Houselights: A Film Director Podcast

Escape from New York (1981) - John Carpenter | Houselights #295

Kicking off our House of Carpenter series, we head to the far-flung future of 1997, where Manhattan is a walled-off maximum security prison and Air Force One has just gon

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) - Frank Capra | Houselights #294

Arsenic and Old Lace, Frank Capra’s dark comedy, is both a beloved classic and a surprisingly divisive film. We explore Cary Grant’s frantic performance, the movie’s thea

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) - Frank Capra | Houselights #293

Continuing the House of Capra, Darren, Tristan, and John dig into Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the movie that taught a generation what a filibuster was decades before Sc

It Happened One Night (1934) - Frank Capra | Houselights #292

House of Capra opens with the one that started it all. Frank Capra's 1934 road comedy put a runaway heiress and a broke reporter on a cross-country bus and accidentally w

The Batman (2022) - Matt Reeves | Houselights #291: Wing of Batman

Matt Reeves' The Batman is a bold, moody reinvention of the Caped Crusader that leans hard into noir, atmosphere, and a version of Gotham that feels grimy, broken, and al

The Lego Batman Movie (2017) - Chris McKay | Houselights #290: Wing of Batman

The Lego Batman Movie shouldn't work as well as it does. A feature-length gag reel built out of plastic bricks has no business landing a real Batman character arc, and ye

Batman v Superman: UE & ZS's Justice League - Zack Snyder | Houselights #289: Wing of Batman

Zack Snyder's DCEU Batman gets its due on this episode of Houselights, as Tristan, John, and Darren tackle Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Zack Snyder's Justice Le

The Dark Knight Trilogy - Christopher Nolan | Houselights #288: Wing of Batman

The Dark Knight trilogy didn’t just redefine Batman on screen, it reshaped what superhero movies could be. In this episode, the hosts dig into how Christopher Nolan’s Got

Batman Forever and Batman & Robin - Joel Schumacher | Houselights #287: Wing of Batman

A thoughtful look at Joel Schumacher’s Batman films, this episode revisits Batman Forever and Batman & Robin as bold, colorful, and endlessly debated entries in the franc

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993) - Eric Radomski & Bruce Timm | Houselights #286: Wing of Batman

This episode explores Batman: Mask of the Phantasm - a darker, deeper, and more emotional Batman story that nearly never reached theaters - and uncovers how studio resist

Batman '89 and Batman Returns - Tim Burton | Houselights #285: Wing of Batman

Tim Burton’s Batman and Batman Returns are explored here as two sides of the same dark, imaginative vision, tracing how Burton’s signature style shaped Gotham, redefined

Batman: The Movie (1966) - Leslie H. Martinson | Houselights #284: Wing of Batman

Batman: The Movie (1966) is a campy, quotable time capsule that helped turn a modest TV show into a pop culture icon. Adam West’s earnestness, the film’s comic-book style

The Holiday (2006) - Nancy Meyers | Houselights #283

Nancy Meyers’ The Holiday is the kind of movie that knows exactly what it’s doing: it’s polished, sentimental, and very aware of its own charm. It’s not subtle, but that’

Somethings Gotta Give (2003) - Nancy Meyers | Houselights #282

Something’s Gotta Give is one of Nancy Meyers’ most polished fantasies, and this episode gets into both why it works and why it doesn’t. The conversation highlights the p

What Women Want (2000) - Nancy Meyers | Houselights #281

As we continue your Nancy Meyers retrospective, we arrive at What Women Want (2000). It was a box office hit that doesn't quite hold together, and this episode gets into

The Parent Trap (1998) - Nancy Meyers | Houselights #280

This episode dives into The Parent Trap, highlighting its storytelling and technical achievements. We explore Nancy Meyers' direction, Lindsay Lohan's performances, and t

The Whole Nine Yards (2000) - Jonathan Lynn | Houselights #279

(00:00:00) The Whole Nine Yards (2000) - Jonathan Lynn | Houselights #279 (00:00:03) Welcome to Houselights (00:00:20) The Whole Nine Yards: A Suburban Farce (00:02:41

Sgt. Bilko (1996) - Jonathan Lynn | Houselights #278

Revisiting Sergeant Bilko brings nostalgic charm despite its outdated humor. Steve Martin's antics as a scheming con man still entertain, though some jokes haven't aged w

My Cousin Vinny (1992) - Jonathan Lynn | Houselights #277

Discover why My Cousin Vinny remains a beloved classic as we delve into its clever storytelling and standout performances. Explore Marissa Tomei's Oscar-winning role and

Clue (1985) - Jonathan Lynn | Houselights #276

Clue blends a stellar ensemble cast, razor-sharp wit, and a revolutionary triple-ending format. This episode explores the genius of director Jonathan Lynn, the film's inv