Not all of us are in love with Clea DuVall’s latest film, Happiest Season, which is a Christmas romantic comedy on Hulu starring Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Aubrey Plaza, and many more. Will and Abby take some time to review the latest “Small Axe” film from Steve McQueen on Amazon Prime Video: Lovers Rock. The whole gang joins the fun of The Twentieth Century, Matthew Rankin’s absurdist festival indie that might’ve stolen all our hearts. We also cover our mixed feelings on Alan Ball’s latest film since 2007, Uncle Frank, which boasts strong performances from Paul Bettany, Peter Macdissi, and Sophia Lillis. And last, Jon discusses Zappa, Alex Winter’s eclectic new documentary about the life of the infamous guitarist Frank Zappa.
Intro music: “By the Fireplace” by Aviary Day & Mark Generous
Show Notes:
- 00:00:00 – Intro & Off-Topics
- 00:08:55 – Will’s brief thoughts on Mank, Hillbilly Elegy, and Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions
- 00:19:50 – Listener voicemails: What are the best and worst Ron Howard movies? Voicemail question for next week: Do you think Citizen Kane is really a masterpiece?
- 00:25:55 – Happiest Season
- 00:50:30 – Lovers Rock
- 00:59:15 – The Twentieth Century
- 01:18:30 – Uncle Frank
- 01:31:55 – Zappa
Links to what we mentioned on the show:
- Check out our new Cinemaholics Merch!
- The “Swell” App, where you can leave a voice message for us to play on the podcast.
- Support some local theaters! Check out the Virtual Cinema offerings for the Screenland Armour in Kansas City, Row House Cinema in Pittsburgh, and the Roxie Theater in San Francisco.
Ways to connect with us:
- Follow us on Twitter: Jon Negroni, Will Ashton, Abby Olcese
- Check out our Patreon to support Cinemaholics!
- Don’t forget to review and rate the show on Apple Podcasts
- Email your feedback to cinemaholicspodcast [at] gmail.com. You might just hear your email read on next week’s episode!
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- Check out our YouTube channel for show excerpts and bonus content
Citizen Kane is certainly a masterpiece for its time. To call it anything else is ignoring its impact on cinema, full stop. And to this day it remains a great piece of art. Best movie ever? Maybe for someone out there, sure. No movie is “best” for everyone.
Ok, let’s settle this.
Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis have so much chemistry.
Kristen Stewart and Aubrey Plaza have ~all~ the chemistry.
Very much appreciate you three avoiding the Lovers Rock debate about “series” versus “film.” Wonderful review of a wonderfilm.
IT’S A FILM!
I love that you started the show this week with some virtual cinema shoutouts! I’d love to add my own local theater out here in Vancouver. It’s called the Cinematheque, and it’s a true staple for our community. In addition to some indie films currently available for online viewing, they also have a fantastic selection of classics. In fact right now they have several great Fellini films like Roma and The White Sheik. If any fellow cinemaholics out there are looking for a “virtual film festival,” they should definitely look it up.
Just checked this out. Thanks for the recommend.