Surprise! We're back with a new episode. We jump off from the idea introduced to us by J. Todd Anderson, by way of Alfred Hitchcock, that filmmaking is about two things (and according to J. Todd only these two things): suspense and surprise. We analyze ways in which films create a “burden of knowledge” in the mind of the audience, and how this can dramatically affect the way scenes play out on a screen and behind our eyes. Sometimes you’re ahead of the characters, and sometimes they’re way, way ahead of you.
Check us out in the new episode of Blank Check where we kick off their Coen brothers mini series Pod Country for Old Cast with the first film in the Coens ouvre, Blood Simple!
Coens Covered: Raising Arizona, No Country for Old Men, Barton Fink, True Grit, Intolerable Cruelty, The Man Who Wasn’t There
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
--------
1:58:19
--------
1:58:19
UNLOCKED: TTWS Goes on Hit Factory - A Simple Plan
Hello study group! We will be back soon with more mainline episodes of To the White Sea. To tide you over we bring you a delightful side-quest / amuse-bouche. A couple months ago we went on Hit Factory to discuss A Simple Plan, directed by frequent Coens collaborator Sam Raimi. We enjoyed our discussion with Aaron so much, and thought it Coens-adjacent-enough to put it out as a bonus. Hope you enjoy it too!
Thanks to Aaron & Carlee for giving us the go-ahead to release this premium episode, and please consider supporting their amazing show on Patreon, which is all about the films and politics of the 1990s.
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
--------
1:41:11
--------
1:41:11
ROAD EPISODE: Drive-Away Dolls Rapid Response
We're on the road! Ray and Jordan step out of the AMC Lincoln Square 13 and give their immediate impressions of Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke's new film DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS while walking the streets of Manhattan.
Spoilers are everywhere so you'll want to see the film before diving into this. Thanks in advance for rocking with the "punk rock" audio quality in this special gonzo episode.
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
--------
59:15
--------
59:15
23: INSTINCT with Devyn Waitt
Emerging from a cloud of goose feathers, TTWS returns! Filmmaker Devyn Waitt joins the study group today to discuss INSTINCT, moments in the Coens films that defy logic but somehow make sense on an intuitive, almost physical level. We touch on whether they could be a connection between survival skills and artistic expression, and speculate on the Coens’ writing process, which seems to be where their most free-wheeling moves find their form. We also discuss a scene from Devyn’s feature Not Waving But Drowning which involved getting a horse on a subway train.
Coens Covered: A Serious Man, The Man Who Wasn’t There, Miller’s Crossing (the bear version), Barton Fink
Plus: Beethoven’s 2nd (1993) - Beethoven destroys patio scene
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
--------
2:10:58
--------
2:10:58
22: Left Field Production Design with Alex DiGerlando
Today on the program we start things off with a reality-shattering two pages, then shoot into outer space with our guest, the brilliant production designer Alex DiGerlando. We explore film sets and designed environments that come out of left field and reshape our understanding of what it is we’re watching. We also dive into Alex’s approach to his own work, which he describes as “part muse, part curation.” Rounding things out we also unveil a new prismatic style: the proverbial “lightning” round. Thanks again to Alex for the awesome, mind-blowing conversation!
Coens Covered: Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy, Inside Llewyn Davis, ⚡️The Ballad of Buster Scruggs ⚡️
Plus: Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Sea of Trees, The OA, Maniac, A Murder at the End of the World
Watch: A Murder at the End of the World on Hulu
Want to join the study group? Follow TTWS on social media, tell your friends about the show, and leave a rating/review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
***You can also support us directly at https://ko-fi.com/tothewhitesea***
For all things TTWS visit tothewhitesea.me – and join the Discord too!
A close look at the work of the Coen brothers through the lens of their unproduced screenplay To the White Sea, based on the novel by James Dickey. Hosted by filmmakers Jordan Fish and Ray Tintori, and featuring awesome guests. Every week we read two pages. Ray has read the screenplay and Jordan hasn't.
Australia