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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

01:56:29

'Don't Look Back' (1967, Dir: D.A. Pennebaker, With...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/01/24

Last year, Timothee Chalamet played the role of Bob Dylan in a major motion picture. It was all a little pointless, though, seeing as Robert Zimmerman has been playing the role of Bob Dylan in the movies for 60 years now. This week, we watched America's Onery Boy in 'Don't Look Back," D.A. Pennebaker's Cinéma vérité classic about Dylan's 1965 tour of England, where our hero spins Donnovan around, gets in fights with journalists, and meets the high sherrif's wife, and talked about it with Corbin's

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01:32:18

MULHOLLAND DR. (2001, Dir: David Lynch)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/01/22

This week, David Lynch, a titan of the form and one of the great American artists of the post-war era, passed away at the age of 78. In tribute, Corbin and Matt talked about 'Mulholland Dr.,' his 2001 masterpiece. Watch it here. Check out a really neat essay about the movie's multifuntional narrative here. Matt reccomends The Brutalist, currently in theaters. Corbin reccomends UFO 50, snag it here. Our next episode will PROBABLY be about "Don't Look Back," finally, but it could end up being about

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01:38:01

UNREST (2022, Dir: Cyril Schäublin)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/01/17

A few months back, Corbin and Ellis watched a movie about anarchist swiss watchmakers. Then they talked about it. Whatever else happened, Corbin cannot presently recall. Next week's episode will PROBABLY be about 'Don't Look Back,' but David Lynch's death (RIP) might complicate that plan. Whatever the case it will exist.

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01:20:29

SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR (2000, Dir: Roy Andersson)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2025/01/11

Hey I know we promised you Bob Dylan Sicko Stuff but the episode has some tech problems we gotta work out so first Ellis and Corbin are talking about 'Songs from the Second Floor," a Swedish Kids in the Hall Movie. It's been. while since we watched it so I can't remember what happens in it. Watch it here. Next week's episode will be about either 'Unrest' or 'Don't Look Back,' depending on like six things. Sorry for the break, It was New Year's.

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01:18:57

MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1994, Dir: Les Mayfield)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/12/24

How did consumer culture change in the 50 years following "A Miracle on 34th Street? (1947)?" Big news, they made ANOTHER ONE and it TELLS YPOU EVERYTHING YOU KNOW! Topics include: Dylan McDermott: too hot to not get a shot, too untalanted to make much of it, the weird loss of the original's cynicysim, Wal-Mart, and the question of what the NEXT remake of this movie will look like. Next week's episode is about "DON'T LOOK BACK." Watch it here.

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01:15:42

MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (1947, Dir: George Seaton)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/12/20

Corbin and Matt talk about 'MIRACLE ON 34th STREET, a Sentimental Christmas Classic about Department Stores and the supremac y of the suburban lifestyle. We recorded it a few weeks ago so Corbin forgot specific topics but he suspects they talk about the emergence of consumer culture in America, the eternal American Christmas Disconnection, and the movie's oddly cynical edge. Watch the movie here. Check out Land of Desire, a book about the history of the department store, here. Corbin reccomends

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01:15:21

"VOLCANO" (1997, Dir: Mick Jackson) w/ CAM CROWELL

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/12/13

Matt and Corbin are joing by CAM CROWELL (Inaction) to talk about VOLCANO, a Los Angeles Disaster Movie. Topics include: Anne Heche, sweet as pie, Mike Davis, man's craving to see LA Doomed, the percise geography at work in this bad boy, and, of course, Don Cheadle. Watch Volcano here. Read "The Literary Destruction of Los Angeles" by Mike Davis here. Matt reccomends the director's cut of Ridley Scott's Napolean. Cam reccomends Christmas Evil. Corbin reccomends Corbin reccomends "The Duelists."

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01:30:51

RAP WORLD (2024, Dir: Connor O'Malley, Danny Scharar)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/12/06

Ellis and Smith talk about 'RAP WORLD,' Connor O'Malley's lo-fi fantasia about America after the 2008 Crash and also three dunces trying and failing to make a rap song. Topics: handmade culture's pre-social lack of gloss, melllenial trash culture, just how terribly sad the project is, O'Malley's early appearences in Corbin's consiousness and the dog he is watching. Matt reccomends a mexican resturaunt. Corbin reccomends Bob's Burgers. Next week's episode is about "VOLCANO," a movie about a Volcano

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01:35:43

NOIRVEMBER: THIEF (1981, Dir: Michael Mann) w/ JOHN...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/12/02

Wilmes Joins us to talk about THIEF, Michael Mann's totallyt realized debut. Topics: reversenoir, Nietzsche and capitalism, and sone other stuff. Matt reccomends coffee. Corbin reccomends Hobswan. John reccomends Saul Bellow. Next week's episode is about RAPWORLD. Watch it here.

