Film Explorers

Hi everyone, Josh here. As you can see since you tapped or clicked on this episode, this is the finale of Film Explorers, a show that the four of us have spent years of our life working on. In this episode, we go back to the very beginning of cinema history and our own with A TRIP TO THE MOON. We then go long talking about our favorite episodes and moments together, our love of what we created tog...

12 YEARS IN THE MAKING. This episode, we’re all back for one last traditional episode talking about Richard Linklater’s BOYHOOD. We talk about beginnings and endings, capturing time in a bottle, and what the next step is for each of us. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:07 What We Watched 00:43:31 Boyhood 01:27:58 Final Thoughts + Ratings 01:43:46 Outro Email us at filmexplorerspod@gmail.com with any...

ALL HIS LIFE, RAY KINSELLA WAS SEARCHING FOR HIS DREAMS. THEN ONE DAY, HIS DREAMS CAME LOOKING FOR HIM.  This episode, Jackson and Josh tackle one of the ultimate dad movies, Phil Alden Robinson's FIELD OF DREAMS starring Kevin Costner. We talk about baseball obviously, but specifically why it's such a mainstay of American cinema, why it speaks to Jackson so much, and why every movie ever...

A FAMILY ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN This week, we continue our oddly scheduled sprint to the finish with one of Jackson's final picks, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. We talk about indie family dramas being Jackson's bread and butter, grandfathers on film, getting really emotional about pushing a van, and Breaking Bad alumni. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:47 What We Watched 00:37:28 Little...

MORE THAN ONE WEARS THE MASK. IT’S HOW YOU WEAR THE MASK THAT MATTERS. This week, Josh and Sutherland dive deep INTO AND ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, its fractals of animation, its effusive adoration for the comic book medium, and how it’s changed the game for so many different types of media. We also talk about a ton of movies and television that we watched in between episodes, like the newest Missio...

THE MAGIC OF MOVIES, THE MYSTERY OF MEMORY. This week, we cover a filmmaker who is long overdue for an episode on our show, Satoshi Kon and his 2001 exploration of very medium of film and its effervescence, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS. We talk about the beauty of having no idea what to say, the power of memory, and the rarity of a movie that captures what it feels like to truly love this art form. Chapters...

WATCH YOURSELF. This week, we cover one of the great horror directors of the modern era with Jordan Peele’s US. We talk horror at the Oscars, comedians venturing into genre film, and how instantly iconic the imagery of Us has become. We also recap some of the new releases we've caught up with, Josh watches some Final Destination movies, Jackson finishes Season 2 of The Last of Us, and we attempt t...

IT ALL ENDS. Joey's final month of picks culminates with the end of his personal favorite film franchise, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2. We talk about modern franchise filmmaking, our histories with Harry Potter, and why this film just had to be picked before the show ended. We also catch up with Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, Josh starts back up with their Through t...

HOW FAR YOU FALL DOESN’T MATTER, IT’S HOW YOU LAND… This week, we cover one of the seminal French films of the 1990s and one of the highest rated films of all time on Letterboxd, LA HAINE. We talk about '90s politics, putting off watching classics, a history of French cinema leading to this point, and also Morbius. We also get into a ton of Marvel movies, Josh takes a trip to Los Angeles, and Jack...

LONG LIVE THE FIGHTERS This week, we cover one of the most discussed films of the last year and one of our single most mentioned movies in the history of the show as a part of Joey's final four picks, DUNE: PART TWO. We talk unbelievably epic filmmaking, dropping hot takes about movies with a 4.4 on Letterboxd, and how the world's biggest Dune fan feels about this movie. We also go in dept...

IT WAS THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IN 1976. A TIME THEY’D NEVER FORGET. (IF ONLY THEY COULD REMEMBER) This week, we begin Joey's month of our big finale with Richard Linklater's DAZED AND CONFUSED! We talk stoner comedies, coming of age movies that exist outside of time, the post-Vietnam era, one of the best soundtracks of all time, and our own indefinite futures. We also work through some more...

LIFE IS IN THEIR HANDS - DEATH IS ON THEIR MINDS! This week, Sutherland delivers his final pick for the show with Sidney Lumet's seminal 12 ANGRY MEN, a film that's deeply special to him and all of us. We talk about morality and judgment, putting racists in timeout, and what makes this movie so timeless and so hopeful. We also talk about Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Josh checks out Sinners, an...

IT BEGINS. This week, we roll through another of Sutherland's all-time favorites, Denis Villeneuve's DUNE. We get deep into changes from the book, Villeneuve's visual aesthetics, and how it has grown into a massive favorite of multiple hosts on the show. We also get deeper into A Minecraft Movie, break down some '20s and '30s cinema, and Joey and Sutherland praise True Detectiv...

