We're Watching Here

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to view the new documentary Safe for the Whole Family: How to Make a Christian Superstar . I really appreciated the movie — you can go back and read my review — which seemed like it was made for someone like me, who grew up entrenched in Christian subculture and is still trying to untangle all the knots that came with that. I had the opportunity to talk with...

I missed this. The last time Perry and I sat down to record an episode of We’re Watching Here , we were talking about the then-new releases The Odyssey and The Invite . We try to record at least once a month, but August, September and much of October were blurs of vacations, back-to-school responsibilities, family engagements, day jobs and marching bands. So, it was the highlight of my week to fir...

I’m really enjoying the opportunity to do these Chrisicisms Conversations. As much as I love talking about art, faith and how they intersect, what I love even more is chatting with people who also love those conversations. So, this has been a treat, and I hope you’ll go back and listen to some of the other interviews I’ve done — these are all people whose work and views I admire, so I feel very fo...

This is another super-sized episode, so I’ll keep this brief. I’m really glad that Perry and I had a chance to sit down and catch up on two very different films, both of which I greatly enjoyed. I caught Olivia Wilde’s The Invite about a week ago, and I was really disappointed time didn’t allow for me to write it up in detail. I’m sure I’ll draft something about it eventually as we get closer to t...

Chris and Perry talk Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day and then continue their David Lynch retrospective with 2001's Mulholland Drive . Get full access to Chrisicisms at chrisicisms.substack.com/subscribe

* Purchase Unveil and Unleash Your Creative Purpose * Creative Icons website Get full access to Chrisicisms at chrisicisms.substack.com/subscribe

Read Jeffrey Overstreet's work at JeffreyOverstreet.com Buy Lost and Found in the Cathedral of Cinema Get full access to Chrisicisms at chrisicisms.substack.com/subscribe

Chris and Perry celebrate 100 episodes of  We're Watching Here by discussing the film criticism that has impacted them.    Show notes:  "David and Goliath" by Pauline Kael  Aliens review by Roger Ebert  "Formerly Dangerous" newsletter by Drew McWeeny  "Note on Film Noir" by Paul Schrader Jeffrey Overstreet's "All Thumbs Reviews" ( To the Wonder , Iron Man 3 , Before Midnight , Her )  The Lone Rang...

Chris and Perry are joined by Emma Seibert to talk about season two of the HBO Max drama The Pitt . Get full access to Chrisicisms at chrisicisms.substack.com/subscribe

Chris and Perry talk the theology, filmmaking and controversy of Martin Scorsese's 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ. Get full access to Chrisicisms at chrisicisms.substack.com/subscribe

It’s always a joy to hop on the mic and talk with Perry about movies, but there’s perhaps no greater time than right after the Oscars. Perry’s one of the great Oscars experts and analysts, and I’m always excited to talk about the year’s winners, losers, and the show itself. This year, we talk about One Battle After Another taking home Best Picture and Best Director trophies, among others, as well...

Chris and Perry talk about the Oscar Best Picture nominees and then delve in for a lengthy discussion about David Lynch's very normal and easy to define Lost Highway . Get full access to Chrisicisms at chrisicisms.substack.com/subscribe

This year has been off to a wild start. My day job often starts the year with a project that takes a lot of time, so I haven’t had much of a moment to dedicate to this newsletter. Hopefully in the coming days, I’ll have more for you; yes, I need to finally get around to that Wake Up Dead Man piece. Hopefully this week or next. But in the meantime, Perry and I were able to get some time together to...

Ugh, I’m getting bad at this. After a long period where Perry and I struggled to find time to record and often ended up going months without syncing up for We’re Watching Here , we finally have hit on a good rhythm. The problem is that my computer acts up or I get pulled into other obligations when it’s time to edit or post. We’ll get there someday. But that shouldn’t affect your enjoyment of our...

I’m publishing this later than I’d hoped, and it’s a long and boring story. Perry and I recorded our podcast episode for Blue Velvet a little over a week back, but it was stuck on a computer I was having some issues with. So, it’s just hitting now. But, seeing as how we’re talking about a movie that’s nearly 40 years old, I guess it’s still evergreen. For reasons I describe in the podcast, Blue Ve...

Perry and I are back for a new We’re Watching Here , and we didn’t need to apologize for the delay! Just as we’d promised, we returned just a few weeks after our last episode because we have a lot to discuss. First, in our “What We’re Watching” segment, Perry talks about the new indie drama Sorry, Baby and I chat about the documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse . Then, we bother...

Hey everyone. As I explain in the early minutes of this podcast, it took Perry and I a minute to continue our talk about David Lynch because his sophomore film, The Elephant Man , is off streaming and out of print. Thankfully, I was able to track down a copy at my library, and we talk a bit about Lynch’s stirring, emotional film. Because it had been a sec’ since we recorded, Perry and I also decid...

I get into it a bit in the episode, but this is another episode coming after an unanticipated break for We’re Watching Here . Chalk it up to streaming services’ decision to remove The Elephant Man from all platforms and a busy Easter month. But Perry and I are back with a vengeance! I talk a bit about my time listening to Francis Ford Coppola , a recent viewing of Coppola’s Apocalypse Now , and th...

Hey everyone! I might be taking a break from writing about movies , but that hasn’t stopped me from talking about them! Perry and I are back, as promised, with a new We’re Watching Here . My apologies that it’s coming a bit after the Oscars; Perry and I recorded this a week prior to posting, but I didn’t get a chance to edit it for a bit. It’s a quick episode, but it’s jam-packed. We catch up on t...

It’s been a minute since Perry and I sat down to talk movies for We’re Watching Here ; probably because we were too busy watching movies in the end of the year onslaught. But we’re back in business, just in time to talk about this week’s Oscar nominations. There’s a lot to talk about here. How do we feel about an Anora/The Brutalist Best Picture matchup? Who was snubbed? What were our favorite mov...

I’m tired. As I write this, we’re two weeks out our critics group’s votes for the best movies of 2024. I have 14 days and roughly 20-25 movies that I’m still trying to plow through. Jumping into screeners, I’m trying to average at least a film a day. This weekend, I’m hoping to see at least four films somehow. The Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving, I’ll sit in a theater with my critic buddies...

It’s been a hot minute since Perry and I have been able to find time to record. Life’s just been a bit busy, with kids’ sports, work craziness, travel, illness and everything else you can imagine. So, when we sat down to record our latest We’re Watching Here episode earlier this week, there was a lot to talk about. Perry and I start by catching up on some things we’d been watching on our own, incl...

Hey everyone! I’m going to make this quick, because Perry and I have a jam-packed episode in store for you. Mid-summer is such a busy time for movie critics that it’s hard to single out time to watch and focus on just one old movie. So, Perry and I got together to talk about some new ones and some old ones. Listen to hear us discuss The Bike Riders, A Quiet Place: Day One, Twisters, Love Lies Blee...

Man, time got away from me on the We’re Watching Here front. I didn’t realize it until I sat down to post this episode, but the last podcast Perry and I had recorded was our March Oscars post-mortem. Vacations and some general life craziness made it a bit difficult for me to find time to record, but I don’t want anyone to take this as a sign that we’re tiring of this show. We’ve been doing it for...

I’m going to keep this pretty brief, because you know what this is from the title. But Sunday was the 96th annual Academy Awards, and one of my favorite traditions is my annual post-mortem with Perry for our We’re Watching Here podcast. Perry and I jumped on Zoom earlier this week to chat about the show and its winners — we don’t agree on everything here! — and it was a great time. You’re getting...