The Films of John Cassavetes

John Cassavetes is my favorite filmmaker, here I try to sum up why.
At the time of upload many of John Cassavetes films are available to watch on The Criterion Channel and HBO Max.
Films I mention in this video -
Shadows
Faces
A Woman Under the Influence
Opening Night
Minnie and Moskowitz
Gloria
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Love Streams
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I love movies

[@SliversRebuilt]

This is honestly dope man, love that you're showing this side of yourself. I look forward to more of these!

[@hamzah2556]

Honestly, I originally watched your short films and thought “wow, these are clever and really put a finger on those little everyday ennui”, but it’s only reading through your movie reviews and these videos that I realized how thoughtful, incisive, and talented you are. Love these little, off-the-cuff videos, keep them up!

[@CleverTricksGames]

Cassavetes is my favourite as well. He used his acting career to fund his films and love his film philosophy. A Woman Under the Influence is my all time favourite.

[@hemlockloop2955]

Have you seen Micky and Nicky? Although not directed by Cassavetes it stars him and Peter Faulk as the titular roles, one of my all time favorites.

[@rita89997]

Joel I could listen to you talk about stuff you like for hours!

[@jacholas330]

A funny anecdote I heard from an interview with Seymour Cassel is that on the set of Faces, they would shoot all night at the house and then play basketball in the driveway till the morning, and they could hear Frank Zappa recording/rehearsing next door

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

That’s amazing, love to picture them goofing off playing basketball between filming the most devastating scenes. Frank Zappa always pops up where you least expect him.

[@DyingDerp]

Wow, I loved hearing you talk about John (especially because he's my favorite filmmaker as well haha). I love how well you are able to describe the many themes of his movies, and how all of them are a sense of finding the meaning of human emotion (or more specifically love). He truly is one of the best to ever do it. Thank you for making this video.

[@christopherrodgers2428]

Beautiful commentary. Makes me want to go out and shoot a film right now. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@ccl1195]

Hi Joel, I really enjoyed watching the video and listening to what you're thinking about. There's so much to learn!

[@Alanborunda]

Just stumbled onto your channel when searching up John Cassavetes as I’ve been fascinated with his style. Keep up the great work, can’t wait to see more!

[@rookie6185]

This is so awesome, Joel. I’m learning so much about movies just listening to you chat about them. You may be wanting to keep the channel on the more complementary side of things rather than the more critical-so no worries if this idea doesn’t jive-but I’d love to hear more of your thoughts on Marvel and the state of Hollywood in general. I’d also love to know if there are any recently released studio films that you’ve really loved. I feel like the last studio film I’ve seen that really blew me away was Mad Mad Fury Road back in 2015.

[@noone-xe1ss]

Love to see it. Thanks for the upload dood

[@healingmomentum]

what an amazing job of really giving so many clear levels of understanding about beloved john cassavettes. bravo!

[@jenniferbauman]

Yay! We Are Sasquatch shout-out! Don't slave away trying to polish your work, lesson learned. I've been going back and forth with improv and script in my work. I haven't done anything scripted yet, but I do make plans for my work. Idk, I've just been going with it. Well, I haven't been going with it recently, I'm trying to find inspiration again. I'm liking these talks, and I'll check out Cassavetes work starting with Faces. Also, the working as a couple with his wife is very intriguing to me. Thanks, Joel. ❤️

[@SlowLearnerTV]

Cassavettes was always one of my favourites not just for the all round quality work and literal narratives in films like a woman under the influence and husbands, but also in his shortcomings. Like as you explained the dodgy audio work in his early films to his failures in industry productions (I love Gloria warts and all, partly because I know what it wants to be). It's a great lesson in critical analysis, observing his highs and lows and looking into the development of his work. I always saw him and Robert Downey sr as parallel directors, while Downey was a force of abstract comedy and counter-culture and Cassavettes seemed to obsess over adapting the natural room, they both see independent film making as a grand adventure, it's fun with friends, the good kind of nepotism.

