Filmography

For the May edition of Miniography, Filmography’s spin-off series in the off months of the show, we take a look back at Ridley Scott's 1979 space horror masterpiece Alien on its 40th anniversary. Together, Film and TV Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer, Editor in Chief Michael Roffman, and Daily Grindhouse editor Mike Vanderbilt discuss the lasting impact of Scott's masterpiece, the ways in which it changed the horror genre, the very '70s nature of its working-class roughneck heroes, and much more. 

Our fourth season of Filmography, on the films of genre-blending filmmaker Tim Burton, concludes the season with its fifth and final episode, "Burton in Stop-Motion". This week, CoS Film/TV Editor and host Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by CoS senior writer and editor of The Spool Clint Worthington and writer and The Film Stage Show co-host Michael Snydel. Together, they discuss the ways in which stop-motion animation is and was perfectly suited to Burton's sensibilities as a director, how his various experiments in the form offer windows into different phases of his career, the one famous stop-motion film that he didn't actually direct, and much more. Chapters: Introduction (0:11), Burton in Stop-Motion: A Discussion (2:14), Beetlejuice (10:15), Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (30:30), Frankenweenie (48:13), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1:03:37), Intermission (1:12:39), Sight [Cinematography/Editing/Visuals] (1:12:42), The Lasting Image (1:31:50), Sound [Music & Score] (1:36:27), Closing Remarks (1:49:24).

Our fourth season of Filmography, on the films of genre-blending dreamer Tim Burton, continues with our fourth episode, "Pop Burton". This week, CoS Film/TV Editor and host Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by editor-in-chief Michael Roffman and The Fifth Dimension co-host Samantha Kuykendall. Together, they discuss the larger influence Burton's style has had on modern blockbuster films, the speed with which he became confident in his filmmaking, the genre-changing triumphs of his superhero work, and much more. Chapters: Introduction (0:11), Pop Burton: A Discussion (1:47), Batman (9:50), Batman Returns (31:59), Mars Attacks! (48:09), Planet of the Apes (1:03:03), Intermission (1:16:53), Sight [Cinematography/Editing/Visuals] (1:16:57), The Lasting Image (1:46:10), Sound [Music & Score] (1:50:36), Closing Remarks (2:04:24) 

Our fourth season of Filmography, on the films of genre-blending dreamer Tim Burton, continues with our third episode, "Burton's Whimsy". This week, CoS Film/TV Editor and host Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by Editorial Director Matt Melis and Chicago literary performer Natalie Marsh. Together, they discuss Burton's shifting approaches to "whimsy" as a broad concept, the ways in which some of his most vivid imagined worlds have been met by diminishing returns, how Burton's conception of the fanciful has followed him through different eras of his career, and much more. Chapters: Introduction (0:11), Burton's Whimsy: A Discussion (1:40), Pee-wee's Big Adventure (9:05), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (26:33), Alice in Wonderland (44:14), Dumbo (1:00:11), Intermission (1:17:17), Sight [Cinematography/Editing/Visuals] (1:17:20), The Lasting Image (1:41:05), Sound [Music & Score] (1:46:05), Closing Remarks (1:56:36)

Our fourth season of Filmography, on the films of genre-blending dreamer Tim Burton, continues with our second episode, "Adult Burton". This week, CoS Film/TV Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by senior writer Allison Shoemaker and film critic Caroline Siede to discuss Burton's approaches to more emotionally and dramatically mature material, the ways in which "adaptation" has been an ever-shifting concept throughout decades of Burton's work, the complications that arose when he took on Stephen Sondheim, and much more. Chapters: Introduction (0:11), Burton Gothic: A Discussion (1:28), Ed Wood (10:04), Big Fish (25:01), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (41:37), Big Eyes (1:02:21), Intermission (1:12:54), Sight [Cinematography/Editing/Visuals] (1:12:57), The Lasting Image (1:33:52), Music & Score (1:38:04), Closing Remarks (1:48:41) 

Tim Burton defined a generation’s imagination with his alternately spooky, sweet, and sincerely scary features. This episode deconstructs his moth gothic works: Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Dark Shadows, and Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. 

