Least Important Things

Every autumn, millions of us chase that specific brand of nostalgia: the crunch of leaves underfoot, the glowing jack-o'-lanterns, and the thrill of getting free candy while dressed up as a beloved character. Thankfully, you can find this in one 1966 animated TV special. In this essay episode, Luke Ferris takes a deep dive into It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966), examining why Bill...

How can the most boring movie you've ever seen become one of the most awe-inspiring? Just 25 years and a bit of perspective.  In this episode, host Luke Ferris reflects on revisiting Lawrence of Arabia —the one film he famously fell asleep to as a child. He discusses its lasting impact on iconic modern filmmakers and how revisiting classic cinema with fresh eyes can offer unexpected comfort a...

Plane travel is painful, but picking the right in-flight movie can turn a cramped cabin into the ultimate modern-day video store. In this essay episode, host Luke Ferris explores high-altitude cinematic comfort, the survival art of airplane movie marathons, and how a well-chosen double feature can help you endure even the most unbearable of seatmates. --- Sources for this episode: https://www.scie...

Four men. Eight categories. Four created action movies. One draft.  It's the first-ever Least Important Things Action Movie Draft! Luke Ferris is joined by his LIT henchmen, Mike Wynne, Andy Warsen, and Zach Hall, to draft and build four perfect action movies.  Click here to play along.  Send us Fan Mail Catch new episodes of Least Important Things every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts...

The smell of dead leaves, chili, football, fresh pencils, sweaters, and hot beverages.  Yes, it is Autumn, fall, or whatever you want to call it and Least Important Things is back for season five to give you some scenario-specific movie recommendations as we embrace the cozy season.  --- Catch new episodes of Least Important Things every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube . Suppo...

Find out what's coming in Least Important Things season five. Episodes drop every Tuesday starting September 29.   --- Catch new episodes of Least Important Things every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube . Support Least Important Things on Patreon You can be part of the show by leaving a voicemail here . You can email the show at leastimportantthings@gmail.com or reach out...

Class is in session, and the reports are due. It’s the Least Important Things season four finale and the last episode of The Mummycast. In this episode, you’ll uncover all the “other mummy movies” throughout film history. From the 1932 Boris Karloff classic to the Scorpion King spin-offs, we’re discussing the evolution and strange turns mummy-based movies have taken for almost a century.  Host Luk...

Dank humidity, fresh-cut grass, sweat-soaked shirts, and hot rubber. Ask any former gridiron athlete, and they’ll recognize the chemical memory of August football—a potent mix of nostalgia, excitement, and dread.  In this essay episode, host Luke Ferris reflects on the brutal rites of late-summer pre-season, the sensory time machine of mandatory two-a-day practices, and how a millennial sports cla...

“Here’s to Imoteph. May the bugger actually come back for this movie, please.” We’re dividing and conquering as we complete the trilogy to talk about the oft-forgotten third installment of The Mummy franchise for our special rewatch series, The Mummycast . It’s The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor!   Host Luke Ferris is joined by geopolitical history expert Mike Wynne and someone we didn’t recast...

“The Dude abides.” We’re pouring a White Russian and heading back to 1990s Los Angeles to break down the Coen Brothers’ iconic cult classic, The Big Lebowski .   In this essay episode, host Luke Ferris takes a solo dive into the film’s unique balance of LA noir, system structures, and cultural iconography. Despite The Dude being everywhere in modern pop culture, Luke shares what it was like watchi...

Take a trip back to the hazy, sun-drenched Midwestern heat of July 2014. Host Luke Ferris takes the solo mic for a deeply personal essay episode reflecting on a formative, vagabond summer spent house-crashing, working menial internships, and driving endless miles across Michigan. It was a season of isolation, cheap beer, and beautiful mundanity—all set to a heavy, mystic, and psychedelic soundtrac...

The Mummy Returns …again? Zach Hall and Mike Wynne join Luke Ferris for the second installment of The Mummycast, our franchise rewatch series on The Mummy.  This time, the boys return to the dessert for the often derided follow-up to the 1999 classic to discuss everything from Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson’s infamous digital film debut to Horus the falcon, the real hero of the story.  --- Ca...

