Chillpak Hollywood Presents ...

After comparing notes on their forthcoming respective travel plans, Dean and Phil roll up their sleeves and discuss the 25th anniversary of “The Lone Gunmen” series. Then, in what will be a multi-week exploration, they begin to delve into Time Out’s list of the 100 Greatest Movie Theaters in the World that are still in operation. The movie business is foremost on their minds these days, and they p...

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths . Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents … , those list...

The gentlemen continue their ruminations on what should be in a modern, arts-focused “Declaration of Independence” (a manifesto, if you will) … For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. N...

Dean and Phil discuss the fallout from Paramount supposedly closing the deal to acquire Warner Bros. and its assets. They celebrate the feat that Richard Linklater became the first-ever American filmmaker to achieve this week. They review three new genre films: a horror sequel ( 28 Days Later: The Bone Temple ), an homage/deconstruction of 1960s Eurospy movies ( Reflection in a Dead Diamond ), and...

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths . Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents … , those list...

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include … *Wine-based cocktails *Explosionism Rock *Co...

After discussing the latest news regarding Netflix, their attempts to purchase Warner Bros, and what the current President of the U.S.A. is demanding they do, Dean and Phil talk about more of the intriguing movies coming out in 2026 (including period pieces, biopics, and crime films). Hollywood still hasn’t recovered from the dual strikes of a few years back, and with the negotiations for new cont...

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include … *The AI-generated fight sequence that has se...

Welcome to part two of the inaugural episode of the newest podcast in the “Chillpak Hollywood Presents …” extended universe! If you have yet to avail yourself of part one , please do so now! Today’s show picks up the conversation in progress as Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness take a “Deep Dive” into the legacy of actor Robert Redford as a leading man. Specifically of interest to your friends in pod...

Your friends in podcasting discuss Netflix’s (perhaps misleading) embrace of movie theaters, they celebrate the resurrection of Todd Hayne’s seemingly dead but now forthcoming detective film (with Pedro Pascal replacing Joaquin Phoenix), and an upcoming movie starring Simon Pegg, Sofia Boutella and Quentin Tarantino. Nia DaCosta’s Hedda gets analyzed, as does the Thai comedy A Useful Ghost and the...

Welcome to the newest podcast in the “Chillpak Hollywood Presents …” extended universe! In many ways, our recent expansion of Chillpak Hollywood Hour here on Substack was inspired by our desire to take some of Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ longer form conversations and put them in one place where people can easily find them by topic. For example in late 2024, your friends in podcasting spent a l...

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week’s topics include … *Anti-woke warriors and how often while crit...

It’s part two of a special two-part episode! 2025 was a truly great year in cinema and Dean and Phil have a great many topics to discuss as they each reveal their Top 5 films from the year that was (consult Year 19 Episode 39 for their #10 thru #6 selections). Afterwards, they take a look at, perhaps, the most promising fantasy film to be coming out in 2026! So, keep those streaming queues handy....

If you have yet to listen to this week’s “ Celebrity Deaths ”, you may want to do so, as certain topics covered on this new installment of “The Art Life” relate back to that episode’s remembrances of controversial “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams, and the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir … For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold...

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths . Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents … , those list...

It’s part one of a special two-part episode! After a rather hilarious cold open, Dean and Phil immediately get down to the serious (ridiculous?) business of counting down their respective lists of the Top Ten Best Films of 2025. This week, they reveal #10 thru #6 on their lists. As with years past, Dean’s list includes films he has hopefully seen, and Phil’s list stretches the definition of “ten”...

According to this week’s episode, this show is “where it’s at!” For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents … “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week...

(2016, Photo by Lily Holleman) Phil is playing hurt with a nasty head cold. Dean is braving the sub-zero temperatures. And somehow, they manage to bring you one of the most epic installments yet of YOUR Chillpak Hollywood Hour! They start the show by discussing some of the upcoming 2026 cinematic releases that the Criterion Collection has on their list of the films they are most anticipating. Then...

On this episode, host Phil Leirness applauds a couple of Marc Hershon’s past television recommendations. Phil then runs through IMDB’s list of the ten most anticipated new shows coming in 2026 to see which ones Marc finds most compelling. This is particularly informative as Marc places these shows in helpful contexts. Finally, Marc concludes the proceedings by discussing a handful of new seasons o...

How is America, right now, best described as a person “freaking out at a vending machine”? How is a good conversation best described as a “hallway with infinite doorknobs?” Why is the Vancouver World Expo of 1986 a time and place that offers profound insights into the makeup of both Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness? All these questions are explained and answered on this brand new episode of “The Art...

(Dean and Phil exploring “The Mystery of Life” in 2016) Phil gets things started by singing the praises of “The Lowdown” (and its emotional intelligence), and of Marc Hershon, who had this Sterlin Harjo-created Ethan Hawke-starring series on his list of the best television of 2025 . Some casting news (regarding season 4 of “The White Lotus”) has Phil greatly enthusiastic. Then, for the first time...

Luke Y. Thompson is a movie reviewer, journalist, pop culture writer, unashamed atheist and a longtime friend of Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness. On this show, LYT discusses the state of arts criticism in the current media climate and shares some of what he has been writing about on his Substack . The discussion goes deep into the Star Wars franchise, with particular attention paid to “Andor”, “The...

For the past several years, Dean Haglund, Phil Leirness, and Jon Lawlor have been getting together almost weekly to hold each other’s feet to the fire in the pursuit of creating art that is filled with life, while also learning how to live more artfully. Now, Chillpak Hollywood Presents “The Art Life” as a regular podcast! This week … *Jon is fully residing in computer hell. *Is it possible that D...

On the eve of the Golden Globes, Dean and Phil got together via Zoom with the Best of 2025 very much on their minds. They discuss the recent Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild award nominations. They discuss why the Writers Guild awards pale in significance compared to the DGA and SAG. That leads to a review of the multi-Golden Globe nominated, but WGA-ineligible South Korean dark comedy No O...

One of the most popular ongoing segments in Dean Haglund and Phil Leirness’ long-running, weekly “Chillpak Hollywood Hour” has always been when they celebrate the lives and legacies of those who made indelible marks in the arts or in media. Some listeners have even let us know they would gladly listen to whole shows about celebrity deaths . Now, thanks to Chillpak Hollywood Presents … , those list...