Our third season of Filmography on the Master of Horror John Carpenter concludes with our fifth and final episode, John Carpenter vs. Americana, as Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by CoS Editor-in-Chief Michael Roffman and Daily Grindhouse's Mike Vanderbilt. Together, they examine Carpenter's understanding of the American Dream as seen in some of his most offbeat features and classics alike, the ways in which Carpenter's politics wrestle with things we're still forced to consider today, how he preys on some particular domestic fear, and much more. This week's discussion is focused around the following features: Halloween (1978) Elvis (1979) Christine (1983) Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992) Chapters: Introduction (0:09), Carpenter's America: A Discussion (1:30), Memoirs of an Invisible Man (6:01), Elvis (23:53), Christine (42:28), Halloween (58:44), Intermission (1:20:53), Sight [Cinematography/Editing] (1:20:56), The Lasting Image (1:53:09), Music & Score (1:56:22), Closing Remarks (2:09:57) 

Our third season of Filmography on the Master of Horror John Carpenter continues, as Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined for this week's episode, John Carpenter vs. The Monster Mash, by Halloweenies and The Losers Club contributor Mackenzie Gerber and CoS senior writer/Alcohollywood podcast co-host and editor Clint Worthington. Together, they examine Carpenter's understanding of monstrousness, the ways in which his filmmaking informs the scares of some of his creatures, the wildly differing returns he's found on monster movies throughout his career, and much more. This week's discussion is focused around the following features: Prince of Darkness (1987) In the Mouth of Madness (1994) Vampires (1998) The Ward (2010) Chapters: Introduction (0:09), The Monster Mash: A Discussion (1:56), Prince of Darkness (5:25), In the Mouth of Madness (18:20), Vampires (31:23), The Ward (45:01), Intermission (56:20), Sight [Cinematography/Editing] (56:24), The Lasting Image (1:12:48), Music & Score (1:16:31), Gin the Vermouth of Madness: A Cocktail Recipe by Clint Worthington (1:25:49), Closing Remarks (1:27:27).

Our third season of Filmography on the Master of Horror John Carpenter continues, as Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined for this week's third episode, John Carpenter vs. The Man, by The A.V. Club's Katie Rife and Daily Grindhouse's Mike Vanderbilt. Together, they examine Carpenter's perceptions of latter-20th century America, the emergence of some of his most prevalent themes and filmmaking approaches, and how the director's politics have manifested in his work in subtle, unsubtle, and really unsubtle ways. This week's discussion is focused around the following features: Assault on Precinct 13 (1976) Someone's Watching Me! (1978) Escape From New York (1981) Escape From L.A. (1996) Chapters: Introduction (0:09), The Man: A Discussion (0:35), Assault on Precinct 13 (4:18), Someone's Watching Me! (17:05), Escape From New York (33:57), Escape From L.A. (45:04), Intermission (58:01), Sight [Cinematography/Editing] (58:04), The Lasting Image (1:12:02), Music & Score (1:16:53), Closing Remarks (1:29:46) 

Our third season of Filmography on the Master of Horror John Carpenter continues, as Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by Editor-in-Chief Michael Roffman and senior writer Blake Goble. Together, they examine Carpenter's perceptions of good and evil from the beyond, the ways in which his '80s heyday reflected this pet interest across a riot of different styles, and how Carpenter progressed rapidly from a horror filmmaker to one of modern film's most versatile auteurs. This week's discussion is focused around the following features: The Fog (1980) Starman (1984) Big Trouble in Little China (1986) They Live (1998) Chapters: Introduction (0:09), The Beyond: A Discussion (1:40), The Fog (10:14), Starman (24:55), Big Trouble in Little China (40:14), They Live (56:42), Intermission (1:12:48), A Broader Context (1:12:52), Sight [Cinematography/Editing] (1:19:04), The Lasting Image (1:40:26), Music & Score (1:50:09), Closing Remarks (2:11:04) 

