Making the Scene

Singin’ In the Rain with Natalie Marlin

Making the Scene gets musical for its second time this season, as film and music writer Natalie Marlin joins us to discuss the Broadway Melody sequence from Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly's 1952 classic Singin' In the Rain! We talk color, choreography, casting shuffles, pastiche, and more in this fantastic conversation about this film's late-added musical sequence, and how it speaks to the film's themes nonetheless.

Bless Their Little Hearts with Arlo Wiley

Making the Scene is back with returning guest, podcaster, and co-editor of The Deli Counter of Justice, Arlo Wiley. This time, he brings an emotionally catastrophic argument from Billy Woodberry's 1984 Bless Their Little Hearts. A critical entry in the movement known as the L.A. Rebellion, Bless Their Little Hearts is a story of family and unemployment, set in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. This scene is a oner, a single take that runs for 10 minutes -- nearly a full reel of film. And yet, as Arlo and I discuss, its simplicity and straightforward camerawork gives a view into a style of oner that is too often ignored in favor of flashy Steadicam movements. We discuss the L.A. Rebellion itself, and this scene's context in that movement's communally collaborative approach.

Moulin Rouge with Abbie Phelps

We return to Making the Scene for an all new episode featuring editor, streamer, and most excellent film analyst Abbie Phelps. She joins us to discuss one of Baz Luhrmann's 2001 masterpiece MOULIN ROUGE's most famous scenes: El Tango de Roxanne. Abbie takes us on a tour of this scene's bold formal choices, from its intentionally frenetic editing, to its stunning use of color. We talk about how this film finds a space beyond the dire Jukebox Musical through its deft mashups of songs, and its incisive look at jealousy.
If you want to watch before listening, the scene begins at 1:16:19 and ends at 1:25:30.

Miami Vice with Diego Crespo

Today on Making the Scene, I'm joined by photographer, podcaster, and writer Diego Crespo to break down the Moby-and-vibes-heavy boat ride sequence from Michael Mann's 2006 MIAMI VICE. Diego walks us through how this scene can be a lens on Mann's entire filmography, especially on his use of horizon lines and the unachievable dream of freedom. We also discuss the impact of leaning into what digital cinematography can do vs. replicating film's look, and the use of space and reaction in performances over dialogue.
If you want to watch before or after listening, the scene begins at 49:40 and ends at 52:50 on the theatrical (and Michael Mann's preferred) cut.
We discuss the Viper FilmStream Camera a lot in this, a camera that, despite no longer being in use, won a 2017 technical achievement Oscar. While there weren't many good interviews available about the camera's use on VICE, there is a fantastic one from when it was first used by Mann on COLLATERAL.
Check out Diego's podcast The Waffle Press, and find him on instagram to see his fantastic photography.
 

Little Women with A.B. Allen

It's been a long time coming, friends and listeners, but Making the Scene is finally back for its second season!
Our first guest of the season is filmmaker A.B. Allen, whose opinions on the form have been one of the bright spots of being extremely online during this long and unholy pandemic. Their choice to kick off this new season of the show is a scene from Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaptation of LITTLE WOMEN, a beautiful and earnest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel. The scene is question isn't an easy one to keep one's composure through, and both host and guest suffered just a bit to prepare for this episode. We discuss Armstrong's approach to Beth's death, the subtle but powerful choices of lighting, music, and set design that underline the sequence's impact, and the incredible performances Claire Danes, Winona Ryder, and Susan Sarandon bring to the moment.
If you want to watch before or after listening, the scene begins at 1:33:37 and ends at 1:39:04.
During the discussion, we talk about two interviews with Armstrong. The first, from Vulture, discusses how they had to reshoot this scene due to a lab mishap, and the second is an oral history of the film from the New York Times. 

Magnolia with Eric Sipple (Guest Hosted by Greg Sahadachny)

It’s been a year — a strange, roller-coaster of a year — but Making the Scene has finally returned with an episode recorded before we went on hiatus. This is the first of three episodes we still have for you, and they’re all fantastic.
This episode is special. Though our guest is Greg Sahadachny, he’s actually the host of this episode. Envious of his guests getting to discuss their favorite scenes, your regular host (that’s me!) asked the lord and master of the Debatable Podcast to stop by and allow the tables to be turned. Today, I, Eric Sipple, bring you a scene from one of my all-time favorite films, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia. It’s a film following the intersecting stories of a number of Los Angelenos on a very, very weird day in their lives. A day that reaches its apex in a scene where frogs rain down from the sky, forcing our characters’ unravelling lives into new, and sometimes better, places.
You can watch most of the here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyw922ZwFbE
Listen to Greg Sahadachny’s fantastic Debatable Podcast here: http://debatablepodcast.tumblr.com/
And be sure to follow Greg on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mistergreggles