[@o7k4vokb0ksp5n2]

Really enjoying this channel. It's great to just listen to you vibe about things you like. Hope you keep it up man!

[@cavemanzach9475]

I'm not going to pretend that I have seen anything from Cassavetes or the other directors you've mentioned in prior videos, but I'm looking forward to looking into some more niche directors and finding some unique movies. I don't know if you're looking for recommendations, but I would love to hear you discuss Kurosawa. Harakiri and Yojimbo are fantastic

[@JoYiSgUiTaR]

Do you own the Blu-Ray Criterion Collectors set for John Cassavetes? If not I highly recommend it! So glad you’re talking about movies

[@grodobaggins3614]

You would be an awesome professor. I learn so much from your channel, more than any one film class ive taken. I was recently introduced to some Senegalese cinema, and if youre looking for recommendations i think you would love “Touki Bouki” by Mambéty. It’s another iconic example of what can be done with a super limited budget and the lasting effects of his works are really impressive. There’s a follow up film by Mati Diop called “Thousand Suns” (“Mille Soleil”) and the two make for an awesome double feature. Thanks for inspiring us to create and collaborate :)

[@theterminaldave]

i didn't realize there was a second channel

[@crispychip360]

Yes! Love Cassavetes!

[@The_Guyman]

This channel will make me a more cultured man whether I like it or not

[@janderson60]

Why watch movies when you can just cry when Joel watches movies

[@cringechannel4213]

yo the haircut is fire

[@CarbonThink]

What kind of radio is that on the desk?

[@tommerstr]

9:24

[@steelsandport3613]

Those days ten years went by for not More than the one George Lucas films and THX was the audio FX studio of Hollywood. Films are expensive.

[@blengsploofo9373]

i was comment 1000. what am i owed. what have i won.

[@ryanrockers]

I thought the new Dr. Strange was fun

[@zanamarana]

i love how these are just like mini podcast to listen to you talk about, its especially nice to hear your passion for filmmaking and just how each movie reaches you differently

[@Jacksongirard]

Man, all my friends who I could talk with either went into the army or moved across the country. Listening to you talk about these movies really reminds me of our late night discussions and I miss it!!!

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

Aww I’m glad this channel could fill that spot for you, hope you get to have some great late night discussions with them in the future

[@TAS2020ls]

God I fucking love your filmmaking philosophy, Joel. Trying to sort out a no-budget feature at the moment with the intention of doing a limited number of DIY screenings. Listening to you talk about film is always very motivating. Hope you're having a nice day.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

Luke! I love to hear that! Go make that movie babyyyy! The DIY screenings I’ve had are always so full of love, people getting together purely for the love of creating always makes my heart full.

[@TAS2020ls]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies Thanks man! I really appreciate the support 🥰 I made a no-budget feature out of my play "The Absolute State" with a few friends back in 2020, it's on my channel if you wanna check it out!

[@4thplacefilms75]

Joel, have you ever double-featured Killing of a Chinese Bookie w/ another, more traditional gangster film? A group of friends and I compared it with The Godfather and also Goodfellas. It was really fun to chart how the movies were trying to lead their audience toward essentially the same outcome of feeling but in radically different ways. It speaks to how satisfying filmmaking and story can be. There’s so many ways to convey the same lessons and themes people have always been wrestling with.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

That’s a really lovely idea and a great observation! When I revisit Bookie I’ll make sure to watch a more traditional gangster film to compare/contrast.

[@BadgerOfTheSea]

I could sit and listen to someone monologuing about something they are passionate about for hours

[@MusicFromAnotherTime]

Have you seen any movies by Takashi Miike? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts on him as well.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

I’ve only seen Blade of the Immortal and did not love it, but will definitely give him more chances! If nothing else the dude is a prolific machine!

[@MusicFromAnotherTime]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies Ichi the Killer and Gozu are some interesting ones. Definitely fun to watch.

[@zallesproductions]

Your passion is so authentic and clear. Hope you keep putting these out there. Also, love the aspect ratio 👌 great idea.

