Episode 13: Saving Steven Spielberg

This week, we talk about the themes and influence of Steven Spielberg's filmography. What's the Spielberg Kid? Fathers, children, and innocence lost and regained. Is the Patriarch a hipster? Also: God's Not Dead as done by Spielberg and Indiana Jones as done by Malick. Find out in Episode 13 of The Pilgrim's Podcast.

Episode 12: One Podcast More!

Les Miserables. We bring on Twitter anon Tacitus to talk Rogue One and the upcoming Star Wars franchise. Also: Les Mis: the book, Victor Hugo, revolutions, melodrama, law and grace, and why the Patriarch was never in a boy band.

Our Favorite Irish Movies

In honor of that Roman British guy who was kidnapped by Irish pirates, let's celebrate some Irish culture! So without further ado, here are our favorite Irish movies, in honor of St. Patrick's Day:

Episode 11: First They Came for the Jews

The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, Conspiracy (2001), and Sophie Scholl: The Final Days. Anti-semitism, Nazis, and the ethics of standing up for an idea. Also: Is Netanyahu the Jack Aubrey of politics?

2014 Top Movies & TV

Top 15 Movies/Top 5 TV Shows

of 2014

Last year's list

Yes, I know I'm late. Since it was over 2014 that I became a real film geek, I managed to see tons of terrific movies - but only a few stuck out as solid, all-time favorites. I mention them first.

Best of January/February 2015

Movies

Gravity had obvious problems. A bombastic soundtrack, little character development, and a penchant for dramatic, gratuitous destruction. But due to some terrific visuals, Gravity managed to sweep me away. I congratulate the main character: space. And boy, George Clooney really is a man of constant sorrow.

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance feels like somebody's fan fiction come true - drop Jimmy Stewart and John Wayne down in a Western town, and watch them be themselves. But it's far more than just a rote Western. John Ford sets the story on the brink of civilization, as impending statehood threatens the both the violence of outlaws and the wild, free ways of independent cowboys. What is the difference between the two? That's the question this movie asks. My review.

A Tale of Two Cities Dream Cast

Dorothy Tutin and Dirk Bogarde in A Tale of Two Cities (1958)

A Tale of Two Cities is my favorite novel. So, even the whiff of a chance of a rumor that it may be filmed is enough to get me out dream casting. As it is, we're pretty sure that BBC4 will be adapting it soon. It's more than due, since the last TV version was in 1989, and it hasn't been on the big screen since 1958, if we don't count The Dark Knight Rises (which, given the cop-out ending, we don't). The new version is written by Alan Bleasdale, and Netflix might co-produce. There's also a feature film which has been on the shelf for ages. So who knows? Maybe we'll get two, which means there will be lots of thinkpieces from me.

To begin with some minor characters...