The Big Picture - The Summer Movie Mailbag

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

Sean and Amanda open up the mailbag to cover all things related to summer movies! They discuss their favorite summer films they love to watch throughout the season, choose which homemade cocktail they’d pair with some summer rewatchables, share a list of movies they recommend checking out in preparation for this fall’s exciting slate, and much more. Hosts: Sean Fennessey and Amanda Dobbins Producer: Jack Sanders This episode is sponsored by State Farm®️. A State Farm agent can help you choose the coverage you need. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.®️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm Sean Fennacy. And this is the big picture of conversation show about the summer. We have a summer movie mailbag to jump into. This is going to be the last full episode that's just me and you of this summer. Before that, because you're leaving soon, you will not be joining me at a programming reminder. special screening of one of our 25 for 25 films here in Los Angeles. I'm really, I'm pained that I don't get to go see Michael Clayton at the Aero Theater on Monday, August 25th. Yes, at 7 p.m. I'm very excited. I'll be presenting an introduction. You won't be there. I will be

representing your spirit. Yes, that's true. I might send an email. I'm going to, I'm going to be honest. I go to Venice the next day for the Venice Film Festival. So don't cry too hard for me. But I am sorry that I'm going to miss you and Michael Clayton on the big screen. and all of our friends here in Los Angeles. That's a cool festival that we have been a part of a couple summers now. Friend of the Fest, the American Cinema Tech puts it on every year. There are a few other Ringer podcasters who are presenting films across that time. Look out for that in the calendar. Okay, summer movies.

We've had an interesting summer, you and I. We have been, I would say, mixed on the movies this summer. Sure. Some high highs, some low lows, some breaks with consensus, some strident opinions. Are you feeling like this has been a good one? This is Christ, I just thought about it. I mean, I don't know. How do we, that's, I feel like this is the common condition now.

How do we answer this? Like, you know, everything is on fire. Sometimes quite literally here in Los Angeles. And, you know, there were some good movies. It hasn't been the best summer movie here. I think that's true qualitatively. I think that's true at the box office. I think that's true in my heart.

But, again, there were things I liked. I don't know. Could have been worse. Yeah. Could have been better. That's kind of where I'm at. I don't think it's bad, but I don't think it's good. It's kind of right in the middle.

We obviously are in a recovery period in the aftermath of the strikes and, you know, a post-COVID theatrical experience and a lot of franchises going up and a lot of franchises going down and trying to figure out where they're going to get settled. In general, yeah, I think it's been just fine. I do think I'm prepared for a really powerful fall. Now, I'm not saying that the films coming this fall will be great. We don't know yet. And in fact, a lot of the work that we'll be doing in Venice and Tell Your Eye will help set the template for what kinds of conversations we're going to have on the show for the next few months. But when you consider the fact that we have 12 more films in 25 for 25 to run down. Oh, yeah.

In three months time. That's right. Four months time. And then we've got, we literally only have one best picture contender out there right now. In sinners. Yeah. Yeah. Just one.

Okay. Well, bring them on. I know. I know. I know. I just extended my Venice trip because it's going, things are happening. So I made this big promise at the beginning of the year to be like, we're going to dive deep into movies on these episodes. And for the most part, I have tried to live up to that.

I have tried to say we're going to do a really deep Eddington episode we're going to try to go deep on 28 years later when a movie arrives

that is not just fun and a popcorn movie but is an event has thematic stuff in it try to explore the movies as deeply as we can we just haven't had a lot of them

that have been worthy of that and when we did people yelled at us see materialists but to me I would never take that back because I love that episode I don't take anything back

I know you don't I know you don't I always think I could do something a little bit better But, like, that's an example of, I wish we could have more conversations like that on the show. And there were more movies that even if they're unsuccessful in some ways, we could explore more deeply. I'm really hopeful that in September, October, November, and December, we will get rich opportunities to dig into episodes. Will you make this packed with me?

Absolutely. I'm excited. Okay. I'm excited too. I'm going to, I'll call in from Venice if I need to, you know? That sounds unnecessary, but maybe not. Well, actually, we probably should discuss scheduling afterwards. And we can do that.

Here's the thing. Yeah. When Jack Nicholson dies while you're on the Lido, like, what are we going to do? How are we going to handle this? I mean, I hope he doesn't. Of course I hope he doesn't. I, you know, again, I'll call in. I'm taking my computer.

Okay, great. That's great. Sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'm like, sometimes I'm living a laptop-free life at this point. Jack, can we get Amanda on FaceTime on this television? I can make it work. Okay. We might need that in the event.

We might have a special big picture correspondent. and DP available in Venice to make it look really great. I don't want to spoil anything. But, you know, content might be coming. But so, yeah, if that happens, I'm available with, you know, Jacob Allorty and George Clooney in the background.

Sure. And we'll do our best. But no, I'm excited. I'm excited for New York Film Festival. Yes. We'll be going to that as well. There's a PTA movie in between those two things. And then it's Oscar season.

And then it's 25 for 25. Yeah. Listen, we feel this way every year. We're a little tired. We're a little mixed at the end of the summer. Maybe we're not, our hearts aren't as open as they should be. But they'll be ready. August 27th.

Here we go. Okay. Well, we asked for mailbag questions. And some of them were about this summer that we've had, but most of them were not. And I wonder if that tells you anything about how people out in the world are feeling about this summer movie session. Jack, you ready to read us some questions? Absolutely. First question here comes from Tyler.

There's been a lot of talk about what didn't work this summer, but here's a question about what did. Who or what is your summer movie MVP? The catch cannot be a movie. It could be a performance, a trailer, a poster, piece of music, distributor, even a random moment of marketing brilliance. Just something that made summer at the movies feel special. Well, you already spoiled, I think, the funniest thing that has happened at the movies this

year, which is people going to see materialists and being mad about it. That is the most amused I've been by the discourse around a movie in a long time. And I think maybe because I didn't feel a strong emotional attachment to that movie, I really could bask in all of it. Celine Song saying the number one movie she would take with her on a desert island is Zootopia. That's one of the best things that's happened this summer. And also the follow-up where she was like, got to be honest, I wasn't prepared for that. It's no one's fault but my own.

Who can't relate to that? So I really enjoyed that. Obviously, there were some attended press tours around that movie that set the template for Pedro Pascal and Dakota Johnson for the rest of the summer. And Chris Evans and people like cooking pizza in the New York Times cooking kitchen, which I don't think we're talking enough about. The New York Times is a cooking kitchen? I guess that makes sense. They have a test kitchen. Yeah, they have a test kitchen.

And now they have all the movie stars come and make pizza. And they like feed the sourdough starter. And they debuted it with Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans. You think Dakota Johnson eats pizza? I was going to say, you know. Just a question. She could be gluten-free. The materialist moment that stands out most to me is still the Shrek meme by a movie-watching girl.

Explain the meme. The meme where it's so it's the wedding cake and Fiona's looking at it with the, it's the prince and herself on the cake. And then she pushes the prince down like six inches because he's short. And then it was just, that's literally the plot of the materialist, which is just the most incredible. It was great. Really, really good meme making. Shout out to Ashley. As far as other good stuff like this, I haven't seen weapons yet when we're recording this.

By the time this episode comes out, I will have seen weapons. I'm excited for future you. I've been sold very well on weapons. Now, this is a slippery slope. Being sold well on a movie could lead to disappointment. And we have hyped the movie up a little bit on the show. So I hope people are not disappointed by the movie, and I hope I'm not disappointed. But they have deployed some old school tactics.

So that's worked for you. You know, the weird analog website, the sparse plot details in the trailer. The Fortnite skins? I don't know what that means. I've definitely played Fortnite. I don't know. And I don't want to know. I do understand it.

Tell me. And I will play on Twitch. Not even looking at the control booth right now because if those guys know, don't say anything. No, we are, not only do we play Fortnite, we're good at it. We're two of the best Fortnite players in the world. Real honest, legitimate questions. that I'm not Googling. You can see if you're watching on video.

What do you do in Fortnite? True story. It's a Battle Royale elimination type game. Last Person Alive wins. Okay. What's the setting? Oh, they change all the time. Fortnite has different seasons.

They create different maps, locations. There's different types of terrain on each map. So the weapons, like, scale, the weapons, Fortnite could be like you're fighting everyone in the world of weapons? No. What skins are is people can pay to dress up as certain characters. So you can play as Josh Brolin in Fortnite. All it effectively does is you look like him.

So when we say different worlds, like medieval world, like Chicago. We're approaching science corner here. What are you, what are you like, set the scene for me. Fictional worlds, all different types of temperature and terrain, forests, it's very cold. Contemporaneous, olden times. Literally anything you can imagine. Are there demons? Monsters?

You know, I stopped playing Fortnite quite a long time ago, so I'm not sure when I played. There were no demons or monsters. Okay. But you're not involved in the creating of the worlds. You just pick a world and then you go fight some people. That is correct. Okay. Thank you so much.

This was an incredibly instructive episode of the big picture. I actually literally have to play the one battle after another Fortnite. If I don't play it, then I'm not doing my job as the PTA soldier. How about that? then we'll record it. That's honestly like a really funny video. Look, I mean, look, there's going to be at least three episodes about the one battle after another run up, maybe four. So with that in mind. September's very packed and then October, it's fine. We're going to do it. I had two more

summer movie moments that I wanted to share very quickly. One's marketing, which is when Rihanna's children wore Baby Dior to the Smurfs premiere, which was really the only Smurfs content that I or anyone else took in the summer, but I enjoyed it. Very funny. Shout out Rihanna for being Rihanna. Number two, number two for me. I think amidst everything that was going on at the movies and also our feelings about Mission Impossible Final Reckoning, we've overlooked the biplanes. And the biplanes were really special.

I agree with you. The biplanes were 20 minutes of cinema. I agree with you. And I appreciate Tom Cruise and his hair and his jowls. I think I learned recently that those sequences were filmed in 2022. too. Well, okay. Which is kind of strange, right?

Yeah. And I know that they split the movie in half and a lot of that stuff was shot and some things have to be re-shot. And when you watch the movie, you can see how it has really been Frankenstein together. But there's no denying that when we got out of that movie, which I ultimately just didn't like very much. Yeah, no. I still was like, God damn.

This is amazing stuff. I mean, we were both just sitting there being like, oh, oh, for 20 minutes. So that's good. That stuff really did work. No, I just, I wanted to take a moment for the biplanes. That's a good shout out by you. I like it. Okay, what's the next question? Matt asks us, Christmas and Halloween always get the attention when it comes to best of lists or top movies to watch during those holiday seasons.

With Fourth of July just passing, I was wondering if there are specific movies that you throw on each year around the fourth or any point during the summer, really, that have become tradition. I think the easy answer is Independence Day, but in our house, it's Jaws. Did you watch Jaws at 50, the documentary? No, I didn't. I would recommend it. Okay. There are a lot of Jaws documentaries. Are there any moving cranes with cameras on them?

It's getting really dire in our house. Well, there's, you know, ocean photography. Sure. And the shark monster. Okay. And you see how some of those sequences are made in this documentary. So that could be of some interest. Now, Jaws is a very scary movie.

Yes, yeah. I think. And also, we are going to the beach. We want Knox to go into the water. Might be a little early for that. Jaws at 50, which is streaming on Disney Plus, is just a very good, very competent, very engaging making of documentary slash celebration of one of the greatest movies ever made. This actually took the place of our annual Jaws screening on July 4th this year. And I felt good about it.

Okay. How did I lean feel about it? She sat through the whole thing with me. And stayed awake. Stayed awake. No shots to I lean. No, she just, you know. fall asleep during movies. That's one of her things.

