This episode was so much fun to record. 

I reached out to a new guest. A person I have actually met, but didn't get to talk much with, at 2 or 3 screenings in the last couple of years. I decided to reach out to Edwin Gomez of Secret Movie Club Podcast. We chatted over text briefly before recording our first real conversation for all of you to hear, forever etched into the internet. 

Edwin begins the episode with telling us a little about himself and sharing when he fell in love with movies. This question was always supposed to be a part of the show when guests came on the show for the first time. I loved hearing it from Edwin. I think from here on end I will ask new guests that question, as well as retroactively asking this question to seasoned guests some time in the future. (I'm thinking of doing a "films that changed me" series after the whopping WW2 summer series). 

When we get into Targets we get into the genius of Peter Bogdanovich's film and some of his filmography. I'll admit, outside of this I've only seen Paper Moon and The Last Picture Show. However, Edwin, has some works he recommends that I will be checking out soon. 

Targets is a masterwork of independent cinema. The genius lies in what was created among restrictions that had to be part of the film. For example, the casting of Boris Karloff was a must as he owed Roger Corman a few hours of shooting; Bogdanovich also had to include unused footage from The Terror  a cheap gothic castle period horror from 1963, starring Karloff and a young Jack Nicholson. Imagine Corman's surprise when the young director arrives, not with a castle horror flick, but with a contemporary postmodern work that foreshadows Quentin Tarantino's cinephile reflexivity and homage. Bogdanovich brings a biting social commentary on the state of America during the escalation of the Vietnam War. Vets are returning from the war and not getting the help they need and integrating back into society after the trauma of war. In this film, a troubled, boy-next-door begins to live out his fantasies of violence and starts sniping people on the 405 freeway from a water tower. This part of the film is perhaps the most relevant and features some of the most terrifying moments in American film history. 

The other half is about cinema. It's about the horror genre. It wouldn't appear that these two things have anything to do with each other, but they synthesize in such beautiful ways. For one, Bogdanovich seems to be exploring the horror genre that is now changing from your "monster in the castle" and in your screens to "people are monsters" and they're out there in your neighborhoods, hiding in plain sight (and overseas bombing innocent civilians in order to stop the spread of an idea). The paranoia of 70s films, especially American independent film, is quietly prototyped here in Bogdanovich's American classic. There's so much to unpack in this film and it definitely demands repeated viewings. 

Lastly, there is another first on the show. During the episode, we watch the Targets trailer.  It was a great little moment, stick around for it. And while your listening hop on over onto Instagram (@dialfpodcast). and gives us a follow. 

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.

A-Z continues and we are  on the letter S!  It was supposed to be Shaolin Master Killer, but as you can see it is not. Aaron Lowe from Incredible Two-headed Podcast joins me in talking about the silent classic, celebrating its 99th birthday, Sherlock Jr. (1924), directed by Buster Keaton. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you check it out on Tubi with ads or on YouTube, link provided. It's an early example of stunt work on film. It's really crazy stuff... reckless really. Nevertheless, at just 44 minutes, the film delivers with its dream setting, lending to a unique American cinematic surrealism that works really well with the film's gags. Watch the film, we spend time talking about the various tricks and stunts and it's much better if you've seen what we're talking about. 

Towards the end of the show we trail off and talk about Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and the now defunct block of late-night programming that included mostly cult and b-movies, TCM Underground. 

While you listen to this episode give us a follow on instagram: @dialfpodcast.

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.

A fun little bonus episode Johnny Duarte and I recorded shortly after the telecast for the 95th Academy Awards.

My favorite film of the year (EEAAO) won huge with 7 wins! Overall, we felt the telecast was pretty good with few blips (and believe me there were some). The production design was really nice as well and gave the entire production a classy art deco makeover. 

There were few surprises. All Quiet on the Western Front won were expected and then went to win more. This film has been showered with love this awards season, that was something very unexpected. Among the more surprising wins for Everything Everywhere All At Once was for Best Supporting Actor Jamie Lee Curtis. I was sure this was Angela Bassett's time. 

