Writer, curator, and author of the upcoming book Revolutionary Desires: The Political Power of the Sex Scene, Xuanlin Tham joins us to discuss the work of Taiwanese New Wave director Tsai Ming-liang and his 1994 film Vive L'Amour. It's a quietly devastating exploration of longing, desire, and urban alienation about a trio of young Tapei residents who, unbeknownst to one another, all occupy the same luxury model apartment.

We discuss the context of early 90s Tapei, its status as a bustling center of rapid economic growth and a hub for global commerce, and how this unique urban setting coupled with Tsai's outsider status as a Malaysian-born transplant inform his cinema. Then we explore the distinctive formal components of Tsai's filmmaking, its radical underpinnings, and its rejection of commodifying language or labels. Finally, we look to Tsai's evolution across the decades since Vive L'Amour and how his self-referential and increasingly sparse approach has further liberated his cinema from the strictures of capitalist impulses.

Follow Xuanlin Tham on Twitter

Pre-Order Revolutionary Desires: The Political Power of the Sex Scene from 404 Ink

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

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We take a moment away from the 90s to share our thoughts on Coralie Fargeat's latest brash body-horror festival darling The Substance, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. It's a stylish, blunt provocation ostensibly targeting the oppressive brutality of patriarchal beauty standards that feels completely at odds with its own intentions, often reinforcing the very ideology it purports to be railing against. 

We discuss the film's formal elements, and how they so frequently contradict the film's messaging. Then, we talk about the the movie's many (empty) reference points and why they are indiciative of the diminishing returns of a generation of filmmakers interested in aesthetic homage to great filmmakers without seriously contending with their themes. Finally, we consider some troubling rhetoric around who the movie is for, who "genuinely" understands it, and who is excluded from this understanding. 

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

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Film lover and zine-er Katie Stebbins joins to discuss Alan J. Pakula's smart, understated legal thriller Presumed Innocent featuring Harrison Ford in one of his finest performances. Taut, richly detailed, and featuring a considerable bench of "that guy" character actors (including John Spencer, Joe Grifasi, and Brian Dennehy), the film rises above the usual theatrics of the Grisham-era Hollywood legal drama with a crackerjack, densely-packed script that rewards upon repeat viewings while never sacrificing its immediacy.

We discuss Harrison Ford in the early 90s, his contemporaneous swings into dramatic territory, and the considered decisions to separate the film's protagonist Rusty Sabich from audience's familiarity with the Harrison Ford action-hero brand. Then, we look at the film's complex narrative features (adapted from a book by lawyer-turned-novelist Scott Turrow) and how the film weaves in its rich details with respect for its audience's ability to connect the dots. Finally, we discuss the Extended Presumiverse - sequel novels and television adaptations of the further works within the Scott Turrow canon, including the most recent AppleTV+ series by David E. Kelley starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard.

Follow Katie Stebbins on Twitter.

Check out Katie's Etsy for cool prints and film zines.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Film writer Veronica Phillips joins Aaron to discuss 'Trainspotting' Danny Boyle's restless adaptation of Irvine Welsh's tale of heroin addiction, reluctant camaraderie, and a generation's failure to reject the principles of a post-Thatcher UK.

We discuss the film's breakout performance from then-relative newcomer Ewan McCregor, explore the distinctly 90s evocation of addiction and its roots, and ponder the question of what makes a "good" drug movie.

Follow Veronica Phillips on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

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It's our 100th episode of Hit Factory! To celebrate, we recruit New York-based filmmaker Donald Borenstein to discuss one of the undersung greatest films of the 1990s, Martin Scorsese's 'Bringing Out The Dead' written by the brilliant Paul Schrader. It's a frenzied, vividly-lensed story of death & salvation which also serves as a spotlight on the people pushed to soceity's margins by liberalism's rot.