She did. She loves Jaws. It's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a, it's a part of the fabric of American culture. Um, but I will often say try to compel her to watch a like making of movie documentary and 90% of the time she's either like, okay or no thank you. And in this case, she was like, yeah, let's do it. And so that was what we did this year. Now, that doesn't mean it's the, the, the best possible answer to this question. Okay. But it is my answer. You went 4th of July coded. You're engaging with the idea of America. So there's like a lot of ways to view this, right?

There's a lot of ways to think about this country of ours, you know? The first movie that came to mind is Lincoln. Sure. Okay. You know Abraham Lincoln? The 16th president of the United States of America. His voice is very reedy. Now, now, now.

There's actually a DDL question coming in this mailback that I'm very excited about. I also thought of an American tale. which is a story about Fival who's an immigrant mouse who moves west Is this Fival goes west an American tale? No, Fival arrives

at Ellis Island in the first film Oh, okay He just goes west to America I think he, does he come from Italy Fival Where does he come from? Fival does go west at so He goes west in the second film No, an American tale

Fival goes west 1991, yeah But isn't the original film called an American tale? Yes, okay, so yes it is You're right, this is the 1991 sequel? Where's Fival from? Is he from Sweden?

See from Italy? So it seems that they are Russian Jewish mice. Russian, of course. The Mouskowitz is, who emigrate to the Wild West. Okay. I haven't seen that movie in some time, but it is on my list of future Alice stories. And, you know, it's kind of like the godfather but for mice. Sure.

Wet Hot American Summer. Yeah. A movie that is obviously a cult classic now, but just screams summer at me in July 4th. a blowout because the climactic sequence happens in front of fireworks. Okay. You know, Brian De Palma's conspiracy thriller masterpiece? Robert Altman's Nashville. Yes.

Watch this space. Yeah. Robert Alman will come up again in the near future. It's very, very stressful. It's very stressful. Those are good. My answer to this was to not think about America at all. Have ever spokenly.

Has something been going wrong? Yeah. What's the issue? It's great. Just two thumbs up. I haven't been reading the news. So obviously, When you say summer, I say Talmuddin, Mr. Ripley.

Sure. That is not America. No, but it's about Americans. They don't celebrate the July 4th in Italy. Just want you to know that. Well, they said summer. Yeah. Right.

And so I went summer. I didn't go July 4th. I went Americans abroad wearing, you know, kids and, and betraying each other. I was wondering if there are specific movies that you throw on each year around the fourth. That was in the question. Yes, sure. But then it says, or at any point during the summer. really.

So I went with during the summer. Matt, we're going to need you to be a little more specific in the future. He was specific. He gave me room and I've taken the room. Another summer film, Camp leads me to the parent trap, 1998. You know, an underdiscussed on this podcast, Nancy Meyer is classic. Many people are saying Nancy Myers is underdiscust on this podcast. I'm hearing it over and over again.

I'm at this film, but I know to the younger generation, it's very important. And they do, they meet at camp. Good movie. You know? Yeah, it's really good. And then not to be a bummer, but at some point during summer, I do start thinking about fall again and back to school. And back to school movie is Noah Baumbach's kicking and screaming for me. All-time classic.

Yeah, just one of the great movies of our time. New Bomback movie this year. I'm really psyched. It's huge. Okay, next question. Oh, wait, hold on. I wanted to ask Amanda about something on Mike, which is we had this conversation for the first time, I think. No, I was talking with Greenwald about it, and I was thinking about it with you.

Camp, you're experiencing. experiences with camp as a young person? I went to several camps and obviously hated all of them. So what were they? Run them down for us. Sure. I went to like a Girl Scout camp at the age of six. Sleep away?

Yeah, just for a week. Six? Yeah, and I was too young and I was like, that's very homesick, yeah. So I didn't like that very much. And then I went to both traditional like sleepaway southern camp. Southern camp And Southern camp

Is that like Where they show a Confederate monument I mean it was like In a part of North Carolina Where you're not like totally sure But whatever And then I also went to the Interlaken arts camp That was the performing arts camp

It's in Michigan It's in Michigan But it's like You know it's like fairly well known As a performing arts Is there a town in Michigan called Interlaken? Yeah Taken from the Swiss town interlocking

Probably I mean it just That just means between two lakes, so that's where it is. You know what I mean? They got a lot of lakes up there. That makes a lot of sense. I would say to an experience, I hated all of them. Do I like organized activities?

Do I like being told what to do and where I got to be? No, of course I don't. Am I a joiner? No, I am not. So it was not really the experience for me, but I did it. And I know what that's like. The end. Okay, great story.

They did also at Interlock and they made you do, so you like had a specialty and mine was piano because, as you know, I had some aspiring like stage parents or, but I didn't really live up to their dreams. But they would look at you now. They would make you like part of your schedule was practice hours and they would like put you in a hut with the piano. And then there would be counselors like patrolling along to like make sure you're practicing. I'm seeing Midsamar right now. I mean, it was a little bit, but I was definitely like reading books under the piano until I could hear someone coming and then I start doing my skills again. Yeah, not for me. Okay.

Thanks for sharing. Did you like camp? I mostly went to day camp as a kid. Oh, love to day camp. Come on. Yeah, day camp. I went to a lot of day camps from the age of probably five through 14. And then I did go to sleepaway basketball camp, the summer of 15, 16, and 17.

And that was a great experience. I went to Bruns basketball camp, which was held on the Manhattan University campus, slept over in the dorms. And I loved basketball as a teenager and loved playing basketball. And it was two straight weeks of nonstop basketball. And it was great. Can you imagine how bad it smelled there? We were just young men exploring our physical endurance, you know, trying to get to the absolute pinnacle of our athletic ability. and I don't regret a minute of smelling like absolute dog shit.

There are many people for whom camp was a formative experience and I'm happy for them. I never had the like, you know, sleep away, you meet a girl, you have a summer romance kind of a thing. I think that's a pretty formative thing for a lot of people. Well, that's just because you like had that in high school at the, you know. Well, but I didn't start dating my wife until I was 16, 17. So, you know, I could, when I was 14, I could have gone to a sleepaway camp. My parents ever were into that. that. I don't know why. That was just not part of our raising strategy. I'm sure we were just talking

with Andy. Yeah. Anyway, what's next? For the record, my sleepaway camp was sports broadcasting camp. I was trying to be the next Bill Simmons. Holy shit. Yes, Jack. And look at you now. My first year, I did Baltimore, Maryland. So there are multiple places where you can do sports broadcasting sleepaway camp. It's literally called. How long is this program? At least a week, I think a week, maybe a full week. That's incredible. Honestly, it was electric factory, no regrets. I really does. The one place I never got to go famously was Space Camp, you know? Yeah, yeah. And I really, I just really want to experience zero gravity. All right, moving on from Matt to Matthew. I think War Games was a formative movie in teaching me how to curse, Barry Corbyn and

Danny Coleman in particular. Not that it had the most, in fact, it has quite few curse words, but it hit me at the right age where I was learning about these words and occasionally using them. I'd also put films like clerks, mallrats, Bad Santa, Glenn Gary, Glenn Ross, and Pulp Fiction amongst the most educational

in my swearing education. What movies make the list for you as being formative in your swearing education? Well, clerks and mall rats were important to me, as you know, and definitely, I think there was a creativity

to the foul language in those movies. that I think definitely made an impression on me I think constantly of 37 whenever I'm thinking about Kevin Smith movies the number 37 Realheads will know what I mean by that Reservoir Dogs

is definitely a really big one Casino is one the Scorsese movie because I think at the time it broke the record for the most F-bombs in a movie and you can really feel that when you're watching it and they say it as poetry

exactly any for you My two, so four weddings and a funeral stands out as, because it is R-rated, and there is like a little bit of sex, but I think it is mostly that the British swearing. So they use curse words and, and use an array of them. Do we get a CUNT in there? I don't know if you do, but you get a lot of F words and then, and then also the, like the B word, the British, you know, so I, like, which I, you're saying, yeah. No, another one. Okay. Bag Piper.

Yes, exactly. That. But I had never really, most romantic comedies and most movies I was seeing at the age of 10, which is how old I was when I saw this movie. Shout out my parents. We're not cursing. And then they do have, the Brits treat it as poetry in their own way. They do. I like that scene in the parent trap when Lindsay Lohan says to Lindsay Lohan, I will sculpt.

Fuck you. That was very formative for me specifically. I'll also say, clueless doesn't have curse words, but or not very many that I can think of. But in terms of just general language, like expression and also, you know, how to talk and how to say things with slaying, attitudinal, but clueless also hugely formative. Because I just, you know, would repeat everything they said over and over again. Yeah. I think learning how to speak is an interesting. interesting way of thinking about this question rather than just pulling the words out saying that there's something that you're presenting. Because, you know, when you're a teenager, you're just

emulating shit that you think is cool and trying to copy what you think is cool. And that's, you know, when 14-year-old me is watching Glenn Gary Glenn Ross and trying to act like a depressed salesman living in Chicago in the early 1990s, that's a very weird thing to be doing. Anyway, okay, what's our next question? McKenzie says, she's just a girl who loves a melancholy movie. I would love to know Amanda and Sean's selections for their top summertime sadness films. She can only watch Romare's Green Ray

so many times before she completely melts. So she would love some other recommendations. First two that popped into my head immediately were Adventureland and Crooklyn. I wouldn't say Crooklyn is explicitly sad, but it has sad moments. There are definitely moments of exultation, Spike Lee's kind of memory movie

about growing up and actually going down south for a period of time in the summer and then coming back up to New York and seeing the contrast of experiences. I think it's based specifically on his sister's experiences growing up. And then Adventureland. Yeah, kind of the quintessential. Yeah.

It almost feels like a remake. It's so archetypal but so effective in terms of the nerdy guy and the girl that he pines for and the guy that she's dating and the frustrations and the inability for people to communicate at that age. Summer is a time of longing and like everything is on pause and it doesn't. Everyone's wearing shorts. It's a sleeveless T-shirt and you're sweating and you just wish you could just reach across and you can't.

There is another Eric Romer movie called The Collector, which if the person who asked this question, whose name I'm going to say right now, McKenzie hasn't seen the collector. I highly recommend it. It's another summer movie. It's another super sad movie. Call me by your name.

I think it's probably one. We can both agree on, right? Like one of the great sad summer exploration movies, for sure. What else? Yeah. The first two Joanna Hogg movies, unrelated in archipelago, which are both vacation movies, at least. In my mind, they take place in the summer.

Yeah. Archipelago, for sure. Yeah, if they don't, they're at least, like, you know, traveling on holiday. And then, you know, I would just point out, like, melancholy, it definitely seems like it takes place in the summer. You know? It's a wedding season, and it's dark pretty late. Yeah, so, you know, you need some sadness. I wrote down a brighter summer day, which I don't think of as necessarily a

summer movie, but it has summer in the title. It's an Edward Yang movie. It's kind of a gangster coming of age drama that is like one of the best movies of all time. And so even though you couldn't literally make it a summertime sadness movie, you could spiritually say that it is. What's our next question? Next question comes from Stephanie. When summer rolls around, I find myself wanting a break from all the big budget IP superhero sagas and animated movies. Instead, I'm drawn to adult, sensual, steamy films, the kind that feels sun-soaked, maybe in a faraway place and a little dangerous. Think

the talented Mr. Ripley, true lies, or a bigger splash. Do you have any recommendations for summer movies that bring that kind of adult heat? Something stylish, a little sexy, and perfect for a summer night wind down. Stephanie, same. This email has like shades of

Penn House Forum, you know? There's like a little bit like an insinuating like this is what I really gets me going. What's wrong with that? Not nothing at all. I think it's as I adjust my microphone, just so. I like the passion. Yeah. I appreciate the passion, Stephanie.

And I don't know. What are your answers? What do you got? I mean, you know, Talton Mr. Ripley and a bigger splash are like, are two that are top of mind for me. Especially when you can mix in a little murder, you know. There's definitely some slashing going on in these movies. One thing I put on this list was body heat, which I don't know if that's summer or just, you know, tropical.