To kick off the third full season of Filmography on the Master of Horror John Carpenter, Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by The Losers' Club/Halloweenies co-host Justin Gerber and Chicago comedy/lit performer Natalie Marsh. Together, they examine Carpenter's perceptions of evil from beyond Earth, the ways in which his later work was informed by (and liberally stole from) some of his best early features, and how Carpenter's politics manifest even in stories of the intergalactic. This week's discussion is focused around the following features: Dark Star (1974) The Thing (1982) Village of the Damned (1995) Ghosts of Mars (2001) Chapters: Introduction (0:40), Intergalactic Evil: A Discussion (3:40), Dark Star (7:30), Village of the Damned (21:00), Ghosts of Mars (35:30), The Thing (51:00), Intermission (1:04:00), A Broader Context (1:05:00), Sight [Cinematography/Editing] (1:12:30), The Lasting Image (1:28:00), Music & Score (1:33:00), A Few Brief Words on the Film Vampires (1:43:30), Closing Remarks (1:47:00) 

On "Human Warfare", the second episode of our Stanley Kubrick season of Filmography, Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by CoS senior writers and TV Party co-hosts Allison Shoemaker and Clint Worthington to examine the filmmaker's wartime films, specifically what they conveyed about Kubrick's ideals, the eras in which they were produced, and the experiences of mankind at war in general.

This week's discussion is focused around the following features:

Paths of Glory (1957)
Spartacus (1960)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Chapters: Introduction (0:09), Human Warfare: A Discussion (2:17), Paths of Glory (9:28), Spartacus (27:01),Dr. Strangelove (42:12), Full Metal Jacket (55:45), Intermission (1:09:05), Cinematography and Editing (1:09:31), The Lasting Image (1:39:00), Music & Score (1:42:35), and Outro (1:15:14)

Filmography returns to take a comprehensive dive into one of filmmaking's most venerated bodies of work: Stanley Kubrick, whose 13 feature-length films made invaluable contributions to the medium while also reinventing it as they went along.

From the raw intimacy of personal conflict to the mysteries at the edges of the known universe, Kubrick's work spanned eras, territories, and styles alike as few other filmmakers ever have.

For the season premiere, "Human Deceit," Consequence of Sound Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by CoS senior writer Blake Goble and The Film Stage Show host Michael Snydel to consider Kubrick's formative years, the historical landscape in which his career began, and how his early work suggested the elite filmmaker yet to develop.

This week's discussion is focused around the following features:

Fear and Desire (1953)
Killer's Kiss (1955)
The Killing (1956)

Chapters: Introduction, Human Deceit: A Discussion (2:40), Fear & Desire (23:27), Killer's Kiss (37:10),The Killing (53:07), Intermission (1:16:18), Cinematography and Editing (1:16:22), The Lasting Image (1:48:01), Music & Score (1:55:11), Final Discussion (2:03:10), and Outro (2:10:24).

On the third episode of Filmography, "The Dramatist", Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by Editor-in-Chief Michael Roffman and The Film Stage's Michael Snydel to weigh in on the dramatic backbone of Wes Anderson's work, as seen through the following: The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) The Darjeeling Limited (2007) The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) The group breaks down the films' respective sense of drama, look(s), performances, and much more in the third and final chapter of Filmography's three-episode inaugural season. We hope you enjoy, and we'll see you come June for the next season. Learn more about your ad choices. 

On the second episode of Filmography, aptly dubbed "The Dreamer," Film Editor Dominick Suzanne-Mayer is joined by TV Editor Allison Shoemaker and senior writer Randall Colburn to consider the more fantastical aspects of Wes Anderson's work, as seen through the following: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) Isle of Dogs (2018) The group breaks down the films' respective sense of fantasy, look(s), performances, and much more in the second chapter of Filmography's three-episode inaugural season. We hope you enjoy, and we'll see you next Friday (4/6) for the season one finale. Learn more about your ad choices.