Random Acts of Cinema
Each week friends Mike and Charlie have Randy (the random number generator) select a film for them to watch from the Criterion Collection. Then they discuss and review it for your listening pleasure. It’s a podcast about the love of film, expanding horizons, painstakingly cataloging the duration of every long take, and friendship.
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716 - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
04/29/2024
716 - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
Jacques Demy’s dazzlingly colorful palette that is perhaps more symphonic than it’s grand romantic score, sets the stage for a musical about young love and the obstacles it must endure in modern France. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Barbara Loden’s Wanda (1970).
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76 - Brief Encounter (1945)
04/22/2024
76 - Brief Encounter (1945)
Sweeping vistas! Dangerous men driven by greed, glory, honor, and obsession! Is this what acclaimed epic director David Lean has in store for us today? Well… it does feature some dramatically filmed trains. That’s one of his things, right? Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964).
/episode/index/show/randomactsofcinema/id/30932023
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173 - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
04/15/2024
173 - The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)
I can’t help it if I’m scarred from too many bad 1980s and 90s comic book movie adaptations that weren’t faithful to the source material. I know it shouldn’t matter. Especially if the movie was made in the 1940s, it’s directed by podcast-favorites Powell and Pressburger, and it’s actually excellent. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing David Lean’s Brief Encounter (1945).
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163 Hopscotch (1980)
04/07/2024
163 Hopscotch (1980)
Can we chalk this up as another Walter Matthau all-time slam-dunk that most people have never heard of? Or is this old man spy caper exactly what it looks like? We are joined by the duo Brad and Jake from the Never Did it podcast as we race across the globe in search of a potential antidote to Moonraker (which Charlie still thinks is a very good old man spy caper for some reason). Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1946).
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1215 - Shakes the Clown (1991)
04/01/2024
1215 - Shakes the Clown (1991)
Singular-voiced American comedic auteur Bobcat Goldthwait writes, directs, and stars in his absurdist satire of the 1980s stand-up comedy scene reimagined as a grimey city infested with infighting sub-castes of clowns whose insecurities, addictions, and lack of talent lock them in a perpetual rut of demeaning gigs, black-out benders, and petty jealousies. But one stands apart: Shakes. Perhaps the most talented and definitely the most alcoholic and self-sabotaging of them all. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Ronald Neames’ Hopscotch (1980).
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820 - Fantastic Planet (1973)
03/26/2024
820 - Fantastic Planet (1973)
René Lalou’s timeless (well, maybe not exactly) hand drawn science fiction epic turns a skeptical eye on human systems of power in an unimaginable world of inhuman blue giants (that are somehow even more human). You know: it’s your basic Jack and the Beanstalk meets Avatar situation. With better (by which I mean funkier) music. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Bobcat Goldthwait’s Shakes the Clown (1991).
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879 - Taipei Story (1985)
03/18/2024
879 - Taipei Story (1985)
The good days are long past for Chan and Leung, a couple slowly drifting apart, and losing themselves in the oncoming wave of modernity consisting of unemployment, debt, loneliness, and alienation. But since Edward Yang directed it, somehow it’s all beautiful. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing René Lalou’s Fantastic Planet (1973).
/episode/index/show/randomactsofcinema/id/30429583
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042 - Fishing With John (1991)
03/11/2024
042 - Fishing With John (1991)
There was a time, believe it or not, when the channel Bravo was willing to pay for some “celebrities” and a camera crew to get out of their comfort zones, go on various excursions around the world, and watch the sparks fly as they bicker, backstab, and try to make “reality” look fun for the audiences back home. That time was 1991. Those celebrities were John Lurie, Jim Jarmusch, Tom Waits, Matt Dillon, Willem Dafoe, and Dennis Hopper. They made 6 episodes. Bravo never explored this format further. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Edward Yang’s Taipei Story (1985).
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1192 - Moonage Daydream (2022)
03/04/2024
1192 - Moonage Daydream (2022)
Brett Morgen's expressionistic documentary seeks to sidestep the question of "which is the real David Bowie?" and instead sees the creation of his personas as just one strategy used by the performer to craft a life of continuous artistic challenge and innovation. "Reinvention" isn't so much a gimmick used to promote album and ticket sales as it is the inevitable path of a creative life. Oh, and it's beautiful and the music is good. Freak out! Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing John Lurie's Fishing With John (1991).
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270 - Casque d'Or (1952)
02/26/2024
270 - Casque d'Or (1952)
Director Jacques Becker's belle epoque period drama about gangsters sets their lives on such a delicate balance between honor death that the eponymous pretty blonde is all it takes to bring it crashing down. Would you say a "love quadrangle" or a "love square"? Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Brett Morgen’s Moonage Daydream (2020).
