Never Seen It Podcast

In this episode, we dive deep into Backdraft (1991) , the classic firefighter thriller directed by Ron Howard and starring Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert De Niro, and Donald Sutherland. We explore how Backdraft blends action, mystery, and emotional storytelling through its central theme of brotherhood—both literal and symbolic. The film follows two feuding firefighter brothers navigating a...

In this episode of The Never Seen It Podcast , we take on one of the wildest low-budget horror films out there: Llamageddon (2015). Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like—a killer llama from outer space terrorizing a group of unsuspecting partygoers. We’re joined by special guest Mel, a film content creator and horror enthusiast, who brings her love of low-budget cinema and creature features to the...

In this episode, we break down Eyes Wide Shut, the final film from legendary director Stanley Kubrick. We explore how this psychological drama blends erotic tension, conspiracy, and philosophical themes into a deeply unsettling look at relationships and power. We start by examining the film’s central conflict: what happens when emotional intimacy becomes more threatening than physical infidelity?...

In this episode, we sit down to discuss Rental Family , a deeply emotional and thought-provoking film that explores loneliness, identity, and the human need for connection. Through Brendan Fraser’s vulnerable performance as a struggling actor in Japan, the film introduces us to the world of “rental families”—a service where people hire others to play roles in their lives. We unpack how the film us...

In this episode, we dive deep into JCVD and unpack the complicated legacy of Jean-Claude Van Damme as both an action icon and a serious actor. We ask the big question: is JCVD actually a great actor, or is he just wildly inconsistent? We start by analyzing Van Damme’s performance, highlighting how he delivers genuinely powerful acting in select moments—particularly in emotionally vulnerable scenes...

In this episode, we welcome Guy Rosefelt—engineer, event producer, and longtime contributor to the worlds of film, television, and Comic-Con culture—for a wide-ranging and deeply entertaining conversation. We kick things off by exploring Guy’s unique career path, from engineering and Air Force service to working behind the scenes in live entertainment production. His journey highlights how creativ...

In this special episode, we revisit the Academy Awards with a full Oscars recap and analysis , breaking down the biggest wins, shocking snubs, and ongoing debates shaping the film industry. We take a deep dive into the Best Picture race , comparing One Battle After Another and Sinners , and discuss why one film ultimately took home the top prize while the other may have captured audiences’ hearts....

In this episode, we take a deep dive into Trainspotting, the 1990's grunge classic directed by Danny Boyle that redefined indie filmmaking in the 1990s. We explore how the film captures the gritty reality of heroin addiction, toxic friendships, and the nihilistic mindset of a generation rejecting traditional life paths. We discuss standout performances, especially from Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton...

In this special Oscars preview episode of The Never Seen It Podcast , we sit down with Castle Rock Film Festival director and filmmaker Hunter Burns to break down the biggest contenders heading into the 2026 Academy Awards. From the major categories to the overlooked technical achievements, we dive deep into what films might dominate the night and which ones could surprise everyone. We start by di...

In this episode of The Never Seen It Podcast , we discuss Marty Supreme , the 2025 period sports drama directed by Josh Safdie and set in the early 1950s. Marketed as an Oscar contender, the film follows Marty Mauser, a young man obsessed with becoming the world’s greatest ping pong champion. But beneath the sports movie surface, we found something deeper. We explore whether Marty is truly an anti...

In this episode of The Never Seen It Podcast , we dive deep into Fantastic Four: First Steps , the latest reboot of Marvel’s First Family, and ask the big question: Did Marvel finally get it right? We explore how this new take stacks up against the previous Fantastic Four films—including the early 2000s version starring Jessica Alba and the 2015 reboot—and whether this 2025 iteration feels like a...

In this episode of The Never Seen It Podcast , we dive into Guillermo del Toro’s highly anticipated 2025 adaptation of Frankenstein . We’re joined by Arnie, Amber, Alex (aka Filipino Grigio), Chris (MilkmanAmerica), and Donnie for a wild, funny, and surprisingly deep discussion about one of literature and cinema’s most iconic monsters. We kick things off by talking about why this movie was chosen,...

