Uncut Gems Podcast

In this episode of the show we are soaring into the skies together with The Great Waldo Pepper, which is the 1975 George Roy Hill movie that the filmmaker held as the most personal and important movie he had ever made. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the ways in which The Great Waldo Pepper connects to George Roy Hill's lifelong passion for flying as well as his history as a pilot during wartime and how the movie broke all possible safety rules and whose stuntmanship would stand toe to toe with the latest...

In this episode of the show, we are continuing our August with George Roy Hill as we talk about his audacious anti-war epic Slaughterhouse-Five. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the ways in which this movie adapts Kurt Vonnegut's seemingly unadaptable prose, the comments it makes about the morality of war and two wrongs not making a right, and how its impenetrable structure may be a turn-off for many viewers while being an invitation to others. We also wonder whether the movie was ahead of its time or if the early 70s was...

In this episode of our comprehensive retrospective of the cinema of Mike Nichols we are talking about his second collaboration with Meryl Streep and Nora Ephron, the 1986 Heartburn. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the complex genesis of this movie, how bringing a real-life story to the screen was complicated by the people portrayed in the movie, and how it marked Mike Nichols' return to his comfort zone between a woman, a man, and a bed. We also talk about the subtle hints the movie might be dropping in anticipation of its big...

In this episode of the show we are beginning an entire month of conversations about the cinema of George Roy Hill and we are kicking things off with his western classic Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the ways in which this movie fits into the twilight zone between the withering Old Hollywood and the incoming New Hollywood tidal wave, how much it owes to Bonnie and Clyde and how it upsets the genre template while also paying due homage to its legacy. We also talk about...

In this episode of the show we are concluding our July adventure with Richard Lester with a double header of Superman II and Superman III. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how Superman II wrote the playbook for a comic book movie sequel, how it humanizes Superman while also further denuding the many problems this character will continue to have in future movies. We talked about Lester's absurdist vibes creeping into the operation and blossoming in the third sequel, Richard Pryor as a comic relief villain and how to make Superman evil all...

In this episode of the show we are tying into our Richard Lester conversations with a debate about the seminal comic book movie, the Richard Donner-directed Superman. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the ways in which Superman wrote the playbook for what later became a comic book movie genre, how the many cuts of the movie that are in existence complicate the plot, and how Christopher Reeve was perhaps the perfect casting for the role of the Man of Steel. We also talk about Hackman's Lex Luthor functioning as a de facto...

In this episode of the show we are discussing another off-kilter Richard Lester movie, the 1979 Cuba. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how this movie connects to Casablanca and The Battle of Algiers, how important it is to make sure the chemistry between two romantic leads is undeniably there and whether the post-Bond Sean Connery was the man to evoke it. We also talk about how Lester finds frightening absurdity in the reality of pre-evolution Cuba, how the movie wants to be Dr. No for a brief second and how narrative indecision may...

In this episode of our ongoing 50-30 series, we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's Jaws. Over the course of our incredible conversation you will hear us talk about our relationship with this movie, the numerous production legends surrounding it and just how influential it was on the culture at large. We also talk about how Jaws fits in between the legacies of The New Hollywood and studio-driven disaster movies, how Steven Spielberg was a bilingual storyteller, how the movie conveniently fits a number of deep conversations in its simple two-act structure and much, much more!

In this episode of the show, probably one of the shortest on record, we continue our Richard Lester conversations by talking about one of his period epics, Robin and Marian. Over the course of our chat you will hear us talk about how on paper this movie works as an intellectual subversion of the swashbuckling genre and how in reality it only gets to buckle a few swashes. We also talk about Richard Lester's interest in period filmmaking and whether his dual interest in absurdity adds to the tonal dissonance permeating the movie, Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn attempting...

In this episode of our Mike Nichols marathon, we reunite with the battle-worn director to talk about a movie that took him out of his self-imposed Hollywood exile, Silkwood. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how this movie contributes to the spawning of a crusader realism subgenre, the genesis of his fruitful collaboration with Nora Ephron and Meryl Streep and how the movie is both an important piece because it sheds light at an important story and a reflection of the director's personal awakening. We also talk about the many health and safety...

