For this episode, Nate and Ryan picked from the slate of Best Picture nominees and decided to re-watch Past Lives, their favorite movie from 2023, and a stunning directorial debut from playwright Celine Song. While it’s not a front-runner for any Oscars, Past Lives has been widely recognized as something special, which… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan discuss the Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated Alexander Payne comedic drama The Holdovers. Much has been made of the reunion of Paul Giamatti and Alexander Payne after 20 years. Added to their alchemy are Da’Vine Joy Randolph (in yet another standout performance) and newcomer Dominic Sessa. What… Continue reading

For our Gap Year T. Hanksgiving, Nate and Ryan watch The ‘Burbs, the 1989 Tom Hanks cult classic directed by Joe Dante. Featuring a stacked cast, including Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, and Corey Feldman, in addition to the man himself, The ‘Burbs is a horror/comedy that kind of befuddled audiences and critics… Continue reading

‘Tis the season for our 10th annual Holiday Spooktacular, and as part of our Gap Year, we’re watching Hereditary, Ari Aster’s 2018 hit horror film starring Toni Collette. Hereditary took audiences by storm and continued studio A24’s rise to prominence in the current film conversation. It’s a career-making first feature for… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan watch Bringing out the Dead, a Gap Year movie by one of their favorite directors, Martin Scorsese. Released in 1999, Bringing out the Dead was largely ignored by audiences and remains one of Scorsese’s forgotten works. Listen in as Nate and Ryan dig into the merits of this underappreciated… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan get in the summer blockbuster mood by watching Predator (1987) for the first time. As part of our Gap Year series, we’re catching up on this action classic over 35 years later. As often happens, Predator is now looked at quite differently from when it was first released. Nate… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan watch Under the Tuscan Sun with special guest Rachel Hughes Gates. As we continue to rectify blind spots during this Gap Year, Rachel suggested that we watch Under the Tuscan Sun, a movie that has stuck with her ever since she saw it in theaters 20 years ago. Though… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan watch and discuss Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve. As the beginning to what we’re calling our Gap Year, where we fill in gaps in our viewing history, we’ve chosen to watch Sicario, with an unbelievable cast and crew that includes cinematographer Roger Deakins,  and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, not to… Continue reading

Really quick announcement: We will NOT be discussing Marcel the Shell with Shoes On for our March episode and will instead be watching and discussing Sicario. Watch it with us! Continue reading

Nate and Ryan re-watch Everything Everywhere All at Once. In addition to being the top nominated movie at this year’s Oscars (11 nominations), Everything Everywhere All at Once is also one of our favorite movies from last year. Despite, or maybe because of its mind-bending multiversal action, audiences flocked to see it… Continue reading

For their annual Holiday episode, Nate and Ryan re-watch the ultimate Christmas movie: A Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s the first TV special on this podcast, and there couldn’t be a more fitting choice. A staple since it’s debut in 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas has brought joy and melancholy to generations. Listen… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan discuss You’ve Got Mail to celebrate this year’s annual T. Hanksgiving! Rom-Com Tom Hanks won America’s hearts throughout the ’90s, so listen in as Nate and Ryan take a look at Hanks and Meg Ryan at the peak of their powers. Directed and written by Nora Ephron… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan celebrate their 9th Holiday Spooktacular by watching Get Out, Jordan Peele’s 2017 Oscar-winning horror contemporary classic. We’re continuing our Back to School series with another movie that Ryan teaches in his high school class. Listen in as we discuss the philosophical and social implications in Peele’s razor-sharp writing… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan revisit No Country for Old Men, the Coen brothers’ 2007 Best Picture Oscar winner. No Country for Old Men is one of the movies Ryan teaches in his high school class, so for our September episode, Nate wanted to go back to school and hear what Mr. Ebling has… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan invite long-time friend Andrew Johnson in to discuss 2001’s Josie and the Pussycats, a flop when it was released 21 years ago, but now a film that many are rethinking as its lasting impact is more apparent. Andrew has championed Josie ever since he first saw it in college,… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan invite Kris Hiew in to talk about Top Gun, the 1986 hit whose recent hit sequel has Tom Cruise wowing audiences again. Kris and Nate have a long history with Top Gun and bring all that childlike wonder into the conversation. With the sequel, Top Gun: Maverick proving to be… Continue reading

For their first volume of underappreciated movies, Ryan and Nate discuss Spencer and Happy Go-Lucky. Listen in as they discuss two powerhouse performances that are criminally underrated. While quite different in tone, both movies feature women who are trying to navigate worlds that don’t know what to do with their unique… Continue reading

For this episode, Nate and Ryan watch the most recent Best Picture winner, CODA. Its story of a deaf family portrayed by deaf actors is an important step in diverse representation and storytelling. Even before its historic Oscar win for Troy Kotsur – the first deaf man to win an… Continue reading

Nate and Ryan talk about Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning masterpiece, Spirited Away. Miyazaki is undoubtedly a legend of cinema, and with Spirited Away celebrating the 20th anniversary of its US release, the time is perfect to revisit one of the most iconic animated films of all time. Whether it’s the first time or… Continue reading

For their 100th episode, Nate and Ryan name the movies that have defined them as people and as movie-watchers. After a century of episodes over 8 years, Nate and Ryan haven’t really talked about how certain movies have shaped them over the course of their lives. With the help from… Continue reading