Topics covered include: following Todd Haynes to Portland, cattle politics, the nature of the “American Experiment,” why it’s so hard to make a good period piece, lessons from Lyndon Johnson, whether Mark Ruffalo could effectively play an evil person (answer: yes), the randomness of art, the actor/movie star dichotomy, bad old movies versus bad new movies, and why it’s always better when there’s a dog.

Topics covered include: the purity of poetry, radical okay-ness, the alternate version of Ocean’s life as a straight man, why love wasn't a question in Memorial, the power of saying no, learning to choose yourself, the exoticism of suburbia, the upside of being small, letting another artist expand upon your vision through adaptation, and why being a writer is less a career than a miracle. 

Topics covered include: Zoom culture, petty arguments, band name trends through the decades, the humble origins of Moonbase 8, rethinking “independent” television, the demoralizing experience of pitching a show to Amazon and Netflix accompanied by a 30 person chorus, learning to trust Ravi, whether A24 needs help with money, and why you sometimes need a couple years of distance to fall in love with something you made.

Topics covered include: embracing your animal essence, what high school is really like, the Euphoria chili scene, learning cinematography from reality TV, the secret to acting like Nathan, fairy portals, approaches to cat parenting, the kindness of strangers, and crying so hard you laugh.

Topics covered include: performance anxiety, living in the body of a character, the annual Gathering of the Juggalos, how Cousin Greg got his rich vocabulary, Britell’s early gigs writing telephone hold music, getting out of your own head, and why you should just keep going when it feels good.

Topics covered include: finding your creative collaborators, strip club breakfast buffets, editing as the final draft of a script, the Sundance party scene, why bad notes are better than no notes, meaningful nudity on screen, getting paid the least for doing the most, and what it’s like making a naughty movie when you’re a prude.

Topics covered include: hot mics, shooting in airports pre-9/11, "movie star grapes," Josh seeing Sandler in Punch Drunk Love at age 18, writing a script that feels like there is no script at all, His Royal Highness Darius Khondji, the firecracker scene in Boogie Nights, the feeling when it all works artistically, post-filmmaking blues, losing the Ziegfeld theater in NYC, and why it just makes sense to ship a precious gem inside of a fish.

Bergman Mission Accomplished. Here's the extended version of last week’s Deep Cuts with Ari Aster & Robert Eggers. ROB & ARI'S WATCH LIST (in order of appearance) The Servant (1963) dir. Joseph Losey The Sacrifice (1986) dir. Andrei Tarkovsky Cries and Whispers (1972) dir. Ingmar Bergman Autumn Sonata (1978) dir. Ingmar Bergman Persona (1966) dir. Ingmar Bergman The Master (2012) dir. Paul Thomas Anderson The Virgin Spring (1960) dir. Ingmar Bergman Shame (1968) dir. Ingmar Bergman Winter Light (1963) dir. Ingmar Bergman Fanny and Alexander (1982) dir. Ingmar Bergman Scenes from a Marriage (1973) dir. Ingmar Bergman Smiles of a Summer Night (1955) dir. Ingmar Bergman Andrei Rublev (1973) dir. Andrei Tarkovsky Through a Glass Darkly (1961) dir. Ingmar Bergman Ivan’s Childhood (1963) dir. Andrei Tarkovsky Hour of the Wolf (1968) dir. Ingmar Bergman From the Life of the Marionettes (1981) dir. Ingmar Bergman Carrie (1976) dir. Brian De Palma The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989) dir. Peter Greenaway The Snowman (1982) dir. Dianne Jackson, Jimmy T. Murakami Blue Velvet (1986) dir. David Lynch A Clockwork Orange (1971) dir. Stanley Kubrick Mary Poppins (1964) dir. Robert Stevenson Conan the Barbarian (1982) dir. John Milius Legend (1986) dir. Ridley Scott Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977) dir. George Lucas Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) dir. Steven Spielberg Nosferatu (1922) dir. F.W. Murnau The Bostonians (1984) dir. James Ivory Maurice (1987) dir. James Ivory The Seventh Seal (1957) dir. Ingmar Bergman Lost Highway (1997) dir. David Lynch The Dark Knight (2008) dir. Christopher Nolan A Life in Suitcases (2005) dir. Peter Greenaway The Falls (1980) dir. Peter Greenaway Sawdust and Tinsel (1953) dir. Ingmar Bergman The Silence (1963) dir. Ingmar Bergman Seventh Samurai (1954) dir. Akira Kurosawa Last Year at Marienbad (1963) dir. Alain Resnais

Topics covered include: chasing the Bergman closeup, preferred aspect ratios, why Hereditary is unabashedly a horror movie, talking to press while intoxicated, the “trick” of Midsommar, the scene from Carrie that still gives Ari nightmares, dealing with the consequences of an A24 marketing stunt you did not consent to, the silver lining on a ‘D’ Cinemascore, why films are meant to be watched more than once, and the magic of being in dialogue with other filmmakers across history—and becoming more yourself in the process.

Topics covered include: lies we tell our families, the gift of cold hard cash, visiting Disney as an adult, pet monkeys (dream versus reality), Murakami, the Malcolm X watch, LA car culture, universality through specificity, connecting the dots, and the longing to know the places our parents' parents once called home.