In this episode of the show we are embarking on a July expedition into the cinema of Richard Lester and we shall begin by talking about his 1974 cruise ship thriller Juggernaut. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us debate (because it seems to be one our favourite pastimes recently) whether this movie fits into the legacy of 70s disaster movies, how it leverages the authenticity of its era and how it heralds the arrival of action-packed docu-thrillers. We also talk about Richard Harris as a bomb disposal expert, the comedy of playing parlor games on a...

In this episode of the show we are closing the books on Robert Altman June with his 2001 period-set whodunnit Gosford Park. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us debate whether this movie is a murder mystery, if it wants to be one and if the intent is for it to subvert the genre. Or maybe if it is supposed to be a platform for Altman to exercise his signature moves. We also talk about the ways in which the movie delineates class divides, how it gives a few of its characters some room to be playful...

In this podcast we are tying into our June conversations on Robert Altman with a debate about his biggest commercial success, the 1970 anti-war satire M*A*S*H. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the many ways in which Altman attempted to redefine and deconstruct the perennial genre of a war movie, how the audiences chose to respond to this over Catch-22 and how this movie spoke to a generation sick and tired of the Vietnam War... despite the fact the movie is set in Korea. We also talk about the busy nature...

In this episode of the show we are moving our Altman conversation to the 90s as we discuss his sprawling epic, some would say a tapestry, Short Cuts. Over the course of our equally sprawling conversation you will hear us talk about Altman emerging from the shadows and reclaiming his position as a critical darling, the many reasons why film critics tend to see Short Cuts as one of the best of its year and maybe even the decade, and whether Altman is evolving in this movie or rather applying his tried-and-true methods once again. We also talk about...

In this episode of our 2025 series where we talk about gems from 1975 and 1995 we decided to go whole hog and commit the entire month to Robert Altman by discussing his 1975 Nashville. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us debate this movie as a tapestry of American society, how it is timely and timeless in equal measures and how it interweaves personal vignette stories into a narrative-less stream of storytelling. We also talk about whether our relationship with this movie might be coloured by what we feel about country music, if Altman truly succeeds in imitating reality...

In this episode of the show our Alt-June continues with a discussion about Altman's 1977 3 Women. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us try to get to the bottom of what exactly this movie is about, whether it can be interpreted in a logical manner and if its symbolism carries some depth. We also talk about Altman imitating Bergman and anticipating David Lynch, the concept of staying in your lane, Shelley Duvall's unconventional beauty and the logic of dreams as a tool for expressing coherent thoughts.

Tune in and enjoy!

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In this episode of the show we are continuing our June celebration of Robert Altman's centenary with a great discussion about The Long Goodbye. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how Altman chose to deconstruct film noir, chiefly by stripping it of its iconography and by treating his protagonist as a fish out of water. We dig into how this movie still tries to fulfil its own genre obligations and whether it might be a bit muddy for its own good. We also talk about the role of improv in the movie, the...

In this instalment of our ongoing Mike Nichols Marathon we are setting sights on The Fortune, a movie that nearly ended its director's career. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how this movie came together as a package deal with Warren Beatty's passion project Shampoo, how it carried an immense promise because of the talent attached to it, and how it all came apart in the end. We also talk about the difficulty to get over an unfunny comedy, how some filmmakers cite it as inspirational, how Mike Nichols should have made better...

In this episode of the show we are beginning, albeit a little bit prematurely, our June excursion into the cinema of Robert Altman who would be celebrating his 100th birthday if he was still with us. And we are starting off with his anti-western McCabe and Mrs Miller. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how Altman fits into the landscape of New Hollywood, how he set out to deconstruct the form and bury the star under his aesthetic and perhaps the reasons why he did so. We also talk about the chemistry (or...

In this podcast we are tying into our Elaine May May conversations with a chat about a movie she co-wrote and for which she got an Oscar nomination too, namely Heaven Can Wait. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us try to figure out how and why this movie ended up as successful as it did, if it was a bellwether of the changing times suggesting that the world had had enough of the New Hollywood grime and whether it was a flash in the pan that couldn't have worked at any other point in time...

