a great deal of debate and controversy in their own right. Our inevitable breakdown of Romero's zombie classics...
2022-10-072h 57
Overlapping DialogueDog Eat DogAll great things must come to an end, so what better way to conclude our ten episode misadventure through crime cinema than with Dog Eat Dog, 2016's gloriously indulgent psycho romp from master of the form Paul Schrader? First though, this episode's Blue Plate Special raises its glass to salute the life and career of French trailblazer Jean-Luc Godard- we attempt to put into words his incalculable contribution to the entirety of cinema - before we briefly recommend the new horror film Barbarian. But have no fear, we eventually dive head first into Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe's disasterpiece: listen...
2022-09-233h 18
Overlapping DialogueThe Place Beyond the PinesLooking for your weekly dose of generational trauma, misdirective cinema, and grease stained Ben Mendelsohn? Luckily, The Place Beyond the Pines, 2013's crime-drama-tragedy-mini-epic, is here to save the day! Before we make our way down its dark and winding road, come with us as we make a quick pit-stop and chow down on a Blue Plate Special that leaps from a discussion of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and its theatrical re-release in honor of the classic film's 40th anniversary to an ambivalent consideration of Three Thousand Years of Longing, the latest film from Mad Max maestro George Miller. In...
2022-09-094h 39
Overlapping DialogueKilling Them SoftlyGrab the cigarillos and hoist the balaclavas: we go us a score in the works! This episode's exploration of crime cinema guides us through the seedy underbellies of Boston...or New Orleans...or Sawmills...or wherever the heck Killing Them Softly, Andrew Dominik's 2012 political diatribe in hood's clothing, takes place. But before we revel in the muck, we partake in a Blue Plate Special selection that salvages something from John Waters's 1972 cult behemoth Pink Flamingos, find a lot to love with the new A24 slasher Bodies Bodies Bodies, and celebrate the bittersweet conclusion of Better Call Saul. We eventually get...
2022-08-264h 10
Overlapping DialogueSexy BeastHave you ever wanted your carefree, blissful poolside tan interrupted by an assaultive collection of hateful bile? Then sit back in your lounge chair and apply the sun screen because we've got a show for you: this week's episode has us parsing 2000's witty and strange British crime flick Sexy Beast! But before we catapult face first off the diving board, we snack on an endlessly sumptuous Blue Plate Special, covering topics as varied as Dennis Hopper's unlikely 1980 punk masterpiece Out of the Blue, new release Bullet Train and a spirited post-screening reaction it inspired, and the outright cancelled release...
2022-08-124h 07
Overlapping DialogueBad LieutenantHop on into the squad car and bear witness to one of the most notorious cops in cinematic history with Bad Lieutenant, Abel Ferrara's controversial 1992 masterpiece. But before we scrutinize this grisly mugshot of a movie, this week's Blue Plate Special find us fielding 2022 thoughts on Steven Spielberg's 1979 disaster 1941 (with us so far?); glancing into the hall of mirrors psychological gauntlet Synecdoche, New York from none other than Charlie Kaufman; and find a lot to love in Nope, Jordan Peele's latest blockbuster chiller. The time finally arrives to merge onto this episode's degenerative off-ramp of a movie, forcing us to...
2022-07-294h 59
Overlapping DialogueThe American FriendOne minute you're playing expert spoiler to would-be forgers at an art auction, the next minute you're saving one such forger before he falls to his death off a speeding bullet train. As disgraced British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would say, "...them's the breaks!" This week's episode, perhaps the most special in our history, has us palling alongside a delightful pack of miscreants with 1977's The American Friend! But before we get around to our latest entry in our series of crime films, this week's Blue Plate Special finds us contrasting the listless Airport 1975 with the eclectic brilliance of The...
2022-07-155h 27
Overlapping DialogueThe Killing of a Chinese BookieIt's your lucky day: you just secured a pair of highly sought after backstage passes to the show of a lifetime, brought to you by the many talented ladies and handful of gentleman at Crazy Horse West. That's right, you walked right into...The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, John Cassavetes's crime genre turn of the mid 70s? Well, why we clean up the unexpectedly bloody stage, treat yourself to an opening act Blue Plate Special discussion of Elvis (the man, the myth, and the latest maximalist spectacular from Baz Luhrmann), the new chiller The Black Phone (starring none other...
