Emulsion Ep. 17 - Stephanie LaCava on Nymph, Chantal Akerman, and Abel Ferrara
Given her work in and around cinema, it’s no surprise that Stephanie LaCava would write a novel that is, no small feat, cinematic. Said novel is Nymph, a slim and elliptical and fully satisfying character piece about a young woman, Bathory––called “Bat” for short––whose parents’ strange lifestyle, either involving spy craft or assassinations or just being out-and-out weirdos, brings her down dark corners.
Having known Stephanie for a little bit, I already knew she was worth talking to. (An important quality for any podcast guest.) But when she sent me the book last month, I read it with enough speed and relish that it was no question we should talk about Nymph, the Chantal Akerman and Abel Ferrara films that inspired it, and the complex personal feelings these things can raise. While I hope you like our conversation, I mostly hope it drives one to reading Stephanie's novel.
Order Nymph here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/3384-nymph?srsltid=AfmBOorlFqrsPmUBBXZkib0EKTKrXwvCfSY0sCRZ1mooAPre-6aOgVfw
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The B-Side Ep. 169 – Bill Paxton (with Billy Ray Brewton)
Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Today we talk about a performer that we lost far too soon: Bill Paxton.
Our B-Sides today include Brain Dead, Indian Summer, Traveller, and Frailty. Our guest is Billy Ray Brewton, and we cover a lot of ground.
We dive into Paxton’s Roger Corman origins (Crazy Mama getting reamed out by legend Stella Adler in New York, his ultimate move to Los Angeles, James Cameron, etc.), his love of movie-making and being on set, his tragic death, and much, much more.
We mention his first directing gig (“Fish Heads” by Barnes & Barnes on SNL), his last directed feature (The Greatest Game Ever Played), and his recent podcast appearances before his death. There is also this charming late night appearance.
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The B-Side Ep. 168 – Philip Seymour Hoffman
Welcome to The B-Side! Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Today we talk about maybe the greatest actor who ever lived: Philip Seymour Hoffman. But seriously, did Hoffman ever give a bad performance?
We talk about it! Conor and I are back and our Philip Seymour Hoffman B-Sides are Leap of Faith, Owning Mahowny, Pirate Radio, and Jack Goes Boating. We go through his whole filmography, spot-checking the crucial moments throughout his career.
We briefly discuss his Oscar-winning performance in Capote, his iconic supporting turn in Along Came Polly, and his Oscar-nominated role in Charlie Wilson’s War. There’s also an admiration at the power he wielded with silence, and an examination into why The Master is his acting masterpiece.
Additionally, we remain astonished by the career of John Patrick Shanley (writer/director of Doubt), we celebrate the upcoming Greenland 2: Migration, and the ability of Richard Curtis to squeeze earnest sentimentality out of garish manipulation.
There’s also chat about Seth Rogen, who lost out to Hoffman for the role of The Count in Pirate Radio and was approached by Hoffman to star in Jack Goes Boating, until Hoffman played the role himself. Rogen discussed these things himself on a recent Blank Check podcast episode.
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Emulsion Ep. 16 - Will Sloan on Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA
Ed Wood died the better part of a half-century ago, and to this day his reputation as the world's worst filmmaker persists. Even in this era when seemingly everything can be reclaimed, few have made the effort for Plan 9 from Outer Space, Glen or Glenda, or Night of the Ghouls, making all the more compelling a new book that does so without necessarily making the case for Wood as a strictly speaking good filmmaker. The author is Will Sloan and the book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA, which studies Wood's filmography as a genuinely dream-like and ideologically... if not driven, then at least somewhat occupied with major questions of identity.
The work shows in Sloan's book, which contains key biographical information, rundowns of Wood's novelistic career, and a larger consideration of what constitutes a bad movie. I was extremely pleased to speak with him about these and sundry other subjects.
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Emulsion Ep. 15 – Dennis Lim on the 63rd New York Film Festival
If you live in New York and care about movies, the beginning of the New York Film Festival—this year, specifically, on Friday, September 26—is perhaps the most exciting moment of any year. Though he served on the committee for a number of years, since 2020, Dennis Lim has shepherded the festival, his dispensation as a journalist and critic carrying naturally to his inclinations as a programmer. On the eve of the New York Film Festival’s kick-off, I spoke to Dennis about his role as a programmer, how seemingly disparate films make nice pairings, what it feels like watching eight-to-ten-hours of films a day, and the role of a festival in a consensus-heavy moment.
México