Ep 370 - Kinds of Kindness

In this episode of 'The Actor and the Engineer,' Paul James and Josh Knapp delve into the complexities of Yorgos Lanthimos's 'Kinds of Kindness.' They discuss the balance between humor and existential dread in the film, its three distinct vignettes, and the thematic elements of control, belief, and absurdity. The conversation also touches on the deliberate choice of visual elements, such as color schemes and costume design, as well as the controversial aspects of screenwriting and character decisions that challenge viewers on multiple levels.

Ep 369 - All Things Mad Max

Join Josh Knapp (the broadcast engineer) and Paul James (the actor) as they delve into the Mad Max saga. From Josh's newfound appreciation for Mad Max: Fury Road to analyzing the impact of various characters and films, this episode covers it all. They discuss the evolution of the series and character arcs across the series.  This engaging discussion also considers the broader context of dystopian movies and the challenges of filmmaking.

Ep 367 - Challengers

In this episode we volley our opinions on Luca Guadanino's new tennis film with Zendaya, a Prince and West Side Story's Riff. Scored by Reznor and Ross, this movie has more meat on its bones than a standard sports movie.

Ep 366 - Civil War

In this episode we talk about Alex Garland's film about war and the role journalists play in society. It includes a great score, cool song selection and strong performances by the Dunst/Plemons crew.

Ep 365 - Top Tens of 2023

We finally got around to watching as many 2023 films as we could.  We are nailing down which ones were our favorites (or best, or highest regarded by us) and why!!

Ep 364 - Dune Part 2 with Justin Arner!

This week we go back to Arrakis with our special guest Justin Arner (multi-award winning creative producer).  We talk about Villeneuve using shot selection for optimal storytelling, Hans Zimmer's overwhelming score and question some of the casting choices.

Ep 363 - Oscarcast 2024

It's time for the golden statues! We go through who we think will win and who we would want to win in the biggest Oscar categories, and Josh has a golden addition to his shelf.

Ep 362 - The Zone of Interest

We dive into Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest, an unconventional holocaust/family movie. The concept, the filmmaking techniques and the haunting sounds of the score and sound design come together with the grounded performances to form a film that is engaging and confrontational.

Ep 361 - American Fiction

Cord Jefferson's biting and funny satire/familiy drama is the subject of this week's podcast.  We get to see Jeffrey Wright, Sterling K. Brown,  Tracy Ellis Ross, and a host of other actors put in great performances with a that know's what it is doing.  Once you are in the theater, Jefferson nudges you with humor, anger, outrage and real touching moments.

Ep 360 - Oscar Noms and Maestro

This week we reflect on the Oscar nominations and celebrate some of the choices while scratching our heads about others.  Then we tiptoe into a light critique on Bradley Cooper's new film Maestro (also Oscar nominated!)

Ep 359 - Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos plus Emma Stone equals another movie you can't look away from. With committed performances from Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo added, this film is both funny and thought-provoking.

Ep 358 - May December

We talk about Todd Haynes' new meta movie featuring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore that is loosely based on a true story, how it points out society's voyeuristic tendencies and why audiences will always be interested in stories like this.

Ep 357 - Saltburn

Emerald Fennell has returned with a film starring Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi about the British upper crust and the gaze of the outsider.  Was it successful?  Was it shocking? We get into it in our new episode.

Ep 356 - The Killer

It's a new Fincher film! We talk about Fassbinder, the sound design, the drop-in performances (including Tilda Swinton), ham hands and Fincher's tenuous relationship with the Oscars.

Ep 355 - Anatomy of a Fall

This week we talk about how Justine Triet's new film is able to turn a courtroom drama into an engaging and tight film with a great performance by Sandra Hüller. We have some Oscar predictions and get into the use of language in the film and "truth" in the courtoom.

Ep 354 - Killers of the Flower Moon

It's a rare treat to talk about a new movie from one of the living masters of the craft, Martin Scorsese. We break down what we liked about the performances, including the quiet confidence of Lily Gladstone. We also talk about the score, production design and undulating pacing of the film.

Ep 352 - Past Lives

Paul talks about his recent experience performing in a Steve Martin play and we talk about Celine Song's quiet, but confident debut film starring Greta Lee.

Ep 351 - Oppenheimer

Paul is in a new play!!! We get into that and also train our sights on one of the biggest movies of the summer.  We talk about Christopher Nolan's sprawling cast, sharp editing and keen visual effects (No CG!)