PODCAST · tv
Director's Club
by Jim Laczkowski
A monthly show that reviews a director per episode focusing on two titles. Episodes 123-172 were hosted by Brad & Al. As of 2022, new episodes will be hosted by Jim and/or Bill. As of 2027, a new host will take over!
Episodes
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Dial P For Podcast #9: I Confess, Dial M for Murder, Rear Window, To Catch a Thief
Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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Episode 248: Harold Ramis (feat. Collin Souter & Kerry Finegan)
Delighted to welcome back both Kerry and Collin of the Christmas Movies Actually podcast (also available on the Now Playing Network), to talk about a comedy legend that is long overdue. I first saw the great Harold Ramis on SCTV thanks to my dad along with Ghostbusters in the theater which became...
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Dial P For Podcast #8: Rope, Under Capricorn, Stage Fright, Strangers on a Train
Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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Episode 247: Nicole Holofcener (feat. Kate Blair)
After an extended break, the regular format has returned for the rest of 2026. Then we'll see what happens in the new year. At the very least, you'll be getting the yearly traditions regardless if the regular format changes. For the next two episodes, I needed to discuss filmmakers that bring me...
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Dial P for Podcast #7: Lifeboat, Spellbound, Notorious, The Paradine Case
Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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Bonus Episode: 2006 Review - The Year In Music
It's the first B-Side Me/Director's Club crossover (and the last if you listen to the intro). One of the other yearly traditions occurs when I step away from film and turn to my other favorite art form: music, alongside returning guests and lifelong friends J and Dan. I'll be putting all the year...
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Bonus Episode: Sneakers Commentary Track (feat. Erik Childress)
At first I was going to simply just write about my love of Phil Alden Robinson's spy thriller, Sneakers (1992), but then I decided it was time to start recording my voice again in hopes of returning to our regularly scheduled program next month. Since I needed something to lift my spirits, I…
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Dial P for Podcast #6: Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Suspicion, Saboteur, Shadow of a Doubt
Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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Dial P for Podcast #5: The Lady Vanishes, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca, Foreign Correspondent
Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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Dial P for Podcast #4: The 39 Steps, Secret Agent, Sabotage, Young & Innocent
Good evening. Welcome back to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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Dial P for Podcast #3: Skin Game, Rich and Strange, Number Seventeen, The Man Who Knew Too Much
Good evening. Welcome back to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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B-Side Me #5: Counting Crows
NOTE: After this episode, B-Side Me will be getting its own separate feed as a standalone show! If you enjoy the first five episodes, you'll have to subscribe to the new link which I will share soon! In addition to the monthly movie talk regarding directors (for Director’s Club), I'm happy to...
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Episode 246: Alejandro Jodorowsky (feat. Mike White & Heather Drain)
Where to begin discussing a filmmaker like Jodorowsky? Obviously I had heard of him and had seen the documentary, Jodorowsky's Dune, but it was until last year that I sat down to watch The Holy Mountain, knowing I was going to do this episode a few months later. Thanks to Sharon, I have now seen...
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Episode 245: 1996 - The Year In Review
Not too big of a summary this time around since the title says it all and there’s a lot to get to in terms of the episode proper. Every year around late February / early March, I call upon Chicago film critic buddies Collin Souter & Erik Childress to join me for an epic 5 hour+ episode discussing...
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Dial P for Podcast #2: Easy Virtue, Champagne, Blackmail, Murder!
Good evening. Welcome back to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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B-Side Me Episode #4: Beach House
In addition to the monthly movie talk regarding directors (for Director’s Club), I'm happy to present the latest episode of the music version of that same format! Only this time, it's all about bands/musicians that we think are worth discussing. Along with co-host and partner Sharon Gissy, we…
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Episode 244: Frank Capra (feat. Ross Bratin & Tripp Burton)
The last director-centric episode was back in late November / early December but we're back on the regularly monthly schedule as of now! Huge thanks to my buddies Ross & Tripp for coming on to talk about a true blue classic storyteller, and we have a lot to say! For this episode on the legendary...
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Episode 243: 50 Favorites Part IV: The Final Chapter (feat. Bill Ackerman)
The title says it all. 50 Favorites Part One was done back in 2021. Every couple of years, we nerd out some more! Collect them all, tell your friends! Welcome back Supporting Characters host Bill Ackerman for a 7-hour conversation about 50 more of our very favorite films, bringing the total to…
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Dial P for Podcast #1: The Pleasure Garden, The Lodger, The Ring, Downhill
Good evening. Welcome to Dial P for Podcast, Patrick Ripoll's year-long chronological voyage through the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Every month Patrick will be watching four Hitchcock features and talking about them here, from The Pleasure Garden to Family Plot, all across the year of 2026,...
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Bonus Episode: Chicago Film Critic Nick Digilio (40 Years 40 Films - LIVE)
My first live podcast recording! Author/film critic/podcaster Nick Digilio sold out the community room at the Rogers Park Branch library in Chicago to talk all about his new book and memoir, 40 YEARS 40 FILMS. I asked questions, played movie clips, celebrated an accomplished Chicago legend that…
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Bonus Episode: Ryan Verrill (The Disc-Connected & Antenna Releasing)
Do you love physical media and movies? Then you should be following all-things Ryan. I am truly honored to be joined by returning guest and physical media community superhero Ryan Verrill. We discuss the many projects he has in the works while mainly focusing on his latest distribution company,...