[@RyanTheLeader]

gonna watch some of his movies, thanks joel (:

[@lowercase_robert]

Great video I’d never heard of him before definitely have to check out his work! That improv style of yours always reminded me of Curb.

[@SliversRebuilt]

Absolutely agree about feeling like your worst work is that over which you have too much control. Not to go into all *my* nerd shit too much, but I see it as just another example of how the final truth and reality of all things lies in constraint (oh yeah, that's the level of pretentious fuckery I'm on about my guy lmfao). Anyway I really love this man, you remind me of a friend I had long ago who first got me into "movies movies" haha but it's eye-opening to really be able to see you so much more completely as a genuinely passionate filmmaker, beyond the "clever and funny guy on KZbin" that you've thus far been to me (and surely many others). Thanks for sharing this stuff and providing us with that picture, man. So are there feature-length films that you've made that we can see/buy somewhere?? I'd definitely be interested in checking that out if so!

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

Absolutely! Limitations are the best friend of creativity, not an enemy. Lean into and embrace them! I’ve made 10 features and they’re all on my main channel! - kzbin.info/aero/PLKtIcOP0WvJAuBeHOzbkpBScqPh8lKUba I recommend Pretend That You Love Me or Drowning in Potential as good starting points!

[@SliversRebuilt]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies dude, I can't believe I've never bothered to explore your channel and even see that before! Shame on me, eh? And here I have this implicit assumption that people might do something like that for me lmao typical douchebag, smh my head Thanks though man, I look forward to checking these out! I'm a big believer in the "goofiness and humility as a sign of genuine greatness" metric lmao (it still works, I'm goofy but not humble so that checks out) so I'm interested to see more of what lies beneath with you, besides, uh....milk. Cause I mean, I know you don't look like much...

[@jakeg615]

I think I'm going to really like this channel. This was a great video and contains everything you need and nothing you don't. Great job man.

[@MichaelMikeyMike]

I've never seen a Cassavetes film, but now I'm very intruiged and will check him out!.... Also, I think I see a wild SPONGEBOB lurking 🧽👀

[@jimmythethird5514]

I had a dream last night with Joel in it. He was pitching for the World Series but from like outside the stadium and also on top of this house that looked like a fake house for a play or something. Then we got into a big fight about who owns the house and we battled in slow motion and I absolutely destroyed him, but it was actually all part of a film we was making and he was ok and then i woke up. But anyway, yea I love John Cassavettes! And I love hearing you talk about things your passionate about, especially about film! Great video, champ

[@shnc27]

usually when ppl describe their dreams they make too much sense and sound too figured out. this sounds like a real dream. good on ya

[@jimmythethird5514]

@@shnc27 yea i wrote that comment abt 3 min after i woke up while it was fresh in my mind 😁

[@henrybinder7264]

These new videos remind me old KZbin in a good way. Keep it up Joel!! :)

[@SliversRebuilt]

It's funny how simple of a point it really is at the end of the day: life itself is, of course, NOT polished. Why would "polished" ever be compelling in any context which is meant to be taken seriously on any genuine emotional level? It works for Marvel movies because people go to those to have fun, which is fine. If people are watching to *feel* something, "polish" is nothing more than a measure of distance from the "reality" of the fundamental *experience* the filmmaker is attempting to create/communicate/coordinate/(...?) lol

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

Much agreed! Filmmaking is a beautiful medium for raw spontaneity that is far too often wasted on the planned/perfected. Life is unpredictable and often messy so an honest piece about life should follow suit.

