Trigger warning: This week’s episode of Someone Else’s Movie includes a digression about Xavier Dolan, the Quebecois enfant terrible whose latest film It’s Only the End of the World just won the Grand Prix at Cannes.

It came up organically, though, as my guest Carolina Bartczak had picked Pedro Almodovar’s Volver, and that led to a conversation about hyperexpressive filmmaking aesthetics, and certain directors who do that better than certain others. Give it a listen, it’s all in there — along with Carolina’s really thoughtful unpacking of Almodovar’s complex emotional storytelling.

You know what to do: Find it on  iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or right here at the source. I hope you enjoy it.

Every now and then, we dig into the uncomfortable side of cinema on Someone Else’s Movie. For instance, I’ve discussed how Roman Polanski’s history infects his films with John Maclean and Bridey Elliott, and talked about the compartmentalization required to enjoy Woody Allen’s earlier, less creepy movies with Jeremy LaLonde.

It happens again this week, thanks to comedian, podcaster, writer and occasional actor Jackie Kashian‘s selection of the 1942 musical  Holiday Inn — a film that’s mostly about Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby goofing around and singing Irving Berlin songs, but also features a blackface number that’s jaw-droppingly inappropriate in the present day, and some other stuff that hasn’t held up especially well either.

Jackie was more than willing to discuss these aspects of the movie, which made for a really engaging conversation — and of course we talked about the movie’s merits, as well. You should listen to the whole thing, obviously — and you can find it right now in all the usual places:  iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, the good ol’ SEMcast site.

Enjoy it! And check out Jackie’s own podcasts, The Dork Forest and The Jackie and Laurie Show, when you have a chance. They’re great!

The latest episode of Someone Else’s Movie features a proper literary figure! Imagine that!

Author David Bezmozgis, who also writes and directs movies like Victoria Day and Natasha (which opens the Toronto Jewish Film Festival on Thursday night before beginning its theatrical run in Toronto and Vancouver on Friday) joins me this week to discuss Leos Carax’ delirious cinematic joyride Holy Motors, starring Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue, Edith Scob and Denis Lavant in a bravura performance as the sum total of the human experience.

If you haven’t seen this film, please watch it before you listen to the episode, because our conversation will make no goddamn sense otherwise. It’s on Netflix. You’re welcome.

You can find it at all the usual spots:  iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, on the web. Enjoy it — but remember, sooner or later we all dance to Monsieur Oscar’s accordion.

One of my favorite things about doing Someone Else’s Movie is that a guest’s selection will give me the chance to revisit a movie I haven’t seen in forever — or even discover something that’s entirely new to me, as is the case with one of next month’s episodes. (You’ll see.)

This week, for example, Jay Cheel chose Superman III, a film I’m pretty sure I hadn’t even thought about in passing since its first widescreen DVD release a decade and a half ago. It was so fuzzy in my memory that I rewatched it the night before our taping, and … well, let’s just say that it’s gained a certain curative value in the age of the Snyderverse.

Grab the episode at all the usual places —  iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, the show’s own website — and if you’re in Toronto, consider checking out Jay’s documentary How to Build a Time Machine when it makes its world premiere at Hot Docs next week. It’s really good.

Hey, remember how the very first episode of Someone Else’s Movie was a weird back-and-forth between me and Anne T. Donahue over American Hustle, which she loved and I didn’t?

Well, this week I’m in a similar situation because Sing Street‘s Ferdia Walsh-Peelo chose The Revenant, which he loves and I really didn’t. It’s a different dynamic, because Anne and I know each other and I’d only just met Ferdia, but I think it makes for an engaging episode … if not quite as funny as the American Hustle show. It turns out that “open contempt for the guest’s opinion” is something that doesn’t work in every room.

You know where to find it, right? iTunes, Stitcher or right off the good old web. Go and listen!

Hey, remember how I was in London last month? Well, I was there to record episodes of Someone Else’s Movie — and now you can hear one!

Recorded in their Hither Green offices, siblings Chris and Ben Blaine, makers of the remarkable horror-tinged love story Nina Forever — now available on iTunes! — dive deep into Trainspotting, the movie that minted Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor, launched half a dozen acting careers and pushed Britpop to the forefront of pop culture.

We had a blast, and I expect you will too. Go listen at all the usual spots: iTunes, Stitcher, the good ol’ webpage. And enjoy!

We’ve had Scorsese, we’ve had Allen, we’ve had Soderbergh and now someone’s brought Cronenberg into the basement: This week on Someone Else’s Movie, we’re diving into the Canadian master’s 1992 head trip Naked Lunch!

Dragging it into the basement is director Sean Garrity, whose new drama Borealis opens in Toronto on Friday and rolls out across the country in the weeks to come. It’s a really good conversation, and I hope it leads people to take another look at this mid-career masterwork as it crawls toward its 25th anniversary.

You can find it on iTunes, on Stitcher or at the show’s very own website. Go get it! Shoot it right into your brain!

ADVISORY: Do not shoot podcasts directly into brain.