We have a very special guest this week: Lee Isaac Chung (Minari, Twisters) brings one of his favorite movies of all time, Steven Spielberg’s Artificial Intelligence, to the podcast as his Deep Cut Pick! Isaac chats about his awe and love for the film, what he’s learnt as a filmmaker from working with Spielberg on Twisters, and his own transition into blockbuster filmmaking.

We also discuss Hayley Joel Osment’s all-timer of a child performance, the film’s divisive ending, Spielberg’s masterful blocking, and the film’s worldbuilding and depictions of the future.

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Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introducing Lee Isaac Chung

00:01:50 Introduction to Steven Spielberg and our connection with his work

00:09:02 Why Isaac chose AI as his Deep Cut

00:13:46 First reactions to AI

00:18:04 Plot summary and production context

00:20:19 Kubrick

00:24:48 Minor Barry Lyndon spoiler

00:26:24 Spoiler ends

00:28:12 Love/hate and Spielberg’s touch

00:35:38 Hayley Joel Osment’s performance

00:41:53 Strategies for directing children

00:46:29 Act 2: Jude Law and Flesh Fair

00:52:03 Worldbuilding and depiction of AI

00:55:46 Ending

01:01:13 Spielberg’s blocking

01:09:24 Isaac’s experience moving into blockbuster filmmaking

01:13:46 Outro

“Kurosawa, you dog.” – Eli.’

“It’s like edging, in cinema.” – Wilson

“What is this, looney tunes?” – Ben

Kurosawa can only make the kind of movie that leaves us both perplexed, impressed and dropping memorable reactions. Listen on as we unpack the film’s critique of the next generation of hustlers and entrepreneurs, figure out what it’s trying to say through its allegory, and finally answer if anything can beat a jet2 holiday.

Links:

The Kinetoscope: Cinemagoing in Japan

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

04:36 Ben and Wilson's general reactions

12:14 Eli's experience watching at Lincoln

16:31 Cloud plot summary

20:34 Compared to other Kurosawa films

25:00 Sano and the younger generation

32:41 Nihilism and cynicism

36:42 Locations and spaces

40:50 What is this movie trying to say

42:37 Takimoto

46:31 Akiko

49:04 Dorsality

51:49 Sound

52:56 Productively frustrating critique of late-stage Capitalism

56:22 Kurosawa's reversals

58:26 Odds and ends and questions

Eli joins the other boys hot off of his Lincoln Center press screenings to tell us the must-watches and the maybe-skip-overs of this year’s New York Film Festival. But before that, Wilson and Ben briefly get their words in for the latest Paul Thomas Anderson joint, One Battle After Another. Catch Eli talk about other NYFF titles like Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, Olivier Laxe’s Sirāt, and possible film of the year: Bi Gan’s Resurrection.

Links:

Secret Goldfish - Bi Gan short film

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

04:46 One Battle After Another (2025, dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)

13:32 No Other Choice (2025, dir. Park Chan-wook)

16:58 Sirāt (2025, dir. Oliver Laxe)

20:18 Queen Kelly (1932, dir. Erich von Stroheim)

25:29 Angel’s Egg (1982, dir. Mamoru Oshii)

31:27 Japanese Film Festival (in Singapore)

34:34 The Arch (1968, dir. T’ang Shushuen)

35:09 The Mastermind (2025, dir. Kelly Reichardt)

38:03 Mare’s Nest (2025, dir. Ben Rivers)

41:13 Jay Kelly (2025, dir. Noah Baumbach)

42:22 Back Home (2025, dir. Tsai Ming-liang)

44:49 Ecce Mole (2025, dir. Heinz Emigholz)

48:15 Peter Hujar’s Day (2025, dir. Ira Sachs)

50:34 What Does That Nature Say To You? (2025, dir. Hong Sang-soo)

53:10 A House of Dynamite (2025, dir. Kathryn Bigelow)

57:40 Resurrection (2025, dir. Bi Gan)