'They lie, even to themselves'

#40 — 'Rashomon' is a template-setting film. While many of its successors have delivered more slick and stylized versions of the pioneering story, few…

Sep 30 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

The natural

Robert Redford has shaped the film industry like few others have.

Sep 19 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

August 2025

Season 1, Episode 1: A Gentle(ish) Introduction to David Lynch

Listen now as we kick off our first season of Crash Course with three films from David Lynch: Elephant Man (1980), Dune (1984), Wild at Heart (1990)

Aug 30 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

, 

Andrew Stewart

, and 

Ben Elsener

2

1:07:50

Dust in the wind

#39 in the Film 101 series is 'The Treasure of the Sierra Madre', a film that plays as a Greek tragedy about greed and an indictment of a particular…

Aug 20 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

1

Introducing Crash Course

Listen now | Introducing a new adventure and expansion of the Film 101 project

Aug 18 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

1

3:41

July 2025

Who needs a laugh?

The adults do. It's the adults. But Hollywood seems as confused as ever about how to serve an audience that has gone underserved for a decade or more.

Jul 15 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

June 2025

In the year 2000 …

Ruminations on that New York Times list, and my own hastily assembled ballot of the 10 best movies of the 21st century.

Jun 27 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

2

May 2025

Earning it

On Memorial Day - or any other - film #38 in the series - ‘Saving Private Ryan’ - examines the debt owed to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

May 26 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

Cops and robbers

#37 in the Film 101 series is 'GoodFellas' - the mobbiest mob film that there is. It's a brilliant work that exposes the utter fraudulence at the heart…

May 10 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

April 2025

‘Well, to tell you the truth, I lied a little’

#36 in the Film 101 series is ‘Chinatown’, a film about a mystery and how to process the truth behind that mystery.

Apr 18 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

March 2025

The prisoner

#35 in the series is ‘Raging Bull', a film that asks what the rest of us are supposed to do with the likes of Jake LaMotta.

Mar 24 • 

Andrew E. Johnson

Oscar history, American history

A reconsideration of the importance of the Academy Awards and what lessons we should take from this annual tradition.

Mar 7 • 

Andrew E. Johnson