Episode 48 we talk part one of our Gillian Flynn (author and screenwriter) Films & Series theme with David Fincher's "Gone Girl" (2014) and the HBO series "Sharp Objects" (2018-) creator Marti Noxon. Fabiola Auxila (screenwriter and film lover) returns as guest.

This month, instead of two separate podcasts, we're exploring our theme through one episode that explores 4 films. Episode 47 tackles the resilient story of A Star is Born, comparing & contrasting the aspects of the story that makes it so resonant that it speaks to the culture 80 years on from its first version. The discussion touches on the four versions; the original, from 1937, directed by William Wellman and starring Janet Gaynor & Frederic March; the 1954 remake, directed by George Cukor and starring Judy Garland & James Mason; the 1976 reboot, which switched the story from Hollywood to the music industry, directed by Frank Pierson and starring Barbra Streisand & Kris Kristofferson.

Episode 46 of Fresh Perspective explores "I Am Not A Witch" (2018), directed by Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni and starring Maggie Mulubwa. This is part two of our two-part “Girl Power”-themed discussion, in celebration of strong performances by young African American actresses and magic realism in film.

Presented in the shaky but imaginative perspective of a child, this film pulses with the life blood of an impoverished and hurricane-torn but content Delta community free of the barriers of civilized society. The heart of the film beats with the will power of a young girl mature beyond her years as she tries to piece together a dysfunctional domestic life with fragmented memories and comes to profoundly understand the nature of life and death. Reel Reflection: If you lost everything and came face-to-face with your primal will to survive, would you befriend or fear it? Fabiola Auxila (https://instagram.com/just_fabi) guests, film lover, and aspiring script writer and producer, studying at the Second City for Writing and Film. And returning guest, Collin Souter, film critic featured on RogerEbert.com, and WGN radio co-host, "Monday Morning Movie Reviews"

Episode 44 we talk part 2 of our Racism in America movie theme with "Mudbound" (2017) directed by Dee Rees. Guest host is Marjorie Morgan, contributing writer to Cinema Femme digital magazine, and other top publications, playwright, and journalist. Read more about Marjorie and her work here: http://www.marjoriemorgan.com/

We talk part 1 of our Racism in America movie theme, with "BlacKkKlansman" directed by Spike Lee, in theatres now. Guest hosts Emmanuel Noisette, Director of Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (Emans Movie Reviews and Eman’s Movie YouTube reviews and Patrick Ripoll, host of Tracks of the Damned podcast and on letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/patrickripoll/

Episode 42 we talk part 2 of our Paul Schrader films theme, with "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" (1985), guest Brad Strauss, co-host of The Directors Club Podcast.  Next we discuss our "Teacher and Student" movie theme, with Spike Lee's "BlacKkKlansman" (2018) and Dee Rees' "Mudbound (2017). Spike Lee was Dee Rees teacher at NYU Film School, and both films parallel each other and cover similar topics of racism in America. 

Episode 41 we discuss Paul Schrader films with "First Reformed" for part one, starring Ethan Hawke.Guest host Patrick Ripoll, podcast host of Now Playing Network's "Tracks of the Damned" and previous co-host of the "Director's Club Podcast"  with NPN founder Jim Laczkowski. Follow and check out Patrick’s movie reviews here: https://letterboxd.com/patrickripoll/