S9E41: Into the Ether
Bret discusses predictable blowback, a Valley full of holdovers and wasted youth as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-10-14 12:22:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses predictable blowback, a Valley full of holdovers and wasted youth as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-10-14 12:22:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses the sad degradation of a luminous force, a bewildering experience at the movies and a model of 1970's paranoia as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-10-07 12:37:44 +0000 UTC View Post
Bruce Wagner and Bret discuss delirious formalism, found fathers and fun junk as they continue their conversation from last week. Part 2 of 2.
2025-09-30 10:32:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Bruce Wagner and Bret discuss Amputation as divine fetish, Young Lust blasting infernal heat and Scenes from the Class Struggle coaxing haunted smiles from Hell. Part 1 of 2.
2025-09-23 01:42:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses a movie missing from a master's mythology, tying two novels together for laughs and a critical gap in contemporary pop culture reviews as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-09-16 05:50:33 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses global explosions, forgotten remainders and tortured literary notions as he fields questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-09-09 11:32:39 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses changing light, changing faces and changing networks as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-09-02 15:39:02 +0000 UTC View Post
Filmmaker Richard Shepard and Bret discuss the punk attitude, crafted joy and puzzling sequels from one of their favorite years in cinema.
2025-08-26 12:21:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses a full meal at the movies, missing out on some British musical masterpieces and steering mostly clear of a potent Generation X moment as he fields questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-08-19 10:56:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Filmmaker Chino Moya and Bret discuss witnessing the miracle of VHS, partaking in the last true youth movement and treasuring kinky Spanish cinema.
2025-08-12 10:11:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Screenwriter Scott Alexander and Bret discuss coming of age before kid culture, watching Charles Bronson on the hunt and missing out on a discount Pickle.
2025-08-05 09:40:30 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer James Frey and Bret discuss sacrificing some soul to get Next to Heaven, chasing freedom in France and turning to the past to admire bold ambition.
2025-07-29 08:06:10 +0000 UTC View PostWhat's another song Bret could have titled his first novel after if the Elvis Costello classic didn't exist? Love In An Elevator? Crosstown Traffic? Moon River? The five best answers will win a copy of the new 40th anniversary edition of Less Than Zero! Shipping cost will be covered by the publisher. ONLY U.S. RESIDENTS CAN WIN, BUT ANYONE CAN LEAVE A SONG TITLE FOR THE FUN OF IT. Sorry about that. They made me type it. Winners to be chosen and notified on Monday, 7/28/25. Best of luck to you.
2025-07-24 20:41:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Authors Kelly Loudenberg and Makiko Wholey join Bret to discuss the moral panic, massive money and found fingers they write about in Hollywood Vampires.
2025-07-22 07:45:12 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses failing to reach the finish line on a recent movie trip, a legendary entertainer's lascivious leap and an acclaimed actress who failed to make an impression as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-07-15 09:39:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer/Director Richard Shepard and Bret discuss east coast fantasies of the Valley, experiencing a Meryl Streep moment and an uplifting recent trip to the movies as they continue last week's talk about the films of 1982. Part 2 of 2.
2025-07-08 09:56:56 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer/Director Richard Shepard and Bret discuss weaving personal stories into Film Geek, Bill Murray reaching a new audience in 1982 and an American pop poet putting suburban strife on the silver screen. Part 1 of 2.
2025-07-01 06:50:06 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses his recent fling with Country Music, being hunted down at the Four Seasons and the perils of pushing a novel's morays into the future as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-06-24 08:15:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret remembers a complicated architect, a famous filmmaker who made too many movies and evading poets as he fields questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-06-17 10:49:46 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses the looming nothingness that awaits us all, being won over by an acclaimed movie he didn't like at first and the true purpose behind a special dedication as he replies to questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-06-10 07:07:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer Ross Barkan and Bret discuss prioritizing interiors in Glass Century, the futile chase for modern literary prestige and missing the middle ground between the mainstream and counterculture.
2025-06-03 08:30:48 +0000 UTC View Post
Screenwriter Larry Karaszewski and Bret discuss learning the art of script compression, getting things done on Beyond Our Control and the pleasures of vintage Italian Lipstick. CLICK HERE AND LINK TO LARRY'S LETTERBOXD LISTING EVERY FILM MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE!
2025-05-27 11:00:49 +0000 UTC View Post
Filmmaker Daniel Waters and Bret discuss being spared by Pauline Kael, trying to write War and Peace in a bumper car and fixating on a haunting image after seeing an ominous movie trailer.
2025-05-20 09:49:42 +0000 UTC View Post
Filmmaker Eugene Kotlyarenko and Bret discuss finally cracking The Code after twenty years, capturing the craziness of editing our own lives and watching the rise of today's Jean Renoir.
2025-05-13 06:04:19 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer/Filmmaker Matthew David Wilder and Bret discuss leaving a city that has lost its purpose, a bad movie that left a big impact and the many pleasures of Pillow Talk.
2025-05-06 08:40:35 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret discusses his favorite take on a classic tale, recent reports of cinema rowdiness and a current movie star's journey through the film industry as he fields questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-04-29 09:18:05 +0000 UTC View Post
Writer Lili Anolik and Bret discuss the kiss of death for many movies, killing the underground with constant connection and reading the lurid diaries of two very different authors.
2025-04-22 09:26:13 +0000 UTC View Post
Graphic novelist Sascha Ciezata and Bret discuss animating Werner Herzog, hunting hippies under the influence of Smog and narratives crumbling amid Chaos.
2025-04-15 05:12:11 +0000 UTC View Post
Bret recalls an awkward reunion at Moomba, a familiar depiction of Cool Britannia and the fine career of a 1970's Sorcerer as he fields questions from Platinum listeners on the air.
2025-04-08 05:07:21 +0000 UTC View Post
Author Blake Bailey and Bret discuss the murky personal history of John Cheever, mourning an aimless sibling's canceled life and the quaint cultural hub of a small southwestern town. Part 2 of 2.
2025-04-01 03:16:37 +0000 UTC View Post