We discuss the pitch-perfect Nic Cage in a role he was seemingly born to play, the film's sly indictment of Giuliani's broken windows crackdown on NY crime in the late 90s, and Schrader's virtuoso ability to blend stories of spiritual catharsis with profound examinations of institutions.

Later, we take a moment to reflect on 100 episodes of Hit Factory and share some messages of congratulations from friends of the show.

Follow Donald Borenstein on Twitter

Special Thanks to all our friends who sent messages of congratulations!

Listen to The Odd Podd. Follow The Odd Podd and hosts Trevor and Valerie on Twitter.

Listen to Pacino Pod. Follow Pacino Pod and hosts Jane and Kalie on Twitter.

Listen to Junk Filter. Follow Junk Filter and host Jesse Hawken on Twitter.

Listen to How Have You Not Seen. Follow How Have You Not Seen and host Caroline Thompson on Twitter.

Follow Lindsay Lee Wallace on Twitter.

Read The Pitch of Discontent and follow its creator Owen Morawitz on Twitter. 

Listen to Podside Picnic and Parents Just Don’t Understand.

Read and support Blood Knife digital magazine. 

Follow Karlo Yeager Rodriguez, Pete, Kurt Schiller, and Chris Woodward on Twitter.

Check out American Jank and follow its host Gus Lanzetta on Twitter. 

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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There's a new Predator movie getting dumped straight to Hulu this weekend. In anticipation of the franchise's dimishing returns, we revisit the overlooked sequel to the 1987 action classic, 'Predator 2' - a film that brilliantly turns the imperialist anxieties of its predecessor inward to explore early-90s reactionary crime wave narratives and the Bush-era fixation with gang violence & emboldened police response.

We discuss the proliferation of early 90s depictions of Los Angeles as a crime-ridden helscape, the deeper symbolism of the titular Predator (and what it's like to look at your reflection and see a monster), & why Danny Glover's Harrigan is the perfect choice to replace the musclebound macho action stars of the original film.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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UNLOCKED: Podcaster, writer, and Twitter's Most Wanted Man™ Aaron Thorpe joined us back in April to discuss Robert Zemeckis's 1997 science fiction masterpiece 'Contact' starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey. It's a thrilling, expansive film that explores Big Questions about science and faith while maintaining a profoundly moving sense of wonder throughout.

We discuss Contact's origins as both film treatement and eventual novel by the brilliant Carl Sagan and his wife Ann Druyan, explore the film's ideological opposition to the neoliberal hegemony of the mid-90s, and make a case for the necessity of a post-scarcity (perhaps even spiritual) perspective to the success of a humanist political project. 

Follow Aaron Thorpe on Twitter (while you can!).

Listen and Subscribe to Trillbilly Worker's Party and Support the show on Patreon.

Listen, Subscribe to, and Support Struggle Session.

Read Aaron Thorpe at his Substack Space + Light.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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Prestigious podcaster and poster Grimm joins us to discuss two documentaries chronicling the 1992 presidential election cycle from very different perspectives.

First, we discuss Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker's lionizing character study 'The War Room', chronicling the efforts of Bill Clinton's campaign advisors, George Stephanopoulos and "Ragin' Cajun" James Carville. It's a hagiographic text owed a great deal of blame for the faux-proletarianization of democratic politics in the 90s.

Next, we cover the underseen, revelatory 'SPIN' by Brian Springer. It's a revealing look behind the scenes of 1992's biggest news items through the use of raw satellite footage that shows the multitude of ways the media surreptitiously flattens, omits, and outright fabricates the news to sell us the status quo.

Follow Grimm on Twitter.

Check out SPIN, available for free on YouTube.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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We sat down for a brief conversation with Alex Cox, the director of Repo Man, Sid & Nancy, Walker, and many more to talk about the state of filmmaking today, the sensations Alex hopes one feels when watching his films, and the sanctity of digital media and curation in an era of endless, decontextualized content streams.

