David & Claire
on Movies
To give our listeners a better sense of who we are as movie-watchers, we put together this Q&A.
Read on and see if our preferences match yours -- though ours don't always even match each other!Â
How does David's/Claire's read of movies differ from yours?
David
I think Claire accepts that some movies are aimed at niche audiences, while I believe movies should strive for universal appeal, or something close to it. If you want to make art for just a few people, that's totally fine, in my opinion. But I think that the primary art of moviemaking is to dress up your message to be received and understood by as many people as possible. Claire is more accepting of movies that depict something, like an emotion, state of mind, or perception of reality, without laying a claim to universality.
Claire
I think I'm a lot more likely to have enjoyed watching a movie even if I don't think it was very good. As long as there's something it gave me to think about, I won't usually be too disappointed even if I didn't like it.
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I think David and I are most likely to disagree when an imperfect but innovative older movie gets redone in a technically better way. Either I hone in on what I really enjoyed about the ideas of the first one and go with that one, while David finds it flawed; or, the newer movie might veer into a more absurd or messy presentation, but I find something interesting about it that makes me go with that one while David prefers the more grounded film.
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Also, David likes movies with ships way more than I do.Â
Influential Childhood Movie
David
I'm still attached to a lot of movies I started watching as a kid. I've always loved the Bond series, and it's an interesting one to look at because you can track trends across generations of movies. I loved GoldenEye as a kid, as did everyone, but if you go back and watch it so much is weird in such a specifically 90s way. Still a great movie, though.
Claire
Pirates of the Caribbean. I watched it constantly. I had a Jack Sparrow t-shirt I'd wear all the time and I even dressed as Jack Sparrow for Halloween. I still consider it a top-tier example of a movie built off of great concept, screenwriting, acting, directing, special effects... It's such a fun ride (metaphorically, in this case), and a lighthearted mix of drama and comedy with excellent storytelling.
What criteria do you prioritize when evaluating movies?
David
My first evaluation criteria is whether the movie fundamentally works as a movie -- ie, whether it owns your attention from start to finish, whether you feel the ups and downs that the movie wanted you to experience. Next, did you enjoy the feelings the movie wanted you to feel? I think there are movies where I experienced them correctly, but I didn't like the feelings and don't need to watch them again. A lot of modern horror and A24 movies lose me here. Like, I think I understood The Lighthouse, but I hated that experience and don't care to watch it again.
Claire
I'd like to think I prioritize how well is the story being told most of all.
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But, it's a visual medium, so at minimum, I want the space to make sense, and if it's not flowing visually it loses a lot of points in my eyes. On the flip side, when a movie is doing interesting presentations with its cinematography, music, or other artistic aspects, I can forgive a lot of other faults.
Best Movie
David
I have a lot of favorite movies, but I'll go basic: Jurassic Park. It succeeds on every level. It's scary, it looks good, the music is still iconic. The themes are explicit, but they run pretty deep through the movie. Everything is set up and paid off perfectly. And it shows us creatures that have fascinated people for hundreds of years, but which people haven't actually been able to experience, until now. We're going through the same fantastic journey as the characters. Jurassic Park is what movies are for.
Claire
I think Jurassic Park is a perfect example of what movies should look like. Even though I think it's best known for its incredible special effects, I think its commitment to its themes is its most impressive feature and contributes to great storytelling. I love the parallels throughout the film. As I've said to David, everything in the movie "happens twice," with danger introduced the second time. Basic example: when they approach the electric fence -- Sam Neill gives them a scare with his fake electrocution, but then Tim gets shocked for real and flies off! Once you start looking for these examples, they're all over the place. It really keeps you on your toes, building and releasing tension.
Has doing the podcast changed how you view movies?
David
Two for One hasn't changed much about how I view movies themselves, but I find myself considering the subtle choices made by creators that have huge impacts on the experience. You don't have to watch two versions of a movie to see this; we grew up in the era of DVD extras, deleted scenes, alternate takes, recuts, director's commentaries, etc. Every movie comprises a million agonizing choices, seemingly so many that each one can't possibly matter, but they all do.
Claire
I have a lot more to compare movies to, now that I've not only seen more movies but taken the time to talk about them. I think more about the production of movies, too.
Movie You're Glad the Podcast Put in Your Path
David
I don't know if I would've ever seen Sorcerer if we didn't do the podcast. I think its legacy is overshadowed by Clouzot's The Wages of Fear, and it's probably not at the top of most people's lists when considering Friedkin's filmography. But Sorcerer is different from The Wages of Fear, and from other thrillers of its era, in so many large and small ways. I don't think I've ever seen anything like it.
Claire
William Friedkin's Sorcerer, which isn't my usual movie fare but which I now really hold up as an example of movies as art.
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Also the 1949 version of The Secret Garden, even though it couldn't top my nostalgic love for the 1993 film.
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I wasn't expecting to love 1932 Scarface as much as I did, but the acting is so raw and I just became engrossed in these characters. On the flip side, although the 1983 version is popular with my generation, it didn't impress me quite as much, although I did enjoy it.
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Finally, Mutiny on the Bounty. As a history nerd, I love when our movies are based on real stories, and wow, what a fascinating moment in history this story is. And two interesting interpretations, I'm very glad to have seen both films.
Who is your favorite director?
David
Hard not to sound like a filmbro here. Spielberg. Nolan. Kurosawa. I wish I could name some obscure Bulgarian cinematic prophet, but I can't.
Claire
I wish Autumn de Wilde would make more movies, because Emma was stunning. But I'll settle for her Florence & the Machine music videos in the meantime.
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I'm also a big fan of the Cohen Brothers and Christopher Nolan.
Guilty Pleasure Movie
David
I don't really feel embarrassed about anything I like, but one movie I've found myself having to defend more than others is Crash. Yeah, I can see why some people don't like it, but I think most of the hate is aimed at what the internet's idea of this movie is, rather than what the movie itself was trying to do or say. If you think the message is "racism is bad," I don't really think you understood Crash. Which is still the movie's fault, but it's a different type of failure.
Claire
If I just want to veg out and put on something I know I'll enjoy, I'm likely going with Big Fish, You've Got Mail, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, or No Hard Feelings.
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However, and I think David finds it silly when I tell people this is my favorite movie of all time, but I greatly enjoy the made-for-TV movie Merlin (1998) starring Sam Neill. I come back to watch it regularly.
Are there any actors, from history or current, who you particularly like watching?
David
The only actor whose filmography I've made any effort to watch all of is Al Pacino. He's somewhere between a character actor and a movie star, for me, and he always delivers an incredible performance.
Claire
Something about Robert Pattinson's face. I want to see more of what he's in. Which isn't to say I've loved it all -- Mickey 17 was ok, I didn't love the Lighthouse (though I didn't hate it like David did), I was expecting quite a different movie from Die My Love. And yet, next trailer I see him in, I know I'll be intrigued.
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From history, Margaret O'Brien. She could run circles around most child actors.