Hit Factory

Dear Hit Factory Patrons

As we announced earlier this month on Twitter, and in solidarity with the campus protests across the nation and the world, we have committed all of April’s Patreon funds in full to the ongoing efforts of the campus encampments. 

At month’s end, we had earned $520 USD through our Patreon supporters. Though we initially stated to our patrons and followers that we would be donating the funds to the UC Berkeley encampment in full, in light of the brutal police crackdowns at campuse...

Little Odessa feat. Eamon Tracy

Writer and critic Eamon Tracy joins to discuss the brilliant James Gray and his debut feature 'Little Odessa' starring Tim Roth, Edward Furlong, and Vanessa Redgrave. Made when Gray was just 23 years old, it's a semi-autobiographical story that merges a character study of an estranged Russian-Jewish family with elements of the crime genre to arrive at something that pulls from the films of Francis Ford Coppola, Sidney Lumet and Luchino Visconti in equal measure.

We begin by disc...

DOUBLE FEATURE: Serpent's Path v. Eyes of the Spider feat. Amber T.

Leeds-based film journalist and podcaster Amber T. (@hornbloodfire) joins for a double feature discussion of bad vibes connoisseur Kiyoshi Kurosawa's V-Cinema revenge thrillers 'Serpent's Path' and 'Eyes of the Spider'. Written in collaboration with 'Ringu' screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi and directed back-to-back within an incredibly short production period of mere weeks, the films sidestep Kurosawa's customary supernatural impulses seen in hits like 'Cure' and 'Pulse' in favor of stripped-do...

Henry Fool feat. David Weigel

Political reporter David Weigel joins to discuss the work of director Hal Hartley and his 1997 feature, 'Henry Fool'. The film, written and directed by one of the great undersung auteurs of American indie cinema during its heyday, blends a sense of sweeping literary scope with the understatedness of an indie comedy to tell a story about creativity, imperfect people, and the commercial forces that antagonize true outsider artistry. Henry Fool would become the first in a trilogy of films by Har...

Household Saints feat. Kate Hagen

Writer and Senior Vice President at The Black List Kate Hagen joins to discuss Nancy Savoca's 'Household Saints', a generational tale of Italian women in New York and the shifting influences of faith, divinity, and family in their day to day lives. Long unavailable and thought lost to time, an original print of the film was discovered by the filmmakers and has received a new 4k restoration courtesy of Milestone Films. The restoration is screening theatrically all across the country and a prop...

12 Monkeys feat. Aaron Thorpe

Unofficial Hit Factory Sci-Fi Correspondent Aaron Thorpe is back to discuss the time traveling eccentricities of Terry Gilliam's '12 Monkeys' - a sort of quasi-remake of Chris Marker's 'La Jatée' (1963) featuring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, and Brad Pitt

We unpack the career of Terry Gilliam, why he was seen as a studio liability in the early 90s, and how this film represents the very peak of his critical and commercial successes. Then we discuss the film's take on the messy narrati...

Topsy-Turvy feat. Julia Sirmons

Writer and resident Gilbert & Sullivan expert Julia Sirmons joins to discuss Mike Leigh's 'Topsy-Turvy', a story of the aforementioned musical duo and the production of one of their most popular shows, 'The Mikado'. It's a film that feels at once like an outliler in Leigh's career up to that point (his first film not set in contemporary working-class London) and a pitch-perfect culmination of many of his career-long explorations.

We begin with a discussion about the legacy of direc...

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery feat. Pod Casty For Me

Jake Serwin & Ian Rhine, hosts of the preeminent Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me return to discuss one of the finest studio comedies of the 90s, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" starring Mike Myers. 

We discuss the film as both a product of broader ambient 60s nostalgia in the decade and an extension of Mike Myers deep personal affinity for the cultural output of the era. Then, we talk about the film itself as cultural juggernaut, and why Austin Powers and ...

Ed Wood feat. Chadd Harbold

New York-based filmmaker and producer Chadd Harbold joins to discuss the 1994 Tim Burton biopic 'Ed Wood', a sincere, loving portrait of the titular filmmaker and his band of Hollywood misfits coming together to make oddball, outsider B-movies that remain enduring works to this day.

We discuss Tim Burton as filmmaker, the increasingly diminishing returns of his artistry, and why Ed Wood stands as perhaps his finest achievement. Then, we talk about Martin Landau's Oscar-winning turn as ...

Total Recall feat. Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson

Matt Bors & Ben Clarkson, creators of the excellent sci-fi/action satire graphic novel 'Justice Warriors' join to talk about one of our main guys - Paul Verhoeven (aka Pauly V) and his landmark sci-fi/action satire 'Total Recall' starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale". 

