A 'Fast and Furious' Guide to the Economics of Hollywood
For a goofy franchise that started with gangsters stealing DVD players and wound up with a Pontiac Fiero going into space, The Fast and the Furious movies are a pretty fantastic lens through which to view the last quarter-century of Hollywood economics. From the DVD boom and bust to the internationalization and diversification of ticket-buyers to questions of propriety surrounding the digital resurrection of deceased actors to the desire for all-encompassing franchise-based “cinematic universes,” the series has ridden every economic wave buffeting the movie business since the original’s release in 2001.
Author Barry Hertz does a wonderful job of weaving that story amidst the tangle of egos and artistic energy that makes up the Fast series in his new book, Welcome to the Family: The Explosive Story Behind Fast & Furious, the Blockbusters that Supercharged the World. Full disclosure: I’m not a particularly big fan of the series, so I was a little skeptical when I agreed to check out Barry’s book. But even if you don’t really care about the Fast and Furious movies, there’s more than enough behind-the-scenes drama and economic intrigue to keep you riveted. And it’s a must-buy stocking stuffer for anyone in your life who lives their life a quarter mile at a time.
--------
39:59
--------
39:59
Printing the Legend: The surprising political 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.'
On this week’s episode, I’m rejoined by Chris Yogerst, author of the new book from the University of New Mexico’s “Reel West” series on The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. We discussed the making of the film, its place in the western canon as a sort of natural ending point for the traditional westerns made by John Wayne and John Ford, and the surprisingly political nature of the film’s central struggle between the frontier and civilization. If you enjoyed the episode, check out the book (or pick up the pristine 4K, on which Paramount did a fine job of making the film look good as new). And make sure to share it with a friend!
--------
42:00
--------
42:00
The Eternal Relevance of 'Network'
I’m joined by Dave Itzkoff on this week’s episode to discuss Paddy Chayefsky’s classic film, Network. Dave literally wrote the book on Network in his history of the film, Mad As Hell, and had lots to say about the making of the movie, the minds behind it, and its ongoing relevance to our daily lives. I know what you’re thinking, I can practically hear your thoughts: A movie about corporations taking over news divisions and fearing problems from the FCC holding up mergers because they don’t like coverage? What does that have to do with anything happening today? But I think we can squeeze out a similarity or two to our current moment.
--------
42:35
--------
42:35
What 'A House of Dynamite' Gets Right About Nuclear War
On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Tom Nichols—staff writer at the Atlantic, professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College, and all-around nuclear arms expert—to discuss Kathryn Bigelow’s new nuclear war film A House of Dynamite. On this episode, we discuss how his students reacted to previous nuclear panic films like The Day After and Threads, what the new film from Bigelow and writer Noah Oppenheim gets right about the current state of our nuclear preparedness, and what keeps Tom up at night about the current White House’s nuclear posture.
You can read Tom’s pieces on A House of Dynamite here and here, and he has another up about what the Trump White House doesn’t understand about nuclear weapons here. You can read my review of the film here. And if you have thoughts, please sound off in the comments or share this episode with a friend!
--------
52:05
--------
52:05
Delroy Lindo Deserves a Dang Oscar
On this week’s episode, I’m joined by Katey Rich and Christopher Rosen of The Ankler to preview the awards season and give you tips on what to check out (spoiler: Hamnet’s gonna be a big one this year) and discuss the exquisite art of Oscar prognostication. (If you enjoy this episode, make sure to check out The Ankler’s Prestige Junkie newsletter and show.) For the record, you can see my nomination guesses here at the Ankler Pundits site.
One of the things we delve into is the weird position Oscar pundits find themselves in, as they are torn between portraying the world as it is and trying to subtly change things to reshape the world in their image, as the predictions themselves have been known to shape the outcome of races. And that’s why I am staking a claim here: Delroy Lindo deserves a god-dang Oscar nomination for his work in Sinners.
Look, don’t get me wrong: Lindo has deserved Oscar gold for some time. He absolutely deserved it for his work in Da Five Bloods, for instance. But I celebrate the man’s entire body of work. I would give him a lifetime achievement award simply for his pronunciation of “sesame cake” in Congo. The man’s a damn legend and it’s about time the Academy gave him his due.
But he especially deserves it for the work he does in Sinners, a movie that seems lined up to snag a whole boatload of Oscar nominations, including best picture. Yes, yes: Michael B. Jordan’s dual performance as Smoke and Stack is the showcase of the film. But Lindo’s turn as Delta Slim embodies the soul of the movie; he is the embodiment of the life of a musician, of a black musician, in the American South at a time when simply being black could mark you for death. And he’s just funny as hell in the role, delivering these slightly off-kilter line reads that no one else could have pulled off.
Give the man his Oscar gold already! At the very least, give him the nomination. The people demand it! Leave your favorite Lindo performance in the comments, if you would. I’d like to prove that this man deserves his plaudits.
Sonny Bunch hosts The Bulwark Goes to Hollywood, a new podcast featuring interviews with folks who have their finger on the pulse of the entertainment industry during this dynamic—and difficult—time.
Netherlands