#14: CHANNELING THE PAST

Houdini, Red Oaks, The Cosmopolitans, and Really.

Paul and Elgin chat about

• Houdini, starring Adrien Brody. How does this History Channel miniseries depict the life of the magician? Was too much poetic license taken with his biography in this dramatized TV program? We discuss what was covered in depth (how he did his tricks and his battle vs. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and other spiritualists claiming to channel the departed)—as well as what was less emphasized (his relationship with his brother and his efforts to build a unified national network of professional and amateur magicians).
• Red Oaks, an Amazon Originals pilot executive produced by Steven Soderbergh and starring Paul Reiser, Jennifer Grey, and Richard Kind, as well as Craig Roberts. Does this ’80s coming-of-age story break any new ground? What are the influences on this nostalgic piece taking place at a predominantly Jewish country club?
• Whit Stillman’s The Cosmopolitans, another Amazon Originals production, starring Adam Brody and Chloë Sevigny. We chat about the talky dramedy, featuring North American expats and their European friends and lovers in Paris, and wonder how this work fits into the long history of America’s love affair with the City of Lights. How does Stillman’s latest effort compare with his past work and that of David Mamet, Ed Burns, and other independent filmmakers?
• Paul gives his take on yet another Amazon Originals pilot, Really, starring Jay Chandrasekhar and Sarah Chalke. Is this show featuring a mixed race couple in Chicago as funny as it is unusual (for a TV landscape that historically does not depict such couples)?

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