It's a new year, and Emilio, Madeline, and Julian kick off a new episode cycle of "Oscar Worthy Rom Coms" with 2001's 'Amelie', Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2001 film starring Audrey Tautou that is as well-crafted as it is refreshing and life-affirming. They are joined by a guest that, like the film itself, blends meaningful personal connection with great insight and sincerity - Anu Valia, film/TV writer and director extraordinaire, and a dear friend of Emilio's through high school and college....

Madeline, Emilio, and Julian wrap up their cycle of Unorthodox Holiday Movies with a film befitting of a Christmas Eve episode - Sean Baker’s “Tangerine”, released in 2015. Joining Emilio as a first-time-watcher is Edo Choi, Film Programmer at the beloved NYC independent theater, Metrograph. The group reflects on the way this film catapulted Sean Baker to prominence in the cinematic world, and discusses the unique style that comes through via Baker’s use of iPhone cameras. They also take time...

This week, Emilio, Madeline and Julian make good on something that has been in works for over two years - a conversation about the movies they gifted each other back in 2023! To be specific, these were discs from The Criterion Collection, acquired during Barnes and Nobles summer 50% Criterion sale. Madeline gifted Emilio 'House', Nobuhiko Obayashi's wild inventive horror/comedy from 1977. Julian gifted Madeline 'Being John Malkovich', Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman's breako...

Bangarang! Emilio, Madeline, and Julian fly, fight, and crow their way through this next "Unorthodox Holiday Movie" suggestion, and this is a special one, a movie suggested to them by multiple guests - "Hook", Steven Spielberg's take on the story of Peter Pan, released in 1991 starring Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts and more. The group welcomes back Tony-nominated performer, teacher, father, and "Hook" enthusiast and suggester Rob McClure to discuss this film from a...

This week, Madeline, Emilio and Julian discuss the recently released 'Wicked For Good', the second part of a pair of films that together have brought the beloved Broadway musical to the big screen. After chatting a bit themselves, the co-hosts invite back their guests from last year’s conversation about 'Wicked Part 1' - EmKay and Tara from the popular Oz-themed podcast Down The Yellow Brick Pod, and Courtney Iventosch, a Broadway performer with years of experience in the cast of ...

Madeline, Emilio, and Julian continue their seasonal cycle of Unorthodox Holiday Movies with a discussion about "Eyes Wide Shut," Stanley Kubrick's enigmatic final feature from 1999. Marking their first discussion about a Kubrick film, the trio take an appropriately late-at-night stroll journey through the many layers of EWS, including its touches of dream logic, commentary on class and wealth, and what the film has to say about observation and participation in potential acts of transgression...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio are rejoined by Brendan McDonald, former producer of the iconic podcast WTF with Marc Maron, for a bonus episode about Paul Thomas Anderson's latest masterpiece, One Battle After Another. Kicking off with a check-in on Brendan's life following WTF's end this past October, the group roll through the many hills of PTA's new film, including its roots in Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland, numerous thematic and aesthetic connections to his greater filmography, and its ba...

To kick off the latest cycle of "Unorthodox Holiday Suggestions", Emilio brings the original 'Black Christmas', Bob Clark's other holiday themed masterpiece from 1974, to the group just in time for spooky season. Joining the usual three cohosts is James Codoyannis, fellow cinephile and editor for film/TV who worked on the well-received, recently released indie film "We Strangers". The group digs into this proto-slasher classic, highlighting the way this movie is in such great cont...

For their Audience Interrogation cycle "Close Up" episode, Emilio, Julian and Madeline hit record and explore a genre that they are, admittedly, not as familiar with: Found Footage Films. They are joined by writer/director/teacher/musician Shaun Seneviratne, a fellow cinephile whose been historically lukewarm on Found Footage films, but enthusiastic to dive in and open minded to the ways this filmmaking style can tell unique, cinematic stories. The group selects three repres...

If you're a lover of movies, there is, without a doubt, a disturbing movie (or several) that you saw when you were too young to process it. With imagery and scenes that have lodged themselves in your brain. And since the memory of the discomfort that movie brought you is still there somewhere, it changed us in a small but meaningful way. For this bonus episode, Julian, Madeline and Emilio decide to spend some time digging into those movies, and what kind of relationship we ...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio continue their episode cycle on Audience Interrogation with a "Two-Shot" on Dan Gilroy's "Nightcrawler" (2014) and Alex Garland's "Civil War" (2024), and are joined for the conversation by Michael Cramer, professor of Film History at Julian's alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College. Looking at this surprisingly fitting pair of movies, the group begin by zooming in on "Nightcrawler" and discussing how Jake Gyllenhaal's unforgettable portrayal of a wide-eyed sociopath ce...