[@SliversRebuilt]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies this is something I mention in the DiP (hey, not a bad acronym lmfao) review I've been writing, but there are so many little things about your work which I feel really epitomize this idea: for example, I make the comparison to an element of Tarantino's work which I see as in part responsible for the "fluidity" and "naturalness" of his dialogue (despite his films being anything but "unpolished" lol) and which is something you absolutely excel at, namely reproducing certain "strange" or "unnecessary" - one might even dare to again use the term "unpolished" - elements of dialogue, such as people speaking over each other, or repeating things, or stumbling over their words, or simply making a *mistake* which defies the Chekovian maxim that said mistake must now alter, foreshadow or otherwise be *relevant to* the course of events in some way. Instead, you just have...people talking. In Tarantino's case, I think he utilizes this to great effect to make the dialogue sound MORE natural than it really has any right to (since in real life people are rarely as consistently witty and concise as most of his characters are lol); in your case, however, the more grounded tone of the actual dialogue in tandem with that raw style just makes it all feel so astonishingly compelling that I genuinely find it hard to believe that you guys even work from scripts lmfao (and maybe you do so sparingly, which would also of course add to the effect, but I think the point still stands about the astounding effectiveness of your techniques!)

[@Omegahybridx]

Truly Love the art you make and share. Love the intellectual cinema discussion. But I'm confused... Confused by how cavalierly you laughingly scorn entertainment beneath you with an occasional qualifier. Why? You made "cash cab with a monkey". It's a logical parceling that I don't understand, unless you feel ashamed of your own work? IDK. Just confused This probably reads very aggro but I'm not. I'm a fan peace

[@Selrisitai]

Executing someone's vision is the definition of a collaboration. There's a place for improve, but when you're _going into things to improvise,_ then that's the structure in which you create, and in which the actors and crew attempt to achieve the vision of the director.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

There is no single way to do anything and this mindset is what I vehemently oppose. There is filmmaking where the vision is shared and these traditional roles are not needed and don’t exist altogether. I’ve made numerous movies with no crew and everything was fully improvised day to day. There needn’t be a hierarchy of roles in art, nor a singular person’s vision.

[@Selrisitai]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies I don't disagree. I think what's raising my hackles is that you're making strong assertions (which is perfectly valid, that's not an insult) without the context that would make those assertions sound very reasonable. I'm sure, ultimately, we'd probably both agree on almost every particular point of the creative process, but this isn't a great forum for getting our ideas across in a complex way. Incidentally, the reason I'm even bothering to comment and make a fool of myself is because I've been writing short stories and novels for years, and I've come to believe that cooperative projects almost necessitate a _de facto_ leader, even if it's only an honorary role. This is because egos run wild, feelings get hurt, and a project without a direction can easily meander and fall apart. If you've got the right kind of people with the right kind of mindset, doing the right kind of thing-I believe improvisation is one of those things-you can have no real, heh hem, "director," but I'd suggest that the format itself inherently lends itself to cooperative, non-led. . . uh, I forgot how I was going to end this sentence. Putting that "non-led" bit there threw off my train of thought. Anyway, I hope my sentiment makes more sense now and isn't coming off as a dogmatic insistence on "the old ways." I just don't want people to ignorantly stumble upon good but truncated advice, and throw themselves head-first into a pit in their eagerness to put it into practice. As someone intending to self-publish, and make exorbitant hard-covers, I ain't exactly doin' things precisely the way they're supposed to be done even in the writing sphere. And there are _plenty_ of intelligentsia feverishly casting new proclamations from On High, highfalutin types that would love to see people like me (and, I think, you) fail.

[@BuddyRider]

Just shot my very first micro-budget feature film, and I couldn't have done it without both you and Cassavetes. Thank you for being an inspiration and for spreading the word about Cassavetes' incredible body of work.

[@masonszitta4178]

This is awesome! I just got into his movies a few months ago, with the killing of a Chinese bookie. I've been binging them (when I'm emotionally ready) since

[@HollyHargreaves]

Love it, Joel.

[@lilpip1126]

this channel goes absolutely insaneo style, keep it up dude

[@josephsmith765]

cassavetes on cassavetes is definitely a must read. Ray is a bit of a hero of mine, along with John. Would even love to see an updated video on cassavetes after you read it, if you read it I mean

[@brantleylansing7696]

It would be really cool if each video was shot in a different room of your place or even outside/secluded area. Really makes it feel completely personable to just you and would almost convey a separate feeling of what's being talked about too

[@ayubnor0]

A Woman Under The Influence and Love Streams are two of his best works.

