In this episode's announcement, we boasted that we had one Kid Blue talking about another Kid Blue. But it's no coincidence that our guest Noah Segan and his filmmaker of the month played distinct characters who just happened to share a name. And the only place you can hear the story behind it is by listening to this month's Hyphenates!

(Note: you may possibly be able to hear it in other places, but the rules of plausible deniability mean that if we can't be bothered googling it, we're allowed to claim the exclusive.)

It's a jam-packed episode as we talk not one, not two, not three, not four, not six, but five films! Rochelle and Lee look back at some of this month's new releases, as they debate Steven Spielberg's pop culture paean Ready Player One, Aki Kaurismäki's wry Finnish comedy-drama The Other Side of Hope, Ruben Östlund's wry Swedish comedy-drama The Square, Armando Iannucci's wry Russian comedy-satire The Death of Stalin, and Garth Davis's non-wry Biblical drama Mary Magdalene. One of those films provokes some sparks, but we won't say which.

We're then joined by Noah, who talks about what it's like to go from being a fan of classic films to the star of future classics. Is there a cognitive dissonance that comes from growing up on Star Wars and then suddenly finding yourself piloting an X-Wing?

Then it's time for Noah's filmmaker of the month, Dennis Hopper. Noah's love of New Hollywood shines through as he examines at a great actor whose first film changed American cinema forever. So, you know, no pressure on Noah's eventual directorial debut. But there's more to Hopper the Director than Easy Rider, and if you've never considered his career as a filmmaker, stop reading this and listen to the show. Then continue reading this.

Also, we're very willing to invest in Noah's million dollar app idea.

Further reading:

• Rochelle goes into more detail about her love for Mary Magdalene over at her blog It's Always Better in the Dark.
• Lee talked about his adoration of The Square in his rundown of the best films of 2017. (Film festival screenings vs general release dates mean a film can come out a year after they made your fave-of-the-year list.)
• Make sure you check out some of Noah Segan's amazing film writing over at Birth Movies Death.
• Hyphenates alum Edgar Wright interviewed Steven Spielberg for Empire, with the wide-ranging chat covering everything from Duel to Ready Player One. You can read an excerpt from the chat here.
• If you'd like to watch Hopper's final film, the 2008 probably-an-advertisement short film Pashmy Dreams starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Gwyneth Paltrow, this link is the most kosher one we could find.
• Hopper talked about his directorial career with The Guardian back in 2001, and in 2008 told Indiewire about his desire to direct more films.
• And the extract of the Ready Player One book that was going around the net a while back, the one Lee was desperately trying not to judge the book on, is as follows:

Outro music: Born To Be Wild by Steppenwolf from Easy Rider (1969)

The latest episode of Hell Is For Hyphenates, featuring Noah Segan talking the films of Dennis Hopper, can be heard on Stitcher Smart Radio, subscribed to on iTunes, or downloaded/streamed directly from our website.