2022-07-014h 41
Overlapping DialogueBring Me the Head of Alfredo GarciaSit right here and have another beer in Mexico...it very well may be your last! Our latest look at crime cinema has us trudging through the muck of Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, director Sam Peckinpah's unforgiving neo-western from 1974. But before we descend into oblivion, we load up a Blue Plate Special where we discuss Kathryn Bigelow's appropriately titled Strange Days, parse the latest David Cronenberg release Crimes of the future, and celebrate the dearly departed character acting legend Phillip Baker Hall. Upon eventually taking the off-ramp to Hell, we consider the game changing filmography of Peckinpah...
2022-06-174h 23
Overlapping DialogueThe Friends of Eddie CoyleHop in the getaway car as we fumble through an already ill-conceived score gone wrong with part 2 of our ongoing deep dive on crime cinema with 1973's The Friends of Eddie Coyle, the godfather of Boston crime yarns. But on the way to the heist, we first gorge ourselves with Blue Plate Special topics as varied as Alex Garland's latest assault on the modern subconscious (Men), the unexpected yet welcome brilliance of Top Gun: Maverick, the utterly rotten and dishonorable Paramount+ televisual product The Offer, and a mourning of the loss of star Ray Liotta. Upon arriving to the subject...
2022-06-034h 33
Overlapping DialogueEach Dawn I DieWe decided to finally spring ourselves out of hiatus jail and make a semi-triumphant return with Each Dawn I Die, an underrated 1939 gem from the hallowed Warner Brothers gangster film canon! But first...this week's full-fledged gruel of a Blue Plate Special involves discussions of a host of new releases, including The Batman, Ambulance, The Northman, and Memoria, as well as belated thoughts on the Will Smith-Chris Rock fiasco and the ongoing disaster that is the Jonathan Debt (Johnny Depp to some) and Amber Heard defamation trial. Finally, we bust out of this joint with a celebration of the classic...
2022-05-134h 19
Overlapping DialogueTitanicAll aboard as we celebrate one, two, three, four, scratch that, fifty episodes of Overlapping Dialogue with a movie so big that even this podcast couldn't sink it: Titanic! But before we rally to the lifeboats or slide hopelessly to our chilly doom, this week's Blue Plate Special finds us chowing down on a whole host of recent watches, including Smooth Talk, The Green Fog, Kameradschaft, Mud, and Far From Heaven. Once the appetizers are dispatched, we feast on James Cameron's gargantuan main course of a production, working our way through the various historical contexts the movie situates itself in...
2022-03-046h 34
Overlapping DialogueTwin Peaks: Fire Walk With MeRemember that gum you like? Well, it's going to come back in style...and leave you with plenty to chew on. This week's episode finds us cautiously shuffling through the enchanting, delicious nightmare known as Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, the prequel/marginal-sequel to the beloved cult classic TV show that fills in a few gaps while crafting whole new gulfs along the way. But before we traipse through the labyrinthian corridors of the Red Room, we discuss a recent profile of Francis Ford Coppola that acts as its own coda to our recent Godfather episodes, followed by a...
2022-02-256h 19
Overlapping DialogueThe Godfather Blowout SaleJust when we thought we were out, they pulled us back in...to keep talking about all things Godfather! This week's bonus episode has us exploring the larger Godfather-verse- or whatever- which includes but is not limited to the original 1969 source material from Mario Puzo, the much maligned conclusion of the cinematic trilogy, the ex post facto videogames (which especially hold a place in our collective hearts), and the forthcoming Paramount+ series The Offer that looks every bit as mediocre as most of the aforementioned iterations of the franchise. Nothing may ever touch the original two films but we had...
2022-02-182h 15
Overlapping DialogueThe Godfather Part IIWhat better way to follow up last episode's discussion of the greatest film of all time than by subsequently tackling the greatest sequel of all time? The Godfather Part II's successes are myriad but its sheer force of will to act as both a prequel and a sequel to its hallowed predecessor with such taste and confidence make it one of the most unlikely triumphs in the history of cinema. Tune in as we talk through the ways in which the film's arc acts as a rendition if not muted rebuke of the original that forges a genuinely metatextual statement...
2022-02-116h 09
Overlapping DialogueThe GodfatherThis week's episode, an offer we simply couldn't refuse, has us celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of quite literally the greatest film to ever grace the collective medium of cinema: The Godfather. We do our best to explore the endless number of facets that elevated Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 masterwork as the natural evolution of the gangster genre (one of America's purest artforms), situate its status within the New Hollywood canon, place each and every brilliant performance in their context of coexistence with one another, and weigh its various historical and political contexts to uncover what exactly about it continues to capture...