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Episode 242: Favorite Films of 2025 (feat. Patrick Ripoll + Bill Ackerman)
What a year. Thank God it's over. For a nearly five-hour long conversation among my two dearest friends and fellow podcasters, we reveal 25 our of favorite films of 2025. One of our guests mainly focuses on the horror genre while I decide not to rank the titles and simply list them in…
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Bonus Episode: Bloodbeat (1983)
What the hell is Bloodbeat?? From one-and-done French filmmaker Fabrice-Ange Zaphiratos, filmed in Wisconsin. A young woman travels to rural Wisconsin to meet her boyfriend's family, but she becomes possessed by the spirit of a Japanese samurai who goes on killing spree anytime she becomes…
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Bonus Episode: Favorite Songs of 2025
Happy Bonus Episode to all and to all a good listen. Here are some of my favorite songs of 2025 that you can enjoy as an 80-minute playlist here in the feed. YouTube and Spotify won't likely keep it up for long (if at all) but it'll be here in the official feed for now as a gift to the listeners...
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Episode 241: Michael Ritchie (feat. Peter Sobczynski)
Side note: In the midst of the migration from Substack to Ghost, this episode got lost in the shuffle somehow so it's back in the feed now. Apologies for the confusion / repost. There may be bugs but hopefully few and far between. Thanks again for the support, all! Returning guest, Chicago film...
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B-Side Me #3: Fiona Apple
In addition to the monthly movie talk regarding directors (for Director’s Club), I am happy to present the latest episode of the music version of that same format! Only this time - all about bands/musicians that we think are worth discussing. Along w/co-host Sharon Gissy, we both can’t wait for…
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B-Side Me #2: Belle & Sebastian
In addition to the monthly movie talk regarding directors (for Director’s Club), I am happy to present the latest episode of the music version of that same format! Only this time - all about bands/musicians that we think are worth discussing. Along w/co-host Sharon Gissy, we both can’t wait for…
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Bonus Episode: Jim & Patrick Watch The Entire Nightmare In Elm Street Series In One Day!
No description necessary! The title says it all. Well it was tempting to record all 12 hours of us talking through the entire franchise for the ultimate commentary track and podcast for 7 films, we thought it was best to record quick reactions after each film as we binged them all in one entire...
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Episode 240: Mike Flanagan (feat. Chloe Waryan)
Returning guest, writer, librarian, Instagram superstar and host of the Not Scared Podcast, the great Chloe Waryan, returns for her yearly visit to talk about a horror filmmaker! This time it’s all about the beloved Mike Flanagan. Do we love him as much as the rest of the horror community? You’ll...
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Bonus Episode: One Battle After Another (feat. Bill Ackerman, Patrick Ripoll)
Spoilers spoilers spoilers! If you haven’t seen One Battle After Another (and you should) then wait to dive into this month’s bonus conversation featuring friends Bill Ackerman (of Supporting Characters) and Patrick Ripoll (of 96 Greers) as we have an impromptu talk about the latest PTA film, One...
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B-Side Me #1: Smashing Pumpkins
In addition to the monthly movie talk regarding directors (for Director’s Club), I am happy to present the debut episode of the music version of that same format! Only this time - all about bands/musicians/songwriters that we think are worth discussing. Alongside co-host Sharon Gissy, we both…
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Episode 239: Kenneth Lonergan (feat. Mitchell Beaupre)
Returning guest, film writer and all-around great human being Mitchell Beaupre from Letterboxd (and a number of publications) returns for the third time to discuss a mutual favorite filmmaker of ours, the incredible Kenneth Lonergan. All three of his films mean a lot to us both so we opted to...
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Bonus Episode: 1999 Review - The Year In Music
For this excursion into something besides movies, I would recruit friend and Austin-based journalist Dan Solomon to go back 20 years to talk about a year in music - an art form that I love every bit much as film. For this retrospective, my guests and I curate a new list of ten favorite records…
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Episode 238: Michael Bay (feat. guest hosts Chloe Waryan and Luther Moss)
Do you like explosions?! Well you're in for a summer treat. Thank you so much to guest hosts Chloe Waryan and Luther Moss for covering a director on Director's Club I never would want to cover without losing my mind. What a delightful discussion and it’s an honor to put this out for all to hear!...
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Episode 237: Ross McElwee
I once saw a film called Sherman’s March which of course I adored. But then a year or so ago, I watched another film by the same director, Bright Leaves. For some reason, it had a profound effect on me. This episode goes into detail as to why. Joining me throughout is Illinois archivist and...