In this episode of The Never Seen It Podcast , we dive headfirst into Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” one of the most talked-about films of the 2025–2026 awards season. With a stacked cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Chase Infinity, Regina Hall, Wood Harris, Tony Goldwyn, and Benicio Del Toro , this film has quickly become a lightning rod for controver...

In this episode, we take on Good Boy (2025) —a haunting, emotionally strange horror film told largely through the eyes of a dog. The movie follows Indy, a loyal pup who moves with his owner Todd to a rural family home that may—or may not—be cursed. What begins as an eerie atmosphere slowly unfolds into something deeper, as the house, the illness, and the past all seem to blur together. We talk abo...

In this episode of The Never Seen It Podcast , we take a deep, thoughtful, and often hilarious look at Train Dreams (2025), the Clint Bentley–directed period drama starring Joel Edgerton , Felicity Jones , and a scene-stealing William H. Macy . Chosen by special returning guest Chris (MilkmanAmerica) , Train Dreams is described as “a thinking movie and a feeling movie” that challenges the idea of...

In this episode of Never Seen It , we unpack Bugonia (2025), the latest mind-bending film from director Yorgos Lanthimos , and one of his most deceptively accessible movies to date. We went in blind—and quickly found ourselves spiraling into questions about conspiracy culture, corporate power, alienation (literal and metaphorical), and how trauma reshapes reality. We break down the film’s central...

In our latest episode of Never Seen It, we finally take on Zack Snyder’s 2011 cult favorite (and critical punching bag), Sucker Punch . What starts as a discussion about flashy visuals and over-the-top action quickly evolves into a deeper conversation about interpretation, symbolism, and whether the film has been unfairly dismissed over the years. We talk through the film’s central premise: a youn...

In this episode, we finally tackle Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, a film that has only grown more divisive with time. We approach it not just as a Tarantino film, but as a meditation on Hollywood nostalgia, aging masculinity, and the mythmaking power of cinema itself. We start by talking about the film’s loose, meandering structure and how it operates more like a hangout movie...

In this episode, we sit down to discuss Left-Handed Girl , the 2025 film directed by Shih-Ching Tsou , making her long-awaited solo directorial debut after years of collaboration with Sean Baker ( Take Out , Tangerine , Anora ). The film follows a mother and her two daughters as they relocate to Taipei to open a noodle stand in a bustling night market, hoping for a fresh start—only to find that fa...

In this episode of Never Seen It , we finally sit down with Joe Dante’s Gremlins (1984) , a movie that somehow balances Christmas cheer, creature-feature horror, slapstick comedy, and sharp social commentary all at once. We talk about watching Gremlins through fresh eyes, especially for those of us who only remembered scattered images from childhood like Gizmo in the toy car, the bar scene, or Str...

In this end-of-year wrap-up episode of the Never Seen It Podcast , we take a step back from our usual deep dives and instead run through a rapid-fire list of movies that stood out to us this year, an intentionally uncomfortable storyfilms we watched, argued about, and couldn’t stop thinking about, even if they never got a full episode of their own. We kick things off by reflecting on the sheer vol...

In this episode, we dive deep into the film’s powerful and unsettling portrayal of schizophrenia, paying special attention to how the sound design creates an authentic sense of what it feels like to hear literal voices in your head. We talk about how the film uses audio to make the audience experience the same eerie confusion, fear, and disorientation that someone with schizophrenia might face. We...

In this episode, we take a deep dive into The Black Phone and unpack the film’s blend of real-world horror and supernatural mystery. We explore how Derrickson uses 1970s true-crime anxieties, child abductions, and local paranoia to ground the story’s paranormal elements, while also asking whether the film fully commits to either side of its identity. We break down Ethan Hawke’s chilling performanc...

In this episode, we're cracking open the containers and digging into the 2004 (released 2008) indie gem, Take Out , co-directed by the brilliant Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou. We are the Never Seen It podcast, and we're all about fresh perspectives on films we should have seen by now. We start by discussing why we chose this film, connecting it to the San Diego Asian Film Festival and the new wor...

In this episode of the Never Seen It podcast, we sit down together and unpack Ryan Coogler’s 2025 vampire horror film Sinners. We went into this one with a mix of hype and curiosity, and the conversation pretty much exploded in every direction because the movie gives us a lot to work with. We talk about how the film blends genres, how it holds back on revealing its horror elements until almost an...