It's hot as fuck. It's hot and steamy. Like, it's Florida, right? Well, William Hurd is just sweating for cotton poplind button downs in that movie. Another film that is not set in the summer because Renee Russo is wearing a lot of chunky turtlenecks, but they do go on one of the great tropical vacations and also have sex on a marble staircase. It is, of course, the Thomas Crown Affair, 1999. So before we go any further, there is a question later on that I want to just hit right now,

which is that we have not talked about the first. the upcoming remake of the Thomas Crown Affair. Michael B. Jordan is directing a remake that is meant to come out. I think next year, maybe 2027. I can't remember which year. I think it's 2027 because they just recast it. So he is starring as the McQueen Pierce Brosnan role. Taylor Russell was going to star in the Faye Dunaway Renee Russo role.

She has been replaced by Andrea Arjona. Who is one of the most beautiful people working, in my opinion, right now. Yes, Taylor Russell. Excellent actress, beautiful. Adrire Arjona, in this part, upgrade. I accept. How are you feeling about this movie? Anxious, concerned?

Open? You know, listen, as you said to me earlier, it comes for us all at some point, and they're remaking a lot of my favorite things. And because this one was originally, was a remake anyway, I feel less protective of it, even though, you know,

there are 45 different versions of Pride and Prejudice in the world and I still just feel really anxious about the new series even though Olivia Coleman's in it. Oh, who else is in it, do you know? Emma Corrin is I believe Elizabeth Bennett and then Jack Loudon is Mr. Darcy.

That's a good cast. Yeah, they're great, but I'm also like, what are we, you know. That's a film or a series. I think it's a series, which, you know, there's a very famous BBC series starring Colin Firth is Mr. Darcy for Netflix. Yes. So, you know, and then they're also,

they're remaking sense. sensibility as a movie with and those have been remade 45,000 times that one seems a little tricky though I know that one's a big one for you I would agree that I am slightly nervous about it okay so there are some that I feel protective of and somewhere I'm like sure I'll watch it seems fun and I would say that Thomas Cron Affair um starring Michael B Jordan who is quite handsome is the latter category he feels like it feels like an obvious star vehicle for him I really like it as a choice for him and it's been a long time now since the McTyrnaud version. I mean, it's been almost 30 years, right?

It's, yeah. Is it 97? It's 99. 99, okay, 26. So, yeah. We missed the anniversary last year. No, you did a great episode of Blank Check. Oh, that's true.

I did. Oh, yeah, that was very fun. You got to cook on that movie at length, right? I got two more sexy movies. Shoot. Eat too Mametamia. Yes, obvious. No doubt.

Just revisited that. And then just so we can mention basically every Luca Guadamino movie existing. Like, I do feel that I am love is really slept on. Uh-huh. Some of it happens in winter But a lot of the sex scenes are like in a field with some bees So that that seems summer coated And I think that's a great film

Great picks Yeah, thank you What's the next question? Before we move on, I think a good recommendation That would overlap for McKenzie and Stephanie Not to pile on Luca Guanino too much would be bones and all Great summer movie Very sexy movie

Exactly, I think that would make a good pairing That's the summer? It is the summer. They're very sweaty, and they're in T-shirts. Yeah. Okay. Well, they're sweaty from eating all that flesh. That's also true.

They got the meat sweats. That movie's not really talked about it all. I feel like it kind of just came and went. COVID. Yeah. I recommend if people like Lucas movies, he and I had a really good interview about that movie on the pod back then, which I think was 2022,

maybe even 2021. But I agree that movie's a little slept on. Mm-hmm. All right. Next question here comes from Brent. What movie watching habits or perspectives have been shaped by the relationships in your life, whether with parents, significant others, friends, bosses, or kids.

For example, I started watching movies with subtitles when my girlfriend and I began dating. I keep up with Marvel movies to stay connected with my brother, who's a huge fan, and I still make popcorn the same way my dad taught me when I was a kid. Also, a quick thank you to Amanda. I apparently talk about you all enough that I convinced my girlfriend to see sinners.

She normally shares Amanda's no horror ever policy. By telling her, Amanda from the movie podcast saw and loved it without getting seen, scared. It's now one of her favorite movies. Changing lives. Yeah. Shout out to Brent's girlfriend. I do want to, I want to take a minute to thank the partners. Do you hear about this a lot? Like, I hear a lot about the partners of listeners of this podcast who don't listen to us and who kind of dismissively but supportively call us like, oh, your movie friends or oh, it's like your movie friends again. And they have to put up with a lot

of shit. And what shit? I don't know. Just, you know, if your partner is nearby, if you have one of these partners, play this. Hello. Thank you. We're sorry, but we appreciate you. Can we get a little like very quickly metatextual about this? Sure. So podcast listening is a very passive medium experience. You're usually doing it while you're doing something else. The rise of video podcasting has led to more people actively engaging with it by looking at it and listening at the same time. There's obviously some people who prefer to listen, some people who prefer to listen, some people who prefer to watch and then there's a middle ground, you do what you can. I wonder if some of the partners, the more podcast listening becomes active and more like watching a TV show, the more that these unions will be able to be more tightly bonded because

they'll get to see you in real time exulting about sinners or something else. Maybe, but I do also think the secret to a successful relationship or one of them is to have your own hobbies and friends, you know? So I don't want to, I don't want to. force anyone to get on this boat if they're not interested. I see. Because that will, you know, if you don't like this podcast, I really don't know why you're listening.

Just that's a blanket statement for almost every single day. Well. This podcast is made in the image of Howard Stern and Mike and the Mad Dog where the hate listen is as common as the love listen. I guess I do know that, but like I don't think that's a way to live personally. It's not something I would do. Yeah. I just, once again, I think you should find something you like.

like or go outside. But I don't listen just because you feel like you need to support your partner. This is an interesting thing. We're not actually answering this question, but it is kind of related. People just want something that has like a strong communication and feeling and that disagreeing is a powerful energy. And that listening to people with whom you disagree has its own merits. Like there is something to that. So like I think there is a fine line between hate listening, which is something.

We hear all the time as podcasters and people who work in a podcast company. But it isn't always hate. It's like it's in seek of confrontation that is one-sided, which is the thing that I think people want in this very weird media atmosphere that we exist in right now. Sure. I can shout at you without getting anything returned at me. You know what I mean? Yeah.

Here's why your wrong culture is a thing. For sure. I mean, I can think of some more interesting outlets for that. But once again, I've been told that I'm working too blue. on this podcast already. So movie watching habits. I'll say for me, when I was growing up, I've shared this before.

My brother and I shared a bedroom in the basement of our home. And the basement was large. And so we had our beds on one side. Can't wait until my sons reach this space. I hope that they have the experience. We also need a basement. We don't live in the Zodiac House.

I know. Unfortunately, in L.A., no basements. But growing up in the basement was weird because we were definitely like placed in a dungeon by our parents. But that bred not just the strength of our relationship and we're very close to this day, but we did a lot of things together because of that. And the thing we most often did was we watched movies together. And so I felt very comfortable the first time I went on the rewatchables, which I think was before this show existed or in the early days of this show, because I was like, this is like rewatching a movie and then we bullshit about it for 45 minutes after the movie.

Did your brother ever get to pick a movie? Oh, I'm sure he did. But probably not as much as he would like. He also, I mean... I was like, I don't believe you. The truth is when your brother is 15 and you're 11, you don't know as much as your 15-year-old brother. The whole point of being a big brother is you get to help put people on to stuff,

you know, help inform their taste or share something new with that. Nowadays, if you really want it to watch something, I'd let them watch it. The thing is, he lives in Virginia, so that never happens. So I don't have to worry about it. I have seen every Barry Levinson film because my dad showed it to me. So that's how my movie watching habits have changed. Yeah, your dad putting you in front of diner and then you working at the ringer is my favorite one-to-one conclusion of all time. Here we are.

It's the greatest thing ever. And then having two signs. It's just like, you know, here we are. It is. Thank you, Barry Levinson. Magical symmetry. Yeah, I'm sure we have a bunch of other experiences like this. We do have some friends, I think, who we stay in touch with by way of movies at the stage of our lives.

And unfortunately, most of them don't contact us because they already know what we think about movies. I would also say that movies played a pretty significant role in me and Zach Dating. We met outside a movie screening of the Anna Ferris and Chris Evans film, What's Your Number? That's a true story. And then, like, kind of dated by going to screenings and talking about movies for a long time. And now we have to schedule, like, who gets to go see which movie when we rarely get to go together. But that was a very fun thing. You know, I had drinks with him last week.

And he hit me with a couple of here's two movies I've seen that you haven't seen. And I felt like I got shot in the stomach. It was really tough. He's seen a couple of movies I really want to see. I still don't know. I guess he has seen Mission Impossible. And he did finally the other day he went to go see F1. But like, he's way behind on everything that isn't possibly going to get a magazine cover.

Yeah, the two most anticipating movies. Listen, Top Gun Maverick, he saw a full year before me. And we begged. And I was like newly pregnant barfing every two minutes. And we were just like, please, please let me come see this movie. And Paramount said no. Okay. Well, duly noted.

Guess what? New ownership in Paramount soon. It'll totally change. Everything's going to completely change. I think your slow acceptance of horror has been an interesting and underrated aspect of this show. Five years ago, it was a hard no pretty much across the board. And you're getting a little bit more open-minded. I think that's true.

I'm, you know, trying to do the work, trying to keep in touch. I would also, I guess my understanding. of my relationship to horror which has changed and it's less fear and more disinterest

and so then I realize that there are places where I can be interested in certain kinds of horror movies you mean

yeah exactly and you know certain directors and like the craft of it but also you know I didn't like

the new one I know what you did last summer but I went because that was like a pop cultural event I have liked every scream movie

so sure yes you you have you have opened my eyes to the world of horror that's what i wanted to hear thank you so much yeah what's the next question like halloween the holiday not the movie movie's great the holiday i'm out kicks fucking ass and you take it back right now the holiday is the greatest thing ever like deeply deeply deeply overrated i i honestly want to just walk out of the room right now i cannot believe that was just said on this show just delete the entire episode. What the fuck? Anyway, next question. Ben asks, what are the top five movies to watch to prepare for this fall slate? Maybe your favorite non-the-worst person in the world, Trier, and under the radar music biopic, a potential one battle after another influence. Good question.

Yeah. We just mentioned we have a lot of work to do this fall. I put a few together, you put a few together. I think it would be good to go back to decision to leave. In fact, I'm going to do that. We saw that movie at the New York Film Festival in like a two or three movie day, as I recall, a beautiful, kind of fascinating, beguiling movie that is a little confusing and probably deserves a rewatch ahead of no other choice,

the forthcoming Park Chan Wook movie, which the more and more I look at the slate, even though the sight unseen on the movie, I'm like, you could definitely see a world where the Park Chan Wook thing happens and they finally decide to honor him this year. I wrote down Putney Swope, which is a Robert Downey's senior satire,

which is one of my mom's favorite movies of all time, which is hugely influential on Paul Thomas Anderson. And Downey Seniors movies are, you'll know right away when you see one of his movies, why they're influential. This one in particular, it's a relationship to both race power and class and maybe what one battle after another may be about. It feels like it could be a good prep for that one. The trio I wrote down Oslo August 31st, which is 2011, I want to say, and stars Anders Danielsen Lee, who also will appear. in sentimental value and was in the worst person in the world. Jafar Panahis, this is not a film, which is a kind of documentary that explains how he was

sort of exiled from creativity by his own country that I think everyone should watch. That is an amazing film, an amazing exploration of what it means to make something. And then Frankenstein, the original, 1931, just a wonderful movie and a movie that I wonder how much Giroimo del Toro will point towards it or try to subvert it or

not repeat what this movie accomplishes. What else you got? So for Under the Radar Music biopic, I wrote down inside Lewin Davis,

which is, you know, it's not a biopic in the sense that some liberties were taken with the Lew and Davis character and his real world counterparts.