We get into much more, take a listen, and while that's going give us a follow on instagram: @dialfpodcast. 

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.

It's the third ever "f*** it" episode on this show. This only happens when I don't have an episode to release. I'm having scheduling issues, again, but this will change soon as a ton of episodes are being recorded over the next couple of days. These episodes will speed things up and catch us up on "a-z" with a few bonus episodes coming as well. Ruben Nuno-Ortiz, stops by for a breezy zoom session. "a-z" will return in the coming days with returning guest, Aaron Lowe in "s is for sherlock jr."

We start talking about headphones. Yes, headphones. I talk about my (R.I.P 2021-2022) JBL bluetooth wireless headphones, and we get into AirPods and Samsung's version of that... I didn't even know they had their own earphone line! 

Not much on the movie front for Ruben, since the last time we chatted. He has been, however, catching up on Ted Lasso. I'm on my 4th watch of Seinfeld. I then start getting into my latest viewings. I am currently on a World War 2 kick, and talk about Antony Beevor's Stalingrad book. Which I recommend. 

As far as films, I finally watched Fury (2014), a film directed by David Ayers, a director's who's work I normally don't enjoy. This one is cool. Tanks. WW2. Brad Pitt. Couldn't ask for more. 

This leads us to Steven Spielberg and his recent film, The Fabelman's. We get into his past work's a little bit and what films of his we love, and I share some of my thoughts on his latest foray. It's really a film I enjoyed a lot. I was surprised by how into it I was. I don't think Spielberg will take the directing prize at the Oscar's this year, but this is the closest he has been in a really long time. 

Another recent flick, which Ruben recently caught on the big screen, Cocaine Bear, is briefly mentioned. Unfortunately, I have not watched Elizabeth Bank's latest directing effort. He shares some brief thoughts on this one.... and that is the gist! Follow us on Instagram while you take a listen! 

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.

A-Z is back. Due to recording time oversight I did not schedule my episodes accordingly, causing delays. Luckily I had two Riget episodes to release! So, we're back on schedule-ish (a couple bonus episodes should fix this). 

We keep it short this time around, but Dial F for Film mainstay Johnny Duarte and I have a lot to say in this episode.  Of course, we get into the absurd violence and great character actors, but we also talk about TV edits. Yes, TV edits, Johnny starts talking about different network edits of Robocop which leads to a trip down memory lane and the notorious VH1 edit of Showgirls. If you haven't seen it... It's great. Johnny found a link for that cut, here. It's only 84 minutes. The theatrical cut is 128 minutes. The theatrical cut was rated NC-17 and the TV edit is rated TV-14; think about it. It's an entirely different film and experience and at Dial F for Film, we stan the VH1 edit of Showgirls. 

Johnny shares his experience with the newest version of Robocop (2014). We also, oddly enough, end up talking Darren Aranofsky, and his once rumored Robocop.  Anyway, this is a fun and short listen, enjoy, and while you're listening give us a follow on Instagram: @dialfpodcast. 

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.

[This episode was recorded December 29, 2022]. 

Aaron Lowe returns to close-off Riget 1 with this discussion on the final episode. With that we can now officially cross off this title from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. We will continue with Riget 2 and Exodus (these are not in the 1001) and they will be releasing throughout the next few months as bonus episodes. Also, this was the final episode recorded in 2022. It was recorded on a rainy day! 

We talk shop at the beginning of the show and our desire to continue to do this podcasting thing. We really do love films and talking about them. We also talk about "umms" and "uhhs" in editing; how do you guys feel about this? Do you notice? Does it bother you? Podcasters, do you leave 'em in or take 'em out? 

There's too much going on in episode 4 to summarize briefly. This is perhaps the best episode and talking too much about it would ruin all the fun surprises. We mention one scene in particular that involves Drusse, and we both agree it is one of Lars von Trier's finest moments as a director. 