Alex is currently crowdfunding what may be his last movie, a Western version of Nicolai Gogol's book Dead Souls. Please consider contributing to “My Last Movie” on Kickstarter here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/alexcoxfilms/my-last-movie
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Writer Brandon Streussnig joins us to discuss Olivier Assayas's 1996 postmodern masterpiece 'Irma Vep'. It's a revelatory metatextual exploration of creation, capitalism, and cinema - past, present & future.

We discuss the indelible magnetism of star Maggie Cheung (playing a version of herself), the film's considerations of the shifting proclivities of audiences on the global stage in the mid-90s, and the ways in which modern moviemaking seems averse to asking big questions about itself and the ways people watch it. Then, we briefly discuss Assayas's return to the property in the form of a brand new HBO miniseries that loses none of the potency of the original a quarter century later.

Follow Brandon Streussnig on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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We discuss the 1993 box office sensation 'The Fugitive' a meticulously detailed and expertly crafted thriller without an ounce of fat on it. Topics include the film's unusual and effective narrative structure, the bravura performances by the film's two leads, Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, and the anxieties at the heart of man-on-the-run thrillers.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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We're joined by one of the hosts of Chapo Trap House, Matt Christman to discuss Michael Ritchie's highly entertaining con-man/sports movie mashup 'Diggstown'. We explore the film's distinct 70s throwback appeal, set aside personal politics to make the case for James Woods as one of the finest actors of his generation, and yearn for a time when studio movies still permitted excessive perspiration.

Follow Matt Christman on Twitter

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

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We're joined by hosts of 30 Years Later Podcast, Ricky Camilleri and Chris Chafin, to discuss Todd Solondz's grimly funny ensemble comedy 'Happiness'. We discuss the writer/director's singular talent for handling "sticky" subject matter and characters, the film's remarkably prescient and timely themes of emmiseration and depravity in modern American existence, and why current media discourse and trends are especially averse to embracing the brilliance of Solondz's deeply nuanced portrayals. 

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Follow Chris Chafin on Twitter.

Listen & Subscribe to 30 Years Later.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

No new episode this week, so enjoy this unlocked Patreon epsiode...

We explore a fascinating critical and commercial dud from the great William Friedkin: 1995's erotic thriller 'Jade'. Topics include the pitch perfect performance from Linda Fiorentino, the film's brilliant "bare essentials" approach to its genres, and its thematic relationship to a classic of the 70s neo-noir canon. We also talk some recent critical misreads of onscreen eroticism and explore a new paradigm of cultural myopia we like to call "The Smoothening".

Read "The Sex Scene is Dead. Long Live the Sex Scene" from The New Yorker.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish 

For the first time in Hit Factory history, we're recording from separate locales to discuss Terry Gilliam's 1991 fantasy drama 'The Fisher King'. We discuss the bevy of brilliant performances (including an Oscar-winning turn from the great Mercedes Ruehl), Gilliam's singular ability to effortlessly navigate his film's disparate tones, and the subversive empathy the film employs in its consideration of people who occupy the margins of society.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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Producer and filmmaker Chadd Harbold returns to the show to discuss Terrence Malick's awe-inspiring WWII epic The Thin Red Line. The film marked Malick's return to the director's chair after a 20 year absence from filmmaking and features an ensemble cast of dozens of recognizable faces, including many massive stars of the period reduced to mere minutes of screen time and a handful of lines of dialogue. Based on the James Jones novel of the same name, the movie is unlike any war film ever made and showcases Malick venturing deeper into his style of meandering camerawork, striking images of the natural world, and contemplative monologues delivered in voiceover (occasionally by actors we seldom see onscreen).