2022-02-045h 42
Overlapping DialogueSwordfishAre you searching for that special movie that openly invites you to log on, hack in, go anywhere, and steal everything? Then baby, you're in the right place because our latest episode has us gone in 60 mbps with Swordfish, the slick action thriller that once again challenged our assumptions on the lengths to which John Travolta would go to further embarrass himself. But before we jack into this wannabe Matrix...this week's Blue Plate Special finds us loving John Sayles's 1987 union masterpiece Matewan, waxing nostalgically at the 2000 Disney Channel original movie Phantom of the Megaplex, and taking issue with the...
2022-01-284h 02
Overlapping DialogueCasablancaThis may be the beginning of a beautiful podcast... We open up this week's podcast with some thoughts and observations on the NFL Wild Card Weekend before diving into a Blue Plate Special filled with WWII pictures The Longest Day (1962) and Kelly's Heroes (1970). Upon finally ducking into the exotic saloon known as Rick's Cafe, we discuss what exactly about Casablanca makes it among the most legendary creations in the history of cinema, why the movie's aged over the past eighty years like the finest of wines, how it fits into the evolution of Humphrey Bogart's iconic star persona, and delight...
2022-01-214h 10
Overlapping DialogueInto the NightWe worked overtime and then some, burning every ounce of midnight oil we had, when it came to bringing you our very first episode of 2022 on Into the Night, John Landis's 1985 nocturnal romp. But before we get there...we discussed, for likely far longer than necessary, why exactly Valkyrie, the laughable 2008 historical drama, is perhaps the "greatest middle school movie ever" before diving face first into a Blue Plate Special involving thoughts on last year's Annette, a new segment within a segment called Baggage Claim where we gradually traverse our way through the Airport franchise, and finish off with a...
2022-01-144h 47
Overlapping DialogueSkidooAnchors aweigh on 2021 as we deliver our very last episode of the year with Otto Preminger's colossal 1968 "comedic" misfire Skidoo! But before we steer directly into the iceberg, this week's Blue Plate Special has us parsing the Matrix sequels (Reloaded, Revolutions, and the latest Resurrections) for meaning and edification, followed by an outright celebration of Paul Thomas Anderson's latest film Licorice Pizza. Upon finally arriving to the Mad Magazine-esque pastiche that is Skidoo, we critique the ways in which television began altering the stylings and aesthetics of film comedy in the 1960s and beyond, question the decision making of dramatic...
2021-12-314h 26
Overlapping DialogueSpider-ManHave yourself a very Spidey Christmas with everyone's friendly neighborhood webhead and his very first cinematic outing from Sam Raimi and company in 2002. But before we dig into the biggest present under the tree, we sort through the Blue Plate Special-themed stocking stuffers, ranging from discussions on the forgotten gem Where the Buffalo Roam and contemporary classic The Matrix, inspired in part by the latter film's recent sequel/reboot The Matrix Resurrections. We finally tear through the Tobey Maguire-adorned wrapping paper to parse the myriad ways in which the character of Peter Parker and his various iterations remains among the...
2021-12-245h 00
Overlapping DialogueJingle All the WayIn honor of the approaching behemoth known as December 25th, we decided to load up the shopping cart and max out the charge card with one of the...Schwarzenegger-est movies in the Christmas canon: 1996's Jingle All the Way! Listen as we discuss the wildly idiosyncratic film career and public life of Ahnuld, delight in the ingeniously specific performance of Phil Hartman, parse the endlessly problematic material supplied to a very funny Sinbad, and in general guffaw at the litany of contradictions in the holiday season and its corrosive relationship to capitalism. We even get into the gutter a bit...
2021-12-174h 06
Overlapping DialogueHistorical FilmmakingWe take a little break from the audio commentating to do a little bit of audio pontificating on a whole host of topics, starting with a Blue Plate Special concerned with re-litigating the holiday classic The Nightmare Before Christmas before finding a lot to love in Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg. This week's bonus episode finally gets around to the broad and nearly indefinable topic of what exactly happens when history and filmmaking collide. What does the art form of cinema "owe" the people, places, and ideas of the past and what do such interpretations have to tell us about the...
2021-12-103h 33
Overlapping DialogueCarolWhat better way to follow up last week's episode on an elegant period piece drama about the mid-20th century (see Jackie) than yet another exploration of the immutable soft screams of love gained and lost with Carol, Todd Haynes's 2015 masterpiece? But before we get there...this week's Blue Plate Special has us talking some football and sharing some belated joy over the Las Vegas Raiders' remarkable Thanksgiving Day overtime victory against the Dallas Cowboys, taking issue with the general existence of the new Disney Plus release of the legacyquel Home Sweet Home Alone, and finally settling once and for...