But Bob Dylan also does show up in the the very end of it, and is, I really liked our 25 for 25 conversation. And since so many people were so mad about that choice, maybe it is underseen. And then marriage story to get ready for bomb back. I mean, but really any bomb back. Yeah. Might be time to rank all those movies. We did that. Okay. Last time, but we can do it again. What's the next question?

Tim says There is a new Daniel Day Lewis movie coming out this year It's his first Since 2017 Where is the hype Am I crazy

Or is this flying under the radar Shouldn't this be a bigger deal? This movie's out in two months Yeah Two months Yeah Where is I mean There's a decent amount of hype

He's appearing in his son's film Which is a wonderful act of fatherhood And a TBD active, You know, creative achievement So Let's shout out to him. It's great. It seems cool. I'm excited. I'll see it. Yeah, a film is called The Nemonee. And I don't know a whole lot about it. I'm trying to not learn too much about it. We will be building the Daniel D. Louis Hall of Fame peg to this movie on the show in October when it comes out. I'm very excited about that. I have started accumulating the movies of his that I haven't seen or I don't know about. There are actually four or five that are pretty obscure. Nanu is one that I haven't seen. Bars and

stars. There's a couple of movies like that, you know, mid-80s productions that are not, you know, there are obviously some very big films that are not as in fashion, like Unbearable Lightness of Being, for example, where like he's in the bounty, the remake of Mutiny on the Bounty with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins. Like, I'm going to try to revisit a bunch of this stuff. But he's got like seven of the hardest auto greens in movie history where it's going to be an interesting conversation about how he only makes one movie every 2.9 years. Right. And it happens, everybody's like, best actor who ever lived. Yeah.

And that's kind of true. And so I want to fill in some of those gaps to just have a little bit more to say than, you know, Bill the butcher, he rocks, you know, like there's only so much you can do there. Okay. But yeah, that's coming soon. Will asks a question here that I really resonate with, which is hearing the slate for fall film festivals and everything releasing between September and December, do we simply. have too many movies releasing in the last quarter of the calendar year. It may sound like an obvious question, and not every movie premiering at a fall festival will be released this calendar year, but as someone who likes to see plenty of films, this pattern has become a little exhausting.

Sinners, get out, and everything everywhere all at once have proven that you don't need to release in the fall to make a cultural impact year round. Do you think this practice of blitzing so many movies in Q4 will change? I don't know. I can't say I totally understand it. Um, I, you know, I think I do. And while I agree that it's like a lot of movies and it's both exciting and a little daunting to, to stare down the fall schedule. I don't, you know, sinners get out and everything, everywhere all at once are the exceptions to the rule. And for the most part, we're grateful for our listeners who go see movies all year round. Most people do not. And I do think that there is kind of like a seasonal training of the audience of large of like, okay, like here is your summer blockbuster. Here's when you, you know, you go see dumb stuff.

And here is when you look out for interesting films that is kind of one of the only effective ways we have of like getting non-film nerds attentions at this point. It's true, but it leads to... at least two or three movies a year, getting kind of forgotten or cast aside or not getting as much attention as they deserve because of the way that, you know, October and November, October and December I find are usually so stacked now. Like, for example, I'll give you two kind of comps on this for this year and next year. So this year in October, we have anemone, which we just discussed. The following week we have after the hunt and roofman on the same day, which is also the same day that Tron Aries comes out. Right. And then the following week, we have Ballad of a Small Player. It was just an accident.

Blackphone 2, the forthcoming Richard Linklater movie Blue Moon, which just got a trailer, The Mastermind and Good Fortune from Aziz Ansari. That's all on October 15th through 17. I can barely find one movie a week to cover for three months out of the year. And then all of a sudden, they drop six movies in a three-day window that ostensibly we could put a whole episode to. Right. So I know I'm using my experience as a movie podcast or as a lens here, but do Are people really expected to be able to see more than two of those six movies in a month-long period?

It's asking a lot. Even if some of them are streaming, it's still asking a lot. So I think it's like a huge flaw. All those movies I just listed, maybe half of them are awards movies. The other half are just entertainment. So I hope they start to change this a little bit. It does feel like next year, I'll just throw a few examples at you that are in the first half that hopefully will upend this and be more like sinners or everything everywhere. Project Hail Mary comes out in March.

Yeah, well, you do get one big budget March, like post-Oskers thing every year now. Well, we'll also have the bride in March. Okay. We'll also have weathering heights in February, the Emerald Fennell adaptation. I think that's, but there's a reason for that. That's just a subjective thing, though. Like, in theory, that's going to be a big movie with Marco Robbie, right? So that's at least notable.

And then we have one more. Well, there's a, in theory, the Trey Parker movie that Paramount pushed from last year, also coming in March. In April, Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic, was just redated for April. And then by June, we get a Steven Spielberg movie. Right. Which is a blockbuster. Sure. But it's a Steven Spielberg original blockbuster.

That's way different than what we've gotten this year. I guess so. I mean, I think like the concentration in March, but also, you. you know, last year at this time, we would have been saying in March, we get Mickey 17, which is like a Bong Joon Ho, like blockbuster, you know, and like no one, like went and saw it. So sometimes I think, I think hindsight is very valuable. And I, you know, I just think the, I wish that the strategies were more catered to the people who actually go see movies and there are a growing number of them. And I think like sinners and other is a great example of like if you make a movie,

that people who like going to movies want to see, you will make a lot of money where you can make a lot of money. But, you know, I think that most people are still in the Minecraft mode of thinking, you know, and just casting the whitest net that you can. Yeah, that's sad. It is sad.

What's the next question? How do we pivot out of that feeling of despair? Our next question comes from Liam, who says, my wife and I are currently traversing France for our honeymoon. We've downloaded some movies for our train rides, all of which are what we consider to be quintessential movies for this experience. Before sunset, Marie Antoinette, Midnight in Paris, Ratatouille, Cleo from 5 to 7.

My question to you guys is, what are some of your favorite destinations for traveling, and what movies would you recommend to pair with the trip? You've got some great ones. Well, this was tricky because, you know, most places in the world I haven't been to, and I have only, like, seen them through the movies. And so, you know, I know about certain places because people go there in movies. And I think that's exciting.

But I don't know if they're an honest representation, you know, like it. So I can't really speak to that. So since you guys are in France, I picked some some France or like Mediterranean adjacent movies that aren't the obvious ones. But great list, by the way. Shout out Marie Antoinette forever. So the first was a double header of charade and funny face, which are two like, you know, classic holly would set in Paris musicals

one starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire the other starring Audrey Hepburn and Carrie Grant I know you don't like Audrey Hepburn

but you don't have to speak on it anyway those are I don't not like Audrey Hepburn You don't respond to it I just think it's like she's not an icon

yeah I mean in some ways they're like Roman Holiday but in France and I guess Roman Holiday is also a good one starring Audrey Hepburn but magical using the actual city as like as the backdrop and part of the texture of an old

Hollywood musical. Two Days in Paris, which is Julie Delpy's movie about starring her real parents as her parents. And she's with her boyfriend played by Adam Goldberg and they spend two days in Paris before going home. And then things devolve. It's really, really funny. And then in terms of travel, so evil under the sun is, I think, somewhere outside of Spain on a Spanish island, though I can't be sure of that somewhere in Mediterranean adjacent. You've been to Spain? I have.

It was a great trip. My 30th birthday. We did Barcelona and then the Costa Brava. It was awesome. And then I'd love to go back. Death on the Nile is set in Egypt, obviously, and Phil. These are two Agatha Christie adaptations from the 70s, early 80s that are my faves and are also filmed in the place. Again, you know, I don't know if they are the most representative or culturally sensitive of the films.

But Death on the Nile, there's in it, like, they are just galloping into the pyramids at some point. You know, Mia Farrow is like threatening people outside of temples. It's pretty cool. So I'd like those films for this purpose. Yeah. I think those are great. I think this answer also relates to the question about what movie should I watch to prep for the fall film season. But I think if you probably should just watch Breathless, the Godar film, which is sort of like one of the most significant movies ever made.

And New Velvog, the new Richard Linklander movie that's coming out, the movie is entirely about the making of breathless. Specifically, you know, what Godar and Jean-Paul Velmando and Gene Seaburg did. And, you know, that film was shot on the streets of Paris. and this new Velvagua shot on the streets of Paris and it really like takes you to that time in history. So it's an obvious recommendation, but maybe a useful one given this movie is coming soon. If you have kids and you're trying to teach them about Paris

for some reason, red balloon is a great. Wonderful, Grace. Just pulled it out of the criterion closet truck for my daughter. Okay, what's the next question? Lost in translation in Japan would be a good one too. Totally, but it's like I've never, I've never been, you know? I would, that's why I suggested it. I would love to go.

I'm trying to get those like Hyatt points, you know? Right. Those Hyatt points. Well, I think it's, is it, I don't know what their program is called. You just just slid into full influencer. Well, I want to stay at the park Hyatt, which is the hotel in Lost in Translation, but it's not on my budget unless you're paying for it. What's the name in the band is it? The bar band.

We are saucol. Is it Saucolito? I think so. Yeah, it's really. really, really good. That actress is so funny. You know, I don't really think that that's in my budget unless I get those, you know, rewards points.

So. Okay. Cool. Good to know. Okay. Thanks for working hard. Thanks for influencing. This episode is brought to you by State Farm.

Having the right people in your corner can make all the difference. Fall Festival movie season is upon us and it's always a really stressful time here at the big picture. Luckily, I have Amanda at my side to help me determine what movies we're going to see, which one she'll take care of. And I also have my family at home taking care of. home taking care of me and I'm really grateful for that. And like those people, State Farm is there to help you choose the coverage you need. With so many coverage options, it's nice knowing you have help

finding what fits for you. Go online at StateFarm.com or use the award-winning app to get help from one of their local agents. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. What's our next question? Comes from Nancy. What year would you say was the best year for summer movies? For me, 1997 is up there because it had something for everyone with movies such as Men in Black, my best best friend's wedding, Airbud, and Good Burger. Okay, this is a total bias of when you were somewhere between the ages of 10 and 14. 97 would be on my list, but Nancy identified it already. So 94 hit like fucking crack in the halls of Long Island.

This was an incredible time for me. I was 11 turning 12. I saw all of these movies in theaters and had my noodle cooked by all of them. the Lion King. I saw the Lion King in theaters with my siblings at least four times. It is impossible to overstate the absolute phenomenon of Disney's the Lion King.

It was, there's a reason why it persists so strongly to this day because that movie, whatever was in the special sauce of that movie, took over America. That soundtrack? Are you kidding? Unbelievable. We were just rocking out to it. Yes. I mean, I was an 11-year-old boy. So you'd think I would have been like growing up past that,

but no, I was all about it. I loved it. You never outgrow on John Well, I don't know if that was the biggest draw for me But it was a factor I was really there for Jeremy Irons You know what he was up to This is the same summer that had Forrest Gump Yeah

Also an insane phenomenon And I don't know that I had And that soundtrack also Was how the boomers You know Took over every boomer household In America It taught us about their music

It is True lies Yeah speed Jim carries the mask Coming off of the Incredible one two punch Of Ace Ventura and dumb and dumber.

Yeah. Clear and present danger, the superior of the two Harrison Ford, Jack Ryan films. Totally. Maverick, which is a movie that I think is completely forgotten in part because we're slowly deleting Mel Gibson

from our cultural memory. But Maverick was one of a bunch of adaptations of 60s and 70s TV shows made into a live action film or a feature film. Mel Gibson, Jody Foster, and James Garner,

who was the original Maverick on television that I'm directed by Richard Donner which I think is like one of the most fun adventure comedies of its of its era and it's totally underrated and I loved it I watched it over and over again it's probably a big reason why I love poker as much as I do and then John Grisham's the client starring Susan Sarandon and um a number of incredible actors including the late Brad Renfro I saw all those movies in that summer in movie theaters most of them at the single theater Walt Whitman movie theater at the Walt Whitman mall and I'm here because of that summer.