We discuss the storied, decade-long journey of getting The Thin Red Line to screen, a process that involved Malick spending heaps of cash satisfying every one of his fleeting whims and every actor in Hollywood vying for a spot on the film's massive roster characters. Then, we discuss the film's juxtaposition of horrific war imagery with breathtaking shots of wildlife and nature - a visual contrast that enhances Malick's existential preoccupations with the nature of good and evil, darkness and light in the world. Finally, we praise Malick's working method, and how his decision to "shoot everything" allows his films to be born in the edit, often taking on thematic and visual nuances that were far from intentional on set, on the day.

Chadd produced a new movie, Crumb Catcher, which is out in theaters TODAY 7/19/24. Check showtimes at your local Drafthouse or AMC.

Follow Chadd Harbold on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Masters of the Middlebrow and hosts of Dadcore Cinema Club Podcast, Brandon & Charlie, join us to discuss the Space Race drama 'Apollo 13', a technically masterful ode to the patriotism & resolve of Cold War America released as Boomers were forced to reckon with the ideological drift of the 90s - Helmed by one of our most proficient journeyman, Ron Howard.

The crew take to the LEM and avoid gimbal lock while discussing the film's blend of distinctive Dadcore characteristics, the invisible pleasures of a true journeyman director operating at peak performance, and Tom Hanks's career-long fascination with the act of urinating.

Listen and subscribe to Dadcore Cinema Club

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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**Our April Fools Episode** A special advance preview of Aaron & Carlee's new limited series, Secs, Guys, and Videotapes: an exploration of Steven Soderbergh's 1998 crime thriller 'Out Of Sight'...one second at a time. On this episode, the Hit Factory hosts are joined by Chris Woodward and Kurt Schiller of the excellent Parents Just Don't Understand Podcast to explore second number 63. It's a wide-ranging discussion that advances the theory of the Soviet Second (an interval roughly one half longer than the standard western equivalent), the direct lineage from 1971 cult classic 'Vanishing Point' to Dave Matthews Band, and a celebration of the rare "Split" Second in which a cut falls directly in the middle of a one-second interval.

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Follow Chris Woodward on Twitter

Follow Kurt Schiller on Twitter

Listen to and subscribe to Parents Just Don't Understand
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Series artwork by Hindle

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Writer and filmmaker Jeremy Herbert joins us to discuss the fascinatingly flawed 1991 action thriller, 'Out For Justice' and its star Steven Seagal, a singularly minted Hollywood asshole. We examine the film's lofty ambitions to transcend the limitations of both its genre and star with weighty monologues and largely ornamental subplots and characters, explore the bizzare, brief rise of Seagal's star power (and its equally quick descent) through the 90s, and consider the deeper implications of how someone like Seagal got famous in the first place. 

Follow Jeremy Herbert on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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University of Toronto PhD candidate and writer Alex Ross joins to discuss culture writer Chuck Klosterman's latest collection 'The Nineties'. The book is a confounding, myopic work that frequently reveals both the sociopolitical blind spots of its author & the greater failures of Gen X to understand the decade's ramifications. We talk through the frenzied, dizzying construction of the book around a hodgepodge of discrete cultural markers, the books troubling lack of anything approaching a worldview, and the writer's baffling defense against what he calls Clinton "revisionism".

Follow Alex Ross on Twitter

Read David Wallace-Wells's interview with Klosterman at Vulture

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

We're joined by Shawn Glinis, co-host of Wiseman Podcast, to discuss a defining nonfiction film of the 1990s - 'Hoop Dreams'. The film is a singular and heartbreaking portrait of urban living, the education system, race & class that also succeeds as an incredibly gripping sports movie told through the journeys of its two subjects - Arthur Agee and William Gates. Topics include the film's litany of fascinating subjects and secondary characters, filmmaker Steve James's masterful ability to elicit empathy for even his most challenging subjects, and the cruel irony of one of the decades most vivid and humanizing portraits of urban poverty being released in the midst of an era especially hostile toward it.

Follow Shawn Glinis on Twitter.

