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PODCAST

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm Podcast

Corbin Smith and Matt Ellis

A Podcast about movies from the fine folks at the Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation, with Corbin Smith (The Famous Writer) and Dr. Movies, Matt Ellis (A Professor of Movies)

tv & film film reviews

All Episodes

01:45:21

"The Shrouds" (2025, Dir: David Cronenberg) w/ Nathan...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/10/31

Happy Halloween! To celebrate spooky season, Corbin and Matt are joined by NATHAN LEE, a film academic and critic whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Film Comment, The Village Voice, and NPR, among others, to discuss THE SHROUDS, David Cronenberg's movie about the SPOOKIEST topics of all... Grieving and Technology and Anxiety and Conspiracy. SpoooOOOoooOOOoooOOOky! Read Nathan's fabulous essay on The Shrouds here. Corbin's rec is in theaters right now. Matt's rec. Nathan's rec. Our next

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18:29

A Lil' One Battle After Another Chat

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/10/24

Matt's working on this week's episode still, so we excerpted the beginning, where we talk about OBAA. I saw it again after this and loved it more

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02:24:57

"Tokyo Drifter" (1968, Dir: Seijun Suzuki)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/10/20

Hey! We are joined here by ANDY MORSE, the host of REKINDLING OUR BONDS, a podcast about the motion pictures regarding the life and career of JAMES BOND (available on: iTunes! Youtube! Spotify!) to talk about TOKYO DRIFTER, a kind of James Bondy-French New Wavvy Yakuza movie with wild vibes. Topics include: the particular qualities of a work made under pressure, wondering if Seijun Suzuki knew about Godard or not, and a bunch of other stuff. Sorry for ther lateness: Corbin had a bunch of reporting

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01:29:33

"The Tragedy of Man" (2011, Dir: Marcell Jankovics)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/10/10

Twenty years in the making, Marcell Jankovics' animated adaptation of Imre Madách's sort-of play is a terribly ambitious intellectual undertaking about the role of man's inherent nature in the onspooling of history. But is it any good? We discuss. A useful article about Madach. Read the play here if you're inclined. The movie is available on iTunes. Matt's recc. Corbin's recc is not important but check out Perfect Blue, which we touch on a little here. Next episode is about 'Tokyo Drifter,'

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01:47:06

"Happy-Go-Lucky" (2008, Dir: Mike Leigh)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/10/03

In 2008 Mike Leigh made a movie about a genuinely nice lady coming into contact with a lonely right wing maniac. Sooner or later it became the model for how society was structured. Let's talk about it! Topics include: Sally Hawkings, clubbing, British repression, Mike Leigh in particular, and other stuff. Matt recc. Corbin recc's a music artist. Next week's episode is about The Tragedy of Man. I have no idea how I'm going to watch this thing though.

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01:38:15

"Nashville" (1975, Dir: Robert Altman)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/09/26

Matt and Corbin are joined by the famous music writer NATALIE WEINER (Don't Rock the Inbox, other famous publications) to discuss NASHVILLE, Robert Altman's sprawling sociological survey of the city of Nashville, home of the Country Music Industry, and also America. Is it a convincing portrait of either? We discuss. Natalie wrote about the movie's use of country music as metaphor here. Natalie's rec. Matt's. Corbin's. Next week's episode is about HAPPY-GO-LUCKY. Watch it here.

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01:31:35

"Harvest" (2024, Dir: Athina Rachel Tsangari)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/09/19

This is, somehow, the third movie we've done about pesants and the second movie we've done about agricultural barons trying to remove a community from the land where they live so it can be overwhelmed by animal agriculture. This one has some weird Brechtian qualities and beautiful photography. But is it any good? We get into it. Check out the movie on Mubi. Corbin recommends a game, Matthew a book. Next week, a SPECIAL EPISODE about NASHVILLE with a VERY SPECIAL GUEST! Watch it here!

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01:44:51

"Celine and Julie Go Boating" (1975, Dir: Jacques...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/09/15

Matt and Corbin, recording from the Portland Convention Center, talk about "Celine and Julie go Boating," a movie about two friends who are looking to have a good time and also maybe save a girl from a cycling ghost house deep in the heart of Paris, France. Topics: friendship, theater, improv, The French New Wave, and other stuff. I liked this essay that discusses the movie. Corbin recc. Matt recc. Next week's episode is about Harvest (2024), which is available on MUBI if you're into that sort of

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02:06:02

DIGITAL FRONTIERS FINALE: "Melancholia" (2011, Dir:...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/09/05

Corbin and Matt wrap up Digital Frontiers with MELANCHOLIA, a movie about depression, the end of the world, and like fifty other things. It's been a second since we recorded so I cannot properly remeber what we talked about, but I suspect we touch on the movie as a uniquely digital object that represents the apex of a young form, Dunst's absolutely annhilating performence, "The End of the World" vs. the actual end of the world, and other stuff. Next episode: "Celine and Julie Go Boating." Watch

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02:09:31

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: "Captain America: The First...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/08/29

Hi! THis week, Matt and Corbin talk about "Captain America, The First Avenger," a movie about Captain America, an American Superhero. Topics: The MCU as a sort of end-product of the first two decades of digital cinema, the function of the superhero as a multi-meaning storytelling device, the production design in this movie (Good!) and the cinematography in this movie (Less good!), adapting Jack Kirby's fly by night ethic to a large, settled metanarrative, how the movie's depiction of the Red Skull

