Jean-Pierre Boudreaux

Movie Musicals used to be a staple of the movie industry, but despite them being far from driving the industry in modern times, we still have plenty of great ones! In this movie draft, we choose from 21st Century movie musicals, a draft inspired by our discussion of Spielberg’s West Side Story (which is the main honorable mention for this one). We take everything from adaptations of stage musical classics to fully original conceptions to our favorite animated musicals. We even discussed which 21...

It was a lifelong dream of Spielberg’s to direct a musical movie, and even more specifically, to adapt West Side Story. The question of whether we needed another adaptation of this beloved stage musical is a legitimate one. But with his mastery of staging, composition, camera movement, and visual storytelling, Spielberg makes the case that not only was a new adaptation ok to do but that it was needed. Enhanced by powerhouse performances & new choreography, this is arguably one of Spielberg’s mos...

Presidents are portrayed in movies in so many different ways: fictional presidents, real presidents, real presidents in a fictional role, satirical presidents, and so many more. Our movie draft this week, in which we draft both real and fictional portrayals of US presidents covers these wide varieties as we discuss what we love most about some of the best film versions of our commander in chief. This draft was in honor of our discussion of Spielberg’s Lincoln last week, so Daniel Day-Lewis’ Linc...

What do you get when you have one of our all time great directors in Spielberg with one of our all time great actors in Daniel Day-Lewis playing one of our all time great US Presidents? You get one of our all time great president movies in Lincoln! We talk about the incredible performances, the masterful script from Tony Kushner, the subtle camera moves, the top notch production design, and much more in this great discussion of Lincoln. https://www.establishingshotpod.com/ Feedback: Email us at ...

There is nothing quite like a scene that happens underwater. One of my favorites comes from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou when Steve and the rest of his crew have a transcendent moment encountering the infamous Jaguar Shark that ruined Steve’s life. In this episode we explore other such scenes with a draft of underwater scenes in movies. We took somewhat different approaches to this draft to very fun results! https://www.establishingshotpod.com/ Feedback: Email us at establishingshotpod@gma...

Sometimes critics or the general public get a movie wrong! This week, we let you know which movies deserve reconsideration or a revisit with our Top 5 Underrated Movies. These are movies that were critical flops or just considered not very good by the general public but that we thought were actually really good! It is a fun discussion with opinions that are destined to be vehemently disagreed with! https://www.establishingshotpod.com/ Feedback: Email us at establishingshotpod@gmail.com Leave a v...

A few years after the most successful year of his entire career, Spielberg released what he called his first true sequel in The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Our discussion revolves around the fun elements of this film and it’s development as well as some of the major problems with its story. My guest really likes this Jurassic Park installment where I didn’t care for it too much, which made for a fun debate. Join us and Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm as we return to the world of dinosaurs! https://www.est...

Christian Bale had his big debut for most people in Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun, which we discussed last week. This week, we accompany that discussion with a movie draft of Christian Bale performances. We take turns choosing our favorite performances from Bale, and discuss his acting career along the way. https://www.establishingshotpod.com/ Feedback: Email us at establishingshotpod@gmail.com Leave a voicemail from the button on the right side of the screen on our website https://www.establish...

Empire of the Sun is a forgotten gem in Steven Spielberg’s filmography, which is fitting since its setting is sort of a forgotten perspective on WWII. This is a bit of a hybrid for Spielberg in that it marries his childlike fantastical side with his newfound interest in making more serious, mature movies. This film is full of phenomenal shots typical of Spielberg and introduces us to a young Christian Bale, all while giving us a really interesting story about growing up in the midst of war. http...

This week we kick off our Christopher Nolan series by discussing his career as a whole. This episode will act as an establishing shot for the rest of the series, cluing us in to techniques and themes to look for as we watch through Nolan’s filmography. In our movie news section, our guest shares some recent 2023 watches that he has enjoyed. Finally, we do a draft of movies shot with IMAX cameras/IMAX approved digital cameras and share our recommendations of the week. https://www.establishingshot...

This week we discuss The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson’s most successful film to date. It doesn’t get much better than Ralph Fiennes concierge-ing his way into our hearts. In our movie news section, we discuss whether we are excited for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny or not. Finally, we do a draft of movies with hotels and share our recommendations of the week. https://www.establishingshotpod.com/ Timestamps: Intro (00:39) The Life Aquatic Discussion (05:13) Movie News (02:06:53) Mov...

This week we discuss The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, which might be the most quintessential example of the Wes Anderson aesthetic. With the cutaway, dollhouse boat, a phenomenal cast, and stop-motion sea creatures this is a fun one. In our movie news section, we discuss Spider-Man adaptations with Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse releasing this weekend. Finally, we do a draft of films with underwater scenes and share our recommendations of the week. https://www.establishingshotpod.com/ Ti...