Hit Factory

Sonatine

We go full TBS Dinner and a Movie™ Mode to discuss Takeshi Kitano's 'Sonatine' a film that forgoes the traditional bombast of crime stories in favor of patiently observed aimlessness that lays bare the interior void of its yakuza boss protagonist (played by Kitano himself).

We discuss the Japanese polymath and multihyphenate's origins and alter-ego "Beat Takeshi", the sly subversions of Kitano's vision of the criminal underground as an austere and lifeless toil, and the singular struc...

Under Siege feat. Jarrod Murray

Los Angeles-based literary manager and producer Jarrod Murray joins the crew of the USS Hit Factory to discuss 'Under Siege', the 1992 action thriller starring Steven Seagal.

We discuss the exemplary direction of journeyman Andrew Davis who would go on a year later to make his opus, 'The Fugitive', praise the transcendent performance of Tommy Lee Jones as the madcap leader of a group of nuclear terrorists, and return to one of our favorite preoccupations: the meteoric rise (and astonis...

Serial Mom feat. Nora MacIntyre

Critic, writer, and film historian Nora MacIntyre joins Aaron to discuss John Waters's 1994 satire 'Serial Mom' starring Kathleen Turner as the titular murderous matriarch.

Topics include Waters's exploitation origins and the film's ties to splatter maven Herschell Gordon Lewis, the movie's brilliant send-up of the capitalist patriarchal structures of modernity, and the immediate prescience of the story's exploration of true crime obsession in the wake of the O.J. Simpson trial.
2023-01-06 06:36:57 +0000 UTC View Post

From The Desk of Hit Factory Podcast 12.19.22

Hello Hit Factory Patrons, 

As many of you who have personal relationships with us or follow along with us on social media already know, we lost Carlee's father earlier this month. We have decided to take the remainder of the year to process and prioritize family and to give space to whatever shape grief may take over the next few weeks. 

As this means a reduction in content (and as a gesture of our gratitude for your patience and understanding), you will not be charged ...

Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm feat. Evan MacDonald

Host of Kino Lefter Evan MacDonald returns to the show to discuss the 1993 animated Batman adventure 'Mask Of The Phantasm', a gorgeous, noirish take on the caped crusader that marks a mature, novel-for-its-time approach to the interiority of the tragic character.

We discuss the film's place within the feature canon (is this the best Batman movie of all time?), riff on the tired criticisms of the character in the age of social media, and pay our respects to the recently departed Kevin C...

The Rock feat. Seamus Turner-Glennon

Co-host of My Rifle, My Podcast and Me Seamus Turner-Glennon joins us to discuss 'The Rock', a slam-bang action thriller that transcends its patchwork of familiar tropes by way of three pitch-perfect lead performances and the singularly brazen stylistic flourishes of its helmer, Michael Bay.

We discuss the film's singular collection of great movie guys, explore the political undertones of Bay's films (and his intriguing skepticism of systems of power), and try to articulate what the "se...

American Movie feat. Arlin Golden

Director/Programmer of Drunken Film Fest Oakland and co-host of Wiseman Podcast Arlin Golden joins Aaron to discuss Chris Smith's 1999 documentary 'American Movie', a story of artistic determination, male friendship, and one man's struggle to achieve The American Dream amidst the industrial decay of the Rust Belt Midwest.

We discuss the fascinating once-in-a-lifetime dynamicism of Smith's subject Mark Borchardt, praise the film's brilliant examination the sociopolitical conditions of w...

The Bridges of Madison County feat. Comrade Yui

Film writer, YouTuber, and quality poster Comrade Yui joins Aaron to discuss 'The Bridges of Madison County', Clint Eastwood's astonishing romantic drama that showcases the actor/director at his most sensuous, contemplative, and graceful.

We discuss the film's delicate moral ambiguity, our single issue with Meryl Streep as an actress, and Clint's place in the pantheon of Hollywood's great filmmakers.

Follow Comrade Yui on 2022-11-04 21:32:58 +0000 UTC View Post

Blade feat. Jamell Moses

Writer, actor, and fellow vampire hunter Jamell Moses joins us to discuss 1998's 'Blade', a Marvel adaptation that succeeds where others have failed due to its vision, ingenuity, and an immaculate lead performance by Wesley Snipes.

We discuss the film's legacy as the first (and arguably best) of Marvel's ventures on the silver screen, the subversive political backbone that drives the film's interior world of elite vampires manipulating the levers of society, and why the sexlessness of ...

From Dusk Till Dawn feat. Roxana Hadadi

Vulture critic Roxana Hadadi returns to Hit Factory for her hat trick to discuss Robert Rodriguez's 'From Dusk Till Dawn', a rambunctious genre hybrid that blends elements of crime pictures, westerns, and gory exploitation horror to uproarious effect.