In this episode of the show we are concluding the main part of our Elaine May May with her last directorial outing to date, the 1987 Ishtar. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk, again, about the uphill struggle of getting this movie made, how it may have been out of step with the 80s milieu and maybe how it tried to fit in the landscape of newly reborn comedy. We also talk about the many ways in which May's own legacy folds upon itself in here, how the movie might be so good at awkwardly...

In this episode of the show we are adding the third instalment into our Elaine May May where we talk about her 1976 Mikey and Nicky. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the arduous and crisis-laden production history of this movie, how Elaine May channeled the spirit of rogue indie filmmaking and how her movie works as a bridge between Cassavetes and Scorsese. We also dive deep into the metaphorical plane of the movie and talk about it as an anti-gangster picture, a companion piece to The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, Husbands and...

In this podcast we are looking back at the Summer of 95 to talk about the Tony Scott-directed Crimson Tide. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about what makes this movie so immersive and compelling, how an intersection between performance, writing and production design may be the key to its magic and how Tony Scott flawlessly found balance between authenticity and preposterousness. We also talk about how Quentin Tarantino touched up the script and what his work added to the experience, how some actors in this movie wouldn't have passed the physical fitness test to...

In this episode of the show our Elaine May May continues with her sophomore directorial effort The Heartbreak Kid. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us dig deep into the movie to find how it subverts the genre and works as a polar reversal of The Graduate, how the many production woes surrounding this movie proved that Hollywood was a hostile environment for female filmmakers at the time and whether there is a metaphorical plane of interpretation for this movie that comments on both the industry and Elaine May's career as well. We also talk about...

In this episode of our Mike Nichols Marathon we are moving onto the 1973 The Day of the Dolphin. Over the course of our conversation we will attempt to understand how a movie about George C. Scott talking to dolphins fits in the catalogue of someone who brought Hollywood into the new age with Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate, whether this movie had a chance of succeeding in the first place and if it should be taken seriously at all. We also talk about the magic of emoting in a scene where a dolphin's voice is produced...

In this episode of the show we are beginning a whole new month with a brand new director. In May we will be talking about the entire filmography of Elaine May and are beginning with A New Leaf. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the many ways in which this movie is in conversation with the legacy of Hollywood, how it stands as an oddball against the backdrop of New Hollywood and how it subverts the canonical screwball comedy. We also talk about Elaine May's subtle yet incisive comedy, Walter Matthau in an...

In this special episode of our show we had the immense pleasure to sit down for a conversation with Jon Raymond, who is a novelist short fiction writer and a screenwriter. He is also a lifelong collaborator with Kelly Reichardt, with whom he co-wrote six movies (including three out of four we talked about this month). We talk about his process and his inspirations as a writer and a prominent champion of the American Pacific North West. We also attempt to untangle the complex relationship between a writer and a director and how it works in the context of...

In this episode of the show we are formally closing our conversations about Kelly Reichardt and her collaborations with Michelle Williams with a great chat about Showing Up. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how Reichardt's movie touches on the unspoken horrors of life as a creative, how mundanity creeps in to undermine creative process and how life is a struggle to find balance between chores and expression. We also talk about the importance of showing up for others, the pathology of suffering in silence, and how difficult it is to navigate life...

In this podcast we are tying into our April conversations about the cinema of Kelly Reichardt with a conversation about a seminal work of another great female director Agnès Varda titled Vagabond. Over the course of our chat you will hear us try to break down this complex tapestry of episodic fiction and isolate its many meanings. We talk about visual symbolism in support of feminist expression, the French landscape depicted as hostile to women, the role of on-screen nudity in Varda's movie and the readings behind female-female interactions the filmmaker pays close attention to. We also talk a...

In this episode of the show our conversations on the minimalist cinema of Kelly Reichardt continue with Certain Women. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about whether the anthology format modifies Reichardt's cinematic language, how the theme of loneliness ties the three stories together and how they are all subtly permeated with a feminist gaze. We also talk about the logic of putting a bulletproof vest on a civilian, how quietly enraging the behavior of certain men in the film can be and just how difficult it is to drive into anything if you...