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1094 - Watermelon Man (1970)
02/19/2024
1094 - Watermelon Man (1970)
Indie director Melvin van Peebles’ one film for Columbia Pictures pointedly slams against the dictates and standards of studio filmmaking with his Godfrey Cambridge-starring vehicle about a white bigot who wakes up black and finds himself in a world that no longer tolerates his existence. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Jacques Becker’s Casque d’Or (1952).
/episode/index/show/randomactsofcinema/id/30018643
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LD183 - Dracula (1992)
02/12/2024
LD183 - Dracula (1992)
Just in time for February: it's... Random Acts of Cinema's Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula. Take me away from all of these possessives. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Melvin van Peebles' Watermelon Man (1970).
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113 - Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)
02/05/2024
113 - Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)
An all-star who’s-who of mid-century Italian comedy (we assume) unite for a picture of staggering proportions! Our boys stumble and bumble their way through a meticulously planned robbery and end up stealing… our hearts. Director Mario Monicelli gives the world one of the great prototypes of the comedic heist. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Francis Ford Corolla’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992).
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391 - If.... (1968)
01/29/2024
391 - If.... (1968)
Content and Spoiler Warning: This film dramatizes bullying, violence, against children, and a school shooting. Those who may not want to listen to this episode should skip this one and join us next week. Can an all-boys boarding school serve as a microcosm of an entire nation's fractured state of values? More importantly: should it? Director Lindsay Anderson subverts the slice-of-life routines and indignities of British school life with deft surrealist touches and a Malcom MacDowell-starring cast embracing nihilism and revenge. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Mario Monicelli's Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958).
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LD244 - David Holzman's Diary (1967)
01/22/2024
LD244 - David Holzman's Diary (1967)
He lost his job. He got his draft notice. The only path forward for this cinefile is clear: alienate everyone in his life and fracture his sanity by filming a progressively more erratic week of his life. Is he really searching for truth? Is film even the right way to capture truth? Does he really care about truth at all? Director Jim McBride fake documentary is about how everything filmed is a lie. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Lindsay Anderson's If.... (1968)
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1033 - The Cameraman (1928)
01/15/2024
1033 - The Cameraman (1928)
In the darkest of night, standing solitary vigil against the forces of evil: there stands the city’s only hope for justice, for vengeance, for truth. There stands… The Cameraman! Director Buster Keaton mines the depths of obsession and action in this late silent-era masterpiece Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Jim McBride’s David Holzman’s Diary (1967).
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736 - It Happened One Night (1934)
01/08/2024
736 - It Happened One Night (1934)
Director Frank Capra returns to the podcast with his Oscar-hording smash hit romantic comedy starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. A glamorous heiress is on the run from her father as she embarks on a cross-country trek to get back to her playboy husband. But a hard on his luck newspaperman knows a good story when he sees one, and takes her under his wing. And wouldn't you know it? These two hate each other! Which is to say: they desperately love each other and just don't know it yet. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Buster Keaton's The Cameraman (1928).
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611 - Being John Malkovich
01/02/2024
611 - Being John Malkovich
Director Spike Jonze upends Hollywood conventions in this mind-bending Malkovich. Can Malkovich Malkovich before Malkovich Malkovich? Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Frank Capra's It Happened Once Night (1934).
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489 - Monsoon Wedding (2001)
12/25/2023
489 - Monsoon Wedding (2001)
This time, Mira Nair unleashes her penchant for a romance-set-among-a-sprawling-family-drama on the nation of India as a wedding is organized, threatened, and celebrated amidst the intensity of a rainy season that I guess is probably a metaphor for something. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovitch (1999).
/episode/index/show/randomactsofcinema/id/29226263
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885 - The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)
12/18/2023
885 - The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927)
Hitch is back! Or rather, here he is just as he’s starting to become THE Alfred Hitchcock. His first thriller blurs the boundaries between guilt, loss, obsession, and paranoia as a bloodthirsty killer of women stalks the London streets… on Tuesdays. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding (2001).
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272 - La Commare Secca (1962)
12/12/2023
272 - La Commare Secca (1962)
In his first film, renowned director Bernardo Bertolucci prowls through the not-so-innocent lives of strangers who just happened to be in a park on the night of a murder. Each have good reason to embellish and omit details as they recount their day leading up to the murder to the police interrogator, but the director unsparingly shows all of the petty choices and disastrous missteps of them all. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927).
