PODCAST · tv
Movies About
by James Batcho, PhD
Movies About... Music, Places, and other things. Taking a particular film as a launching point, this wife and husband pair talk frankly about the lives of artists, travelers, and other intrepid souls.Podcast produced by James Batcho.Music composed by CeCe Kim; performed by CeCe, James and Gino Brann; and recorded by James.Instagram: @moviesaboutmusic
Episodes
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Hunger (2023)
Issues of class, ambition, nihilism and family permeate our discussion of the Netflix movie Hunger (2023). We found it entertaining but cliché and lacking depth. We also discuss Thai food, Thai filmmaking, and high food culture. The movie had, to us (especially Jim), some unfortunate comparisons…
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The Wedding Singer (1998)
We return to the 1980s, sort of, with the 1998 hit comedy The Wedding Singer, starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. We talk wedding gigs, 80s culture, singer moods, Drew and Adam’s chemistry, inappropriate humor, Cece’s recent trip to Australia, and Jim’s past loathing of Adam Sandler. Movies...
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95th Oscars Special Part 2
Part 2 of a Movies About / Now It’s Dark crossover edition for the 95th Academy Awards. Tim Paugh and I discuss all 10 of the Best Picture nominations, chose our who will/should win for the major categories, and close with Tim’s Top 10 movies of the year list. Tim’s podcast Now It’s Dark is...
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95th Oscars Special with guest Tim Paugh (Part 1)
With CeCe on holiday in Australia, Tim Paugh and I decided to do a crossover podcast for the 95th Academy Awards. Tim is a filmmaker and host of the excellent movie podcast Now It’s Dark, a pod that was an inspiration to us when we got ours off the ground. In this Part 1 of 2, we take stock of...
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Music - Tár (2022)
As we approach the Oscars, we return to Movies About Music to discuss the Todd Field film Tár. Cate Blanchett gives a stunning performance as the titular character, a powerful symphony conductor who gets canceled for sexual impropriety (we never learn what exactly). We discuss the electric scene…
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MA Places - Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
We visit Spain in our second Movie About Places—specifically, the titular locale of our film Vicky Christina Barcelona, directed by Woody Allen. It was a second viewing for both of us and we felt even more love for it than our first. We take a deep dive into the women in the film. Jim sees the...
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Movies About Christmas - Home Alone (1990)
Jim had never seen this movie. He was too busy trying to be cool. So we decided to uncork this masterpiece of millennials for our first Movie About Christmas. We discuss the movie, the celebrity and the actor Macaulay Culkin, and somehow veer into an odd discussion about Donald Trump. We also...
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Movies About Places: Seoul - Parasite (2019)
Movies About Places: Seoul. After a long break, we’re back with Season 2 of our podcast, which is now named “Movies About.” Our first episode is in the category of Places. Our place is Seoul and our movie is Parasite. We picked this not only because it tells us a lot about contemporary Seoul, but...
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Singles (1992)
September 18 marks the 30-year anniversary of Singles, a movie that dramatized the grunge and dating scene in early ‘90s Seattle. It’s a movie about an era more than music, and our discussion reflects this. We talk Seattle and grunge, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. But this episode is more generally…
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Honeysuckle Rose (1980)
For our 21st episode, we discuss Honeysuckle Rose, which… there’s no other way to say it… Cece absolutely hated. But as we talked through it, an interesting discussion emerged—about what it means to enter another world, a world that through cinema felt very real. It’s a terrible script with a…
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Sister Act (1992)
Fresh off our return from a three-week trip to California, we watch the only movie about music set in San Francisco that we could think of: Emile Ardolino’s Sister Act, starring Whoopi Goldberg. We found this popular ‘90s popcorn movie to be surprisingly deep, with its tensions between tradition...
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A Star Is Born (2018)
We’re back after a longer than anticipated break to fulfill a promise we made to discuss the 2018 version of A Star Is Born, directed by and co-starring Bradley Cooper. Lady Gaga is the titular character and, at least ostensibly, the protagonist; but we struggled to understand where her heart…
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Pink Floyd The Wall (1982)
May 23, 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the Alan Parker helmed film Pink Floyd The Wall. We mark this moment with CeCe’s deflowering experience of the movie (okay, pun intended there) and a wide-ranging discussion about this work of art. She found it genius and Jim agrees. We talk politics,...
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Round Midnight (1986) with Gordon Bazsali Jr
Special guest Gordon Bazsali Jr joins us for our 17th episode to discuss the 1986 film Round Midnight, directed by Bertrand Tavernier. It stars famed bebop tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon, a role that earned him an academy award nomination. We talk about the music performances in the film…
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Amadeus (1984)
Episode 16 is a discussion about the popular 1984 movie Amadeus, directed by Miloš Forman. We focus on the cultural impact of the film, its very ‘80s aesthetic codes, art versus commerce, notation as the “recording” of music in the past, and the genius narrative. While we loved the film and all…
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Studio 666 (2022) plus Taylor Hawkins and Will Smith v Chris Rock
Our 15th episode centers on FooFighters horror comedy Studio 666. But the episode is much more than this. The film, the loss of Taylor Hawkins, and the Chris Rock v Will Smith incident allow us to dig into themes of narcissism, violence, delusions of grandeur, being a band leader, drugs and rock…
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2022 Oscar Special pt. 2: The Nominees
We conclude our two-part Oscar special with a wildly undisciplined but mostly spoiler-free discussion of all the major nominees for the 2022 Academy Awards. We pick our favorites and unreservedly criticize what we feel are less deserving nominations. Hint: we loved Belfast, CODA and Drive My Car,...
