Doc + Pod

Two very different approaches to examining stray animals on the streets of Istanbul!

Kedi (0:00-40:56), Stray (40:56-End).

Of course it is the Jackass Trilogy that leads us into our most involved discussion about film form. These guys are making beauty out of trash, forcing us to respect the human body, and bridging classical cinema foundations with modern innovations, all while just hanging with the boys. 

We're back with the A OK boys to discuss the new Eilish. We discuss just why she's so talented and why the form of the film is unique in its approach to a pop doc. 

Today's double feature leads to an interwoven conversation about visual portrayals of fame and why Justin Timberlake is an asshole. 

What We've Been Watching (0:00-25:00), The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears + Fake Famous (25:00 - End).

Our yearly trek through Park City was done virtually this year. We hope some of you were able to join! We talk about everything - fiction and non-fiction - and this year was surprisingly strong. Join us as we run through what we didn't like and what we recommend you keep your eyes on throughout the year.

Intro (0:00-11:51), Sundance Reviews (11:51-End).

Today we talk to you guys about HBO's Tiger, their documentary on the life and career of Tiger Woods. It's not great, but the boys don't totally agree on why. Fun, expansive episode.

Intro/What We've Been Watching (0:00-15:32), Tiger (15:32-End).

We talk about the new documentary series about Fran Lebowitz from Martin Scorsese, available on Netflix. No surprise that it's very well made and enjoyable to watch two friends who enjoy spending time together. 

Intro/What We've Been Watching (0:00-15:50), Pretend It's a City (15:50-End).

Happy 2021! Thanks for sticking with us through a horrible year. As a thank you, we dedicate the first half of this episode to responding to your guys' voicemails. We follow that up with going through our top 5 documentaries of the year alongside our good friend Aidan Seidman. 

Intro (0:00-2:00), Voicemails (2:00-1:08:16), Top 5 Documentaries of the Year (1:08:16-End).

We interviewed Ron Low aka TLC Tugger, the standout documentary subject of episode 4  of HBO's How To with John Wilson. "How To Cover Your Furniture" leads to Ron explaining and even showing his methods of restoring his foreskin. We talk about his life of activism, what it was like to be on How To, and we spend lots of time discussing documentary ethics. He's exceptionally fun to talk to.

We're back with a couple new ones that played Doc NYC. We find that these two films, despite their formal differences, fit together in both their subject matters of extrajudicial murders, as well as in the missteps the filmmakers make in making heroes out of villains. It makes for a vibrant discussion as we try to judge when a film can no longer do its subject matter any justice. 

What We've Been Watching (0:00-13:19), MLK/FBI (13:19-52:44), The Dissident (52:44-End).

Not your average Doc+Pod episode. We cover a real smattering of things available right now. We start with HBO's How To with John Wilson. Then Yael Bridge's The Big Scary "S" Word, playing at Doc NYC. And lastly, Vikram Gandhi's Hulu doc 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez.

Intro (0:00-2:17), What We've Been Watching (2:17-26:45), How To with John Wilson (26:45-48:13), The Big Scary "S" Word (48:13-1:12:20), 69: The Saga of Danny Hernandez (1:12:20-End).

It's the ZOG WATCH baybeeeee. Along with Herzog's newest, we watched Lessons of Darkness (1992) and Into the Inferno (2016) for reference. We talk about Herzog's ability to be softened by people despite him being constantly hardened by nature. Fireball is a perfect fit for AppleTV+, so watch it if you can!

What We've Been Watching/Chit Chat (0:00-33:46), Fireball (33:46-End)

The boys finally review a film from our lord and savior Frederick Wiseman, along with fellow Wiseman-head Jason Miller. We pick apart what's made his films so funny, engrossing, heartbreaking, and in control over his 50 years career. He's one of the greatest ever, and City Hall is another stellar installment in his catalogue of great films. 

Intro (0:00-12:14), What We've Been Watching (12:14-31:26), Frederick Wiseman Intro Talk (31:26-43:50), City Hall (43:50-End).

The election special for the boys is here! We're joined by our close friend Aidan to talk about why this film has been on all of our minds since Sundance and what it could possibly mean to us facing down the 2020 Presidential Election. 

Intro (0:00-5:09), What We Watched on Halloween (5:09-16:52), Boys State (16:52-End).

To discuss the new Borat film we bring on the guys from The Aggressively Okay Podcast. Along the way we talk about the first film's legacy, why we have to look at this new film differently, and the direction that Borat sees the US&A going in. 

Our first bonus episode! We do a quick wrap-up of HBO's The Vow (after our partial review in the This Is Paris episode). We talk about the show's descent into bullshit and talk about it as a study in whiteness. 

We discuss Byrne's new concert film, compare it to Stop Making Sense (which is available on Amazon Prime right now), and are ultimately surprised when we finally come down on the film in a much lower place than we started initially. Fruitful political discussion here. 

Intro (0:00-7:05), What We've Been Watching (7:05-29:42), David Byrne's American Utopia (29:42-End).

In preparation for the new David Byrne concert film directed by Spike Lee, the boys chose to take a look at a couple of the documentaries Spike Lee has in his catalog. We cover how Spike was able to turn a historical documentary into something more distinctive, and how he elevates a sports documentary into a (literal) commentary on cinema. He's good at everything.

Intro (0:00-2:45), What We've Been Watching (2:45-26:22), Spike Lee (26:22-32:30), 4 Little Girls (32:30-1:06:12), Kobe Doin Work (1:06:12-End).

The fellas talk about a movie so damn good that there really isn't much to say about it. Filmmaking this great justifies itself. We recount crucial moments in the film and bond over how (much) they made us feel. 

Intro (0:00-11:00), What We've Been Watching (11:00-31:17), Dick Johnson Is Dead (31:17-End).

For our first guest episode, our friend Emilio comes on to talk about the films of Allan King. We catch up and have fun before talking about some very emotionally charged films, where we let our opinions scatter. Also, sorry about Vince's audio. Won't happen again!

Intro (0:00-7:00), What We've Been Watching (7:00-26:31), Allan King (26:31-45:46), Warrendale (45:46-59:08), A Married Couple (59:08-1:28:34), Dying at Grace (1:28:34-End). 

Off top, gotta let you know this is our second attempt at recording this episode. We lost the first file. This second attempt was recorded immediately after, so we forget some stuff. Still, a riveting conversation from two of the world's finest intellectuals about what makes a puff piece and how the specifics of a documentary allow room for real world commentary.

Intro 0:00-6:13, What's Playing at Festivals 6:13-18:49, What We've Been Watching 18:49-29:49, HBO's The Vow (Episodes 1-4) 29:49-55:22, This Is Paris 55:22- The End.

We discuss the new Netflix release The Social Dilemma and all the problems that go into making a documentary that's truly unable to grapple with its central issues. 

Intro/What We've Been Watching 0:00-25:09, The Social Dilemma 25:09-the end.

Hi, guys! First episode. Thanks for listening. 

We discuss Varda's last film, her career, and what she means to filmmaking as a whole.

Intro 0:00-4:50, What We've Been Watching 4:50-22:45, Varda by Agnès 22:45 - the end