We discuss the ascendancy of Rodriguez and screenwriter Quentin Tarantino during the mid-90s, the undeniable magnetism of a tribal-tattooed George Clooney (in his big screen debut), and ponder the significance of that eye-popping final sh...

Cronos

We're back after a brief hiatus with a very special Spooky Season™ pick: Guillermo del Toro's debut feature 'Cronos', a magnificent modern vampire fable as indebted to Universal monster stories as it is to Cronenbergian body horror.

We discuss the film's various interpretations of vampirism (both literal and figurative), the unapologetic earnestness of del Toro's work, and what the director's monsters can teach us about the complexities of postmodern existence.

Get access to a...

Braveheart feat. Hard Mike

Film Twitter personality and fellow Mel Gibson stalwart Hard Mike joins Aaron to discuss Mel's 1995 Best Picture winner 'Braveheart' a sweeping epic about the legendary Scottish freedom fighter William Wallace.

The fellas discuss the film's extremely loose adherence to historical accuracy, its celebration of 90s neoliberal orthodoxy & the myth of meritocratic ascendancy, and the rewards of exploring the complicated artisitic statements of "bad" people.

Follow 2022-10-10 04:09:15 +0000 UTC View Post

From The Desk of Hit Factory Pod

Hello Hit Factory Family,

A brief update on the upcoming month and your membership to the Hit Factory Patreon.

We will be taking time off from the pod for the first half of October in order to rest, recharge, and return clear-headed to the factory floor with some great guests beginning Thursday 10/20/2022. As this means a reduction in content, you will not be charged for the month of October for your membership. Subscription fees won’t begin again until the next billing cycle be...

BONUS: Natural Born Killers (Hit Factory x Nostalgia Trap)

David Parsons from Nostalgia Trap Podcast joins us for a deep dive on Oliver Stone's maximalist 1994 thriller 'Natural Born Killers' starring Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis. We discuss the movie's complicated and controversial legacy, how it (sometimes) trancsends its cartoonish pastiche to paint a portrait of American violence and media sensationalism, and how it fits into a broader conversation about problematic and difficult are that is still resonant today.

Listen to 2022-09-23 15:02:17 +0000 UTC View Post

Pretty Woman feat. Molly Lambert

Molly Lambert, creator of HeidiWorld: The Heidi Fleiss Story, joins us to talk the 1990 romantic comedy 'Pretty Woman'. We discuss the film's origins as a gritty tale of sex and drugs on the streets of Hollywood Boulevard, how the story both confronts and conforms to the sexual politics of the era, and the blinding star power of lead Julia Roberts.

Later, we discuss Heidi Fleiss, her relationship to Hollywood in the era of Pretty Woman, and the frustrating trend of anti-sex discourse i...

Drunken Master II

We're back to talk about the peerless Jackie Chan in Lau Kar-leung's 1994 martial arts masterpiece 'Drunken Master II' released in the United States as 'The Legend of Drunken Master'. 

Topics include the film's troubled production which ultimately resulted in Lau's departure from the director's chair, the film's breathtaking finale (often considered one of the greatest fight scenes ever commited to film), and the class politics & anti-colonial message at the film's core. <...

Trainspotting feat. Veronica Phillips

Film writer Veronica Phillips joins Aaron to discuss 'Trainspotting' Danny Boyle's restless adaptation of Irvine Welsh's tale of heroin addiction, reluctant camaraderie, and a generation's failure to reject the principles of a post-Thatcher UK.

We discuss the film's breakout performance from then-relative newcomer Ewan McCregor, explore the distinctly 90s evocation of addiction and its roots, and ponder the question of what makes a "good" drug movie.

Follow 2022-09-10 08:34:01 +0000 UTC View Post

The Hunt For Red October

We ascend to persicope depth for a conversation about 'The Hunt For Red October', John McTiernan's adaptation of Tom Clancy's debut Jack Ryan novel about a CIA analyst tasked with deciphering the intentions of a rogue Soviet submarine commander in the waning years of the Cold War. 

We discuss the pitch-perfect performances of Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, & a formidble supporting cast, the striking Caravaggio-esque imagery of submarine interiors as lensed by veteran cinematograph...

Bringing Out The Dead feat. Donald Borenstein

It's our 100th episode of Hit Factory! To celebrate, we recruit New York-based filmmaker Donald Borenstein to discuss one of the undersung greatest films of the 1990s, Martin Scorsese's 'Bringing Out The Dead' written by the brilliant Paul Schrader. It's a frenzied, vividly-lensed story of death & salvation which also serves as a spotlight on the people pushed to soceity's margins by liberalism's rot.

We discuss the pitch-perfect Nic Cage in a role he was seemingly born to play, th...

Pick our theme for November!