2021-12-034h 26
Overlapping DialogueJackieWe thought we'd follow up last week's lengthy labyrinth of an episode on the events of November 22, 1963 with a more quiet and graceful remembrance of the same day and its lasting after effects with 2016's Jackie. But before we take yet another stroll down the American Century's middle period...this week's Blue Plate Special finds us discussing our recent experience seeing legendary rock band Genesis early on their ongoing The Last Domino? tour before transitioning to some thoughts on Wes Anderson's latest The French Dispatch. The film of the week inevitably sparks a discussion on recent trends in biopics and...
2021-11-263h 37
Overlapping DialogueJFKWas it Lee Harvey Oswald on the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository with a Carcano Model 38 carbine rifle? Perhaps David Ferrie years before in a Floridian swamp owned by the CIA with a decaying Thompson submachine gun? Wait, what about a forever anonymous gunman, in effect a shadow indicative of forces far beyond our understanding (much less control) armed with the potent mysteries inherent to the ever evolving demands of the American Century? All we know for certain is that President John F. Kennedy died in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963, a day that forever changed the nation...
2021-11-196h 31
Overlapping DialogueMarnieIf you're looking to hear a slew of above average Sean Connery impressions...then we have the podcast for you! We take our first ever dive into the canon of Alfred Hitchcock with his late career masterpiece from 1964, Marnie. But first: this week's Blue Plate Special has us gobbling up the sumptuous new release Spencer before we take issue with both the meme-ification of film culture and the nonstop media coverage of and obsession with the Smith family. Upon eventually getting around to Marnie, we reflect on the place Hitchcock's filmography in not only the larger history of film but...
2021-11-124h 33
Overlapping DialogueA Clockwork OrangeIn honor of the film's forthcoming golden anniversary, this week's subject has us grappling with the celebrated auteurism of Stanley Kubrick and his iconoclastic vision of a dystopian future, 1971's A Clockwork Orange. But first...the Blue Plate Special forces us to confront an even more alarming cultural product: the forthcoming presence of a Buzz Lightyear origin story. Seriously, why??? Thankfully, a new segment-within-a-segment allows the two of us to fan the flames of some recent cinematic line-reading obsessions we have indeed deemed worthy of your undivided attention: i.e. things we've been burning on (shout out to friend of...
2021-11-054h 13
Overlapping DialogueCarnival of SoulsIn our final installment of the first annual edition of Spooktober Spooktacular, we get lost trying to catch our bearings within the shoestring labyrinth of Herk Harvey's single feature film, Carnival of Souls. But before we get there...this week's Blue Plate Special finds us digging through the sugar, *spice*, and everything nice associated with the recently released adaptation of one of science fiction literature's crown jewels, Dune. After digging our way out from under the sandworms, we gleefully plunge ourselves into the inviting abyss of our 1962 subject film, a haunting cult classic that should've been the beginning of a...
2021-10-293h 33
Overlapping DialogueBeetlejuiceThe fourth edition of this year's Spooktober Spooktacular finds the hosts with the most conjuring the known universe's preeminent bio-exorcist: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Being our second discussion involving director Tim Burton (listen to an earlier episode where we mulled over his 2001 Planet of the Apes remake for the first), we find joy in exploring the filmmaker's breakthrough hit that help solidify his place as one of 80s Hollywood's brightest new talents. But first...this week's Blue Plate Special loads up on a host of new trailers- ranging from Home Sweet Home Alone to forthcoming spandex spectacles The Flash and The...
2021-10-224h 28
Overlapping DialogueThe Texas Chain Saw MassacreWhoever said a little bit of traveling never hurt anybody's clearly never found themselves evading a certain family from Texas with a troubling dual interest in chainsaws and massacres. The latest edition of October's Spooktober Spectacular has us tackling Tobe Hooper's at once exploitative and memorable 1974 descent into the southern fried abyss. But first...this week's Blue Plate Special finds us discussing the unconventional theatrical distribution strategy of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's recent festival darling Memoria before we work through our feelings on No Time to Die, the latest in the never ending 007 franchise, and its place in the canon of all...
2021-10-153h 44
Overlapping DialogueFunny GamesQueue up the subtitles because we're tackling our very first foreign language film in Overlapping Dialogue's (admittedly short) history! This month's Spooktober Spooktacular takes an unexpected detour with an episode dedicated to Michael Haneke's psychological horror thriller Funny Games from 1997, a movie that's by no means for the faint of heart. But before arriving to the metatextual mayhem...this week's Blue Plate Special has us diving in headfirst with our takes on both the trailer for (spiritual) friend of the pod Paul Thomas Anderson's forthcoming film Licorice Pizza and the simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max release of The Many Saints...