We discuss the film's long gestation period under several different producers and directors, most notably as a project for Hit Factory fave Da...

Poison

Just in time for Sundance festivities and a whole new cycle of 'May December' discourse, we're back to discuss Todd Hayne's 1991 debut feature 'Poison'. Both the winner of the Best Feature Award at the aforementioned Park City festival and a characteristically controversial release from the filmmaker, 'Poison', based in part on the works of queer author Jean Genet, is a gripping triptych of tales (subtitled "Hero", "Horror" and "Homo" respectively) shot and edited in distinct styles and forma...

A Simple Plan feat. To The White Sea

Aaron is joined by Jordan Fish and Ray Tintori of the preeminent Coen Bros. podcast, To The White Sea, to discuss the chilly, snow-capped neo-noir 'A Simple Plan', directed with uncharacteristic restraint by master stylist and Coen Brothers collaborator Sam Raimi.

We discuss the career of Sam Raimi and the techniques he employs here to generate the unsettling, stern tone of the film. Then, we talk about the long gestation period of the project, and its many iterations attached to variou...

Hit Factory's 2023 in Review

It's officially 2024...Happy New Year? We're not getting our hopes up! While everyone nursed their hangovers and tried desperately to get back to "normal" everyday life, we decided to take a look back at all the things we watched in the past year and talk about some stuff that falls outside the usual scope of the show. Join us as we each count down our individual top five new-to-us watches of the past year, take time to reflect on your own highs and lows, and add some new recommendations to y...

DENZEMBER VOL. V - Mississippi Masala feat. Roxana Hadadi

Universally beloved Vulture critic and Hit Factory all-star Roxana Hadadi returns to close out Denzember with a hefty chat about Mira Nair's 1991 romantic drama 'Mississippi Masala', a story of identity, the generational pursuit of belonging, and the possibility of new futures through the radical expression of love without boundaries. 

We discuss the career of the undersung Nair, from her start as a documentarian through her more recent narrative features like 'The Namesake' and 'T...

DENZEMBER VOL. IV - The Preacher's Wife feat. Ashley Reese

New York-based writer Ashley Reese joins us for our a very special Christmas installment of Denzember as we discuss Penny Marshall's 1996 romantic comedy 'The Preachers Wife'.

We discuss the film as a metatextual exploration of Denzel Washington's celebrity image as well as part of Whitney's second leg as an international superstar and actress. We also discuss the film's monumental soundtrack, sung by Whitney herself, an album that remains the best selling gospel record of all time. Fi...

DENZEMBER VOL. III - Philadelphia feat. Frazier Tharpe II

Denzember continues with GQ Senior Editor Frazier Tharpe II joining us to discuss Jonathan Demme's 'Philadelphia', one of the first major Hollywood films to take on the AIDS crisis. Far from a simple "issues picture", the movie overcomes many of its retrograde positions and dubious narrative decisions through the combination of Demme's masterful skill behind the camera and two powerhouse lead perfromances from Denzel and Tom Hanks (in a role that would net him his first Oscar win). 

DENZEMBER VOL. II - Devil in a Blue Dress feat. Will Menaker

Chapo Trap House and Movie Mindset's very own Will Menaker stops by to help celebrate Denzember and discuss Carl Franklin's 'Devil in a Blue Dress', based on the inaugural Easy Rawlins mystery novel of the same name by author Walter Mosley. It's a stylish period noir made by a filmmaker and team seemingly uninterested in reproducing the aesthetic trappings of classic film noir, instead opting for a rich and colorful evocation of parts of 1940s Los Angeles rarely seen in the movies.

We ...

DENZEMBER VOL. I - Malcolm X feat. Edward Ongweso Jr.

Writer, editor and podcaster Edward Ongweso Jr. returns to the show to kick off Denzember, a monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, with a conversation about Spike Lee's seminal 1992 biopic 'Malcolm X'. It stands as one of Lee's most triumphant achievements and one of Denzel Washington's very best performances as one of the most significant figures of 20th century America.

We discuss the film's trouble gestation period, taking nearly 30 years to get to the big screen then ...

Introducing...DENZEMBER!

An introduction to our monthlong celebration of our greatest living actor, Denzel Washington.

Porco Rosso feat. Adam Sullivan

Creator of the "eventually, forever" newsletter and film twitter heavy Adam Sullivan joins us to discuss the brilliant Hayao Miyazaki and his 1992 film 'Porco Rosso'. Initially conceived as a short film exclusively for in-flight guests of Japan Airlines, the film eventually grew in ambition and scope and now stands as one of Miyazaki's most underrated, visually transcendent masterpieces. 