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2022 Oscar Special pt. 1: CODA (2021)
Welcome to Part 1 of our two-part Oscar special. In this first part, we heap lavish praise on CODA (2021), a beautiful, emotional movie about music nominated as Best Picture. In addition to discussing the film and how it made us cry, we move into discussions about deafness and how it is...
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Love Lies (2016)
In our 12th episode, we take our first look at a Korean film about music, 해어화 or “Love, Lies” by director Park Heung-sik. Available on Netflix, this 2016 film explores the collision of tradition and modernity in 1940s Japanese-occupied Seoul through two singers. In addition to working through…
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Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Fellow musician, podcaster and friend Gino Brann joins us for a discussion of the Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). We talk about folk music, Llewyn’s disgruntled outlook on his life in music, and debate the tensions of purity, performance and attitude through his character. Gino...
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A Star Is Born (1976)
A theme of death and loss looms over our 10th episode as we discuss A Star Is Born—the 1976 version starring Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and directed by Frank Pierson. It’s another trip back into the 70s, when sex, drugs and rock and roll were actual things. CeCe talks about Joan...
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9 Movies About Music – Tick Tick BOOM (plus Kieslowski’s Veronique)
We discuss two very different movies in our ninth episode. The main film under discussion is Tick… Tick… BOOM (2021) by Lin-Manuel Miranda, a Netflix biopic about Jonathan Larson of Rent fame. Jim is deeply critical of the music and filmmaking style; CeCe expresses her dislike of the film, while...
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8 Movies About Music – The Fabulous Baker Boys (1989)
Our New Years’ episode is a discussion of Steve Kloves’ movie The Fabulous Baker Boys from 1989. Our talk centers around the dynamic between Jack and Frank as the artist versus the gigging musician, and how this movie compares with Whiplash. This leads into discussions about different aspects of...
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7 Movies About Music – White Christmas (1954)
We call an audible for our seventh episode and discuss the closest thing to a Christmas movie-about-music we could think of: Paramount/Michael Curtiz’s holiday classic ‘White Christmas.’ We marvel at the stellar singing of Crosby and Clooney, the inimitable dancing prowess of Vera-Ellen, and the...
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6 Movies About Music – Whiplash (2014)
In our sixth episode, we express our total hatred of the very popular and widely acclaimed movie Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle. We wonder what is the point of a film with horrible people who seem to have no love for jazz or music. As we tear this film apart, cliché by cliché, we also dip...
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5 Movies About Music – Hustle and Flow (2005)
In our fifth episode, we discuss Hustle and Flow, directed by Craig Brewer. As Jim displays his total ignorance, CeCe is there to take him to school on what was going on in 2005’s world of rap and hip-hop. In addition to discussions about Terrence Howard the actor and how we should feel about his...
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4 Movies About Music – Mr Holland's Opus (1995)
For our fourth episode, we discuss Mr. Holland’s Opus, directed by Stephen Herek. We talk about the white man’s journey, a familiar theme in movies from this era, the student/teacher dynamic in the arts, music education, and the value of education in our techno-capitalist era. Finally, the hosts,...
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3 Movies About Music – Almost Famous (2000)
In this episode we watch and discuss Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous. We talk about rock music of the 1970s, the magic that is Penny Lane (and Kate Hudson) and why she defies the manic pixie dream girl trope. We also take a strange detour into the awfulness that is Coldplay, wonder at the…
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2 Movies About Music - Sound of Metal (2019)
In this episode, we discuss Sound of Metal, directed by Darius Marder. We dig deep into the two lead characters and what it means to fully live the musician life. CeCe feels for Lou's situation as a performing artist, romantic partner, and daughter, while Jim explores the tragic and spiritual...
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1 Movies About Music - Introduction
Welcome to the first episode of Movies About Music, where we introduce ourselves and the aims of the show. This is a re-upload for our migration to RedCloud. It originally aired on Sept 27, 2021. #movies #music #performance #filmtheory #bts #koreanmusic
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Movies About... Music, Places, and other things. Taking a particular film as a launching point, this wife and husband pair talk frankly about the lives of artists, travelers, and other intrepid souls.Podcast produced by James Batcho.Music composed by CeCe Kim; performed by CeCe, James and Gino Brann; and recorded by James.Instagram: @moviesaboutmusic
HOSTED BY
James Batcho, PhD
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Movies About have?
Movies About currently has 30 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Movies About about?
Movies About... Music, Places, and other things. Taking a particular film as a launching point, this wife and husband pair talk frankly about the lives of artists, travelers, and other intrepid souls.Podcast produced by James Batcho.Music composed by CeCe Kim; performed by CeCe, James and Gino...
How often does Movies About release new episodes?
Movies About has 30 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Movies About?
You can listen to Movies About 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 Movies About?
Movies About is created and hosted by James Batcho, PhD.
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