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Episode 236: Jack Clayton (feat. Rachel Bellwoar)
What an honor and a joy it was to talk with Rachel Bellwoar, an extremely talented writer and pop culture enthusiast whose work I’ve enjoyed discovering over the years. Thanks to many mutual cinephile friends and podcasters, we crossed paths in the world of Facebook and I couldn’t be more…
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Episode 235: 1995 - The Year In Review
Not too big of a summary this time around since the title says it all and there’s a lot to get to in terms of the episode proper. Every year around late February / early March, I call upon my Chicago film critic buddies Collin Souter & Erik Childress to join me for an epic episode discussing as...
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Episode 234: Nick Digilio (Celebrating 40 Years As A Film Critic)
This is a celebration, not just another Director’s Club episode for a reason. Back in 1990, I became an avid fan and follower of today’s guest and he’s been on this show a couple of times in the past, most recently for the Paul Thomas Anderson Part II episode. I’m talking of course about Nick...
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Episode 233: Elaine May (feat. Sharon Gissy)
Let’s forget all about inauguration day (since this comes out on January 20th, 2025) by focusing on someone who truly matters, the legendary comedic mind of Elaine May, pioneer of improv sketch comedy and so much more! We focus on all four of her directorial films and sing the praises of nearly…
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Episode 232: Favorite Films of 2024 (feat. Bill Ackerman)
Nearly five hours of conversation and recommendations all about the year 2024 in cinema! Bill Ackerman (host of Supporting Characters and guest host of this show) and I reveal 25 favorite films, talk about the year in general and have a lot to say as usual. In addition, you’ll get to hear…
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Episode 231: Jackie Chan (feat. Sam Inglis & Gabe Powers)
Happy holidays! Grateful to my incredibly smart and passionate guests to cover a genre I’m not as well-versed in - Hong Kong cinema particularly martial arts action. I am familiar with Buster Keaton though unlike the first time I saw Rumble In The Bronx back in 1995 at the local multiplex....
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Bonus Episode: Joel Potrykus (Vulcanizadora)
Hello everyone! I am no longer putting out episodes via Libsyn, they are now hosted right here at my Substack. Formerly known as the 5 Years Substack, this is now the hub for all-things Director’s Club including a new URL. Learn about all this and more during my 8-minute preamble before we get to...
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Episode 230: Michael Mann Redux (feat. Brian Tallerico & Ryan Verrill)
Have you been waiting for the Mann? Well it's been over a decade since we last discussed his work back when Patrick and I mainly covered our love for both Heat & The Insider. Cut to present time, I have recruited two of my favorite returning guests to touch upon nearly every title by Michael Mann...
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Episode 229: Guillermo Del Toro (feat. Chloe Waryan)
The spooky season is here! Why not indulge in the twisted fantasy worlds of one renowned, revered Mexican filmmaker by the name of Guillermo Del Toro! Of course I needed to enlist a super fan of his and I was lucky enough to have returning guest Chloe Waryan back on the show for another truly...
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Episode 228: Jeremy Saulnier (feat. Mitchell Beaupre)
It's been six weeks since a new episode of the show but this will be worth the wait, given not only the director we're covering but the guest is one of the best film critics working today. Letterboxd's very own Mitchell Beaupre returns after their debut a couple years ago for a nail-biting...
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Episode 227: Keith Gordon + Underrated Films of the 2000s
Couldn't be more thrilled to share the latest conversation I had with one of my favorite returning guests, actor/writer/director Keith Gordon who may remember as Arnie from John Carpenter's Christine. He's been on several times in the past to not only talk about his films and his career but...
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Bonus Episode: Longlegs & In a Violent Nature (feat. Patrick Ripoll)
Get it on, bang a gong, get it on! Patrick Ripoll (of 96 Greers) joins me once again, returning to discuss two horror films that left me a bit perplexed. About six years ago, I asked Patrick to come back on to review David Gordon Green's Halloween along with the Suspiria remake simply because I...
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Bonus Episode: 1994 Review - The Year In Music
For this excursion into something besides movies, in case you didn't know, I once hosted Voices & Visions and I would recruit friend and Austin-based journalist Dan Solomon to go back 20 years to talk about a year in music - an art form that I love every bit much as film. For this summer…
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Episode 226: Christopher Nolan Part II (feat. Erik Childress)
Once again, the format has changed a little for an experiment. Not quite a magic trick if you will, but Erik and I hope to "incept" you with our collaborative ranking of a director's filmography (not a draft, repeat not a draft). Last time Erik Childress was on to talk Christopher Nolan, it was…
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Episode 225: Another 50 Favorites (feat. Bill Ackerman)
Do you remember when Bill Ackerman and I revealed our 50 favorite movies episode for the 10-year anniversary of this show? That was Part One in what eventually has become a trilogy! Little did you know, when I briefly had a Patreon, we did a sequel that was exclusive for subscribers. I no longer...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Director's Club have?
Director's Club currently has 356 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Director's Club about?
A monthly show that reviews a director per episode focusing on two titles. Episodes 123-172 were hosted by Brad & Al. As of 2022, new episodes will be hosted by Jim and/or Bill. As of 2027, a new host will take over!
How often does Director's Club release new episodes?
Director's Club publishes regularly with 356 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Director's Club?
You can listen to Director's Club on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Director's Club?
Director's Club is created and hosted by Jim Laczkowski.
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