Help us pick our theme for November by voting. We are at an impasse in terms of which direction we want to go with it. Vote early, vote often.

Summer Of Sam feat. Matt Belenky

Writer Matt Belenky joins us from New York in the midst of a heat wave to discuss Spike Lee's 'Summer of Sam', an exuberant survey of Outer Boroughs New York in the late 1970s as well as a chilling study of working class anxiety, paranoia, and scapegoating of the Other.

We discuss the many controversies surrounding the film's release (a common through line with Lee's films), the impeccable performances of the oft-undersung leads - including career-best work from John Leguizamo and Mira ...

Predator 2

There's a new Predator movie getting dumped staright to Hulu this weekend. In anticipation of the franchise's dimishing returns, we revisit the overlooked sequel to the 1987 action classic, 'Predator 2' - a film that brilliantly turns the imperialist anxieties of its predecessor inward to explore early-90s reactionary crime wave narratives and the Bush-era fixation with gang violence & emboldened police response.

We discuss the proliferation of early 90s depictions of Los Angeles a...

The Talented Mr. Ripley

We're back after a week off to discuss Anthony Minghella's 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' - another entry in the canon of 1999 films interrogating the myth of American prosperity at The End of History™.

We talk through the film's singular exploration of the tension between modernism and postmodernism using the backdrop of midcentury Europe, the immaculate performances from several up-and-comers-now-titans of Hollywood (including a career-best Jude Law), and how the movie anticipates our cu...

Pusher feat. Michael Snydel

Film writer and host of The Film Stage's Intermission Podcast joins us to discuss Nicolas Winding Refn's debut feature 'Pusher', a gritty, drug-addled urban crime thriller set against the backdrop of Copenhagen's seediest bars, backrooms, and alleyways.

We discuss Refn's relentless, kinetic directorial style (and how this has changed markedly over the last two decades of output), the acting debut of one of Denmark's most distinguished exports, the actor Mads Mikkelsen, and how Refn's sh...

DOUBLE FEATURE: The War Room & SPIN feat. Grimm

Prestigious podcaster and poster Grimm joins us to discuss two documentaries chronicling the 1992 presidential election cycle from very different perspectives.

First, we discuss Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker's lionizing character study 'The War Room', chronicling the efforts of Bill Clinton's campaign advisors, George Stephanopoulos and "Ragin' Cajun" James Carville. It's a hagiographic text owed a great deal of blame for the faux-proletarianization of democratic politics in the 90...

The Lost World: Jurassic Park feat. Peter Raleigh

Chicago-based academic and film lover Peter Raleigh joins us to discuss 'The Lost World', Steven Spielberg's oft-maligned, misunderstood sequel to smash hit 'Jurassic Park'. It's a movie with a bracing mean streak that marks a turning point for the director into a new phase of daringly conflicted storytelling.

We discuss the rejection of the first movie's childlike wonder in favor of a much more cynical worldview, the bevy of brilliant setpieces and their forebears within Spielberg's ci...

Irma Vep feat. Brandon Streussnig

Writer Brandon Streussnig joins us to discuss Olivier Assayas's 1996 postmodern masterpiece 'Irma Vep'. It's a revelatory metatextual exploration of creation, capitalism, and cinema - past, present & future.

We discuss the indelible magnetism of star Maggie Cheung (playing a version of herself), the film's considerations of the shifting proclivities of audiences on the global stage in the mid-90s, and the ways in which modern moviemaking seems averse to asking big questions about i...

Late Bloomers feat. Lindsay Lee Wallace

Writer Lindsay Lee Wallace returns to discuss the underseen 1996 queer romantic comedy 'Late Bloomers'. It's a sweet lesbian love story about coming of age in middle age in a small Texas town. 

We discuss the film's many subversions within its narratively conventional mode (including the casting of its two leading women), the film's insistence on the celebratory elements of queerness, and the ways in which many of the film's antagonizing voices remain frustratingly prescient. ...

The Fugitive

We discuss the 1993 box office sensation 'The Fugitive' a meticulously detailed and expertly crafted thriller without an ounce of fat on it. Topics include the film's unusual and effective narrative structure, the bravura performances by the film's two leads, Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, and the anxieties at the heart of man-on-the-run thrillers.

Get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a 2022-06-10 13:53:09 +0000 UTC View Post

Unlawful Entry

We take a look at the brilliant 1992 thriller 'Unlawful Entry', starring Kurt Russell, Madeleine Stowe, and the recently departed Ray Liotta (RIP). We discuss the film's deceptively thoughtful scripting and taught "no-frills" construction (thanks to stellar work by journeyman director Jonathan Kaplan), the rarity of 90s Hollywood films critical of the LAPD, and the way that the recent publicity of the Rodney King beating and LA Riots  inform some of the film's key moments. 

La...