Some Like It Unauthorized

It’s time to talk about Travis Bickle. Paul Schrader, fresh out of film school and freshly divorced, wrote a script about what can happen to the isolated american man, and when paired with the maestro Martin Scorsese, this strange film about our assassination nation became a box office hit and a Best Picture nominee. We talk about the film’s cultural legacy, why it became canonized in the decades afterwards, and what it’s like to revisit such a ubiquitous film. Other topics include: porn theaters, composer Bernard Herrmann’s career, and why Quentin Tarantino takes issue with the film.

Next week: The Ascent (1976) by Larisa Shepitko, plus we’ll cover Zach’s 1976 album recommendations

You can now find us on substack

UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Music by hetchy

Heeeere’s Barry!

We last left Kubrick after his nuclear comedy blew critics and audiences away, and in the ‘70s we find him continuing to tackle hefty subjects with a devilish glee and a love of irony. His adaptation of a canonical English novel is garnering him critical focus and oscar nominations once again, but for decades after, Barry Lyndon will be one of his less acknowledged films.

On this episode, we take the opportunity to discuss the Barry legacy, both its influence and its reappreciation as of late, and find ourselves questioning how letterboxd (and a wider accessibility to films in general) changes our perspective on boys like Barry.

Next week: Taxi Driver (1976) by Martin Scorsese

You can now find us on substack

UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Music by hetchy

A veteran of WWII and a veteran of film and television by the time the hays code was lifted, Robert Altman only became a director of note in 1970 when he took full advantage of the changing attitudes at the studios, the burgeoning ‘new hollywood’ era, and made the most cynical and degenerate comedy about the US military anyone had yet seen, a surprising s-M*A*S*H hit. Overnight, he had a calling card and a newfound lease on life creatively, and what followed was an industrious career of riskier and riskier swings. The most critically well-remembered today is his country music tableau Nashville, and on this episode we journey down south to discuss the many tricks of the trade that Altman employed to make this sui generis epic hangout film, and how it sums up the cultural hegemony (and violence) of twentieth century America.

Next week: Barry Lyndon (1975) by Stanley Kubrick

You can now find us on substack

UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Music by hetchy

The big question since the 2022 BFI Sight and Sound Top 250 List was published, that no one has answered satisfyingly, is simply: why Jeanne Dielman? We watched Chantal Akerman’s film for the first time, and now, we’re talking about whether it lives up to expectations, and trying to answer the big question by examining how the gender politics of the ‘70s recontexualized film history and laid the groundwork for a young woman from Brussels to make her mark on the medium.

Afterwards (1:15:51), Zach shares his 5 albums from 1975 to check out.

We’re on substack now! Read Zach’s piece about the ubiquity of vampyres in 2025 movies

Next week: Nashville (1975) by Robert Altman

UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Intro music by hetchy

Though he was present in the heyday of Cahiers du Cinema, that contrarian film review mag where the biggest names in french new wave would ferment and develop their eclectic taste, Jacques Rivette had a lot more false starts on his way to directing films full time. Rather than endearing himself to wide audiences, he endeared himself to actors, and fostered an improvisational style almost akin to Cassavetes, but frencher. Next to the behemoth Out 1, Céline et Julie vont en bateau stands as his most celebrated work today, a low-budget madcap farce with few analogs in film history. 

Zach and J Brooks Go Podcasting with a pair of opposite reactions to this french meta fantasy. We discuss the french new wave in its late stages, what sets Rivette’s style apart, and why his films have risen in esteem over the decades. Questions arise of whether art is political or whether it must be approached politically, and if the joke’s on us.

Next week: Jeanne Dielman (1975) by Chantal Akerman

UnauthorizedPod.com for more. Hosted by Zachary Domes and J Brooks Young. Music by hetchy