Every year on the 4th of July, Luke Ferris and his friends watch 2004’s National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage. But why? In this essay episode, you’ll uncover the treasure map of how this tradition started, including:  National Treasure ’s generational legacy.  The best National Treasure moments and quotes. Why National Treasure was memorable before it became a meme. And the meaning of the annual...

“The cinema substitutes for our gaze a world more in harmony with our desires.” - Andre Bazin We are strapping into our theater seats and preparing our senses for the overwhelming, practical-effects-driven world of cinema's premiere modern master—Christopher Nolan. Host Luke Ferris takes a deeply personal journey through the filmography of his generational director, tracking how a filmmaker c...

In this rewind episode, Luke Ferris reflects on why the World Cup is so popular, how it generates moments of human joy, and why you should tune in this year.  --- Catch new episodes of Least Important Things every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube . Support Least Important Things on Patreon You can be part of the show by leaving a voicemail here . You can email the show at least...

Press play if you'd rather be watching the 1999 cinematic masterpiece The Mummy (and its sequels) starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz.   Host Luke Ferris is joined by Mike Wynne and Zach Hall to kick off the inaugural "Mummycast" franchise rewatch to celebrate the movie that simply refuses to die, 1999's  The Mummy .  In this episode, we dive into: The Mummy Still Delivers...

It’s the time for beaches, bonfires, basking in the afternoon sunshine, going on roadtrips, and it’s also one of the most exciting seasons for movies. But here’s the challenge when picking a summertime flick: choosing a movie. The last thing you want to do is have a debate over which movie to watch to dampen the mood.  But have no fear, Luke Ferris is here. In this essay episode, Luke guides you t...

In honor of the 25th anniversary of Jurassic Park III , we're bringing back an episode from the vault via the podcast that started it all– Jurassic Pod .  In this episode, Luke Ferris and Mike Wynne break down the uniqueness of this trilogy within the franchise and in filmmaking.  Dr. Alan Grant unknowingly returns to Isla Sorna to save more children. Can he overcome the ghosts of his past an...

Did JAWS and Star Wars ruin cinema?  In this essay episode, Luke Ferris dives into why the 1970s were a critical decade in film history because of the two trajectories of its young, creative talent. One path, like Spielberg, Lucas, and De Palma, was to create universally appealing genre films. The others, like Scorsese and Coppola, chose to create serious dramatic works focusing on the countercult...

There’s a forgotten form of writing, often ostracized by the publishing world, that deserves a reclamation–the novelization,  In this essay episode, Luke Ferris dives into the "pulpy" and often misunderstood world of novelizations. Far from just being simple marketing gimmicks, these books offer a unique way to engage with our favorite films, filling in lore gaps and letting us spend mor...

What happens when you give an auteur director and the biggest movie stars in the world an all-expenses-paid trip to Europe to create a bombastic sequel?  The often misunderstood Ocean’s Twelve.   In this essay episode, Luke Ferris makes a case for Ocean’s Twelve and the brilliance behind this often derided sequel.  --- Catch new episodes of Least Important Things every Tuesday wherever you get you...

“Do you think we need one more? Do you think we need one more… Okay, we’ll get one more.”  We’re assembling the crew and heading to America’s playground to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Steven Soderbergh’s effortlessly cool heist masterpiece, O cean's Eleven .   Host Luke Ferris is joined by his own "Rusty" and "Linus"—Andy Warsen and Mike Wynne—to break down why this...

In this essay episode, Luke Ferris explores the evocative power of film scores and why we find such deep resonance in the music that follows us long after the credits roll. Luke will examine how soundtracks allow us to rewatch movies in our minds and provide thematic connection beyond the screen. We’ll dive into: A Mental Rewatch: Why listening to a score allows your mind to wander back into the m...

For those of us in northern climates, spring break is a strange American pastime—a desperate search for vitamin D to escape the "sprinter" (spring-winter) slush. But for the "holdovers" who stay behind, the empty streets and gray skies offer a different kind of magic: the cinema. In this essay episode, Luke Ferris explores the unique nostalgia of the spring break movie season....

After five moves in five years, Luke Ferris is finally unpacking the last of his boxes—the ones that contain his most precious cargo: his record collection. In this essay episode, we explore the strange power of things that finally make us feel at home. --- Catch new episodes of Least Important Things every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube . Support Least Important Things on Pa...