In the April instalment of our 2025 50-30 series where we talk about notable movies from 1975 and 1995 we are turning our attention to Apollo 13, a Ron Howard-directed account of the unfortunate mission to the Moon cut short by a series of malfunctions that left the trio of astronauts stranded in space. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about what we think this movie touched on and how it spoke to audiences at the time, how we argue if it is a space survival thriller or a disaster movie and how much of this movie's success...

In this episode of the show we continue our journey West together with Kelly Reichardt and Michelle Williams as we discuss her 2010 anti-western Meek's Cutoff. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about Reichardt subverting the expectations of a typical western and how critics at the time clearly didn't get it, how the movie gives its women protagonists agency and how it functions as a takedown of the American Dream. We also talk about how expensive cheap films probably are, how important it is to take a chair to a lookout and just how unrecognizable...

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In this episode of our Mike Nichols Marathon we are joined by a very special guest, Neil LaBute, who is here with us to talk about the fourth movie in this filmmaker's catalogue, namely the 1971 Carnal Knowledge. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how Nichols bounced back after Catch-22 was poorly received by going back to basics, how the genius of this movie lies somewhere between casting, writing direction and singular...

In this episode of the show we are making a sudden shift, after five months of discussing action directors, and begin a month of quiet reflection with the cinema of Kelly Reichardt, and we begin with her 2008 masterpiece Wendy and Lucy. Over the course of our great chat you will hear us talk about the many ways Reichardt tackles the strife of displaced people, the pursuit of a better tomorrow elsewhere and the forgotten victims of capitalist growth. We also talk about the power of image over the spoken word, Michelle Williams' performance and much more!

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In this episode we are closing our March debates on Andrew Davis movies with his 2002 Arnie vehicle Collateral Damage. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the troubled history of this movie's release, how it was slightly out of step with the changing times and how it looked like a 90s movie released a few years too late. We also talk about Schwarzenegger's fading star, his attempt to act and imbue his character with dramatic depth, Andrew Davis mailing it in as a gun for hire and much, much more!

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In this show we are tying into our March conversations about the cinema of Andrew Davis with a great debate on his biggest success, which is The Fugitive. Over the course of our chat you will hear us talk about how an action movie made its way to the Oscar conversation, how Tommy Lee Jones and Harrison Ford shared some great chemistry and whether Ford himself was at the time more of a blockbuster icon or a prestige performer, or maybe someone in need of reinvention. We also talk about how a well-grown beard adds to gravitas and charisma...

In this episode of the show our March Madness with Andrew Davis continues with a conversation about his 1996 outing Chain Reaction. Over the course of our chat you will hear us talk about Davis going back to the well to recapture the success of The Fugitive and why we think it was a bad idea. We talk about how this movie fits into the shifting landscape of star-driven action entertainment, Morgan Freeman in unexpected roles, the idea of capturing science-derived concepts on film without ever thinking them through and how important it is to remember your grammar while trying...

In this show we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how The Forman movie treats Ken Kesey's book, how the filmmaker uses his kitchen sink realism lens in support of authenticity and why this movie earned its many accolades. We also try to diagnose McMurphy, wonder if Nurse Ratched was correctly seen as the villain of the movie, and much much more!

Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy Burrows

Featuring: Hillary White

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In this episode of the show we are discussing one of the most successful movies Andrew Davis Directed and one that most definitely was the biggest success in Steven Seagal's acting career, the 1992 Under Siege. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about the peculiar place Steven Seagal holds in the canon of 80s and 90s action heroes, how Under Siege slots into the post-Die Hard template and how it perhaps adds to it, and how Tommy Lee Jones and Gary Busey truly add colour to this entire spectacle. We also talk about...

In this episode of the show, we are continuing our March with Andrew Davis and we are talking about his 1989 conspiracy thriller The Package. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about how Davis was possibly enamored with the 70s, both in terms of aesthetic and thematic aspirations, and how this movie owes a whole lot to the post-Nixon wave of paranoid thrillers. We also talk about Gene Hackman as a presence in an action movie at the tail end of the 80s, Tommy Lee Jones as a subtle chameleon, The Package as a protoplast...