First Watch

The First Watch gang (and returning guest Ryley) round out the Paul Thomas Anderson series with his newest release, the much-hyped and much-lauded One Battle After Another.

In part 2 of 3 of First Watch's PTA retrospective, the gang (plus Jams and Tea stalwart Ryley dive deep into two of the American auteur's most confounding works, which is of no surprise considering they're both loose to less-loose Thomas Pynchon adaptations.

On this episode, the First Watch gang begins a three-part retrospective on one of the great American filmmakers, Paul Thomas Anderson, starting here with his second and third films and eventually culminating in a discussion about his newest film, One Battle After Another.

On this iteration of the First Watch Podcast, Cole, Morgan, Zach, and guest and friend Davey Peppers break down the swath of Kurosawa restorations hitting select theaters followed by a deep dive into the Shakespeare jidaigeki Throne of Blood and Ran.

This week, we're back with a dive into horror hit Weapons by Whitest Kids U Kno alum Zach Cregger, as well as discussion of our recent five star ratings.

And we’re back (again)! Cole and Zach have joined forces with previous frequent guest Morgan in a permanent capacity to conquer the films of the summer of 2025 and Ari Aster’s divisive (even amongst the three hosts) Eddington!

In a long-awaited comeback, Cole and Zach reunite to discuss the films of summer 2024, its low lows and... moderate highs, before diving into three big autumn releases, Todd Phillips' box office dud Joker: Folie à Deux , Francis Ford Coppola's self-funded indulgence Megalopolis, and the year's most wickedly funny body horror, The Substance.

On this episode, Cole and Zach take some time to debrief and discuss the 96th annual Academy Awards and then dive deep into the LCL ocean to celebrate the theatrical release of Hideaki Anno's bizarro anime masterpiece, Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion.

After a somewhat slow start to the year, Denis Villeneuve's segmented, then delayed, Dune comes to its rousing conclusion. Trev and Morgan join Zach and Cole to talk through 2024 Oscars catch-up, a few new releases, and discuss if the Québécois director steps up to become the next big blockbuster titan. 

Just before we crack open the year's first big blockbuster release, Cole, Zach, and guest Ryley take a trip back in time to discuss the hypnotic appeal of Marguerite Duras' sensual, dark, and experimental India Song.

At long last, Cole and Zach meet to discuss their favorite new releases of the year 2023 - the very best of the decade so far. Tune in for our thoughts on the latest from Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet, Jonathan Glazer, Christopher Nolan, and more, as we discuss not just our favorites, but all the Oscar nominations and snubs from this year as well!

It's 2024, and we're celebrating by looking back on 2023, starting with our favorite first time watches of the year, not including new releases. Cole and Zach discuss their top ten (actually, nine...) movies they each saw for the first time in 2023 and look back at a year of podcast episodes, directors, and film movements that defined the year.

Another year is at its end, but before we say au revoir Cole and Zach join to discuss a big round of new releases, including Hirokazu Kore-eda's Monster, Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things, and Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest before biting into our follow up to last year's Disney top 10 - our favorite Pixar animated feature films.

This week, Luke from Mecha and Monster Mondays joins us to talk about a Japanese pop culture invasion. After discussing a few new releases, including Scavengers Reign, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, and Poor Things, the gang digs into the latest monster smash, Godzilla Minus One as Cole acts as the voice of reason against Luke and Zach's excitement. Finally, we discuss the surreal fantasy The Boy an...

Bonaparte is afraid. In the continuing saga of 2023's historical epics, Ridley Scott's Napoleon prompts Ryley, Cole and Zach to dig back 100 years and discuss Abel Gance's beloved but underseen silent era masterpiece, Napoleon, to determine which explosive film is the definitive take on France's national hero. In addition we also discuss some new releases, including Taika Waititi&#...

This week, to celebrate the season, we reflect on Martin Scorsese's mournful November crime classic, The Irishman, and discuss a large selection of movies, including Ozu's Tokyo Story, Todd Haynes' May December, and the latest installments of the MCU and Hunger Games series.

This week we celebrate all things glamour. After discussing some new (and very old) releases, Cole and Zach discuss screening Kubrick's opulent classic, Barry Lyndon, in cinemas, and then the life and legacy of Priscilla Presley, Elvis Presley, and director, Sofia Coppola.

After a speedy roundup of new releases and films playing at AFI Fest, including the latest by Alexander Payne, Wim Wenders, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, David Fincher, and Justine Triet, Cole and Zach dive into the season's biggest release, Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and discuss how it compares to the director's best, the year's best, and David Grann's book of the same...

Wouldst thou like the taste of butter? Wouldst thou like to live horrifically? In the final installment of our horror genre Eras Tour, Jake joins Cole and Zach to discuss turn-of-the-millennium horror, including Scream, The Blair Witch Project, the endless wave of J-Horror, slasher sequels, and finally, the rise of "elevated horror" and Robert Eggers' seminal debut, The Witch.

Killers of the harvest moon. This week, Morgan drops by to aid Cole and Zach in the continuing exploration of horror through the eras. After discussing our favorite horror movies of this year, we cruise through the 60s, 70s and early 80s to talk about horror's arrival on the main stage with hits like Psycho, best picture nominee The Exoricst, and slashers from Halloween to The Texas Chain Saw...

After covering the recent release slate - Saw X, The Exorcist: Believer, The Creator, as well as the Palme d'or and Golden Lion winners, Anatomy of a Fall and Poor Things, Cole and Zach travel back to the earliest days of horror. This week we tell the story from the silent era to the Hays Code, and focus particularly on Jacques Tourneur's 40s classic, Cat People.

This week - perhaps a consolation to Cole after so much Christopher Nolan talk - we offer a smorgasbord of gay classics, new and old! The main focus is Ira Sachs' Passages, but also discussed are Kurosawa's classic color-explosion Ran, and a fond farewell to the ultra-70s (and surprisingly homoerotic) filmography of the late William Friedkin.

This week, in our continuing celebration of the release and box office domination of Oppenheimer, Cole and Zach extend their discussion backwards in time to dissect the cerebral works of director Christopher Nolan: Inception, The Prestige and Memento.

This week, Morgan and Ryley join Cole and Zach to explore the fallout of J. Robert Oppenheimer's most notorious invention, and the latest and, yes, greatest of Christopher Nolan's ballyhooed filmography, Oppenheimer, as well as the week's other big release, Barbie, and a historical watchlist leading up to Nolan's grand opus.

In the first ever bonus episode of The First Watch Podcast, Ryley links up with Zach and Cole to discuss Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises, Masaki Kobayashi's The Human Condition to explore two examples of men trying to spare their human souls in the face of the Pacific War. Stay tuned for our episode on Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer later in the week!