Yeah. It is so vivid to me in my memory. I am, but for one summer later, which is 1995. Which for me was on the, I was turning, I was turning 11, right? And so it's the cusp of both like kids, movies and grownups. So you get Braveheart. Did you see Braveheart in a movie theater? I don't know if I, I don't know if I.

I did? You know, then you saw, it was so pervasive culturally, you know, at the time and we were all doing the speech to each other. But maybe it was too violent for me to see. I feel like I didn't see in theaters. I could be wrong. But like just the awareness of it, you know, and like you'll never take my freedom, you know. Anyway, Casper. We forgot about Mel Gibson. Well, well, I don't think we forgot about him. We purposefully forgot about him. Yes, we put that in a little box and we don't want to deal with it anymore. That's so true. I know that's Van's whole bit. the Mel, Y Mel, but he's so right that, like, he was such a great star. It sucks that he's an asshole. Yeah. God, it's no. It really does. Casper, which, like, if you were there, like, you were there. Devon Sawa, I see you.

Yeah, for sure. Produced by Clint Eastwood's production company, Malpaso. One of the very few non-Clin Eastwood movies that he produced. Yeah, but once again, I was turning 11. Like, you know, here we go. It's a good movie. Batman Forever. Which was... Hot trash.

Well, but, like, you're turning 11, you know? It's Valken or like, you don't know at the time. I was excited. That's Poison Ivy, right? It's Poison Ivy and Drew Barrymore. No, Poison Ivy is in Batman and Robin. Oh, which is 97. Yes.

Yeah. This is Jim Carrey as the Riddler, Tommy Lee Jones's Two-Face, and Drew Barry Moore as I forget the character's name. Okay. Well, it's still. I think it was maybe like the first time I was aware of Batman because for the Keaton ones, I was too little. Well, the thing to remember about this one, or the thing that I remember, remember about this one is kiss from a rose and seal and that song and also hold me throw me kiss me kill me the you two song that soundtrack was crazy seal yeah he had he had the juice he really he really had

the juice so powerful another guy who it's like we forgot how powerful seal he was on a super bowl commercial like a year ago and i was like man we really forgot they made him like a literal seal in an old spice commercial or something what a horrible culture we have now anyway keep going uh two more deeply formative, Apollo 13 and Clueless. I couldn't open with these. Well, I think I was trying to go chronologically. Okay. But, you know, clueless, I was turning 11.

I went with my mom to Lennox Mall, like my life changed forever, 30 years ago. That's great. I'm old as time, but Clueless is forever. Is this like the alpha and the omega of your movie interest, do you think? Clueless and Apollo 13? Yeah. Sense and Sensibility is also later this year. So 95 was really like, why.

when it all happened for me. Okay, that's cool. And then there was Free Willy 2 and Babe also the summer, which I definitely saw. I don't think I saw Free Willy too. Well, Free Willy was just really, really, really important. It was a heater, yeah. Yeah, and then the Michael Jackson song from, yeah, listen.

Speaking of deleted from culture. Sure, but, geez, Louise. It was a banger. It went hard, yeah, I know. God damn. Used to be a country, et cetera. Jack, you got a summer that is really memorable? Don't say like 2022, I'll kill you.

No, I don't have a specific – if I prep for this, I probably could have cooked up a good year, but off the top of my head, I don't have one. It legit would have been, like, 2019, and then I would have had to assassinate you for saying something so recent. I could have said, Moonrise Kingdom is 2012, right? 2011? 2014, I want to say. But I remember telling Amanda that when we did the Gen Z. It was 2012. I mean, like, I was like a grown-up paying my own rent at that point, but that's cool.

I'm like now. Yeah, that's when we did the Gen Z episode, I told Amanda. that that was like movies go Technicolor moment for me and I'm pretty sure that was close to a summer release. This next question is probably my favorite one

that we have. Elizabeth asks, Summer is arguably the best season for both rewatchable blockbusters and refreshing cocktails. A question for both of you.

Which homemade cocktail would you pair with your favorite summer rewatchable? I had a lot of fun with this. Yeah, you have a beautiful list. I didn't just do cocktails. I did.

beverages of all kinds. Okay. I thought of Stand By Me First, which is a wonderful summer movie about friendship. And I chose a coarse banquet beater because that's the kind of beer that the kids in that movie

would have drank were they to go about doing some illicit underage drinking as I did once upon a time wandering and we never found a dead body. Yeah. But if we did, I probably would have needed

a couple of beers to chill down a little bit. Kids. Yeah. There's probably some people at home We don't know what kids is. I think kids is also 1995. I think it is. But I didn't see it too much later, thankfully.

I saw kids on, for the first time, on a little screen on a bus heading north to Vermont on a ski trip in the winter between 1995 and 1996. Who organized this ski trip and who allowed you to watch kids? I don't know who organized it. It was a class trip, but there were no chaperones. There were freshmen, sophomores, juniors. and seniors. I was a freshman, and I went with a lot of juniors and seniors. The 90s hit different. I saw things on this trip that I can never unsee. I skied zero days, zero minutes on this trip. I spent all the time at the motel, but on the way up, we took one of those big ass Greyhound buses that had the little TVs up in the corner.

I don't know if they still have those, but you could pop a VHS tape in and watch it. And so someone gave the bus driver a copy of kids on VHS. it might have been 696 97 I can't remember and we watched it on the way up as a unit as a group and we're like scandalized and mesmerized and fascinated and it became it's a is it a good movie I don't even know but it is important to me and this is the Larry Clark movie that scandalized the nation once upon a time and to me Stoli and Gatorade is what I think about

I think of this movie you know that what were we drinking On that bus. From the Gatorade bottle, you pour the stult. Yeah. Exactly. You're very familiar with the, just put vodka in whatever colored drink you have. Stoll is kind of fancy. We were, Spedka is where we were.

Yeah, it might have been like Gordon's. Like, it might have been some cheaper shit for sure. But that is such a disgusting thing that we did. I just, I would like to explore unschaperone skiing trip. I just can't believe my parents let me go on that trip. Honestly, I can't believe. I grew up in a strict household, too. Like, I really can't believe.

Who rented the bus? I must have been a senior. I honestly don't know. I don't know how this happened. Again, I saw some wild things on this trip. I would say it was a loss of innocence over those three days. Me and my friend Evan, we were the only freshman who were on that trip. And we had a lot of fun.

Evan, if you're listening, I'm sorry. Do the right thing. Yeah. Just a nice glass of red wine in an air-conditioned pizza parlor. Okay. You know, and it doesn't have to be in a wine glass. it can be one of those weird plastic frosted cups that you might get at a pizza parlor

where they would pour seven up but like a nice beautiful Italian red. All right. Lickish pizza? Yeah. A little underrated is a great summer movie. I guess I hadn't thought of it as specifically a summer movie

because it has that sort of just like Valley and L.A. Eternal summer vibe. It may actually be taking place not during summer but it feels like summer when you watch it with the sunsets and the silhouettes. And that's a gin martini to me. Okay. Plimuth would be my choice of gin for that.

If aviators not available? I do enjoy aviators. You know, I don't see it in the bars as much as I would have thought. I don't either. It's not on offer. They didn't have it as Steppenwolf, for example. Okay. And then I wrote down 20th century women.

Sure. Another great summer break movie about a young adolescent. As you can tell, this is something that resonates with me from kids to stand by me to this movie. And I chose a Golden State Margarita, which is Don Julio, 1942, Passion Fruit, Lecore, and Lyme. Okay. Wow. You have any of these that you want to go with?

Passion fruit lique. I'm still stuck on passion fruit liqueur. Well, it's just a very specific kind of margarita. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. Sure. So for talented Mr. Ripley, a nigroney. For, call me by your name, a nigroney.

For a bigger splash, a nagroney. Just a nagrani. Campari only. I don't want the white nigroni. Don't bring me your capoletti. I've been around the block. I've tried it. Campari.

Thank you so much for your. time. This is influencing. What's the next question? Next question comes from Drew. Are there any movies you think are more than worth of reappraisal since their original release? Thinking about films like Gregoraki's smiley face or Jonathan Glazer's birth. Movies that maybe didn't land when they first came out, but over time have found a stronger following. Curious to hear what titles come to mind for you both. Either ones you've personally reassessed or think film culture at large has slept on for too long. Okay. So I made a list called the most underrated movies of the 2010s.

And before we landed on 25 for 25, I thought that this was what I wanted to do as a project for a quarter century. Recap. Now, we could still do it next year. And I've got, how many movies are on this list right now? 158, just from the 2010s. Now, they're not the most obscure movies ever made,

but there are a lot of movies that I really, really like. There are some movies that I think are very ringer-coded. The Ringer talks about a lot, but other people don't, like, Rush as an example of that. The Ron Howard, Chris Hemsworth, F1 Racing movie, yeah. Then there are, like, slightly more obscure movies, like, Kelly Reichert's Night Moves is a movie that I really like. But even in the context of Kelly Reichart, it doesn't get shouted out as much as her, you know, her masterworks. And so, like, only God forgives is a movie like this, that I really like Nicholas Winning Reffin. And at the time, people were like, this is a big deal.

And then he just stopped making movies. And so nobody cares about them anymore. So I want to do something with this. I want to figure out how to reassess not the canon per se, but like the prevalence of a certain kind of movie from the last. Maybe it should just be the 2010s would be the best way to do it. But, you know, I thought about this because I think the same thing is going to happen with the 2020s because of COVID. there's going to be roughly three years worth of movies that are either going to be overrated or underrated.

Right. The overrated stuff is like, how did Cota win Best Picture? Like, that's not going to age well. That's going to age really badly. You know, I have a lot of affection for that movie, as you know, but we're going to see that movie in a stack. Right.

Yeah, of course. With Oppenheimer, and we're going to be like, really? And then there's going to be stuff that really went under the radar. Now, the worst person in the world is a really interesting version. of this to me because when it came out, people thought it was very good. Yeah. It was widely acclaimed internationally, but it is very modest. But then when you look back at that year that it came out, it's clearly one of the two

or three most influential and exciting movies. We see Trier is now kind of continuing to be a very relevant international filmmaker. And it's a movie that because it's in the Criterion Collection, I think, has this like imprimatur of excellence, which seems small and stupid, but I I actually don't think is. I do think it kind of confers something and as more people buy physical media now and there becomes more of a cult-like feeling

around some of that stuff. I see it as an interesting movie that like you and I could probably just do a two-hour episode about that movie right now. And I think people would care and they would listen. And I think I'd like to try to figure out a way

to do that a little bit more in the future on the show too to be like, this is relatively recent history. Right. And this isn't Top Gun Maverick, but it matters and here's why it matters. Yeah. Well, in that particular case,

you'll get the downstream effect for a sentimental value, which, you know, we haven't seen yet. I'm very excited to see it. And I do think sounds extraordinary on its own, but I do wonder how much of like the rapturous, the attention paid to it is the fact that people do now have caught up with worst person in the world are taking true seriously and are like, okay, like here it's time. Here we go. So maybe we will get an opportunity to do it. Yeah, I think it would be a fun thing to do. And also Renata Renzvi being like an actress that people are, is really on their radar now, too. And she was such an unknown to us when that movie came along.

What do you have an example of what we're talking about here? Well, my answer is like every single Wes Anderson film released since Grand Poudabest. But then I realized that includes Isle of Dogs. So every Wes Anderson film released since French Dispatch. You know, I've only seen Isle of Dogs one time. Right. It is coming out on the Criterion Collection very soon. Sure.