[@JulesKPapa]

Just watched my first Cassavetes, The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. . . Phenomenal

[@Goat-on-a-Stick]

I knew this vid was coming! It's great to see where you get a lot of your influence on film philosophy.

[@Selrisitai]

I almost skipped this video because who the eff has heard of John Cassanova? But I started watching and I ain't stoppin', so I think this just lends credence to the idea that you're wrong, Joel, you do need a certain something. You have loads of charisma. It ain't a fluke you did eventually blow up.

[@jacobwright5542]

It's that way with music, too. It's so hard to find fellow players who aren't trying to be competitive in the ways of technique and cleverness. I guess it's just the curse of the middle-class they they must always be banal or risk losing their place in society. But really, most meetings intended as creative sessions between musicians so often end as "guitar"offs or computer worshipping as opposed to just a focused open striving for art and connection between adelphoi.

[@cowsaysboo]

Hell yea Cassavetes is awesome, glad I discovered your side channel where you talk about arthouse movies. Love Streams is also my favorite Cassavetes movie, it's so powerful. Cassavetes makes life seem like a complete mess at times which it is when you think about it

[@becks6900]

I really liked that. There's a lot of really good long-form video essays on movies where the author is trying to convince you of their viewpoint in an exhaustive amount of detail which can sometimes be overwhelming. These videos is a great counterweight to that in as much as you're enthusing in an articulate but low-stakes conversational manor. It's really refreshing and I'm glad you're doing it. Do you think you'd be interested in doing a video about Tarkovsky's movies?

[@Topcatyo.]

I really do love hearing your thoughts on this stuff. Your love for film and filmmaking is infectious. The way you interpret Cassevetes films not only shows a love for the work, but also an empathy for people that I think these films are trying to evoke.

[@fridgeinator]

How come this video is in fullscreen? Not dissing it, just noticing.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

Sometimes it’s as simple as liking how the shots compose better in 4:3! When shooting I felt the wide was a bit too wide and this framing felt a little more cozy and contained.

[@fridgeinator]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies That's insightfull, thank you. I can dig it.

[@lsd_trip4377]

Very thanos like intro huh?, never heard about Cassavetes, gonna try to look some of his films on the week, this series of videos are really interesting so far 👍

[@jtwilliams4208]

Hey Joel. You ever plan on working with T Wallace?

[@cameroncardozaster]

What’s your favorite mob movie? Irishman took the cake for me.

[@tommymarco]

i am loving you joel . i refuse to be a sheep . the world needs more people like you to inspire them . i am inspired joel . Merci .

[@Lanooski]

Me and my friends went out to a screening of Mikey and Nicky last night. Definitely made me more motivated to watch the box set of his from Criterion I impulse bought last year! Magnetic dude in his roles and even in interviews where he talks film philosophy.

[@crispychip360]

Check out the book Cassavetes on Cassavetes by Ray Carney if you haven’t read it.

[@jessemunoz460]

I love your outros for this channel. I guess the movies and stuff are cool too.

[@aelix56]

Yeah but have you seen the goonies? I love the goonies, can't get enough of em.

[@itsfriedeggs]

Adding to the watchlist ! looking forward to talking about more movies with ya Joel.

[@liamade4826]

Honestly love having this in the background while playing games. It's very calming to hear you talk about your history in film and what you love about these films. You should do more man. It seems like you enjoy this a lot and I wanna support that.

[@cine-moose2196]

Love John Cassavettes, he’s another that I haven’t seen his entire work but I am digesting them little by little. You can have a big budget, high level talent, and a great script - but you can’t finance heart/passion. It’s got to come from within to feel genuine.

[@KomradeKong]

This is fantastic, I love the concept of this channel, and your thoughts on these films are so eloquently put. The background information made me appreciate Cassavetes so much more. I'd also love to hear your thoughts on the three colors trilogy and Dekalog.