As a bonus this week, Julian, Emilio, and Madeline gear up for Spinal Tap’s reunion in the new release “Spinal Tap II: The End Continues”. Released 41 years after the previously discussed “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), this legasequel catches up with our hosts’ favorite semi-fictional heavy metal band. The group points out the impossibly high bar of the first film, and discusses whether or not the sequel is able to successfully callback to the original’s best moments without triggering Emilio’s...

For the "Audience Interrogation" cycle's Suggestion Box episode, Emilio, Julian and Madeline go with a pick that's been a long time coming: 'Bamboozled', Spike Lee's unapologetically confrontational satire from 2000 about racial stereotypes and the media. The group welcomes back multi-disciplinary artist, professor, and fellow appreciator of satire Idris Goodwin to the discussion, and consider why, now a quarter of a century after it was initially released, 'Bamboozled' continues to cap...

With 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues' arriving to theaters this week, England's "loudest band" is coming back to the big screen! If you haven't yet listened to it, or would love to remind yourself of what makes the original film such a delight, don't miss our conversation from last year (originally released August 2024), where Madeline, Julian and Emilio dig into Rob Reiner's groundbreaking mockumentary. The group discusses the film's origins, all of the wonderful improvised ac...

Continuing their episode cycle discussing films related to "Audience Interrogation", Emilio, Julian and Madeline strap on their masks, observe social distancing guidelines, and harken back to the recent past with 'Eddington', Ari Aster's darkly comedic Neo-Western and one of 2025's more polarizing and thought-provoking releases. In true lockdown fashion, the cohosts are joined by virtual guest Mariquita Reese, a top-shelf cinema fangirl and cohost of Post Film Clarity, to dig into the f...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio begin a new episode cycle focusing on Audience Interrogation in film with a "View-nanimous" discussion on David Lynch's 1986 masterpiece "Blue Velvet," and are joined by returning guest, multi-talented musician and fellow Lynch fan Lily Desmond for the conversation. Marking their long-awaited first episode on a Lynch film, the group discuss their formative past experiences with "Blue Velvet" and its undeniable staying power, on account of its simultaneous adherenc...

Julian, Madeline, and Emilio wrap up their cycle of Musicians on Film by diving into the filmography of Tom Waits, once dubbed a "performer, singer, actor, magician, spirit guide, changeling" by the great Neil Young. Joined by Madeline's dad Richard, the trio kick off the conversation by discussing Waits' starring role in Jim Jarmusch's "Down By Law", and ponder the similarities between his character Zack and his well-known boozy troubadour persona. The group then pivots to Francis Ford Coppo...

For our Musicians-Turned-Actor cycle "Two Shot", Madeline, Emilio and Julian are swinging for the fences with an unexpected pair of films - Penny Marshall's 1992 baseball classic 'A League of Their Own' and Olivia Wilde's 2022 release 'Don't Worry Darling', featuring acting performances by Madonna and Harry Styles, respectively. The cohosts are joined by Emilio's pop culture literate sister Maria-Elena to make some connections between these two films, one a unanimous home run, the other...

Julian, Madeline and Emilio pop some Asti Spumante and welcome back podcast favorite and social media maven Jamie Homs to talk 'Moonstruck', the beloved 1987 romantic comedy directed by Norman Jewison. A "Suggestion Box" entry from Madeline, the group makes time to highlight the film's musician-turned-actor Cher, and her lauded and iconic turn as Loretta Castorini. The group also dives into the film's universal themes of family, relationships and love, breakdown the multiple love ...

Madeline, Julian, and Emilio welcome back past guest and Julian's longtime friend Michaela Brady to continue discussing films with Musicians-Turned-Actors, and this time it's a "Mise-Unseen" on Nicolas Roeg's 1976 film "The Man Who Fell to Earth," starring David Bowie in his first acting role. Centered on the titular alien's efforts to harness earthly resources and bring water back to his drought-laden home planet, the film blends its literary world-building with a tone barely seen in films a...