Podcast Like It's ...

Phil and Emily are joined by LaToya Ferguson to kick off a new miniseries on Angelina Jolie's action films of the 2000s, beginning with Gone in 60 Seconds (2000). LaToya is a TV writer, critic, and co-host of the Empire Diaries podcast. She has appeared on the show before, covering The Other Sister and Ladybugs on previous installments. She wanted to cover Mr. and Mrs. Smith. She did not get Mr. and Mrs. Smith.Gone in 60 Seconds follows retired master car thief Memphis Raines, forced back into the game to steal 50 high-end cars in one night to save his brother from a ruthless crime boss. It cost $100 million, grossed $237 million worldwide, outperforming both Remember the Titans and Coyote Ugly from the same Bruckheimer production year. Angelina Jolie had just won the Oscar. The film was sold entirely on her. She is barely in it. Nicolas Cage plays the lead, does not radiate car energy, and shares with Jolie what Emily describes as the opposite of chemistry. The movie goes dull at exactly the moment it should not, Frances Fisher has less screen time than the dog, and Christopher Eccleston delivers the villain line "it never rains, but it pours" with complete conviction.Phil makes the case for where this sits in the Bruckheimer era and why it signals the end of something, Emily misses the era of movies that made audiences want to steal cars, and LaToya has thoughts about Nicolas Cage, Billy Bob Thornton, and what actual dirtbag energy looks like on screen. They also get into whether Gone in 60 Seconds quietly paved the way for Fast and Furious, and why Phil rides for Sorcerer's Apprentice to the dismay of everyone present.This episode opens the miniseries on Angelina Jolie's 2000s action films, with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider up next.Follow the show and guests:Podcast Like It's... — https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeitsPhil Iscove — https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James — https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsLaToya Ferguson — https://www.instagram.com/thelafergs💜 Patreon (bonus episodes and video): http://patreon.com/Podcastlikeits

Phil and Emily are joined by film critic, screenwriter, and Hip Pocket podcast host Drew McWeeny to discuss Where the Wild Things Are (2009), the Spike Jonze adaptation of Maurice Sendak's 85-word picture book that cost roughly $100 million, barely broke even, got one Blu-ray release, and has been sitting in a strange kind of limbo ever since.Drew has been close to this film longer than almost anyone outside the production. He saw a rough cut in Pasadena before a single effects shot was completed, got a personal call from Legendary Pictures founder Thomas Tull asking for his honest reaction, and later sat down with Spike Jonze himself for two hours as the film fought to find its finish line. Phil thinks it's a miracle it exists at all. Emily finds it formally audacious and sometimes frustrating in equal measure. Drew thinks it's a great film. He also thinks it might not be a film for children.The three dig into the full production story, from the Jim Henson Company's 50-pound creature heads that got scrapped six weeks before filming to Spike's decision to shoot everything handheld with no green screens and no tracking dots on any of the creatures. They talk about why James Gandolfini was the perfect choice for Carol, what the voice cast recorded running around a black box theater instead of isolated booths, and what it means to watch this movie as a parent who has been the angry one in the room.This episode wraps up the show's Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman miniseries, following Adaptation and Synecdoche, New York.Follow the show and guests:Podcast Like It's 2000s — https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeits2000sPhil Iscove — https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James — https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsDrew McWeeny — https://www.instagram.com/drewmcweeny💜 Patreon (bonus episodes and video): http://patreon.com/Podcastlikeits

Phil and Emily are joined by Angie Han, TV critic at The Hollywood Reporter, to discuss Synecdoche, NY (2008), Charlie Kaufman's audacious directorial debut and the film Roger Ebert called the best of the 2000s.Kaufman wrote and directed this hallucinatory portrait of Caden Cotard (Philip Seymour Hoffman), an ailing theater director who uses a MacArthur Fellowship to build a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse. As the decades pass and his art consumes his life, the film tunnels deeper into mortality, creative obsession, and the quiet horror of living in a body that won't cooperate. Originally conceived as a horror film with Spike Jonze, Synecdoche, NY opened in October 2008 against High School Musical 3 and Saw 5, made $4.5 million on a $20 million budget, and has since been ranked among the greatest films of the 21st century by the BBC, the Guardian, and Time.Phil finds it deeply triggering as a self-described hypochondriac. Angie has seen it a dozen times and finds it weirdly soothing. Emily thinks it's funnier than people give it credit for. All three dig into why this film bombed commercially and became a critical touchstone, what it means to watch it in your 20s versus your 40s, and why it still doesn't have a Criterion edition.Follow the show and guests:Podcast Like It's... — https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeitsPhil Iscove — https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James — https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsAngie Han — https://www.instagram.com/ajhan06💜 Patreon (bonus episodes and video): http://patreon.com/Podcastlikeits

Phil and Emily are joined by Katey Rich, awards editor at The Ankler and host of the Prestige Junkie podcast, to discuss Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), Michel Gondry's Charlie Kaufman-written love story and one of the defining films of its generation. This episode is part of the ongoing miniseries on the 2000s films of Charlie Kaufman and Michel Gondry.Jim Carrey plays Joel and Kate Winslet plays Clementine, former partners who independently undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories. The film also stars Tom Wilkinson, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, and Elijah Wood. Released March 19th, 2004, it opened against Dawn of the Dead, The Passion of the Christ, and Starsky and Hutch, earned only two Oscar nominations, and somehow still became Charlie Kaufman's highest-grossing film.Phil, Emily, and Katey dig into how a movie that felt like a March dump release became a Sight and Sound list entry and a Letterboxd top 5 staple, why the Academy of 2004 simply wasn't ready for it, and how Jim Carrey managed to get overlooked by Oscar voters again six years after The Truman Show. They also get into how the Gondry and Kaufman collaboration works so much better here than it did on Human Nature, what the ending means when you come back to it older, and why Everything Everywhere All At Once couldn't exist without this film.Katey saw it right after her first real breakup and was completely walloped by it. Emily has seen it over ten times and has been happily married since college. Phil was 24 when it came out and was in exactly the right kind of romantic chaos for it to hit hardest. Three very different relationships with the same movie.Follow the show and guests:Podcast Like It's...: https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeitsPhil Iscove: https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James: https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsKatey Rich: https://www.instagram.com/kateyrichtalkingPatreon (bonus episodes and video): http://patreon.com/Podcastlikeits