2021-10-084h 24
Overlapping DialogueCreepshowHope you brought a flashlight and ironclad will because things are about to get...spooky. This October, we'll be spending time with the wide-ranging spectrum of horror cinema, from the lightly-accented to the outright terrifying. Our first entry has us visiting the welcome 1982 collaboration between horror icons George Romero and Stephen King, Creepshow! But first, this week's Blue Plate Special finds us mourning the loss of independent film legend Melvin Van Peebles, questioning the announcement of a partnership between the Roald Dahl estate and Netflix, and finding delight in the Criterion Collection home video release of Deep Cover. Upon reaching...
2021-10-013h 57
Overlapping DialogueSee Spot RunAfter a protracted trek through the Planet of the Apes franchise, we finally make our long-awaited return to one-off episodes with See Spot Run, one of many entries into the rich tradition of animal-fueled children's movies! But first...this week's Blue Plate Special has us remembering the life and career of comedy legend Norm Macdonald before speculating on Christopher Nolan's announced J. Robert Oppenheimer film at Universal Pictures; we follow that up with some initial thoughts on the latest trailers for Nightmare Alley and The Matrix Resurrections and some fully formed musings on one of 2021's few unqualified cinematic successes...
2021-09-243h 59
Overlapping DialogueWar for the Planet of the ApesAt long last, our apeathon reaches its end with War for the Planet of the Apes, the 2017 conclusion to the most recent reboot trilogy. But first...the Blue Plate Special has us loading up on some recent trailers for forthcoming releases (Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spencer, and The Many Saints of Newark), followed by a discussion of the 1958 film noir classic Touch of Evil. Upon finally reaching the end of the franchise which- you guessed it- once asked us to go ape, we take one last look at what these most recent films added to the series as a whole...
2021-09-034h 14
Overlapping DialogueDawn of the Planet of the ApesOur eighth consecutive trek through the Forbidden Zone finds us excavating, of all places, an overgrown San Francisco which is, you guessed it!, infested with murderous primates. (You'd think we'd have learned our lesson by now but...alas...) Listen to our introduction as we introduce a new recurrent segment of the show: the Blue Plate Special. In this initial offering, we load up on a trio of neo-noirs (Body Heat, Trouble in Mind, and Reminiscence) that has us pondering both past modes of the form and how it might exactly realize itself in the years to come. Upon finally arriving...
2021-08-274h 17
Overlapping DialogueRise of the Planet of the ApesFor our seventh episode studying the film series which once asked us to go ape, we find ourselves in a state-of-the-art- circa 2011 anyways- digital playground with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the first of the most recent trilogy of reimagined primate action. Listen as we first discuss some recent films we've seen, including Robert Altman's 1979 uncharacteristic bore Quintet and the newly released Don't Breathe 2, which of course sparked a brief conversational revisit of the canny 2016 original. Upon finally getting around to the 2011 simian film, we weigh the various means through which this seventh entry retooled the franchise for...
2021-08-203h 47
Overlapping DialoguePlanet of the Apes (2001 Remake)This week, we thought we'd go all out by delivering our longest episode yet (5 whole hours!) on a film that added next to nothing to the careers of everyone involved and the larger franchise that bears its name: 2001's Planet of the Apes! Listen to us lose our collective minds over the recent phenomenon of speed watching, listening, living, etc. before we turn our existential crises into sincere enlightenment. Thankfully, the recent trailers for Ridley Scott's forthcoming films The Last Duel and House of Gucci restored our spirits. Finally, we walk through the nine circles of developmental Hell it took...
2021-08-135h 01
Overlapping DialogueBattle for the Planet of the ApesTHE FINAL CHAPTER (not really but bear with us) of the Ape Saga brings us to Battle for the Planet of the Apes, an anticlimactic conclusion to the first five groundbreaking science fiction films that blinded us with promise before fading like a dying star. Listen as we pontificate upon two new releases (Jungle Cruise and The Green Knight) before diving into yet another discussion of the primate franchise's scattershot concoction of philosophy and monkey-fueled mayhem. Have no fear: as Bon Jovi once spewed with melodic mediocrity, we're half way there!!
Feel free to skip to 1:38:48 for the beginning of...
2021-08-063h 19
Overlapping DialogueConquest of the Planet of the ApesOur laborious trek through the Forbidden Zone continues with our fourth entry into the primate parables with Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, quite easily the greatest fourthquel (is that even a word?) ever made. Listen as we examine this franchise's unlikely stamina through its reflection of a contemporary culture jaded by the unfulfilling answers to the weighty promises of the past decade's Civil Rights Movement, some unfortunately subpar makeup from a series that once set industry standards, a litany of ape vs. human violence in the film's thrilling yet indecisive third act, and an appreciation of the great...