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01:11:39

NOIRVEMBER: "Le jour se lève/Daybreak" (1939, DIR:...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/11/26

Noirvember goes to FRANCE, where Corbin and Matt talk about 'Le jour se lève,' known as Daybreak in America, a sorta-noir/sorta-crime movie/sort of allegory for the annhilation of Europe as Hitler prepared to invade everyone. Does it resonate in the present political climate? Unfortunately, yes! Corbin reccomends Elliott Smith and Quasi on the Live Music Archive. Matt reccomends this song, I think? hard to say. Our next episode is about THIEF. Special guest! Rent it or watch it on MGM+, I

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01:28:02

NOIRVEMBER: 'Stray Dog" (1949, Dir: Akira Kurosawa)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/11/16

Listen to Corbin and, lesser degree, Matt, get all swoony over STRAY DOG, a police procedural by THE MASTER Akira Kurosawa. Topics include: soup, noir-and-not-noir elements at work, Kurosawa's enduring influence, and the heroic impulse vs. the rational impulse. Corbin reccomends a movie currently in theaters. Matt reccomends "Tokyo Vice" on HBOMAX. Next week's episode is about Le Jour Se Leve/Daybreak, which you will have to rent. Matt: "Song at end: Himiko Kikuchi- Don't Be Stupid. Famous

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01:19:33

NOIRVEMBER: "KISS ME DEADLY" (1955, Dir: Robert Aldrich)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/11/08

Matt and Corbin talk about "Kiss Me Deadly," a film noir about a Nietzschean superman lost in an existential world... right up until the point when it turns out he's actually in a science fiction disasterpiece. Our analysis of the election: wrong. Sorry! Corbin reccomends "BALATRO," a video game. Matt reccomends e-readers. Next week's NOIRVEMBER selection is "STRAY DOG," which you can watch here.

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01:23:30

"Let's Scare Jessica to Death" (1971, Dir: John Hancock)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/10/31

Corbin and Ellis are joined by MATEA, Portland's Elvira (Letterboxd here, subscribe today!), for a conversaion about the early indie horror touchstone "Let Scare Jessica to Death." Topics include: the shifting uses of mental health care as a literary device, the bitter end of the sixties playing out on screen, the thin line between madness and a vampire invading your mind, and the movie's wild sound design. Corbin reccomends a movie. Matt reccomends another movie. Matea reccomends yet another

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01:31:42

"The Apprentice" (2024, DIR: Ali Abbasi)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/10/25

Corbin and Matt talk about "The Apprentice," a movie that persues an impossible goal and comes out Interesting. Topics: Sebastian Stan, who is incredible, where orbin was when Trump won, Fred Trump, and how "Humanization" is actually like, the only honest way of telling this story. Corbin reccomends "Persona 5," he guesses. Available wherever you buy games. Matt reccomends "It Happened One Night," watch it here. Next week: "Let's Scare Jessica to Death." Watch here. After that: NOIRVEMBER

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01:28:41

"The Breaking Ice" (2023, Dir: Anthony Chen)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/10/18

Ellis and Da Corb talk about "The Breaking Ice," a lil' character drama about three people in a chilly city on China's border with North Korea. Topics: America in the 50's and China in the now's, capital's universal qualities, China's particular qualities, and a depressing story that happens in a Safeway. Watch the movie here. Ellis's reccomendation can be heard here. He totally reccomended it last week, despite what he claims. Check out some of Mike Watson's music here. Our outro music this week

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01:38:13

MEGALOPOLIS (2024, Dir: Francis For Coppola) with...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/10/10

Cory Atad (The Baffler) Joins Dr. Movies and The Corb to talk about "MEGALOPOLIS," a movie about Francis Ford Coppola getting extremely baked and creating a drastically less efficent method of public transit. Corbin writing this right now just wants to say: my opinion on this movie has curdled into something meaner and less forgiving after recording this episode. I have come to think of it as a monument to one man's narcissim, a canker sore on the art of cinema, a pile of garbage for precisely no

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01:33:16

Fredric Jameson's thoughts on "VIDEODROME" (Dir:...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/10/04

Matt and Corbs talk about the recently departed Frederic Jameson and his thoughts on VIDEODROME, David Cronenberg's 1983 masterpiece about the terrifying merger of man and machine occuring en masse in front of your very eyes and also the pleasures and perils of having a gigantic hole in your abdomen that someone can stick living videotapes inside, compelling you to murder people on behalf of a shadowy right wing technoconspiracy. Read 'Totality as Conspiracy' here. Matt told me to link this piece

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01:32:15

"The Young Master" (1980, Dir: Jackie Chan)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/09/28

Jackie Chan. Early eighties. Fred Astaire. Buster Keaton. Buddy if you need convincing to watch The Young Master please, get your fun switches cleaned. Check out a good essay about Jackie here. Corbin reccomends a sandwhich. Next week's episode is about VIDEODROME. Then: MEGAOLOPOPPOIS!

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01:28:09

"Christ Stopped at Eboli" (1979, Dir: Francesco Rosi)

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/09/23

Big Matt and Lil' Corbs talk about 'CHRIST STOPPED AT EBOLI,' a movie about a dissident who get sent to the world's cruddiest village by Benito Mussolini. He learns lessons. Topics include: Pringles, anarchism, its similarities and differences to "The Tree of Wooden Clogs," another movie about pesants, and which came first: Christianity or History? Matt reccomends Roger Waters' new Dark Side of the Moon remake. Corbin reccomends a video game. Next week's episode is about "The Young Master,"

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01:30:01

"Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World)...

The Pacific Northwest Insurance Corporation Moviefilm... ·

2024/09/14

Ellis and the Corbot talk about "DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD," Radu Jude's recent bang bang exploration of the feeling of being alive under late capitalism. Subjects include: terrible Romanian techno, exploitated people observing other exploited people for the purpose of exploitation, and international business's wholesale domination of our lives. Corbin reccomends concerts by Ted Leo, Matt reccomends ASASSINS CREED. Next week's episode is about "Christ Stopped At Eboli," which

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104 results

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