Follow us on Instagram! 

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins. 

This episode of the show was recorded December 20, 2022. 

For this week's episode we return to an ongoing viewing of Riget 1 (episodes 2 & 3) with Aaron Lowe of Incredible Two-headed Podcast. We recorded a total of 3 episodes for The Kingdom 1. The plan is to include The Kingdom II & The Kingdom Exodus as bonus episodes to continue and finish the series. These will all be released throughout the first half of the year. Riget 1 (The Kingdom 1) is part of Steven J. Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die." 

 The Kingdom can all be found on MUBI. We talk about our appreciation of the the streaming app for a bit, and we get to talking about Park Chan-wook's "Decision to Leave." It's a brief conversation, but if you haven't seen that, we highly recommend it. 

What follows is a talk about episode 2 and 3, which was hard to contain to just one episode at a time, although I do think we did a pretty good job at that. I suggest that you watch both episodes before listening, only because, so much happens in these middle episodes of the show, and build up rather nicely to the 4th and final episode of the season. That episode has already been recorded and will release in the month of February. Take a listen, and don't forget to add us on Instagram after you hit play! Happy listening and keep on watching! 

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.

Welcome back Dial Effers! This episode is huge and you won't want to miss this one! Incredible Two-Headed Podcast host Aaron Lowe returns to our A-Z series, and this week we are on the letter Q, and the film is, The Quiet Earth (1985): a lo-fi science fiction film from New Zealand based on a novel by Craig Harrison. 

But before we get to that on the episode, I reveal my Top 10 Films of 2022; I don't say much on the films, as I have talked about most of them on the show with guests on this month's bonus best of series. I talk about All Quiet on the Western Front, The Batman, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, and more. 

Around the 40 minute mark, we begin talking about the film for this episode. This was my first time watching Geoff Murphy's science fiction classic, The Quiet Earth, which is considered New Zealand's first major science fiction film production. If you enjoyed the films derived from Richard Matheson's I am Legend, then you will definitely enjoy this one, as it deals with "the last man on earth" device, but diverges from those films, by focusing on the human aspects of survival, loneliness, and despair. 

 The story follows three survivors after a cataclysmic event set off by "Project Flashlight." The first 36-minutes, are a solo performance by Bruno Lawrence, who plays Zac Hobson, one of the individuals involved in "project flashlight." At his lowest point, two survivors show up, first, Joanne (Alison Routledge), followed by the leather-clad Api (Pete Smith), the third piece to this love triangle. The first act of the film has some of the most striking visuals and an incredible performance by Lawrence as he slowly loses his mind and falls deeper into loneliness. 

The Quiet Earth is a visually striking science fiction film going for big ideas but remaining sparse in its execution. We watch Bruno Lawrence traverse desolate city streets with the emptiness of the world around him accentuating his loneliness. Furthermore, the film's soundtrack was redubbed to remove sounds of the real world adding to the loneliness of our three characters and isolating the audience into a world where there is as much mystery as there is wonder. 

This one is worth your time, and is currently available on multiple platforms. I watched this on one of my favorite free-with-ads app, Tubi. Take a listen to our conversation, this one is going down as one of my favorites on the show, and we cover a lot of the film, which maybe will entice you to watch! 

Thank you for reading (and thank you for listening). Follow us on Instagram (@Dialfpodcast) - this is where I'm most active; shoot me a message or comment and let's talk about film.

Dial F for Film is a podcast about the love of movies and host's -- J. Carlos Menjivar -- attempt to watch 1001 movies before he dies. A lover of lists and film, Carlos is a firm believer that all film lists should be tackled with one goal in mind: completion. Steven Jay Schneider's "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die" is the subject of this podcast. Each episode features one guest and five movies from the massive list, compiled into themed lists by the host. Guests each week will select one category without any prior knowledge as to what films are included. Once a category is chosen, Carlos reveals the five films and the viewing begins. The guests then come on Dial F for Film via Zoom and the discussion begins.