Gimme Three Podcast - A Series For Cinephiles

Bella Efstratis returns as she and Nick dive deep into their 2025 Letterboxd statistics.  Letterboxd is not a sponsor of this podcast; we are just huge fans. And on this episode, Bella and Nick review some of the incredible stats the app has to offer; how many films they logged and which actors they watched the most (spoiler alert: it’s Tom Cruise).  Throughout the episode, you’ll get dozens of re...

This week, Nick is joined by returning guest and friend of the Gimme Three Podcast, Ryan Lacen.  The two celebrate the life, career, and some of their all-time favorites in this tribute to the legendary Rob Reiner . First up: can you handle the truth? Rob Reiner directs Aaron Sorkin's first screenplay—Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Jack Nicholson star in A Few Good Men.  Second: misery loves com...

Join Nick and Sonja as they ring in the New Year the best way they know how - by going back to the 1990s. In this episode, we visit '90s New Year's films! We start with the 1999 MTV Films production of 200 Cigarettes . Sure, it takes place in 1981, but the film is still oozing with all of the '90s tropes and charm you can’t get enough of.  Second, we visit the anthology film by Quen...

We round out this year’s trilogy of Christmas episodes by exploring the made-for-TV Christmas classics that have awed generations. We’re talking about the Rankin / Bass stop-motion films.  We go all the way back to 1964 for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer , the longest-running Christmas special of all time.  The company garnered another hit with the Santa origin story. Mickey Rooney and Fred Astair...

This week is the return of one of our most popular themes from 2024, Christmas or Not? Bella and Nick debate about some of the historically contested films - are these Christmas movies or ain’t they?  You can help us decide! We start with one of the most quintessential films in the Christmas-or-not debate. It is also one of the most quintessential films in American history. Jimmy Stewart stars in...

On this week’s episode, Nick and Bella return as your favorite unlikely duo. Which is apt, as we dive into the work of one of the most impactful screenwriters of the last forty years, Shane Black.  Over the decades, Shane Black’s action screenplays have thrilled audiences. And in most of his pictures, he loves injecting a bit of the holiday season. Thus, A Very Black Christmas.  We start with a ga...

Nicholas Ybarra and returning guest Max Sopkin celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, the cult classic and the longest-running film in theatrical history.  Nick and Max talk about their personal connection and history with the film, and delve into a hilarious and informative recap of this film and two other cult-classic rock musicals.  We start, of course, with the reason...

Before heading into the Holiday season, Noir November could not be ignored. For the first time, Nick & Bella celebrate Noir November with three unforgettable, game-changing classics.  We start with the Humphrey Bogart-led masterpiece and the catalyst for the Film Noir movement, 1941’s The Maltese Falcon .  Second, Billy Wilder’s bleak, twisted, and sultry classic Double Indemnity .  Finally, A...

In our 100th episode, we invited you, our audience, to select the films we’d discuss.  In a mini-tournament which included the top films from three different lists:  Sight and Sound Magazine’s Greatest Films of All Time IMDb’s highest rated films of all time Letterboxd’s highest rated films of all time These were the films you selected: We open with the American masterpiece that changed the crime...

With Gimme Three Podcast’s 100th Episode on the horizon, we are celebrating and revisiting some of our greatest hits. We bring you three of our most memorable, insightful, hilarious, and fun segments we’ve had! We open with our tribute to the late, great David Lynch. After a eulogy of the filmmaker’s undeniable staying power, we dive into his audacious debut, Eraserhead .  Second, we revisit our s...

Last week, Nick and Bella hit the festival circuit - from Los Angeles to Austin - and came back buzzing with discoveries. This week, they're shaking things up on the podcast with a special episode featuring six hand-picked, standout films from the festivals. Bella spotlights three bold, unforgettable, directorial debuts from AFI Fest, including The Plague by Charlie Polinger, Fucktoys by Anna...

This week, Bella and Sonja are back to talk about another classic movie monster — and this time, they’re hormonal. That’s right, we’re sinking our teeth into TEEN VAMPIRES! We start with Catherine Hardwicke’s Twilight (2008), tracing how her earlier film Thirteen shaped the tone and world of Twilight. Bella and Sonja dig into the casting magic that launched a generation of superstars, the film’s b...