And I will rewatch it. We tried it because Fantastic Mr. Fox is a big hit in our house with Knox. And it didn't click. Yeah. But, you know, that's fine. But everything else, and we talk about this all the time. And we as to Wes Anderson, like, full on stands, like, we're, you know, we're in the club. And I still think that we just kind of let them.

We don't. We say they're amazing and then we, like, don't talk about them. I turned on the TV last night to watch Happy Gilmore, too, and found that my husband had just been, like, randomly watching part of the Phoenician scheme again, because now it's available to stream and he has great taste. Yeah. So, you know, maybe I should be doing that too. Instead, I watch Happy Gilmore, too.

It's a good shout. I'm just reminded of another movie, too, from the relatively recent past that I think is a bit overlooked and didn't come up in our Chicago movie draft, which is Shirek, the Spike Lee kind of musical. Yeah. That was an Amazon co-production, starred Tiana Paris. It was an adaptation of, is it? Lice Estrada.

Yes. And it's like, I don't know. It's, again, an imperfect movie, but has a lot of interesting ideas in it. And really good performances. Easily the best Nick Cannon performance in the history of movies. So again, like, I got to figure out a bucket for us to just like dig into something that we think is cool and is slipping through the sewer drain of popular culture as so much

time goes on. Anyhow, what's our next question, Jack? Our next question comes from, I believe, Chiarize, I apologize if I'm mispronouncing your name. I am a 25-year-old woman living in the tri-state area. My go-to theaters include IFC Center and the Angelica. As a frequenter of these theaters, I always hoped I would strike up conversations with other moviegoers of similar tastes and we'd become friends. However, this wish is a lot more difficult than I thought. I would love to create friendships and be more social after a screening, but I have no idea how to do that without seeming awkward or creepy.

I've even tried looking on Facebook and Reddit for NYC-based movie clubs. Please lend me some of your experience. I feel really passionately about this, that this is like a real missed opportunity by the rep theaters, the indie theaters, like, do mixers. Like, do, and then they don't have to be dating mixers, though. Like, I do think we should be doing more misconnections and there should be more places for people to meet because it's like, don't throw a run. club, do a movie club, you know? Like, then you don't have to be sweaty. Forget about your health.

Think about being sedentary for several hours at a time. You know that I believe in prioritizing your health. But also, like, the running club, like, I don't really understand you're running and you're talking and you're sweaty. I think both of those experiences are ultimately antisocial. And so there is an inherent challenge. Now, the upside, I think, in my opinion, of a movie club is that talking about movies is so much fun. Obviously, it's what we do.

Totally. And talking about running is boring. So the like post-run convo, I find not typically entertaining. That was a hill. Exactly. That was a hill. It kept going. So I, but I, you're right that there can be like more community building around the movie going experience.

I'm fond of saying movie theaters should be terrariums and not tunnels that you should be looking up and looking around you at the world that you're inside of rather than just put. your head down and walking straight through into the movie theater and straight out of the movie theater. There's lost opportunity in exhibition. Which is literally what you do every single time. I know, but I have a lot of shit to do. Same. We're there for work. But we also have a premeditated time to talk about the movie together. Like we know we're going to do it already. So in general, and I'm also candidly not in search of friends at the movies. But yeah, shy eyes needing that, wanting that, I think is totally understandable. I will also say in Chicago, I met, a lovely, we met a lot of lovely fans, but a group of people who had met on, I think it was

the Facebook page for the watch because I don't, we're not on Facebook. Anyway, but they didn't live in the same city and they like had met each other and they like were going to each other's weddings, which is, that was so sweet. It's like really, really lovely. And so if, I don't, I try not to be on the big pick, uh, social media things. That's like, that's you time. You know. Like, someone, someone was asking whether Dob mob is spelled with like one B or two Bs. And that's a decision for the community. That's not a decision for me. Yeah, sure.

You're more of a laissez-faire politician in that respect. But I, you know, if there are other listeners, if there are like a way for people to like meet and if this can be a facilitation for people to like get to talk about movies and make rents, then that is, that's the best thing that we've done in my opinion. I agree. I think you, I love what. Vidyitz has. Yeah. Where Vidyits, essentially the lobby

is just sort of open if you have a movie ticket and you can get there early ahead of the movie and the lobby is open and has not just concessions but a bar. It has beer,

they sell beer and wine which is essentially our local rep theater. There are some, there are like stools also. There are places where you can gather besides like immediately

going to your seat. And honestly, at any well attended screening at that movie theater, yeah. There's a real energy in the lobby before the movie starts and people are hanging out.

And it is a place where you could meet a friend. You could not just need a friend you know, but a friend you don't know. The one thing there is that, like, you need the bar to be open afterwards after the movie, you know? And again, this is part of, I think, like, it requires staffing, it requires resources. But if these movie theaters could, like, make these spaces, and it doesn't have to be an organized program, though, like, listen, like, a singles night would kill. It would just absolutely kill.

Here's the problem. Yeah. Somewhere between 13% and 76% of single male hardcore moviegoer, Cinefile people are actually serial murderers. I'm just saying just between 13% and 76%. So somewhere in that number. And what I don't want to be is responsible for one of these sad boys doing something untoward? Sure.

I don't want to be responsible either, but I believe in our listeners. Okay. I'm not saying listeners of the show. I think it's really hard out there dating-wise, you know? I wouldn't know. I just, like, the stories I read, the stories I hear. So, but also it's hard to make friends when you're an adult. It really is.

If you're a young woman, though, there are so many traps you can set. Like, just think hard. If you're on letterbox and you're a young single woman and you're looking for. Just like heat. Just you have just, just log heat. And just your top four is like the biggest thirst trap in the universe. Like, it is so. easy to ensnare a feeble-minded boy who fancies himself a cinephile.

Like, one Kurosawa, one PTA. Don't do this. Young women of letterboxed. And then one Wes Anderson. Speak your truth and make them come to you. I'm just saying that we all need to find ways. Make them watch sense and sensibility. It's okay.

We have to find ways to attract our opposites. And there are some tactics that can be deployed. I'm not saying if you openly despise heat, don't tell a person that you like heat. But if you like heat. Yeah, sure. Well, honestly, you didn't have to offer opinion. Just log it. Just be like, I watched heat.

And then people are going to be like, hey. But then what if it's like a band, if it's your follower and you're like heat, yeah, not, he's a bad example. But if it's like, you know, the Fantastic Four. Right. Yeah. And this gal logs the fantastic four. And this guy is like, oh, I really love the representation for Reed Richards's

maladies on this movie. Well, sure, don't log the Fantastic Four if that's not what you're looking for, you know? Okay. But maybe some people are. Other people really liked it. What's the number one movie a man could log that would make you interested in his inner life? Oh, wow. Vice?

Probably like an old, you know, like a press and surges or a Howard talks, like a screwball rom-com. from the 30s and 40s. And you would think, if they're logging in solo and that person's single and I'm like, oh, I'm interested. I mean, you know,

Zach very famously, not very famously. I mean, he took me to see Margaret. Famously to me, took me to see Margaret on like our second date, which is still the most iconic thing

that anyone has ever done. But I, very early on in our relationship, actually, I was telling you this story the other, the other night. I had, we went out and met some good friends of ours. That was the first time I was meeting

that I was very nervous for dinner. We ordered oysters. I caught the bad oyster. I spent the night, you know, dealing with that as one does. And then to nurse me back to health, Zach put me on the couch and put on the Philadelphia story. And I was like, well, this is good. I accept this. But you're, you're, that's 10 years, 20 years of, of relationship experience. The new, the fresh. No, that was very early on. Oh, that was like, that was like, that was like, that was like, that was like, that's right. That's right. And, you know, And I was like, don't come in here, vomiting. Yeah, the ship captain's cabin bathroom.

That was a tough spot. I think that was for six months. I think I was ill in that bathroom once too. Yeah. Okay, great. Well, once again, you're self-dating here in America. But also friendship. But I do, I think friendship, we need to facilitate that also.

I don't know. People, everyone's lonely, you know? So make a friend. I think the best thing that we specifically could do would be to announce a big picture meetup. but then not show up. So then all the other people would have to talk to each other.

Have you guys thought, remember that guy that wrote in about the girl that he was like maybe dating, but he doesn't know if he really likes her and he likes talking about movies, but is he stringing her on? Yeah, sure.

In the last mailbag we did. Yeah, I've been thinking about him a lot. You think that ended well? I would like to hear from him. Please check in with us if you have either found a realized love or cut that gal loose

you know you hope she's thriving yeah okay you don't know her well that doesn't mean I can't wish her the best that's true really quickly before we move on

I feel like this question specifically is something I can really speak to as a 22 year old person who moved across the country by himself went to movies and had this exact thought this is something I've spoken to in great length with tons of my friends and people in my life

and I think the key part part of the question where they say, I have no idea how to do that without seeming awkward or creepy. That's where you just got to go press down the anxiety and say, this is okay. Because if you have good intentions, you're not awkward and you're not creepy. And the worst case scenario is you don't get along with the other person. As intimidating and weird as it can be, as it still is for me. Sometimes I'm just like, I'm just going to strike up a conversation with this person. So that would be my two sense on that. Jack, I love it. That's so brave. Great job. We should all be like Jack.

Absolutely. Yeah, for sure. Absolutely. Okay, Jamie. Next question. What is your favorite alternative summer movie viewing experience? Some examples. Movies in the park, rooftop cinema, Hollywood Bowl, etc. I just saw Jaws at the Hollywood Bowl accompanied by the L.A. Philharmonic playing the legendary John Williams score. I've been going to these performances every summer for as long as I can remember. And I was wondering if you've ever enjoyed.

similar experiences. I mean, I would really like to do that. Me too. Definitely in like 14 years and I don't have a kid in the house anymore. I'll definitely be doing that. I just say about these screenings and they also do sing-longs for like sound of music and stuff. Yeah. At the bowl, you mean?

At the Hollywood Bowl. And they start at 8 o'clock. And I'm sure I know it's in a neighborhood noise ordinances or whatever, but like, you know, I've got a three-year-old. No. You want to start earlier? Yeah. Give me a bad name for my child.

I've been thinking about pushing the limits of how late. Alice can stay up to have experiences. This is like a new thing. And that's largely because sleep is under control. I'm seriously considering getting my child out of bed tomorrow night. We're recording this in the past, everyone. Okay. To drive him to the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood two sets so he can see the cranes in action.

Sick. Is that crazy? Yes, but it's okay. No, I don't think so. I think it's a great idea. I'm looking back at purchases that I made. For Cinespia. Are you familiar with Cinespia?

I never went because you guys did it before I got here. And then you were like, yeah, it's nice. That Hollywood Forever traffic, though. I assume it's still happening. It is still happening. So in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery here in Los Angeles, which you may have heard sung about by Father John Misty, for example. Yes, of course.

Summer Saturday nights, there's a large, outdoor lawn and a massive movie screen that is erected. And they show beloved classics. For example, right now I'm looking at their lineup for August and I see point break. I see a double of the Lost Boys in an American Whirl

from London, Zoolander and Psycho, Hitchcock film. So that's the kind of thing that they do. And you have to essentially line up two or three hours early to get your spot. You've got to bring your blankets. You got to bring your cooler. You got to bring all your beverages. My wife and I, when we moved to L.A., we were told immediately like this

is a classic, you're 30 years old in Los Angeles. This is what you do to have a fun time on a Saturday night if you love movies. And we did it many times. And you missed out because we did it many times. And we're like, I don't have nine hours in the middle of the day to do this anymore. But I have a couple of very memorable experiences. One, C.R. and I and Eileen and Phoebe went to go see aliens. And I think both Eileen and Phoebe fell asleep.

