Aerial Shot

After some tough deliberation, Taylor Lehman decided on a TMNT action-comedy that came out five years before we were born. Why exactly? Well, you’ll have to listen to find out. As we get into on the podcast, my history with TMNT is essentially non-existent, so you’ll get the perspectives of a fan and a clueless watcher. Which is what it’s all about, I think. Anyway, we had a lot to say. Some of it...

Back in the day, Kathrine Schulze and I ran a relatively successful (popularity-wise, not monetarily) newsletter called Six Pack in which we recommended things. Many … many people went out of their way to tell me that they liked her recs more. Well, now we’ll see if that’s still the case. Kathrine and I saw Under the Silver Lake on streaming back when it came out in 2018, and she was still living...

We’ve done it. This is the tenth Aerial Shot Movie Club podcast, and to mark the double-digits, here are my mother (Caryn Gottfried) and I breaking down everything The Devil Wears Prada . I also found out a few hours earlier that I’ll have to get surgery this summer because of how bad my sleep apnea has gotten, so you take the good and you take the bad, I guess. We discuss the chaos at Runway maga...

The Oscars are finally (after what felt like decades) done. And so now it’s time to relax a little by watching a World War I thriller from seven years ago. That’s right; it’s 1917 time, starring George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, a bunch of big names spread out over 119 minutes and my former Sober Up podcasting partner, Ben Wittenstein. No, Ben’s not in the movie … I think. But the Chicago nativ...

It's here! Almost... Jake, Erica and I break down this year's Oscars, from the favorites to the Timothée Chalamet of it all to the Sinners wave. Will One Battle sweep? Will Sean Penn show up? What did Jake say that needed to get cut out of the episode? All that and more in this very special episode. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.substack.com/subscribe

Ice Princess, starring Michelle Trachtenberg, Hayden Panettiere and one of the more insane movie moms played by Joan Cusack, came out in 2005. And over the last 21 years, I’ve seen this movie more than nearly any other film. Mostly because Hannah had it on DVD as well as a poster of it in her room and was obsessed with it. For those who don’t know, Hannah was/is a figure skater and competed in nat...

Amélie came out 25 years ago and immediately became an international hit and surprise awards player. We’re 25 years late to podcast about it, but as Amélie Poulain says, “I had two heart attacks, an abortion, did crack... while I was pregnant. Other than that, I’m fine.” With that said, Taylor Eisenhauer and I broke down the French romantic comedy, which was a critical watch for her growing up, an...

It only seemed right to make this month’s Aerial Shot: Movie Club Christmas-themed. Hence, we had to bring in Erica, who chose National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation , directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik, written by John Hughes and starring Chevy Chase. I’ve never actually seen this one before, so there was a lot to catch up on. I think I did okay. We had a great time breaking down the 1989 holiday cla...

As much as any of you care about the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, I can promise you that Antara Sinha cares more. Which is why she’s this month’s guest for the revered Aerial Shot: Movie Club . Although I originally thought we were going for The Curse of the Black Pearl , I should’ve known better. There’s no Bill Nighy as Davy Jones in that first movie, nor a cannibal island or a human hams...

Hi. I’m currently in Florida for work. It’s been very busy, so I’m not writing much. But here’s a New York Film Festival recap with Jake Richards and Erica Steward, featuring a boatload of tangents. The festival was incredible. Go see Sentimental Value . Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.substack.com/subscribe

It’s been 17 years since the first Kristen Stewart-Robert Pattinson film, which is as good a time as any to look back at the biting, the sparkles and the Anna Kendrick of it all. Of course, as all Aerial Shot Movie Clubs go, this was our guest’s pick. And that guest is Melanie Whyte. A media maven, pop-culture junkie and Twilight shirt haver, it makes so much sense that Melanie would go for the Ca...

Greta Gerwig’s Little Women premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on December 7, 2019. Lauren Saxe and I were there. In the nearly six years since, both of us have seen the masterful adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott book so many times, so it only felt right that Lauren chose this for the Aerial Shot Movie Club . It’s a romantic heartbreaker, a laugh-out-loud comedy and should p...

The 1984 horror-comedy, Gremlins, directed by Joe Dante, is many things: A fever dream, a Christmas movie, a teenage romance, a treatise on bad dads and, of course, this week’s Aerial Shot Movie Club , all thanks to Jake Richards. The two of us break down Mogwai, eating after midnight and 2019 Best Picture winner Green Book … obviously. Also, frequent guest Erica Steward makes an appearance. As Bi...

Welcome to Aerial Shot Movie Club , a monthly podcast in which one of my friends picks a movie, and then we watch it and discuss it. I don't think that's very complicated. Molly Longman (our first-ever guest!) and I break down The Lion King (1994). You've probably seen it. We discuss a bunch of things, and there may or may not be some singing in there. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot....

Well, we did it. Kind of. Along with my year-end list of every new movie I saw in 2024 , I wanted to try my hand at picking all of the major categories: What I’d select for Best Picture, Best Director and so on. Instead of just writing that all out (and making you scroll and scroll and scroll), we did a podcast instead, which is just writing but easier. Friends, filmgoers and past guests Antara Si...

Jake and I answer some questions from Erica on the Toronto International Film Festival. It's a fun time. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.substack.com/subscribe

We drafted movie characters we would throw our lives away for. It was (as always) chaotic. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.substack.com/subscribe

Jake and I had a lot of thoughts and takes when it comes to The Neon Demon , so we decided to recap it for his wife, Erica, who hates horror-ish movies and gore but loves to know the twisty plots. So now, here we are. Here’s almost an hour of Jake and I describing the plot of a movie to someone who has no desire to ever see it. It’s quite the podcast. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.s...

Taylor, Antara and I drafted movies that are coming out over the rest of 2023. All 15 movies should be somewhere between good to great to Killers of the Flower Moon . We may not get Dune , but we’ll be alright. At least, that’s what I keep on telling myself. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.substack.com/subscribe

I asked Ben and Jake to join me to rank our personal top fives from the esteemed director. Well, we also asked Matt, but he had flooding problems, so he provided us with our list and dealt with that (probably) more important thing. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.substack.com/subscribe

Summer technically starts on June 21st, but I’m sweating and my allergies are killing me, so it’s summer now. Those are the rules. With that said, a few of us—yours truly, joined by fellow unhinged movie watchers Taylor Eisenhauer and Antara Sinha—met up to draft 2023 Summer Movies . There are coughs galore and many a complaint, so you should know that going in. Get full access to Aerial Shot at a...

Hey. What’s up? We’ve got a new pod this week, and it sounds great. Jake and I talk through the unbelievable John Wick franchise for a bit and then make top-five lists (of course) for the best-looking movies of the 21st century. We use some $5 terms like “cinematography” and “crane shot,” but it really comes down to us thinking something to the extent of hell yeah, that looks cool . Get full acces...

Here's a movie auction pod that's partially a movie auction pod. Get full access to Aerial Shot at aerialshot.substack.com/subscribe

Hi there. We’ve got a short Aerial Shot newsletter this week (at least when it comes to writing) as there’s a 90-minute-ish podcast you can listen to. It’s just a bunch of guys talkin’ movies. The first podcast to accomplish such a task. It’s a bit of a mess, but what else would you expect? If you don’t want to listen or you’ve already listened (thank you) and want to check out some of the films,...

Don’t Worry Darling is missing a comma. It’s missing a lot of things, but I can’t get over the comma that should be in the title. This is ostensibly a BIG movie. It features an international pop sensation, one of the best young actors in the world (Florence Pugh, of course), a stacked cast and a director coming off of a popular debut. And yet … they can’t even get the title right. It’s a microcosm...