True Believer

A film by Joseph Rubin

Episode 238 of the Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics podcast, hosted by Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics, titled "True Believer" was published on November 11, 2024 and runs 26 minutes.

November 11, 2024 ·26m · Fifteen Minute Film Fanatics

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Summary

Actors win awards and gain our admiration when they convince us that they have “become” someone else–it’s what we mean when we say that so-and-so “inhabits” a role. But that’s not the only benchmark: a good actor is also someone whose statements are interesting to hear and whose voice engages the listener, whether or not we “believe” that he’s really Charles Foster Kane or Norman Bates. That’s how Mike approaches James Woods in True Believer (1989). He and Dan also talk about the title and how it reflects an element of the film more interesting than the mystery at the heart of its plot. So grab that hair tie, fix that ponytail, and give it a listen! James Woods’s character, Eddie Dodd, is based upon the lawyer Tony Serra; you might be interested in this recent biography of him. Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Description

Actors win awards and gain our admiration when they convince us that they have “become” someone else–it’s what we mean when we say that so-and-so “inhabits” a role. But that’s not the only benchmark: a good actor is also someone whose statements are interesting to hear and whose voice engages the listener, whether or not we “believe” that he’s really Charles Foster Kane or Norman Bates. That’s how Mike approaches James Woods in True Believer (1989). He and Dan also talk about the title and how it reflects an element of the film more interesting than the mystery at the heart of its plot. So grab that hair tie, fix that ponytail, and give it a listen! James Woods’s character, Eddie Dodd, is based upon the lawyer Tony Serra; you might be interested in this recent biography of him. Follow us on X and Letterboxd–and let us know what you’d like us to watch! Incredible bumper music by John Deley. Also check out Dan’s new Substack site, Pages and Frames, for more film-related material. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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