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38 - Branded to Kill (1967)
12/05/2023
38 - Branded to Kill (1967)
It is neither a question of where Seijun Suzuki got his ideas from nor who got their ideas from him. Rather it is simply the plain fact that there were the movies that came before his 1967 art/hitman freak-out masterpiece and then there were the movies that came after. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Bernardo Bertolucci's La Commare Secca (1962).
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1197 - My Lucky Stars - Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar (1985)
11/27/2023
1197 - My Lucky Stars - Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar (1985)
1985. Sammo Hung. Jackie Chan. It sounds like we have all of the ingredients for the perfect action/comedy. And we do. We definitely have those ingredients. Hung directs a rag tag group of orphanage buddies, now older, as they are recruited to travel to Japan and infiltrate (via slapstick) a notorious Yakuza gang. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Seijun Suzuki’s Branded to Kill (1967)
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1003 - All About Eve (1950)
11/20/2023
1003 - All About Eve (1950)
We got ourselves a Mank! More importantly, we got ourselves a study in contrast between the brash but insecure broadway diva Margo (Bette Davis) and the ambitiously talented wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing Eve (Anne Baxter). Buckle up, it’s going to be a bumpy podcast. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Sammo Hung’s My Luck Stars - Jackie Chan: Emergence of a Superstar (1985)
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166 - Down By Law (1986)
11/13/2023
166 - Down By Law (1986)
A classic odd couple picture, except… it’s a trio?! Hilarity and hijinks ensue when a couple of guys find themselves in the unlikeliest of situations: roommates! … Well, kind of. Writer/director Jim Jarmusch jams John Lurie (as a pimp), Tom Waits (as a radio DJ), and Roberto Benigni (as a Roberto Benigni) into a Louisiana jail cell where tensions and unlikely loyalties form in this dryly funny, minimal masterpiece by one of America’s greatest directors. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Joseph L. Mankiewicz‘s All About Eve (1950).
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1060 - Amores Perros (2000)
11/06/2023
1060 - Amores Perros (2000)
Three heartbreaking stories interweave through Alejandro González Iñárritu's frantic and abrasive entry onto the cinematic world stage. A lovelorn brother who turns to the brutal but lucrative opportunities of back alley dog fighting, a model confined to a crumbling apartment following a life-altering accident, and a hitman with a past who walks the streets unseen. Join our and support the podcast! Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Jim Jarmusch's Down By Law (1986).
/episode/index/show/randomactsofcinema/id/28524707
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BONUS PATREON PREVIEW - Are you Friedkin Kidding Me? (The Exorcist, 1973)
10/31/2023
BONUS PATREON PREVIEW - Are you Friedkin Kidding Me? (The Exorcist, 1973)
Come listen to a free preview of our upcoming Patreon podcast Are You Friedkin Kidding Me?, where Mike, Charlie, and Alexandra (celebrated returning guest host) watch a different film (or tv show or documentary) from the oeuvre of acclaimed director William Friedkin. And we’re starting with his all-time genre-defining horror masterpiece The Exorcist (1973). The first taste is free. Keep an eye out for more information on our upcoming Patreon and your chance to listen to more episodes of Are You Friedkin Kidding Me?
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909 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)
10/30/2023
909 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Ok, we don't say it in the episode, but I've just decided that this movie is nothing more than a shameless War of the Worlds rip-off. And now that I've achieved my attention-grabbing hot take, I'll just come clean and say that we loved George A. Romero's all-time classic movie about zom... I mean ghouls that started it all. Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Alejandro González Iñárritu's Amores Perros (2000).
/episode/index/show/randomactsofcinema/id/28456916
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LD309 - Diva (1981)
10/23/2023
LD309 - Diva (1981)
Chic style and a confoundingly lithe ability to shift between classic-cool genres, director Jean-Jacques Beineix plots a Parisian escapade of crime, obsession, genius, whimsy, opera, sex, speed, and violence. Get ready to be the only person in the theater with a single tear running down your face. Because YOU get it. Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing George A. Romero’ a Night of the Living Dead (1968).
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653 - Gate of Hell (1953)
10/16/2023
653 - Gate of Hell (1953)
Stubborn, single-minded obsession forms the icy heart of Teinosuke Kinugasa's sweeping Shakespearean action-drama set in the aftermath of the bloody Heiji Rebellion. Join the Random Acts of Cinema Discord server ! *Come support the podcast and get yourself or someone you love a random gift at our . T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, and more! If you’d like to watch ahead for next week’s film, we will be discussing and reviewing Jean-Jacques Beineix’ Diva (1981).
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