To celebrate the release of Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (Netflix, 2025), Bella and Nick revisit three unforgettable film adaptations of Mary Shelley’s iconic Gothic novel. From the classic Universal monster movies that defined early Hollywood horror, to Mel Brooks’ legendary parody and Kenneth Branagh’s (somewhat) faithful 1994 retelling, this episode of the Gimme Three Podcast dives into ho...

This week, co-host Bella Efstratis is joined by Gimme Three Producer and LADFF Director Sonja Mereu to celebrate the holy trinity of family Halloween classics. They explore what makes these films endlessly rewatchable — from unforgettable characters and performances to the iconic production design, costumes, and quotable moments that defined a generation of Halloween movie nights. Sonja kicks thin...

Once again, we are honoring the work of the late, great Robert Redford. This week, we explore Redford’s exploration and appreciation for the gorgeous American West. Not only did he depict this region with beauty in respect and film, he also spent his life protecting it with his environmental activism.  We start with Robert Redford and Paul Newman starring in the shape-shifting classic Butch Cassid...

This week’s episode of the Gimme Three Podcast, Producer Sonja Mereu and co-host Nicholas Ybarra celebrate the life and career of the late, great, and seminal figure in American cinema, Robert Redford.  In particular, we discuss three of Redford’s most politically-charged films.  We start with the classic, pulse-pounding journalistic thriller All The President’s Men . Robert Redford and Dustin Hof...

This week, Bella is reunited with Ashley Kae Snyder and Jessica McLaughlin for round two of three films with exquisite costume design. Bella kicks things off with the audience pick, Poor Things (2023), where Holly Waddington’s whimsical and fantastical designs shape Bella Baxter’s strange, yet beautiful journey of self-discovery. Next, Ashley introduces Orlando (1992), Sally Potter’s groundbreakin...

This week, we’re stepping into the world of costume design with two incredible guests: costume designer Ashley Kae Snyder and writer/filmmaker Jessica McLaughlin.  Part one of our two-part series highlights three unforgettable films and the visionary designers behind them. Ashley brings us Tarsem Singh’s The Fall (2006), where Eiko Ishioka’s breathtaking costumes blur the lines between imagination...

Football season is upon us! And to celebrate the return of America’s real past time, Nick and Bella are going deep on some of the more memorable football films this country has ever produced.  We begin with a modern classic, the Denzel Washington-led film Remember the Titans , which is based on an incredible true story.  Second, a rarely seen hidden gem, All The Right Moves , which stars a young T...

This week, we're talking about three outstanding coming-of-age stories that capture the highs, lows, and messy in-betweens of growing up. First up, is The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), Stephen Chbosky's heartfelt look at friendship, trauma, and finding your place in the world. Then we move to Catherine Hardwicke's Thirteen (2003), a raw and unflinching portrait of adolescence...

This week, Bella Efstratis is back on the podcast! We celebrate the release of Freakier Friday by revisiting its 2003 predecessor and the 1976 original. Bella & Nick do a deep dive on each Freaky Friday film, pick their favorites, and revisit some of their favorite scenes.  We start with the original 1976 film Freaky Friday , starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster. This screenplay was writte...

This week, we’re talking with two outstanding filmmakers from this year’s 2025 Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival .  Sylvia discusses her film, The Vote , a powerful and gripping drama that’s screening with LADFF on Sunday, August 24th at the Laemmle NoHo 7.  The Sunday block of shorts is called Las Ángeles, and it will feature five incredible filmmakers who were affected by the Eaton fires in Al...

This week we’re talking with two outstanding filmmakers from this year’s 2025 Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival .  Lyla Mzayek discusses her film, The Rain Lady , a beautiful love letter to immigrant mothers. Lyla talks about her approach to the project, her courage to make it, and how it became a family affair.  We also interviewed Faranak Sahafian from Iran. From poet to filmmaker, her short f...

This week we’re talking with two outstanding filmmakers from this year’s 2025 Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival .  Lee Ott discusses their journey to filmmaking and stop-motion animation, which led them to their directorial debut, Dragfox . A wildly impressive short film loaded with heart, design, and a fox in… you guessed it, DRAG! The short also features the voice-over work of Sir Ian McKellan...

As we gear up for the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival, Bella and Nick explore the work of some of the most important figures in Black Independent Cinema and Independent Cinema in general.  These powerful voices are a huge reason why this podcast and the Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival exist today - so tune in for our discussion on these bold movies.  We start with  The Symbol of the Unconq...