WHAT A GLORIOUS FEELING! This week, we invite on a very special guest to talk about the classic MGM musical SINGIN' IN THE RAIN. Catherine tells us her four favorites, Joey and Sutherland talk about the Minecraft Movie, Josh and Catherine watch Contact, and Jackson experiences Mamma Mia for the first time. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:26 Catherine's Four Favs 00:11:57 What We Watched 00:25:16 Si...

HE WAS NEVER IN TIME FOR HIS CLASSES. HE WASN'T IN TIME FOR HIS DINNER. THEN ONE DAY...HE WASN'T IN HIS TIME AT ALL. This week, we begin the journey to the end. Sutherland begins his month of whatever he wants with BACK TO THE FUTURE. We talk about what makes a seminal classic like this, how we respond to it today, and what makes a truly perfect script. We also catch up with Sutherland aft...

BELIEVE THE UNBELIEVABLE DOUBLE FILM EXPLORERS, YAYYYYY! This week, we wrap up our Oscars Roulette with Ang Lee's foray into 3D, LIFE OF PI. We break down our perspectives on the 3D craze of the early 2010s, our feelings about the film's visuals and discussion of religion, and Joey continuously insists that Ryan Reynolds is in the movie (he's not, we checked). We also talk about that y...

THE RETURN OF THE GREAT ADVENTURE. This week, we're covering one of the most famous movies ever made ever, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Again, what do you want me to say? We talk about how much this movie has changed our lives, film history as a whole, and also Nazi monkeys. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:56 What We Watched 00:06:52 Raiders of the Lost Ark 01:16:09 Final Thoughts + Ratings 01:25:2...

HOW DID WE END UP HERE? This week, we go back to 2015's winner of numerous categories at the Academy Awards, BIRDMAN or (THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE). We talk about if we consider a pretentious movie inherently bad, the one-take gimmick and if it's enough to carry a movie, Michael Keaton's career, and how our thoughts have evolved since we watched it for the first time years ago...

TRUST LOVE ALL THE WAY This week, we start our Oscars Roulette rolls with Barry Jenkins' adaptation of James Baldwin's masterwork IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK. We talk about Regina King's stunning Oscar-winning performance, one of the greatest musical scores of all time, and Jenkins' cinematic language of revolutionizing the romanticism. We also debrief the Oscars ceremony, talk abou...

EXPECT THE IMPOSSIBLE AGAIN! This week, we're wrapping up one of the most chaotic months of the show so far with a film from a franchise we've been talking about since the very beginning of the show, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE II. We talk about mashing up a massive American franchise with a director with such a distinct style, what works for some of us, what really doesn't work for others, an...

YOU'LL LAUGH UNTIL YOU DIE...THEN YOU'LL RISE FROM THE DEAD AND LAUGH AGAIN! This week, we cover our first Mel Brooks movie in the history of the show, his spoof of Bram Stoker's classic DRACULA: DEAD AND LOVING IT! We do a bit of comparing to the book, drop hot takes about a certain comedy legend, and talk about why certain types of comedy work and some just don't for a couple of...

LIVE LARGE. I don't even know what there is to say. We're covering the big dog movie. He's a dog and he's big. That's about it. Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:51 What We Watched 00:23:18 Marmaduke 00:59:19 Final Thoughts + Ratings 01:10:37 Emails from our Friends <3 01:13:09 Jackson's Pick + Outro Email us at filmexplorerspod@gmail.com with any feedback, suggestions, or messages that we can rea...

This week, we're continuing to roll through the Letterboxd Top 250 with Andrei Tarkovsky's STALKER! We get as philosophical as you'd expect us to about the meaning of it all (or if there even is one), how we feel about cinema like this, and what makes it all so difficult. We also catch up with some big new releases like Hard Truths, Better Man, and Nickel Boys, Jackson finally finishes...

THERE WILL BE GREED. THERE WILL BE VENGEANCE. DRAINAGEEEEEEEEEEE!!! What can I even say about this one?! This week, we're covering one of the seminal classics of contemporary American cinema, Paul Thomas Anderson's THERE WILL BE BLOOD. What do you want me to say?? We also talk about Young Sheldon and Mufasa, so there's plenty of amazing media on the show this week... Chapters: 00:00:00...

Welcome back to our first episode of the new year as we begin our journey through some favorites from the Letterboxd Top 250 for the month of January, starting with Park Chan-wook's THE HANDMAIDEN. We talk about filmmakers tricking their audiences, male gaze, and lesbians staying winning. We also recap everything we watched over our hiatus, Sutherland brings out his Nosferatu accent, Jackson watch...