Alternate Sides
SEASON TWO: 1983-1992
1983: Eureka
This week we discuss Nicolas Roeg’s period drama Eureka, starring Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, and Rutger Hauer.
Plus: Wynton Marsalis, washroom attendants, and James’s recent trip to London.
1984: Blood Simple
This week we tackle the Coen Brothers’ gritty debut feature, Blood Simple, starring Frances McDormand, John Getz, and M. Emmet Walsh.
Plus: Wayne Shorter, rock climbing, and our experiences with first-time directors.
1985: Ran
This week we survey the expanses of Ran, Akira Kurosawa’s epic adaptation of Shakespeare’s King Lear.
Plus: beds in cinemas, Werner Herzog on psychotherapy, and Sam’s aversion to movies set on ships.
1986: Sid & Nancy and
Round Midnight
It’s a double-feature this week as we riff on two movies about musicians: Bertrand Tavernier’s Round Midnight and Alex Cox’s Sid and Nancy.
Plus: burned-out cars, slow television, and the unhelpful advice Robert Redford used to get.
1987: Fatal Attraction
This week we take a stab at Adrian Lyne’s classic romantic thriller Fatal Attraction, starring Glenn Close and Michael Douglas.
Plus: the two faces of Harrison Ford, and James’s habit of talking to the television.
1988: Dangerous Liaisons
This week we discuss Stephen Frears’s film-adapted-from-a-play-adapted-from-a-novel Dangerous Liaisons, starring Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Plus: James finally goes to the Vanguard!
1989: Do the Right Thing
This week we explore Spike Lee’s comedy-drama Do the Right Thing, starring Spike Lee, Danny Aiello, John Turturro and Rosie Perez.
Plus: James eats a $35 salad, Don Mischer’s “Go balloons”, and 1990 as the year of sequels.
1990: An Angel at My Table
This week we discuss the journey of author Janet Frame in Jane Campion’s biographical drama An Angel at My Table, starring Alexia Keogh, Karen Fergusson, and Kerry Fox.
Plus: Season Two of The Jinx, and the time Stanley Tucci took James to a Yankees game.
1991: The Silence of the Lambs
This week it’s Jonathan Demme’s classic serial-killer thriller The Silence of the Lambs, starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.
Plus: James comes out of film-scoring retirement.
1992: Scent of a Woman
We close out Season Two of the podcast with Martin Brest’s drama Scent of a Woman, starring Al Pacino and Chris O’Donnell.
Plus: Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, and an encounter with a rude traffic warden.