[@sethsteckino6090]

Ive been waiting for you to talk about this director for a while now. It’s nice to hear what you thought is worth mentioning about him. Also what you said about the thing of “things people do when you thought you knew them. But you still know them” kinda made me do a mental flip because ive been dealing with this very thing for a while now. Beautiful. Reality is beautiful.

[@acidjumps]

Thank you Joel for sharing your passion with us.

[@EssentiallyH3]

you think you know someone until you dont, but then you still know them. amen joel. amen.

[@user-dr5lj1jt5s]

WHAT ABOUT HUSBANDS!!!!!!????!!!!!

[@daybreakcinema8515]

Another banger Joel

[@isok5221]

Just one more thing

[@aurwood68]

He's one of my heroes 🥺

[@RamenDenominator]

I have a trio of lesser known movies that I would love to hear your thoughts on: The Reflecting Skin (Philip Ridley, 1990) Ghosts... of the Civil Dead (John Hillcoat, 1988) Dead Man (Jim Jarmsuch, 1995 - this one is in Criterion Collection) These have stuck with me for decades.

[@marina-jf4og]

the reflecting skin is so brutal idk how anyone can recommend it

[@RamenDenominator]

@@marina-jf4og I'm delighted that you've see it! The movie is disturbing, but not graphic. The child protagonist is handled unlike anything else I've ever seen. He is both cruel and sympathetic, trying to make sense of mundane horrors.

[@Noah-ix4ly]

love you too Joel

[@Vedgy]

I read on this quickly but it appears that Shadows was made with $40,000 in 1959, which is ~$407,000 in today's money. It wasn't *his* money per se, he was given half of that after asking for donations on a radio show, so it was kind of crowdsourced, no idea about the rest of it.

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

If somebody kickstarts something I’d consider that their money, if anything I consider it fascinating that he crowdfunded the first independent film ever. I believe the rest of the finances were borrowed and paid off overtime. At the end of the day, I go on to say that what he did back then is far easier now because you don’t need money now. That was an obstacle that stood in his way because of the cost of equipment and film at the time, but it’s simply not an obstacle for filmmakers anymore and that’s super exciting. From creation to distribution filmmaking is freer and more accessible than ever and people like him paved the the way!

[@Vedgy]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies To be more clear about the "his money" part, I just meant he wasn't (in today's money) saying "Well I have half a million dollars in my bank account from being born into money, I could make a movie" because that hits a lot different than having done a 1959 Kickstarter via radio to fund your indie film.

[@ancientdweller309]

this was nice

[@JoshuaSutlive]

One aspect of Cassavetes’ films that rarely seems to get mentioned is his incredible use of music in his films. When the Charlie Smalls song “Never Felt Like This Before” plays at the end of Faces as they are in the stairwell, it just hits you in an unexpected way (definitely living up to its title). Cassavetes collaborations with Bo Harwood on his other soundtracks are equally brilliant. Harwood later recalled that he was not well trained on the piano but Cassavetes insisted that he play the score. During the scoring, Cassavetes would often talk to Harwood and describe the feelings he wanted, walking him through the film. I believe they play a song from one of these sessions in the A Constant Forge documentary. The song Jack Sheldon sings in Love Streams, “Almost in Love With You” is also wonderful and I believe written by Cassavetes and Harwood.

[@withconfettiinmyhair]

Loving these talks. Curious if you're a fan of the Dardenne brothers-some of the ways you've described Cassavetes' films feel like the same way I'd describe some of their films. Big fan of both!

[@marceloaguirree]

maybe off topic but i love your view on film making and art in general. What i hated the most when i entered film school where i live (mexico) is that all the people are so obsessed with the technical aspects of films, the look of it, the narratives, etc. Like sometimes it feels that they dont actually want to do films, they just want to be involved in the industry. I felt so down cause when i entered university the thing that i wanted the most was to connect with people and also enjoy the process of creating art but people are so shut down into looking aesthetic and feeling like an artsy celebrity, i am sorry if that makes no sense idk how to explain it haha but anyways i know i will find some people someday and if not i can make my own stuff by myself, its not the end goal but seeing you making it makes me realize that its still a fun and joyful experience. Keep the good work on both your channels Joel.

