Christopher Nolan snuck into hollywood’s esteem with his own trojan horse promise to keep celluloid film alive, and deliver blockbuster event movies for the studios. Maintaining a strategic alliance with camera and theater licensor IMAX that began with his Batman trilogy, he’s anticipated an explosion in nostalgia for physical film and the big-scale exhibitions of the ‘50s and ‘60s, and he (and IMAX) have scored big by emphasizing the novelty of the format.

It’s hard to believe Nolan could win bigger than taking home Best Picture with Oppenheimer, but the gods have truly favored his adaptation of a western literature pillar, Homer’s Odyssey. We gather to discuss how Nolan ultimately spent his blank check, and what the film’s success suggests about audiences and the industry.

Next week: One Way or Another (1975) by Sara Gómez

Link to the mentioned episode of the Film Formally podcast on Large Format Myths

Link to the mentioned episode of Shelved by Genre about the history of epic literature

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UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Music by hetchy

Join us for a discussion of the life and work of one of Italy’s most well known and most controversial filmmakers, whether you’ve seen all his films or never even heard his name.

We touch on the history of italian cinema post-WWII, the nature of celebrity and scandal, and some of Pasolini’s films about pimps (Accattone), prophets (The Gospel According to Matthew), and the depraved (Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom).

Next two weeks: One Way or Another (1975) by Sara Gómez, and then The Odyssey (2026) by Christopher Nolan

The mentioned review of Salò by Kyle Faulkner

You can now find us on substack

UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Intro music by hetchy

The ‘70s saw a new explosion of horror in the US, where the kinds of excessively violent and grotesque films previously restricted to small regional releases were seeing greater national success. The gulf was closing between a studio release like The Exorcist, and independent releases like The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Dario Argento’s Deep Red, his first crossover success in the US in ‘76. His follow up, Suspiria, would be released in the US through an imprint by 20th Century Fox, and its reputation as an incomparable occult fantasia would place it in the company of oddities like The Holy Mountain and Eraserhead.

On this episode, we discuss our relationships to horror, giallo, and other strains of underground films. Afterwards 48:14 Zach shares his 5 albums from ‘77 to check out.

Next time: Salò (1975) by Pier Paolo Pasolini

You can now find us on substack

UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Intro music by hetchy