We discuss the film's many classic Hollywood touchpoints, including the films of Howard Hawks,...

DOUBLE FEATURE: The Replacement Killers (1998) v. The Killer (2023) feat. Jake Serwin

We contracted the services of Jake Serwin, co-host of America's premier Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me, to take on a pair of films about a professional assassin having a crisis of conscience after botching his most recent job.

First up, we talk The Replacement Killers, Antoine Fuqua's first feature and Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat's Hollywood debut, pairing him with recent Oscar winner Mira Sorvino for an extremely American riff on Hong Kong's Heroic Bloodshed genre, popula...

BONUS: Sharon Stone in Casino (Uncut)

There were a lot of things left on the cutting room floor for our latest episode on Casino with Séamus Malekafzali. This is our full, unedited segment on Sharon Stone for your listening pleasure. 

Casino feat. Séamus Malekafzali

Journalist and writer Séamus Malekafzali returns to the program for a lengthy conversation about Martin Scorsese's 1995 crime epic 'Casino'. Initially viewed by critics and audiences as a retread of Scorsese's masterful crime saga 'Goodfellas', the film has since been reevaluated as a masterpiece in its own right - one enriched by the director's late period films and preoccupations.

We discuss the film's dizzying construction, effectively evoking the glitz and glam of the Vegas strip ...

Freaked feat. Nicole Veneto

Loose film critic and host of Marvelous! Or, the Death of Cinema podcast Nicole Veneto joins from Boston to discuss Alex Winter and Tom Stern's irreverent, gag-filled 1993 monster comedy 'Freaked'. The film is a genuine cult classic that was greelit, following the success of the Bill & Ted films and Winter and Stern's short-lived MTV program 'Idiot Box', with an impressive $12 million bud...

Street Fighter: The Movie feat. Devan Scott

Vancouver-based filmmaker, educator, and podcaster Devan Scott joins to discuss Street Fighter: The Movie, based on the hugely popular Capcom video game franchise. Dismissed by both critics and fans of the game at the time of its release as a disaster, the film has since found a small but vocal faction of champions nearly 30 years later.

We discuss the film as an example of what Devan calls "The Anti-Masterpiece": A film that through no fault of its author becomes an astonishing work, ...

Wild At Heart feat. Kayte Terry

Artist and podcaster Kayte Terry joins from Philadelphia to discuss David Lynch's 1990 Palme d'Or winner 'Wild at Heart' starring Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as starcrossed lovers on the run in an oddball road movie that showcases the director at his most earnest and emotionally frank. 

We discuss what people get wrong about Lynch, his style and tone, and why pervasiveness of the the term "Lynchian" robs it of meaning. Next, we talk about the incredible ensemble that brings Lynch's...

Caro Diario feat. Pod Casty For Me

This week we're joined by our good friends Ian Rhine and Jake Serwin of the teriffic Clint Eastwood podcast Pod Casty For Me to discuss the Italian director Nanni Moretti and his 1993 personal essay/anthology film 'Caro Diario', awarded Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 1994 when Clint served as the Jury President.

We discuss Moretti as subject within his own films, and how his arch and effacing tone offers perhaps a more palatable substitute to the films of a once-prominent...

The Insider

Another solo episode this week as we discuss Michael Mann's thriller 'The Insider', based on the true story of whistleblower Jeffrey Wigand and his explosive 1996 interview with 60 Minutes that exposed secrets about the tobacco industry and their complicity in manipulating their product with known carcinogens to increase the addictive effect of nicotine. The film is at once the story of the the tremendous power of corporate entities to take down those who seek to share the truth with the Amer...

10 Things I Hate About You

We're solo for the first time in a while to talk about the romantic comedy '10 Things I Hate About You', a take on William Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew' updated for the 1990s and set at a Pacific Northwest high school that looks an awful lot like a castle.

We discuss the film's impecccable cast, featuring a host of 90s up-and-comers including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, David Krumholtz, Julia Styles, and the soon-to-be superstar Heath Ledger, who was taken far too so...

Exotica feat. Soraya Sebghati

Musician and film writer Soraya Sebghati joins from Los Angeles to venture into the lurid, strange world of...Toronto, ON, Canada and its mesmerizing underbelly of desire, longing, and grief in Atom Egoyan's 1994 breakout feature, 'Exotica'.

We discuss Atom Egoyan as director - his keen sense for the uncanny amongst the mundane, and the ways 'Exotica' plays with artificiality, performance, and facade. Then, we discuss the film's musings on routine and the rippling effects of grief, and...