[@Leekster75]

Joel, gotta say that this is one of the best videos about movies on the whole darn platform. It is very rare to find someone who really captures that moviegoer's zeal when they talk about movies. But you brought me back to my first time watching so many of these Cassavetes movies and being blown away by them. I am curious though about what you think about Robert Altman. While they would seem to be at odds on the surface due to Cassavetes' indie auteur style vs Altman's studio mavericking, from what actors, editors, writers, say about both men is that they are very open to collaboration and absorb as much of others as they do themselves in their films. I also think their films brush upon that same American Authenticity, but just in different perspectives. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and Nashville actually have more in common than I think many would let on. They are fundamentally about a broken individual who persists against the American Reality to try and claw back some of that immortality via fame. Which is to say, amazing video, you've got sub out of me, and I hope you talk about Nashville someday!

[@gumbyno5808]

I've only seen A Woman Under The Influence, I absolutely loved it. I've been at a loss on what of his to watch next, so this video should be fun!

[@joeltalksaboutmovies]

I recommended either Faces or Opening Night! Both are fantastic and feature more great performances by Gena Rowlands!

[@gumbyno5808]

@@joeltalksaboutmovies wonderful, thank you!

[@markdoesvideos7281]

Hi Joel. I don’t know if you’ll see this but I’d like to share a ton of thankfulness for you. I am going off to school this fall to study film and was a bit intimidated for a while because I consider my “style” to be more thrown together to capture the moment. You’re continuous reminder that fancy equipment and corporate funding isn’t what makes a good movie has really meant a lot. It’s been an inspiration and a relief. Love your approach to creation and it’ll influence me forever. Thank you!

[@pepperjean9303]

i watched this and mentioned cassavetes to my boyfriend, who happens to be a big fan of his, and now we're going to curate a 'to watch' list. thank you 🖤

[@StillNightingale]

I love how you explained the aspect of imperfections naturally being a part of the whole piece. Some people, including me, starting out in any art medium, want to complicate things by being too complex or working hard to perfect one thing, so we never get the time to truly understand what we're making or let loose. Less CAN be more and simple straightforward approaches are usually the best. Taking one step at a time and understanding the foundation of what your creating helps keep you more aware and learn more, thus making it less stressful and consistently fun to do! At least that is what I have learned with my music journey. I absolutely love that you brought that point up!

[@theonlyigg4811]

Hearing you describe this really reminds me of your short film where you play both parts of a couple, I love when you can see influences in people's stuff

[@quitebritish]

Been loving the authenticity in your work, and this channel adds another dimension that is really lovely and refreshing in a sea of quick-cut reaction videos. Excited to dive in to the recommends :)

[@talatahmed]

John Cassavetes True American Hero. The BTS of him and the whole crew working is gold. Really learned how to have fun while trying to take the medium seriously from those.

[@onefortyfivepm776]

ur channel's approach to talking about movies is so refreshing. it's so laid back and engaging on the core level of what makes films important and impactful without overwhelming us with information like with clips and scene breakdowns. that stuff is nice but I love this side of film discussion when we just hear a person's thoughts and feelings about the things that resonated with them personally. thank you for this channel and sharing this bit of yourself!

[@monkeybrainspit]

Just finished watching 'Faces'. The rawness of the material made the performances feel so honest and unfiltered. Watching it reminded me of what made me fall in love with cinema. Thanks for the recommendation, Joel.

[@craigmatthews4264]

love streams sounds like something i've watched before but I don't think it's the same thing....

[@ape2831]

john cassavetes' films are so touching..my personal favorite is opening night. loving these videos man

[@ShadowRubberDuck]

Watched “Faces” and you talking about it on the Sardonicast podcast and enjoyed it definitely felt unconventional (by today standards) while being very human!