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Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics September 18, 2023

Sorcerer

A Film by William Friedkin

Hosted by Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics
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In 1973, William Friedkin terrorized the world with The Exorcist and then decided to make a film even more grim: a remake of George Clouzot’s The Wages of Fear. This …

Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics

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Two friends with strong opinions watch films separately then discuss them on the show for the first time. Can their friendship survive? Join Mike and Dan as they discuss one film each episode--and in only fifteen minutes, give or take a few. There are no long pauses, pontifications, or politics--just two guys who want to share their enthusiasm for great movies. On Twitter. On Letterboxd. Email: fifteenminutefilm@gmail.com.

Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics September 11, 2023

The Blues Brothers

A Film by John Landis

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Jake and Elwood sing “Everybody Needs Someone to Love” and everybody loves The Blues Brothers: “You … me … them … everybody!” Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics September 4, 2023

The Wages of Fear

A Film by Henri-Georges Clouzot

Hosted by Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics
Clouzot’s 1953 thriller may be the ultimate bait and switch, moving from a character study of four desperate men in limbo into one of the most suspenseful films ever made …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics August 28, 2023

In a Lonely Place

A Film by Nicholas Ray

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Halfway through Casablanca, we learn why Rick Blaine is so cynical, angry, and embittered; we also feel glad at the end when he takes off his armor and begins that …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics August 21, 2023

The French Connection

A Film by William Friedkin

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How much will a viewer tolerate? What if you took away all the quick and easy ways in which movies dole out information? What if you made the hero less-than-wholly-admirable …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics August 14, 2023

California Split

A Film by Robert Altman

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“Drifting” seems like a great word to describe many of Robert Altman’s films, especially California Split, his 1974 buddy film with Elliott Gould and George Segal as gamblers whose friendship …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics August 7, 2023

Raging Bull

A Film by Martin Scorsese

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What is it like to experience emotions without being able to identify their sources? What happens when a person feels intense self-loathing but cannot articulate why—even as his star rises …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics July 31, 2023

The Great Dictator

A Film by Charlie Chaplin

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What’s the most edgy film you’ve ever seen—one that makes you uncomfortable and doesn’t tell you how to feel or react? We’d bet that it isn’t as close to the …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics July 24, 2023

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

A Film by Christopher McQuarrie

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Ethan Hunt’s mission in this seventh installment of the series might seem as challenging as Tom Cruise’s: to get people back in theaters for an almost three-hour movie that they …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics July 17, 2023

The Matrix

A Film by the Wachowskis

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Do you possess ideas—or do ideas possess you? Is it better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a pig satisfied? Why is The Matrix so universally loved by people of all …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics July 10, 2023

Ball of Fire

A Film by Howard Hawks

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When Mike casually remarked to Dan that he had just re-watched Ball of Fire, the 1941 Barbara Stanwyck / Gary Cooper screwball comedy co-written by Billy Wilder and directed by …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics July 3, 2023

Mulholland Drive

A Film by David Lynch

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David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive (2001) is in the same neighborhood as Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd and asks us to think about similar ideas: the power of self-delusion, the seductive nature …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics June 26, 2023

Stella Dallas

A Film by King Vidor

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Stella Dallas, the star vehicle for Barbara Stanwyck, hinges on a thought experiment: if you knew that by pushing a button your child would be happy for the rest of …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics June 19, 2023

Sunset Blvd

A Film by Billy Wilder

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How would you handle years of adoration and fame? Do you think you’d still be, essentially, yourself but with a better car—or would you become a different person? Join Mike …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics June 12, 2023

Heaven's Gate

A Film by Michael Cimino

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After the success of The Deer Hunter in 1978, Michael Cimino wrote and directed Heaven’s Gate, the 1980 film that has been grouped with Ishtar and The Bonfire of the …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics June 5, 2023

Elephant Man

A Film by David Lynch

David Lynch

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George Orwell said, "By fifty, every man has the face he deserves." To what degree does David Lynch's The Elephant Man (1980) respond to the idea that our appearances define …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics May 29, 2023

The Long Good Friday

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Can a two-hour film accomplish what it takes several seasons of a TV show to do? We're talking to you, Sopranos. Join Mike and Dan for a conversation about John …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics May 22, 2023

Kiss Me Deadly

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Mike has been badgering Dan for years to reevaluate Kiss Me Deadly, Robert Aldrich's now-canonical 1955 noir. Mike always loved it; Dan always thought it was overrated. Does he still …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics May 15, 2023

The Killers

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Citizen Kane isn't the only film in which the lead character dies in the beginning and sets an audience in pursuit of what to make of his final moments. Mike …
Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics May 8, 2023

Primer

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Mike asks, "Have you ever seen a movie that tackles time travel better than Primer?" The answer is no. Tenet might handle it sexier, Back to the Future might handle …