Listen & Subscribe to Wiseman Podcast

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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Writer Bill Ryan returns to talk about a pair of early masterpieces from Joel & Ethan Coen - 1990's 'Miller's Crossing' and their follow up, 'Barton Fink,' released the following year. We discuss both films' stacked rosters of scene stealing performers, a rare occurence of "coolness" in the Coens' ouevre, and extol the value of trusting an artist with exemplary instincts even when you're not quite sure what to make of their work. 

Follow Bill Ryan on Twitter

Read and Subscribe to Bill's blog, The Kind of Face You Hate

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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Another solo Aaron & Carlee episode as we dig into an oft-forgotten erotic thriller of the early 90s, Nicholas Kazan's Dream Lover, starring James Spader and a post-Twin Peaks Mädchen Amick. A story of love, lust, and betrayal, the film exhibits a disorienting, fragmented editing style that adds fascinating dimensions to its characters' psyches and indicts the film's ostensible victim, Spader's Ray Reardon, in his own deception as more and more layers of Amick's (playing Spader's wife) carefully guarded true self are revealed.

We discuss the film's script and its thoughtful probing of the male ego; how a woman might take advantage of a man because of his own refusal to know her deeply, and how the slow revelations of truth can feel like deceptions to someone willfully ignorant. Then, we discuss the superlative performances from Spade and Amick, particularly the latter's singular ability to remain an object of desire even as she steadily becomes an antagonizing force within the film. Finally, we discuss the movie's relationship to other films that explore the casually kept secrets within matrimony and the turmoil that erupts when the facade of domestic bliss is shattered, most notably David Fincher's excellent 2014 thriller Gone Girl.

Own the documentary We Kill For Love, courtesy of Vinegar Syndrome or stream the film on the people's streamer, Tubi.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

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Caroline Thompson of the excellent movie podcast How Have You Not Seen joins us to discuss 'But I'm A Cheerleader' starring Natasha Lyonne & Clea DuVall. We talk the film's evolution from critically maligned coming-of-age comedy to Queer Canon Classic™, its sly anti-capitalist undertones, and the brilliant effect of comically satirizing one of the least funny places imaginable.

Follow Caroline Thompson on Twitter

Subscribe and listen to How Have You Not Seen and support the show on Patreon.

Follow How Have You Not Seen on Twitter.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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Culture writer Bailey Herdé joins us to discuss 'The Piano', Jane Campion's brilliant period drama about yearning, desire, & passion set against the lush yet foreboding New Zealand wilderness. We chat about the film's pair of (unusual, but well-deserved) Oscar-winning central performances, its potent examination of 19th century colonialism through its male characters, and praise Campion's latest awards contender 'The Power of the Dog'.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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On our first episode of the new year, Owen Morawitz returns to discuss the 1994 action-thriller 'No Escape', a film set on the maximum security island prison of Absolom in the dystopian future of 2022. We discuss a few standout performances from the top-tier cast (including a rarely seen action hero version of Ray Liotta & best in show Stuart Wilson as the villainous Marek), how the film reflects contemporary liberalism's contradictory sympathies toward America's carceral system, and the novelty of watching an action movie with a little bit too much on its mind.

Follow Owen Morawitz on Twitter

Subscribe to Owen's Newsletter The Pitch of Discontent

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

Writer and podcaster Aaron Thorpe joins us (for once) firmly in the 21st century to discuss the 'The Matrix Resurrections', the divisive latest entry in the franchise. We examine director Lana Wachowski's incisive commentary on the commodification of revolutionary ideas, her vision of a less overt- but more insidiously oppressive- system of control, and the ways in which the film challenges the neoliberal hegemony of modern blockbusters through its subversive modes of storytelling.

Follow Aaron Thorpe on Twitter.

Read Aaron's piece "What May Have Been: Retroism, Nostalgia, & Futurelessness" at his Substack Space+Light

Listen & subscribe to Trillbilly Worker's Party and support the podcast on Patreon.

Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron to get access to all of our premium episodes and bonus content for just $5/month.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Writer and lifelong pro wrestling fan Zach Vasquez returns to discuss the 1996 Hulk Hogan holiday dud 'Santa with Muscles', executive produced by The Wolf of Wall Street himself, Jordan Belfort. Along with the film, we discuss the fractious history of the WWE, modern challengers to the promotion's hegemonic superiority, and the life and crimes of the man behind Hulkamania, Terry Eugene Bollea.

Follow Zach Vasquez on Twitter.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

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Hit Factory's Chief Canadian Correspondent and host of Junk Filter Podcast Jesse Hawken is back to discuss the work of French genre provocateur Claude Chabrol and his 1995 thriller 'La Cérémonie' starring Sandrine Bonnaire and Isabelle Huppert. Inspired by the true story of Christine and Lea Papin - two French sisters who, as live-in maids, were convicted of murdering their employer's wife and daughter in 1933 - the film follows Sophie (Bonnaire) a housekeeper for a wealthy family in Brittany who befriends Jeanne (Huppert), the local postal clerk. Together, the two slowly begin to form a shared psychosis, sharing a collective fantasy of paranoia, resentment, and eventually explosive violence. One of Chabrol's most championed works, the film was a key influence and inspiration for Korean director Bong Joon-ho's Oscar-winning 2019 film 'Parasite'.

We unpack Chabrol's prolific career as filmmaker, beginning with his origins in the Nouvelle Vague, before leaning into more commercial tendencies during his "Golden Era" of the late 60s through the 70s, and culminating in some of his most accomplished and acclaimed work in the 1990s. Then, we discuss La Cérémonie as genre exercise and how it yields further reward with repeat viewings. Finally, we attempt to make meaning of Chabrol's joke that the movie was "the last Marxist film" by unpacking its ideas about class resentment and the disaffected, uncaring attitudes of the rich toward working class anxieties.

Follow Jesse Hawken on Twitter.

Follow Junk Filter on Twitter

Listen & Subscribe to Junk Filter and support the podcast on Patreon.

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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish. 

Kurt & Chris from Parents Just Don't Understand return to discuss the lean, mean and underseen 1997 thriller 'Breakdown' starring Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan, and indelible character actor J.T. Walsh. We discuss the simple pleasures of discovering a great movie while watching cable TV, the film's economical mastery of multiple subgenres, and the 90s resurgence of hicksploitation cinema as managerial class gratification.

Follow Kurt and Chris on Twitter.
Follow Parents Just Don't Understand on Twitter.
Follow Blood Knife Magazine on twitter and support the show on Patreon.

For the month of December, we will be donating all of our Patreon funds to the donorbox project to Protect Pasadena Tenants. The more cities we win rent control in, the easier it is to combat bad-faith arguments about the chaos it will supposedly cause. This is an important campaign to win rent control in Pasadena for renters and housing activists everywhere, particularly as rents are being raised going into the holidays. Consider becoming a Hit Factory Patron to support the cause and get access to exclusive bi-weekly episodes and bonus content.
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish

Get access to this entire episode as well as all of our premium episodes and bonus content by becoming a Hit Factory Patron for just $5/month.

We're joined by film writer and filmmaker Jonah Koslofsky to go long on the 1997 neo-noir mindbender Lost Highway, a turning point in the career of David Lynch which would lay the stylistic groundwork that would come to define his output through the next 20+ years. We discuss the filmmaker's singular (and unexpectedly humanist) aesthetic, the futile endeavor of talking about David Lynch literally, and how the director's ideological influences propagate art that antagonizes the thresholds of the neoliberal imaginary.

Follow Jonah Koslofsky on Twitter

Read Jonah's Philip Seymour Hoffman column 'P.S.H. I Love You' at The Spool

Read Nick Pinkerton's 'Lost Highway' piece "Switchback" on Substack (Subscriber read only)
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Our theme song is "Mirror" by Chris Fish.