Two legends of American cinema discuss Altman, aging, Beatty, baseball, Coppola, Groucho, marriage, the state of the world...

Robert Downey (Putney Swope) Talks with Elliott Gould for The Talkhouse Film Podcast

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Eric Appel’s latest film, <a href="https://breadwinnermovie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Breadwinner</a> starring Nate Bargatze, is out now in theaters. Appel previously co-wrote, directed, and produced Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which premiered at TIFF, won the People’s Choice Midnight Madness Award, and secured an Emmy for Outstanding TV Movie, among other major nominations and awards. Appel also directed both seasons of Die Hart for The Roku Channel, starring Kevin Hart with John Travolta and John Cena, and recently directed multiple Season 2 episodes of the Sony/Apple+ series The Afterparty. He served as series director and executive producer for the Lord Miller live action/animation hybrid Fox series Son of Zorn after directing the pilot, and has directed episodes of hit shows including Silicon Valley, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Office, and Happy Endings. Appel was an early director for Funny or Die, creating iconic viral hits, and his writing credits include comedic programs like Human Giant, The Andy Milonakis Show, and Crank Yankers, following his time performing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York.

Eric Appel

Film

Being The Breadwinner

Chie Hayakawa’s latest film, the 1980s-set lyrical coming-of-age drama <a href="https://renoir.film/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Renoir</a>, premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and is in theaters from tomorrow through Film Movement. Born in Tokyo, Hayakawa studied photography at School of Visual Arts in New York. Her debut feature, <a href="https://www.kimstim.com/film/plan-75/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Plan 75</a>, premiered at Cannes and was Japan&#8217;s official selection for Best Foreign Language Feature at the Oscars. Hayakawa&#8217;s short film version of Plan 75 was the acclaimed opening segment of feature anthology Ten Years Japan, executive produced by internationally acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda. Ten Years Japan screened as a world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018, followed by successful theatrical releases and an international festival tour.

Chie Hayakawa

My Little Irene

I Heard Sex Is Over

Nick Dawson talks with filmmakers, musicians and comedians whose work he loves, avoiding the mundane, predictable questions they&#8217;ve heard numerous times and instead asking substantive, thoughtful questions that get to the heart of who they are.

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That

Podcast

Nobody’s Ever Asked Me That: Tatiana Maslany

Song of Rimbaud

Ela Thier is a writer-director based in New York City who has been writing screenplays for nearly 40 years, and receiving pass letters for about that long. In carving her own path, she wrote, directed, produced and sometimes performed in her award-winning feature films, Foreign Letters and Tomorrow Ever After. In 2026, she’ll be releasing her new feature film, 109 Billion Followers, a comedy-drama with J.K. Simmons. Her first non-fiction book, <a href="https://theindependentfilmschool.com/book/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theindependentfilmschool.com/book/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1778263869469000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1ydiAjjwnkiDuDtbiLHvHl">How to Fail as an Artist: My Best Tips</a>, is now available on Amazon and book shops everywhere. She has created numerous award-winning short films, and is the founding director of the <a href="https://theindependentfilmschool.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Independent Film School</a>. When she’s not working, she spends time with her nephew and pretends to be interested in baseball. (Photo by Jess Osber.)

Ela Thier

How Losing $200K and Two Producers Led to My Debut Feature

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Talkhouse

Evolfo

Music

Mood Board: Evolfo’s Of Love

783: Dr. Ashanté M. Reese Would Love to Come to Your Family Reunion

950. – Sam Fragoso

Tori Amos (encore episode)

Ep. 300 | SHOP TALK: Can You And SHOULD You Work On Multiple Projects?

In the 1960s, Robert Downey began writing and directing basement-budget, absurdist films that gained an underground following: Balls Bluff, Babo 73, Chafed Elbows, No More Excuses and Putney Swope, the first Downey film to earn a mainstream release. The irreverence continued in later decades with Greaser’s Palace, Pound, Sticks and Bones (a play for the New York Public), Two Tons of Turquoise, Hugo Pool and Rittenhouse Square, a 2005 documentary.

Robert Downey

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Katie Aselton’s latest film as writer-director-actor,<a href="https://magichourmovie.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Magic Hour</a>, also starring Daveed Diggs, is in theaters now through Greenwich Entertainment. Aselton’s breakout acting role was in the indie hit The Puffy Chair, directed by Mark and Jay Duplass, and she is known for her starring role as Jenny in the FX comedy series The League. Aselton previously directed the films The Freebie, in which she also stars alongside Dax Shepard; the survivor thriller Black Rock, starring opposite Kate Bosworth and Lake Bell; and the comedy Mack &amp; Rita, with Diane Keaton. As an actor, her TV credits include Legion, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep and The Office, and her film credits include Old Dads, Book Club, Bombshell, Father Figures and the acclaimed horror/sci-fi films She Dies Tomorrow and Synchronic. (Photo by Annie McElwain.)

Katie Aselton

Three Great Things: Katie Aselton