2021-07-302h 48
Overlapping DialogueEscape from the Planet of the ApesHope you got your favorite monkey suit handy because we're going to a costume party you'll never forget with Escape from the Planet of the Apes, 1971's addition to the franchise that once bravely asked you to go ape. Listen as we walk through this third entry's attempt to put a silk hat on a chimpanzee by time traveling to the groovy early 1970s while inventing new ways to keep a series fresh in its unexpected charting of a dark and gloomy future.
Feel free to skip to 1:14:17 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe...
2021-07-232h 57
Overlapping DialogueBeneath the Planet of the ApesGot your pick axe and gorilla glue handy? Good, because you're gonna need it! We continue our multi-week trek through the Forbidden Zone with our second exploration of the Planet of the Apes franchise with its 1970 entry, Beneath the Planet of the Apes. Join us as we parse the glorious messiness of this film's simultaneous expansion upon and aping of (no pun intended) the themes and ideas introduced in the previous film, the apocalyptic overtones and shocking ending reflective of the fears and anxieties of the late 60s and early 70s, and the inherent problems of attempting to catch lightning...
2021-07-163h 11
Overlapping DialoguePlanet of the ApesThis week's episode marks the beginning of a nine episode trek through the Forbidden Zone into one of the oddest, most influential franchises in the history of Hollywood with our look at 1968's opening entry, Planet of the Apes! We follow the breadcrumbs towards our own destruction by discussing a variety of topics, including the script's sizable pedigree with Michael Wilson and the one and only Rod Serling, the timely yet elusive themes this film and its successors came to represent, the timelessly ham-fisted choices of Charlton Heston, and the larger off-kilter brilliance that combines John Chambers's legendary makeup, Jerry...
2021-07-093h 30
Overlapping DialogueRemakes: What Are They Good For?In this week's bonus episode, we wade our way through the imminently rote but nonetheless fascinating cinematic spectrum of the remake: what nature do they play in recontextualizing or expanding upon past works and how do they function as art in of themselves? This discussion includes an examination of the modern strategies franchises employ in "updating" or "adapting" "intellectual property" in "fun and exciting" ways (that's a lot of quotes but hey, it feels entirely appropriate, right?). Which ones work and which ones don't? Tune in to find out! We even get around to pitching to one another some ideas...
2021-07-022h 43
Overlapping DialogueThe MummyIn honor of our 20th episode, we decided to trek back to our old stomping grounds, Hamunaptra (famed City of the Dead), with a thorough discussion of all things The Mummy, Stephen Sommer's 1999 action-horror romp for the ages. Listen as we celebrate the film's ascension from run of the mill blockbuster to generational touchstone, weigh its place in the career and stardom of Brendan Fraser, stan the possibilities of a Jonathan (John Hannah) and Beni (Kevin J. O'Connor) spinoff movie/franchise, and induct the very first member into the Overlapping Dialogue's Hall of Fame (aka The Immune).
Feel free to...
2021-06-253h 56
Overlapping DialogueClueWas it Mrs. White with a lead pipe in the conservatory? What about Professor Plum with a revolver in the kitchen? Ooh, I know, it was Mrs. Peacock with a rope in the library, right?? In all actuality, it was Jonathan Lynn and (gasp, two killers!!) John Landis with a pair of scissors in the editing room, attempting to splice together a coherent and entertaining yarn out of a popular board game. Listen as we examine the scene of the crime with 1985's Clue, where we breakdown the joys and pitfalls of board game cinema, the cinematic ethics of creating...
2021-06-183h 20
Overlapping DialogueThe Country BearsHop on the tour bus and make sure the banjos are tuned and ready to go, loser: we got a Bear Hall to save! Take a journey with us as we survey the many sights and sounds associated with The Country Bears, Disney's 2002 roadshow revue at once ahead of its time and forever out-of-touch. Listen as we struggle to place this cornball jamboree within the larger trend of theme park cinema while simultaneously puzzling over a great many larger questions: just what sort of alternate universe is taking place that allows bears to not only speak human languages and wear...
2021-06-113h 27
Overlapping DialogueFive Easy PiecesOrder up! Our seventeenth episode finds us sorting through the wreckage of love, loss, and abandoned potential with Five Easy Pieces, one of New Hollywood's crown jewels. Join us as we dissect the mighty contributions of cinematic supernova Jack Nicholson, the qualified brilliance of director Bob Rafelson, and the iconic diner scene cemented into the memories of all who've seen the movie and the many more who likely haven't.