And C.R. and I were like in tears, like holding hands, like screaming. We did it. This is America. And then there was. I there was one other time I went with our friends Anna and Clay and I think we saw clueless I don't remember what it was but whatever we saw it was a comedy I think it was a 90s comedy and we uh I think that was my first gummy oh and I just lost control of my mind like I just don't I can't really remember anything other than like really struggling to stumble back out to the street find an Uber but it is very memorable because it happened there and this must have been 2012 2013 okay um it was a fun time yeah I I really would like to go uh Kirsten Dents attended the bring it on was it like a bring it on virgin suicides double header or maybe it was just

bring it on that makes sense virgin suicides in that setting is a little tough sure not not like a party movie it was just bring it on anyway I would have really liked to to be there for that it's cool participatory, but not annoying. Yeah. You know, it's not like Rocky Horror where people are throwing shit. It's just like people know when to clap, they know when to laugh,

they know when to cheer, and you're in a really big group. So that's one that really jumps out to me. There's a rooftop theater in L.A. that my little sister Grace really wanted to visit when she was here, but I was closed

for the entire month while she was here. But that is quite popular too that I think is giving a similar energy, but I've never attended. I think it's the Melrose rooftop. Do you know about that one, Jack? No, no, I don't. Sam knows about it.

Yeah, I don't know. What alternative summer movie experiences? Sitting in my garage. Yeah. I saw Minions The Rise of Gru in my childhood theater with a lot of, you know, minions kids. Okay. That was memorable by myself. Meaning like the little babies of minions or kids who really liked minions.

No. No, this was like the minions, you know, or maybe was it despicable before? Which one was the one where all the children wore the suits? That was Minions the Rise of Crew. That's right. That's what I just said. Yeah, so... Oh, yeah, but you're saying in the movie,

not in the movie theater. What? Let's get to the next question. All right. Moving on to Nathan. About halfway through the year, what are your favorite performances so far this year?

Not necessarily the best, just some that you really enjoyed. I completely overlooked this question. You've got two great answers, though, and I'm going to look at... Number one, Trebalt Tillman, and Mission Impossible, Final Reckoning,

I guess that's not the last time we were going to talk about that movie. To Tom Burke and BlackBag. You want to speak about either of those things? They were really good. The best thing ever in movies this year is Tremel Tillman on screen for the first time. And I think his line is, you must be out of your mind. The first time he sees Tom Cruise.

It is so fun. And the movie just completely shifts. It's like super self-seriousness. So exciting. Other good performances. Well, I really love the Cinder's cast, obviously. I think Miles Caten is like a huge revelation and Delroy Lindo is a personal favorite of mine

So those are two that I would really shout out Haley Steinfeld I would just add while we're on the topic She has the juice for sure Benicio del Toro in Venetian scheme I don't think that we talk about that That's a really really good one I'll say a smaller one I think Deirdre O'Connell in Eddington

Who plays Emma Stone's mother is excellent in that movie And maybe a little bit overlooked Because of the strength of that cast right now You know, Eddington. Yeah, I know. We were there. We got it. Like, it turned.

I don't know what was going on with the can reaction to that movie, but I've talked to a lot of people now who really, really vibed with it and really dig, seeing it again, thinking about it more and trying to unpack it even more. I'm really happy with how that is like, obviously it's not a box office success at all, but it is cool the way the tide has turned. I think Sorry Baby has some really good performances, you know, not just Ava Victor, but first. time I've seen Lucas Hedges in a while. And he's got like a really comfortable energy in that movie. Yeah, he's lovely. And Naomi Aki, too. Yeah, that's a good movie.

Okay, what's the next question? All right, we have two random ones. One for Amanda, one for Sean. For Amanda, Joan needs to know if you picked out your husband's shirt that Andre 3,000 complimented it in the GQ profile video. And one from Bill, Sean, what are some of your favorite answers you've received from what's the last great thing you've seen? you want to do the serious question first no you go first okay um i i actually really appreciate

this question because it gives me a chance to to write a familial wrong uh live in front of everyone so i think not only did i not pick out the shirt in question but i do think that i tried to veto it wow i i was presented with several wardrobe options and in general i would say the subject of men's fashion in my home is much discussed and seldom agreed upon. But Zach is an independent man and wears what he wants to wear. And he picked this shirt and Andre 3000 loved it. And I was wrong. So I'm sorry, Zach. I still think the pants could be a bit smaller. But he was right and I was wrong. I don't remember the last time I've ever heard you say I was wrong

I literally can't remember the last time those words were uttered on this show I think that I say it in my home life more than I do here explains a lot because that is how you survive a marriage and build a relationship with someone I think the same is probably true for me but while we're on this topic of big pants and shirts and other things that I'm not in charge of choosing our friend Nick Sylvester wrote a recent piece about embracing skinny jeans

or reembracing skinny jeans for GQ where my husband also works and Nick that was a great piece persuasive really really enjoyed all of it He's just trying to not have to buy more new pants Which is something all men face in their 40s Nick Silvasser has an album out

Please you know listen And some of the best Instagram content I've seen in some time But I agreed with that piece And I thought that GQ was brave to publish it Uh Yeah I mean, Nick is one of the bravest creative people I've ever met.

The name of his album is stereo music for breakbeats and samplers. And you should listen to it on Spotify or wherever you get your music. What was my question? Oh, yeah, it was about the best answers for that. It's a little hard to remember, to be honest, because I've now done so many of those interviews. One of the most memorable ones is Damien Chazel saying the Coliseum, the literal edifice in Rome.

I could be reading this wrong. That's awesome. It was a good, it was a fair response to an open-ended question. I think he was trying to avoid just saying another movie. Like, and so was trying to pivot as hard away from being like as circumspect as he could in that response. Not trying to be like, aren't I a clever little shit heel with that answer? Okay. I don't think it's a clever shit-heel answer.

I think if you're privileged enough to see the Colise see him in Rome. It's a great thing. It's a wonder. Fair enough. Fair enough. I would say the ones that I like the best are when I don't know what the film is. I like hearing somebody recommend a movie that I like, but it was either the first or the second time that James Gray was on the show. He recommended The Bullfighter and the Lady, which is a movie I hadn't heard of, hadn't seen, and that I eventually saw. And so those are always exciting for me, but I know that there's also that feeling of recognition where someone says something that you really care about. I think at least later this summer,

hopefully we're going to start to share some of those clips of what's the last great thing you've seen on social, which I'm really excited about. So the people who don't listen to the interviews or have forgotten or wanted to make a list of recommendations will be able to get those a little bit more easily too. So that'll be cool.

What's next? Next question comes from Joe. One of my favorite episodes of the show was when you did the movie director game with Sam S. Mail in 2020. Given where we are in 2025 and the movies that have been released, since the initial game,

would you change your answers for the 2000s or 2010s? Who would you say is in the lead for the 2020s? Okay, so just to remind people, I had forgotten, because we did this episode five years ago,

the premise of the game was choose a director whose career as a filmmaker started in a certain decade, and then you get to grab that filmmaker and hold on to them for your lineup,

your roster. We started in the 1940s, and we each chose, me, you and Sam, each chose one director for the 40s, 50, 60, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, and 2010s. Yeah.

So this question is asking us to choose a filmmaker that has started making movies in the 2020s. So in the 2000s and 2010s, I chose Bong Joon Ho and Jordan Peel. Who did you choose? Sophia Coppola and Greta Gerwig.

Now, would you change either of your answers? No. Would you? I think we're 4 for 4. I mean, I feel great about these picks. Yeah. Jack and I both just saw Nope on 70 at the Arrow or the Egyptian

over the weekend. Fire. Everybody who came out was so stoked, such a great movie. So I feel good about those. I don't think I would change anything. You know, it's funny to think about Nolan now, though. Oh. And where my head was about Nolan back then.

Pre-tenant, pre-Oppenheimer. I don't think I wouldn't take Nolan over Bong Joon, personally, regardless. But I think Memento is 2000, right? Yes. Or is it 99? I can remember it's 99 or 2000. It's maybe 2001 because...

Maybe you're right. I thought it was going to be in the 2000 draft, but then it was released later. I think most people would probably go with Christopher Nolan. But it's an interesting... Obviously, I've shifted a lot of my... His last three movies are three of my favorite of his movies. So, anyhow, 2020's directorial debuts of note.

Most people in the 2020s have not made, who debuted in this century, have not made more than one movie in part because of COVID. And then there's a variety of other reasons. You know, I wonder if Ari is in the 2010s is somebody I would consider too. Oh, interesting. Now that Ari is kind of shifting out of the pure horror stuff

because he debuted with Hereditary, then Midsomar, then Beau, and now Eddington. I could, I would consider it. Right. I have such a fondness for his movies. 2020s, was this easy for you? No. It's kind of tough.

Yeah. I know where I'm going right now if I had to pick today. I think that I do too. Do you think I should. read this whole list. Yeah. So Sam has pulled together this list for us.

So here are some really notable debuts of the 2020s. Charlotte Wells, who made Aftersun, Celine Song, who made past lives and has materialists,

of course. Ramele Ross has nickel boys. We kind of discounted that one. That's his feature film debut, but he did have Hale County

as a documentary, so I'm not totally going to count Ramel. Jane Schoenbrun, who had, we're all going to the World's Fair, Core Jefferson,

American Fiction, Emerald Fennel, promising young woman. I don't think that's going to get picked. A. V. Rockwell, who had 1,0001, one of my favorite movies of 2022. Sean Wong, who had Dedy, just last year.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, the lost daughter, has the bride coming up soon. Pyle Capadia, all we imagine is light. Emma Seligman, who has had two movies, Shiva Baby and Bottoms. Darius Martyr, who had Sound of Metal, and I don't know, what's up with Darius Martyr. I hope he's making another movie soon.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, perhaps you've heard of him. He had Tick-Tick, boom. Danny and Michael Philippo, who did talk to me and also did bring her back earlier this year, Zach Kreger for Barbarian and Michael B. Jordan, who did Crete three and has the forthcoming Thomas Crown Affair. So who are you going with? I'm sticking to my guns and I'm doing Slane Song. I thought you might. Yeah. I, past lives, just revelatory and materialists, I definitely thought was really interesting. And also as we've

discussed, the funniest thing of the year, how you all just absolutely lost her minds. And And so by the time this is released in the world, we'll have done Amanda's, like, very extended nervous breakdown about my best friend's wedding, too. Or is it? We'll find out. And who can say how I'm feeling about it when this is released? Unbelievable how the power has shifted on this show. Versus how I'm feeling about it when we record it tomorrow. Right now, I'm still processing.

But, you know, she does like a love triangle. And I like someone who has, she's got a vision. She's got themes she's interested in. She's got genres that she likes working in and genres that I care about as well. So I feel good about it. Emma Sellingman was like in the mix. For me as well. I really like her.

I thought Bottoms was really, really funny. And obviously, she'll be, baby's great. I agree. She's on my short list for sure. The Philipos are on my short list, even though I was a little bit more down on bringing her back. My pick is Zach Craigard. Now, I'm 36 hours away from seeing weapons Okay.

At the time of recording. Okay. Maybe I'd change my mind. Yeah. After I saw it. Maybe not. Okay. Maybe not.

He's making a Resident Evil movie after this. I can't say that's the number one thing I would want him to be doing with his time. Okay. But I am open-minded that he can make a cool Resident Evil movie. There are zombies and need to be killed. Like in our world, in a different world, in a Middle Earth situation. I can't do a more corner with you right now about Resident Evil. I didn't play.

Just one sentence. I didn't play the game, you know, I think it's a post-apocalyptic earth. And evil games series, okay. Here's what you're going to do. Yeah. During your vacation, you watch all of the Paul W.S. Anderson, Miela, the Yoavovich resident, even movies, okay?

And then you come back and you report back to me the details about the world. Okay. Well, right now I'm just reading the history story overview. Okay. International Farm. This is too much information for me. Okay. Someone can let me know in one sentence.