Phil and Emily are joined by film critic and author Jason Bailey to revisit Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, George Clooney's 2002 directorial debut based on Chuck Barris' unauthorized autobiography. Jason is the author of Gandolfini: The Real Life of the Man Who Made Tony Soprano, now available in paperback.Chuck Barris created The Dating Game and The Gong Show. He also claimed to have secretly killed 33 people for the CIA. Charlie Kaufman wrote the screenplay, Sam Rockwell stars as Barris, and Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts co-star. Before Clooney made it, the film passed through David Fincher, Darren Aronofsky, Sam Mendes, Bryan Singer, Johnny Depp, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, and Mike Myers over nearly a decade of development.The three dig into what Clooney kept and what he stripped from Kaufman's original script, whether Sam Rockwell's performance holds the whole thing together, and what Roberts and Barrymore bring to a film that never quite commits to its own tonal chaos. They also get into Clooney's arc as a director, a genuinely promising debut followed by a filmography of diminishing returns, and whether Confessions of a Dangerous Mind holds up as his most interesting work two decades on.Jason says yes, unequivocally. Emily loved it then and is reconsidering. Phil never fully clicked with it. They all agree the ending is something close to perfect.+Follow the show and guests:Podcast Like It's... https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeitsPhil Iscove: https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James: https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsJason Bailey: https://www.instagram.com/jasondashbaileyPatreon (bonus episodes and video): http://patreon.com/Podcastlikeits

This week on Podcast Like It’s the 2000s, Phil Iscove is joined by writer David Iserson (Ponies) and author/podcaster Dana Schwartz (Noble Blood, Anatomy: A Love Story) to unpack one of the most inventive films of the decade: Adaptation.Part of our Spike Jonze & Charlie Kaufman mini-series, the group explores Kaufman’s famously meta screenplay, Nicolas Cage’s dual performance as Charlie and Donald Kaufman, and how the film turns writer’s block into one of the most daring Hollywood movies of the early 2000s. They also discuss the film’s wild journey from Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief to the screen, along with unforgettable supporting turns from Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper.A deep dive into creativity, storytelling, and one of the strangest Oscar-winning screenplays ever written.Podcast Like It’s the 2000s is a weekly podcast revisiting the movies, culture, and filmmaking that defined the decade.Follow the show & guests:Podcast Like It's... - https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeitsPhil Iscove - https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James - https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsDavid Iserson - https://www.instagram.com/davidisersonDana Schwartz - https://www.instagram.com/danaschwartzzz💜 Patreon (bonus episodes & video): http://patreon.com/Podcastlikeits

Phil and Emily are joined by Colby Day to discuss Human Nature (2001), Michel Gondry's feature directorial debut and Charlie Kaufman's second produced screenplay. The trio dives into this offbeat comedy about a woman with hypertrichosis, a scientist obsessed with teaching table manners to mice, and a feral man raised in the wild. They explore how Kaufman and Gondry use this absurd love triangle to interrogate what it means to be "civilized." They also discuss the film's place in the early-2000s Kaufman canon, how it compares to Gondry and Kaufman's later collaboration Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and why this strange, underseen comedy deserves a second look. Plus Tim Robbins as a 35-year-old virgin, Patricia Arquette's full-body hair, and Rhys Ifans eating with his hands at a fancy dinner.Follow the show & guests:Podcast Like It's... -  https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeitsPhil Iscove -  https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James - https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsColby Day - https://www.instagram.com/thecolbyday💜 Patreon (bonus episodes & video): http://patreon.com/Podcastlikeits

Phil and Emily are joined by Adam B. Vary to discuss For Your Consideration (2006), Christopher Guest’s razor-sharp satire of Hollywood awards campaigns and the strange machinery behind Oscar buzz. As actors, publicists, and studios chase nominations, the film hilariously exposes how quickly hype can spiral into ego, anxiety, and manufactured prestige.This episode also wraps up our brief three-film Christopher Guest 2000s miniseries, looking at how Guest’s mockumentary style evolved from Best in Show and A Mighty Wind into one of the most biting Hollywood satires of the decade.Follow the hosts and guestPhil Iscove - Instagram: @pmiscoveEmily St. James - Instagram: @emilystjamsAdam B. Vary - Instagram: @adambvaryPodcast Like It’s… Instagram: @podcastlikeits

This week on Podcast Like It’s the 2000s, Phil and Emily continue their Christopher Guest 2000s miniseries with A Mighty Wind, joined by writer and author Carrie Courogen.They break down Guest’s uniquely gentle mockumentary style, the film’s satirical take on folk music culture, and why its characters feel both absurd and deeply human. Plus, a closer look at the performances, the emotional undercurrent beneath the comedy, and how A Mighty Wind fits within Guest’s larger body of work.Phil also provides context for listeners on the film’s premise following three folk groups reuniting for a tribute concert highlighting its blend of nostalgia, melancholy, and humor.Follow the show & guests:Podcast Like It’s…: https://www.instagram.com/podcastlikeitsPhil Iscove: https://www.instagram.com/pmiscoveEmily St. James: https://www.instagram.com/emilystjamsCarrie Courogen: https://www.instagram.com/carriecourogen