Feel free to skip to 1:35:08 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify...
2021-06-043h 26
Overlapping DialogueDjango UnchainedFor our not-so-sweet sixteenth episode, the decision was made that a trip to Candyland was in order. Unfortunately, we saw less Lord Licorice than we did loquacious slave owners in Django Unchained, the much heralded revisionist western from cinematic provocateur Quentin Tarantino. Listen in as we discuss our least favorite film from a director whose work we otherwise love and the problems inherent in white artists attempting to tell black stories without the slightest bit of grace.
Feel free to skip to 1:48:00 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all...
2021-05-284h 46
Overlapping DialogueBrewster McCloudInspired in part by a precocious youth of the early 1970s who quite possibly may have been avian-themed serial killer, we take our own bold leap of faith in discussing Brewster McCloud, New Hollywood icon Robert Altman's 1970 follow-up to M*A*S*H! We do our best to string together some thoughts on one of the era's most fruitful auteurs while exploring the particulars of what made the end of the 1960s and the beginning of the 1970s among America's most maddening socio-cultural moments.
Feel free to skip to 1:29:27 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like...
2021-05-213h 40
Overlapping DialogueFear and Loathing in Las VegasAfter last week's traverse through Sin City, we thought we'd put up our feet and stay awhile before the check bounces with Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Terry Gilliam's 1998 adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson's groundbreaking gonzo classic! We take our spin at the proverbial roulette wheel by diving into the complicated nature of adapting Thompson's signature prose, assessing where this fits in the pantheon of one J̶o̶h̶n̶n̶y̶ ̶D̶e̶p̶p̶ Jonathan Debt, what made Gilliam an uncanny choice to finally realize a project which had long resided in developmental Hell, and marvel at the gloriou...
2021-05-143h 47
Overlapping DialogueCasinoWe shut up and put our money where our mouth is: that's what we get for waking up in Vegas with Casino, Martin Scorsese's 1995 crime epic! Join the party as we delight in Marty's supersized take on Sin City, ponder where it fits into his legendary gangster canon, lovingly mock Joe Pesci's attempt at a Chicago accent, and take a stab at guessing what song on this episode's gonna get flagged by the fascists at YouTube. Let the chips fall where they may. Feel free to skip to 1:22:40 for the beginning of our audio commentary. ...
2021-05-074h 36
Overlapping DialogueThe Color of MoneyWe follow up last week's discussion of the beloved billiards classic The Hustler with its sequel, 1986's The Color of Money! Listen as we walk through our very first Martin Scorsese picture while admiring the aged wine that is Paul Newman, the burgeoning superstardom of Tom Cruise, the delights and dangers of life spent in smoke filled pool halls, and an appreciation of the reality that *all* roads eventually lead to Atlantic City.
Feel free to skip to 55:59 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which...
2021-04-303h 17
Overlapping DialogueThe HustlerWe ride the cheese and settle all outstanding debts with our discussion of 1961's The Hustler! Listen as we gush over the inimitable Paul Newman, love to hate the steady villainy of George C. Scott, suppress our tears over Piper Laurie, deeply consider Murray Hamilton's Kentucky accent, and generally appreciate the very presence of Jackie Gleason. Actors: now more than ever!
Feel free to skip to 49:54 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at huffmanbrothersproductions@gmail.com...
2021-04-233h 10
Overlapping DialogueOur Favorite BooksWe decided to take a brief break from the audio commentary racket to discuss some of our very favorite books, our own literary histories, and what literature means to us both as a means of escapism and as a larger art form.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at huffmanbrothersproductions@gmail.com with your questions, comments, and requests.
2021-04-162h 25
Overlapping DialogueInherent ViceCalling all dopers, flower children, and undercover operatives for your friendly neighborhood vice squad...tune in and drop out with our tenth and most special episode yet on 2014's Inherent Vice! Listen to us ramble our way for just over five minutes short of five hours through a whole host of questions: To what extent was Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's 2009 novel a success? What does the well-worn and in many ways exhausted shaggy dog LA (that's Los Angeles, *not* the Lenoir-Area) detective story have to tell us at this point that hasn't been expressed before? What are...
2021-04-094h 52
Overlapping DialogueThe Life Aquatic with Steve ZissouFor our ninth episode, we nearly drowned in 2004’s gloriously self-indulgent marine romp The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. Listen as we consider the at once deep and narrow cinema of Wes Anderson, appreciate Bill Murray's transition from comedy superstar into indie drama darling, find joy in Seu Jorge's Portuguese renditions of David Bowie classics, and ever so briefly consider the presence of Dwayne Johnson in Anderson's oeuvre ("The Grand Smackdown Hotel?").