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01:37:43

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: LEVIATHAN (2012, Dir: Lucien...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/08/17

Whoops, a little late! Sorry everyone Matt is busy and I am something aside from busy but diverting enough that I forgot to post the episode. This one is about "Leviathan," a documentary from the Sensory Ethnography Lab at Harvard about commerical fishermen, the ocean, and things all sloppin' on the camera. Watch it here! Topics include: GoPros, sloppy noises, thinking about how a camera is doing something, guys with horny mermaid tattoos, Solaris, pornography, moshing, and post-continuity

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01:59:23

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: HUGO (2011, Dir: Martin Scorsese)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/08/08

Old Cinema! New Cinema! Here they are, together! Ellis and Corbs talk about "Hugo," Martin Scorsese's honestly conspicously excellent family movie about a an orphan, a great filmmaker, and the open wounds of World War One. Topics: how exactly is Scorsese so good at making a special effects extravaganza, the 3D moment, fated to fail, color, and Scorsese's ability to bring a wide range of techniques to the table. Read a fascinting article about Rave Culture in Britain here. Corbin Rec. Matt rec

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01:53:23

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: "Certified Copy" (2010, Dir: Abbas...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/08/01

Welcome. In this episode Matt and Corbin talk about Abbas Kiarostami's 2010 brainscrew "Certified Copy," a movie about two strangers hanging out in the Italian countryside. Topics include: Binoche's performence, an anchor in a storm, Kiarostami as a natural candiate for digital cinema owing to his particular unfussiness, and Walter Benjamin. So much Walter Benjamin. Matt's recc. Corbin's recc is available on your music streaming application of choice. Our next episode is about "Hugo." Watch it

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01:35:31

CROSSOVER: Cold War Cinema Bonus: The Phoenician...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/07/31

(sorry for the double post. this is a repost of a bad upload. LISTEN TO THIS ONE) Hi there! Matt made a guest appearance on a great new podcast about cinema, history, and the left and we are sharing it, with you, RIGHT HERE! The podcast is called 'Cold War Cinema,' and you can find it here and here. Join Ellis and hosts Jason Christian, Tony Ballas, and Paul T. Klein as they discuss: The Phoenician Scheme’s connections to the Congress for Cultural Freedom, a CIA-backed cultural operation from

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02:04:13

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: "The Social Network" (2010, Dir:...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/07/27

Corbin and Matt talk about THE SOCIAL NETWORK, David Fincher's (And also Aaron Sorkin's) parable about the fouding of Facebook and the terrible dream of what felt like was coming next. Topics include: capital and moral hazard, the Winkelvosses and Eduardo, the movie's make believe version of Zuckerberg, Fincher setting the palate for the future by accident, and a bunch of other stuff. I dont know if you can see but this episode is very long. Corbin recc. Ellis recc. Next episode is about

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01:39:05

"A Married Couple" (1969, Dir: Alan King) w/...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/07/18

Documentarian CHRISTOPHER JASON BELL (MeansTV, 'Miss Me Yet,' the upcoming 'Failed State') joins us to talk about 'A Married Couple,' Alan King's 1969 documentary about a ditentegrating Canadian marriage. Topics include: reality TV, the weird sexism of how people recived this movie at the time, performence in documentary, the parade of hideous outfits this guy wears, and the terrible language of irrational arguements stuck deep in a nightmare mire. I will not be indexing our recs this week, there

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01:22:02

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: "Paranormal Activity" (2007, Dir:...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/07/12

Ellis and Corbin talk about post-continuity infusted found footage horror extravaganza PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Topics include: real estate in 2006: the true horror, why there wasn't a second demonologist in San Diego at the time, the editing style, HDR cameras, porn aesthetics, and other stuff. Read some Fabulous Criticisim about Paranormal Activity here. NOTICE: OUR NEXT EPISODE IS NOT ABOUT THE SOCIAL NETWORK, LIKE WE SAID HERE. It is about "A Married Couple." Watch it here.

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01:43:10

DIGITAL FONTIERS: "Avatar" (Dir: James Cameron, 2009)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/07/04

We had to do it, so we did. Topics include: the insane camera setup they used on this, Cameron: Movie Napolean, the... particular aesthetics, and the faint nostalgia for Michael Bay real heads feel while watching this thing. There's stuff we like about it to. Read this if to learn stuff about Avatar. Ellis recc here. Corbin recc'd a video game, again. Next week: PARANORMAL ACTIVITY.

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01:35:28

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: "Speed Racer" (Dir: The...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/07/02

Speed Racer. It's a masterwork. It also might give you a headache. We must live in that contradiction. Topics: Comic Books and post-continuity cinema, the movie's collagey qualities, the alternate Hollywood it presents, and the movie as a product of globalization. Matt's reccomendation. Corbin's. Next episode is about "Avatar," which you can watch on Disney+, if you dare.

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01:51:03

DIGITAL FRONTIERS: "Che: Part One" (2008, Dir: Steven...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/06/27

Ellis and Corbin and ERIC MARSH discuss "Che: Part One," Steven Soderbergh's process oriented tale of the Cuban Revolution, first movie ever shot on a 4K Movie Camera. Topics include: Oakley Sunglasses, Soderbergh during this time, digital cinemtography blessing his particular way of working, and why CAPITALIST STREAMING PLATFORMS make this movie hard to watch. Ellis: 'Song at the end is "Carlos Puebla – Hasta Siempre, Comandante," which is about Che.' Our next episode is about SPEED RACER. Tremble

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104 results

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