Okay. We have time for two more questions. All right. Our next question comes from Brendan. As movie lovers first and foremost, you have the unique position of watching a large volume of movies for your job. Are there times where watching so much all the time numbs your enjoyment of going to the movies? One example, they give us festivals. If so, what strategies do you use to rejuvenate that passion? Brendan also notes, Amanda, I really hope you get that jam.

Brendan, I'm never getting that jam, but thank you. This has been on my mind lately as I am getting to the very very. very end of an extremely extended period of no proper breakup from this show. Yeah. And I obviously have a very bad movie watching addiction that is bleeding over into unhealthy over the last couple of years. There's a delineation, though. I am still as jazzed as I've ever been in my life about going to the movie theater.

I love going to the movie theater. It is my number one pastime. I was there three times last weekend. I'll be going again twice tomorrow for screen. being in a movie theater seat, especially with sourpatch watermelons and a drink of some kind, is just my favorite feeling, aside from being with my family. And I'm with you, of course, on the show. Seriously. And so I have no issue with that whatsoever. What I am struggling with, especially when we have more research-oriented episodes, or I'm trying to catch up on new stuff

that I know I'm not going to love, is like the powering through the obligatory. And so that is the thing that can kind of grind you down, especially because, you know, it was a lot of work to do the show when you were on leave. I know, I'm sorry. And no, it's not, I mean, that's not your fault, obviously, but it was, it just was. Yeah. And then just continuing through a breakneck Oscar season into summer movies. Right. Plus 25 for 25, yeah.

25 for 25 plus other things we're doing, yes. And we're increasingly doing more screenings and stuff. All of it is magic. Like, I'm really, we're lucky to do it. But what Brendan has identified is very fair. Yeah. I would agree, and I agree with you that, like, the movie theater, the magic experience is still exhilarating, which is like why for me, festivals, at least, you know, festivals where you don't have to stand in line in the snow for three hours, not saying any names, are, like, are amazing. I agree.

I'm really looking forward to them because it is that it is about like the ceremony and the magic and you, like, want to go be seeing movies. But it just kind of, you know, we are beyond lucky that movies are, are. job and that our homework is to be watching a lot of movies that it's like I can't express you how grateful I am. But sometimes when you have to watch like five movies like very quickly for an episode, it's just that it's homework. There is just a different valence between like I'm popping this on because I want to versus veil, you know, I have to get through this by time TBD. So I find that it's more acute with kids too. Yeah. Because your free time is smaller. Totally. So.

I find actually that what's sad is that I wind up watching less like movies in my free time, fewer movies in my free time, which is unfortunate. We watch a lot of sports because it's just something where your mind powers off. Like it is different because I don't work on the sports part of the ringer. And then, yeah, sometimes we'll take breaks. I'm curious how many movies I watch during our time off. And I may well like take a couple weeks just fully off. and and read but I already told Eileen that I don't think I don't think I'll watch any movies when

we go on vacate proper vacation very intentionally we might watch a lot of TV together like in bed like in a hotel but I don't I think I'm going to probably take a full week break which I know sounds like oh you know how brave of you but for me it's really unusual these are like very specific coded to us things also but I think in terms like the broader question of like finding love again at the movies it's it's going to the movies you know it is going it is making it an event which it like still is i echo your experience about festivals too and i honestly love going to three or four movies a day at festivals i think it's a lot of fun i love having my brain super engaged a lot of different kinds of stories and then there's also that great communal aspect

that we were talking about earlier with making friends at film festivals that's a great place to meet people it's a very expensive version of that but there's so much naturally occurring conversation with strangers at festivals because everybody wants to talk about what they've just experienced whilst waiting in line or whatever so I am so jazzed about that part. It's just like

I'm revisiting the ninth movie about dancing and I'm like okay, you know, like for the dance movies episode. That was a very specific hurtful example. Did you ever see Center Stage? No. No, we're waiting for Alice. We talked about this. Oh my God. Okay. Okay. I'm really

excited for Alice. Last question, please. Last question comes from and many, many people sent similar ones. Do you have any predictions for next summer's big titles? Quality, box office performance, anything. I have a few. Yeah. There's a very obvious one, which is The Odyssey.

Yeah. Did you get 70mm tickets? I didn't. And frankly, I don't believe in that. Okay. I don't believe in putting the movie theater tickets on sale one year in advance and trying to create like a black market or whatever that was meant to do. Okay.

I understand eventizing, and I think that's valuable. Yeah. But like movie going is a very democratic. thing. It's like, it is a, it's a mass cultural event. And I'm not saying Chris Nolan is responsible for this or Universal should be shamed. I just, I didn't like it. And I think putting movie theater tickets on sale a month early is fine. But this like eventizing around did you get tickets for Thursday at 7 p.m. Like, you should be trying to get as many people as possible to see the movie. You shouldn't be making people feel like purposefully like left out and then driving ticket prices up on on black

markets for the movies. This isn't a ball game. Like, the movies is, to play round the clock for months in movie theaters. So I wasn't, I'm not trying to lecture anybody about it. I just didn't really like it very much. And so no, I didn't get tickets. Okay. I didn't either, but that's just because I'm not going to buy tickets a year in advance. Who knows what city will be living in? Yeah, I'm not a format nerd like you are. I mean, obviously, I have to see this in 70 millimeter or whatever, but. It would be ideal. Yeah. That's how it's intended. We'll see. Either we will or we won't. Either we will or we won't. I saw Oppenheimer that

way twice and I really was happy that I did it. Untitled Steven Spielberg film. This is coming in June of 2026. I've read that it could be called The Dish. That might also be a fake title. Emily Blunt and Josh O'Connor. Emily Blunt is a pretty significant participant in the movie Jaws at 50 that I mentioned earlier, the documentary about the making of Jaws.

And every person who talked in the movie was either a literal artisan who worked on the film or Guillermo del Toro Deni Villeneuve like J.J. Abrams elevated filmmaker who had a huge admiration and was inspired by the film

and then Emily Blunt she was the only actor actress in the movie talking about how much she loved it and I'm watching the movie and I'm like what the fuck is Emily Blunt in there and I love Emily Blund

it's nothing against her but then I remember that they were making a movie together and that's why she's in that documentary I do also think Zach my husband has had Emily Blunt in like several secondaries

at this point to show up. I think she's very good at it. And he's just like, she's a real pro. Like she, you know, she was good in the dock. Exactly. Like you put a camera and she knows her stuff and she can just talk. So I think maybe, maybe she's well cast.

Could be. Okay. I'm looking forward to that movie. Speaking of movies that Emily Blund is in next summer. Devil Wars Prada too, baby. Is that dated for the summer? It's dated for May 1st. So I'm, I'm counting it.

I'm going to have to, like, mute the paparazzi. accounts at this point. That's going to be a wild episode of this show. But I have like ordered a pair of boots on the reel reel based on one of the photos. They were 37 bucks in my size. You are sick. 37 bucks. Who says no? You adopting Bill Simmons trade machine language in 2025 for boots acquired because of paparazzi photos around the Dev Wars product is actually the end of the ringer. Like we actually have finished our mission. We are full circle. We've completed. We've completed. that we need to achieve. I can't wait for that episode

because, like, I have no emotional investment to the Devil Wars product. I like it, and that's it. Like, I'm just like, I enjoyed it when I saw it. I probably saw it two or three other times.

Okay. But, like, this being in your court now, all this shit going in your direction is so interesting. It's really, really, really intense. I'm, like, I'm stressed out right now. Can I give you my version of the Devil Wars product too?

Masters of the universe? Sure. So here's another true story. Our pal Griffin Newman famously did some voice work for the Masters of the Universe Netflix series and he has he's the plug when it comes to those things

and my daughter as I mentioned on the show with Andy really into Shira really into He-Man and he just like dropped the bag like full of toys and action figures for her like just the care package with a lot of cool stuff

so now we're like really into it I know it's a huge really a kind act by him we did see a weird promo trailer thingy feature at at CinemaCon for Masters of the Universe with Nicholas Galison, who will be He-Man, Prince Adam, and I want to say

Camilla Mendez is she's not sorceress. Who is she in that world? She is Tila. Tila. Actually, Tila was one of the characters who came across the transom. The movie is directed by Travis Knight, who is the son of Phil Knight, the Nike shoe impresario,

and also the director, of many good Leica animated stop motion feature films. He also directed Bumblebee, a not bad Transformers movie. When I was five, He-Man was my religion. I would have, I would have sacrificed blood at He-Man's altar. Re-watching the 1983 series on the big screen with my daughter was a little humbling for what I thought was interesting back then. But I still would love to go back to my adolescence and enjoy this movie. Okay.

I hope it works out for you. Thanks. Boy Story 5. Okay. Don't care. The iPad's the villain. Is that what it is? Isn't it something like that?

Screens are the villain, yeah. That makes a lot of sense. Sure, but also the call's coming from inside the house. New Spider-Man movie. Yeah. With like a Tom Holland one or a drawn one? Tom Holland. Okay.

Not a drawn one. How dare you? Fucking asshole. Supergirl. Yeah. And the dog. Starring Millie Alcock and Crypto. Evil Dead Burn.

Okay. Last night, Eileen and I watched 20 minutes of Evil Dead 2 because I was watching it and then she sat down and she was like, are you watching Evil Dead 2? And I said, yeah. And she kind of said it in a way

that she wanted me to turn it off. And then I did turn it off after 8 minutes and she was like, wait, I want to see what happens. And then we put it back on. And then another 12 minutes went by and then she said, can you turn this off?

That's going to be an exciting sequel to that movie. Directed by Sebastian Vanichek, who made a great French horror movie about spiders a couple of years ago called Infested. And then Flowervale Street. This is the big round question of the summer. Anne Hathaway.

Yeah. David Robert Mitchell's return to movies after Under the Silver Lake. And reportedly there are dinosaurs in this movie. Okay. I can, like, you know, I can only greet these things as they are. Like, I have, it's too much, you know? Under the Silver Lake, Ann Hathaway dinosaurs. Remember that movie?

So, pro- Jurassic World Rebirth. but you're not willing to process Flowervale Street right now. Well, what was that movie where Anne Hathaway is like a monster, you know, or fights a monster? I do. She, uh... Is it like Colossus or something? Colossal? Colossal.

It didn't work for me. So, and... And that's all you're basing this on. We just talked about Devil Wars Prada, too. I know. Also a monster movie. Sure, but those I recognize. And my energy's there, you know?

And who knows how I'll be feeling about Ann Hathaway by the time we get to Flowervale Street? I know how I'll be feeling. I know. She's quite good. You're unwavering, and that's beautiful. You loved Leibis. Can you save my dream to dream for us to send us out? Did I see it?

I don't think I saw it. You didn't see I dream? I don't think so. Didn't we talk about this? Didn't they not see it? Are you familiar? Like, have you seen the play. I've seen the stage musical.

Yeah. I thought it was terrible. I really don't think it's good. So it's just the truth. Okay. I know, like I know the songs and everything. Amanda Seifred, also one of my gals just didn't see it. Sure.

Okay. Russell Crow. Sure. He was miscast. Yeah. Who's the other, is Hugh Jackman? Hugh Jackman is, yeah. Who's the other, there's somebody else too of note.

Well, Sasha Barron Cohen. Eddie Redmayne. Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's the bring him home guy. He says Sasha Baron Cohen. And Helen and Bottom Carter are the Masters of the House. Did you see that Sasha Baron Cohen was revealed?

to be Mephisto on the Ironheart series on Disney Plus? I actually do need to leave. Anyway, great mailbag. Thank you to all of the wonderful listeners. This will be the last, like I said, extended conversation between us for a long period of time. In fact, don't contact me on your vacation.

I don't want to hear from you. I'm just kidding. Please text me. Thanks to Jack Sanders. Yeah. For his work on this episode. And I'll be back later this week to talk about weapons. See you then.

You know,