Feel free to skip to 58:30 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Ap...
2021-04-023h 12
Overlapping DialogueSecondsWhat better way to celebrate our contemporary era of avatars, ghosting, and the crippling realization that we'll all die alone than with 1966's own portrait of prolonged emotional crisis?! Listen to our eighth episode for a discussion on John Frankenheimer and the place his trilogy of paranoid thrillers had in the opening and middle years of a tumultuous decade, the many symbols and precedents Seconds signaled for the forthcoming New Hollywood era, and the endlessly exquisite camera work of the great James Wong Howe.Feel free to skip to 1:00:57 for the beginning of our audio commentary. ...
2021-03-263h 09
Overlapping DialogueSixteen CandlesIn our lucky number sleventh episode, we decided to throw a lackluster surprise party with Sixteen Candles, 80s icon John Hughes's directorial debut. We discuss the highs and lows of Hughes here and elsewhere, touch on the experience of viewing older art with contemporary eyes, weigh what exactly mainstream 80s American cinema was aiming to accomplish, and generally suffer through the experience known as Long Duk Dong.
Feel free to skip to 51:21 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube...
2021-03-192h 36
Overlapping DialogueSyrianaFor our sixth episode, we decided to dive right into perhaps the quintessential example of 2000s hyperlink cinema: 2005's Syriana. We explore the genre's function as both entertainment and journalism, puzzle over what the heck happened to the career of Stephen Gaghan, gaze longingly at the paunch of George Clooney, and take general delight in a cinematic work of profound, unrepentant cynicism!
Feel free to skip to 1:02:20 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at huffmanbrothersproductions@gmail...
2021-03-123h 27
Overlapping DialogueWavesWe're back (not a dinosaur story) with our fifth and longest episode yet on 2019's Waves, the latest film from writer-director Trey Edwards Shults! Our conversation explores the ins and outs of one of the most exciting films of recent years, what exactly the presence and success of A24 says about the health of contemporary American cinema, parse the meaning of "the drama" in the context of an ever-shifting industry, and every so briefly address the artistry of one Kanye West.Feel free to skip to 54:15 for the beginning of our audio commentary. As always, p...
2021-03-053h 30
Overlapping DialogueSnow DayStrap-on the longjohns and lace up your winter boots...we're fixing to have ourselves a Snow Day! Listen to two dumb blondes talk about 90s and 00s children's entertainment, the many joys of Chris Elliott, the even greater failures of Chevy Chase, and Iggy Pop's mysterious love of Al Martino, all while struggling to come up with a convincing enough reason for why they're revisiting a mediocre and largely forgettable kids comedy from the early 00s. Maybe one day we'll get around to Max Keeble's Big Move...
Feel free to skip to 48:28 for the beginning of our audio commentary.
As...
2021-02-192h 33
Overlapping DialogueThe Invisible ManFor our third episode, we decided to go full incognito (#fiendmode) with an audio commentary of The Invisible Man, James Whale's 1933 addition to the Universal Monsters movie canon. We explore Levi's love and passion for the studio's influential slate of horror films, take delight in the talkie debut of the great Claude Rains, and parse the relative worth of driving yourself and those around you mad thanks to your seemingly useless invisibility potion. (Dude was born to be a Twitter reply guy/thought leader, Lamborghini lurkin' in the shadows, but alas...)
Feel free to skip to 49:17 for the beginning of...
2021-02-122h 19
Overlapping DialogueAmerican GraffitiWe're cruising for a bruising with our second episode on American Graffiti, George Lucas's 1973 coming-of-age classic. We explore where this film fits into Lucas's own groundbreaking career, the soundtrack that's defined a generation, and whether or not street racer Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford) is in fact a serial killer.
Feel free to jump to 36:50 for the beginning of the audio commentary.
As always, please like, subscribe, rate, and review us on all of our channels, which include Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube! Contact us at huffmanbrothersproductions@gmail.com with your questions, comments, and requests.
Read Levi’s piece on the mo...
2021-02-052h 41
Overlapping DialogueJurassic ParkWe spared no expense with our very first episode of Overlapping Dialogue. Up first is Steven Spielberg's 1993 adaptation of Michael Crichton's dinosaur epic, Jurassic Park!
Feel free to skip to 24:47 to hear the beginning of our commentary track.
Finally, like, subscribe, rate, leave a review, share, and tell everyone you know about our Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube channels! Email us at huffmanbrothersproductions@gmail.com for any comments or requests.
2021-01-292h 34