Boogie Nights with Joseph Lewis

December is a special month for Making the Scene. Not only is it your fond host’s birthday, but one of my favorite directors, Paul Thomas Anderson, is releasing a new film. So, before Inherent Vice has a chance to hit your eyeballs, Making the Scene will be coming at you with scenes from two of PTA’s best films.
First up, we’re joined by filmmaker and podcaster Joseph William Lewis, who’s brought with him what might be the single strangest scene in an already strange movie: Boogie Nights. After filling itself full of oddball characters, Boogie Nights wraps up by trapping us in a room with a coke-addled, mix-tape making drug dealer who really just wants a friendly audience while he plays Russian Roulette. It’s the perfect scene to dig into Anderson’s style — from extreme close-ups to use of music to the emotional high notes he allows his actors to hit, this is Anderson through and through.
The scene is available here: http://www.joblo.com/videos/movie-clips/boogienights-sisterchristian
You can watch Joseph’s film Nowheresville here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vumCHSM2oTk
And find Joseph on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/toastedschizo
And we’ll be back before the end of the year with a very special episode. How special? I’m-the-guest-on-my-own-show special, that’s how special! Greg Sahadachny returns to guest host so that I can talk about one of my favorite scenes from perhaps my favorite film: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia.

Blade Runner with Paul Smith

Hello, fond listeners! Making the Scene is back with a brand new invention! Today, we are joined by Gobbledygeek co-host and The Deli Counter of Justice co-editor/author Paul Smith! He’s chosen one of my favorite scenes of all time, the famous “Tears in the Rain” sequence from Blade Runner.
It’s the conclusion to a long chase sequence, as our hero Rick Deckard is pursued onto a rain-soaked rooftop by the replicant he was sent to “retire”, Roy Batty. Just as Deckard is about to fall to his death, Batty rescues him, and in his dying moments, recounts the wonders he’s seen in his too-short life. The entire film can be boiled down to this scene, from the art design and still-top of the line effects work on a futuristic Los Angeles, to the philosophical musings of what it means to be human, and the cruelty of mortality.
We pick up the scene at about 1:42, and end at 1:48. I couldn’t find the whole scene online, but I did find a clip that picks up just before the most important part: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoAzpa1x7jU
You can find Paul’s podcasting work on Gobbledygeek at http://gobbledygeekpodcast.com
And, remember, The Deli Counter of Justice is on sale now at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Deli-Counter-Justice-Eric-Sipple/dp/1502528800/
We’ll be on a slightly accelerated release schedule this month, so get ready next week for my talk with Joseph Lewis. We’re bringing the Paul Thomas Anderson to Making the Scene with Boogie Nights!

Inglourious with Arlo J. Wiley

Welcome back to Making the Scene! Today we’re joined by (one of) my partner(s) in Anthology Crime, Arlo J. Wiley, head editor of The Deli Counter of Justice and one half of the nerderific podcast Gobbledygeek. Since Gobbledygeek was the very first podcast to host me — and interview me about my then-new book Broken Magic at that! — there was no way I could miss getting the GGeeks on my show.
For today’s scene, AJ has chosen the (in my absolutely correct opinion) hands-down best scene in all of Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds: the tavern scene. Four of our heroic Basterds in a basement tavern, meeting an actress-turned-spy, and facing off against a suspicious Gestapo agent. What does that get you? One of the best tension builds and releases you’re ever going to find.
Someone has thankfully made the scene available on Vimeo, so you can check it out here: https://vimeo.com/33854927
You can find Arlo J. Wiley’s podcasts — both Gobbledygeek and the Mad Men-centric Smoke Gets In Your Ears — right here: http://gobbledygeekpodcast.com/
And finally, if you haven’t already, check out the amazing superhero anthology that bears AJ’s name on the cover, The Deli Counter of Justice, right here: http://www.amazon.com/Deli-Counter-Justice-Eric-Sipple/dp/1502528800/ref=asap_B007TJVR8E_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415157481&sr=1-1
Next time, we’ll be joined by the other half of Gobbledygeek and the third member of the Deli Triumvirate, Paul Smith. We’ll be talking Blade Runner! Don’t miss it!

Pan’s Labyrinth with Kitty Chandler

Making the Scene’s Month of Guillermo del Toro concludes with a special treat for Halloween. We’re back today discussing del Toro’s horror masterpiece Pan’s Labyrinth with author and critic Kitty Chandler!
Kitty chose for us what is, perhaps, the film’s most terrifying scene: Ofelia’s second trial, and her confrontation with the Pale Man. It’s a sequence full of unsettling set design, atmosphere that alternates between the oppressive and inviting, and some of the best practical monster effects work you’ll find anywhere. This is the first and only time this season I had to re-watch the scene three times just to stop being scared so I could get into the actual analysis.
The full sequence isn’t on YouTube, but very nearly all of it is, and can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSICJJq86ic. For those watching at home, the scene begins about 56 minutes in and concludes just before the 1:03 mark.
Kitty is the author of Black Ice, a fantastic urban fantasy braided novel. You can get a copy of Black Ice here: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/kitty-chandler/black-ice/ebook/product-21234262.html She’s also partners with Anna Williams, our previous del Toro Month guest, at the critical review site Murderboarding. Check it out at http://murderboarding.blogspot.com/. Kitty’s personal blog, Kitty Ipsup, can be found at http://kittyspace.org/wordpress/.
Enjoy this fantastic discussion, and remember that we’ll be back in two weeks to talk Inglorious Basterds with Arlo J. Wiley.