Initial Thoughts

Wormsign ahead. As this film grabs headlines and accolades, Phoebe and Nathaniel head to the cinema for Denis Villeneuve's blockbuster sequel. Plus, our hosts take a swing at predicting who will take home Academy Awards this Sunday, March 10th, including Nathaniel's special approach this year: The Zag Awards (22:04). And another thing: it's Nathaniel and Phoebe's birthday this week...

Journey with us to Arrakis, where Nathaniel has never been before, as Phoebe hosts an Oscar-appropriate revisiting of Denis Villeneuve's acclaimed Dune . Then, in preparation for the 96th Academy Awards later this month, we welcome the appropriately-named Oscar Brudenall-Jones to the show, as we play our first ever Picture Pitcher ! This brand-new Initial Thoughts movie game sees Phoebe and Na...

Light the fuse. Phoebe and Nathaniel are back in action, discussing the daring do's and don'ts of Agent Mark Sanders, in possibly the most thrilling, rewatchable, and death-defying Mission: Impossible entry yet. But what did our hosts make of this particular outing? Find out! _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

Happy Valentine's Week! Phoebe and Nathaniel discuss a highly acclaimed, much beloved film about romance, but were they in the mood themselves? Find out! _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

From the legendarily cheeky opening shot to its ambiguous climax, Sofia Coppola's Academy-Award winning Tokyo-set film brings to mind what's changed and what hasn't in the two decades since its release. We dive into the ins and outs of Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray's central dynamic, the cultural and emotional questions the film raises, the ones it sidesteps, and some intermit...

This podcast will self-destruct in approximately as long as it takes to thoroughly discuss our Initial Thoughts on Brian De Palma's 1996 blockbuster starring one Tom Cruise. How does it age? Is Phoebe a spy? Should we have called this Mission: ImPodible? Find out! _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

Excerpted from our mega-episode on Oppenheimer , these are our initial thoughts on the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' picks for the upcoming Oscar ceremony. Enjoy!

With an epic episode to accompany this epic film, Nathaniel and Phoebe get their arms around Christopher Nolan's latest, the three-hour biographical box-office behemoth Oppenheimer . But that's not all. Our intrepid duo also parse through this week's nominations announcement by the one and only Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - better known as The Oscars - and weigh in with...

Get busy living, or get busy podding. Thirty years on from its release, The Shawshank Redemption has gained an astonishing reputation for its greatness - and Phoebe and Nathaniel have thoughts about that. Listen to them! Stay tuned 'til the end for a genuine on-air surprise... Topics discussed include the film's legacy, the most affecting scenes, its relation to Stephen King, whether Chris...

Whether you think of it as the all-time Dad Film, a uniquely lighthearted prison-camp adventure, one of Steve McQueen's finest hours, or just a swinging nostalgic time, Phoebe and Nathaniel have opinions on The Great Escape ! For an Initial Thoughts first, as well, neither of us had seen this film before, so it's doubly initial! Do enjoy. _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

We kick off 2024 with a super-sized episode, featuring what many have called The Greatest Film of All Time - Orson Welles' 1941 directorial debut, Citizen Kane . How's that for some Film Canon! Joining us to dive into all things C.F.K., is a great friend, actor, intimacy coordinator, and major cineaste Richard McIver. Nathaniel, Phoebe, and Richard talk through the film's accomplishmen...

Happy New Year! Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Let’s find out! To celebrate a film that memorably uses New Year’s Eve this New Year’s, Phoebe and Nathaniel watch When Harry Met Sally and hear Phoebe’s Initial Thoughts! Listen in for Meg Ryan talk, love talk, Phoebe’s opinion on beards, and Nathaniel’s broad theory about romantic comedies. For auld lang syne, dear li...

Happy Holidays! As the year draws to a close, Phoebe and Nathaniel count up their respective Favorite Films of 2023, in two categories: their five favorite new releases from this year, and their five favorite first-time watches in the last twelve months. Plenty of surprises, revisitings, appreciations, and questions (one per new release), plus one or two crossovers, some agreeable disagreements, a...

Merry Happy everyone - it’s time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol with Phoebe and Nathaniel on Initial Thoughts tonight! Whether you’re a long-time Dickens fan and hungry for some sweet-hearted nostalgia, or a surprisingly intense Muppets purist who wants to pay tribute to Jim Henson’s imagination (as one of us turns out to be), liste...

Border crossings, ballistic vests, betrayals and Bernthals collide in 2015’s Sicario , starring Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, and two supporting actors very dear to our hearts. Directed by Denis Villneuve and scripted by the emperor of Montana himself, Taylor Sheridan, this is the film that may finally shake the foundations of Initial Thoughts to its very core. Also, “it’s girl’s nig...

Return to Isla Nublar with us, as we dive into our first Spielberg and biggest, most ferocious blockbuster yet, 1993’s Jurassic Park! Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! It’s dinosaurs galore this week, plus our reactions to Mr. Jeff Goldbum’s chest, Ms. Dern’s makeup, and the T.Rex’s rizz levels. _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

Phoebe and Nathaniel follow David Lynch into the Hollywood Hills this week. Or do they? _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

What would Reynolds Woodcock (née Stanley) do? _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

It's Casablanca ! Revisit the all-time classic, find out if we agree it's an all-time classic, and hear Phoebe say "Make Christmas White Again." _____ Music by White Bat Audio.

A different type of episode! This time Phoebe has already seen the film at time of pre-recording! Witness Nathaniel's Initial Thoughts on David Fincher's brand-new Fassbender-starring Netflix film The Killer... It's another Noirvember pick, a day-and-date tie-in with the film's online release, and an in-depth look at one of the year's (and Nathaniel's) most anticipated new...

Happy Noirvember all. To kick off this chilly month and pay tribute to this lovely genre, we're watching the film some call "Hollywood's last great noir" - L.A. Confidential . Hear what NBB & PRJ made of this star-studded 1997 blockbuster, how it relates to the noir genre (defined as: "Rain, and people being a bit sad, and shadows, and people being involved with crime, b...

A Spooky Season Special Welcome back to Initial Thoughts! We return for Episode Number Two with (some say) Spooky Movie Number One. Please enjoy. Music by White Bat Audio.

Welcome to Initial Thoughts! Kicking things off by viewing and discussing a story of egomaniacal misuse of social media, which seems appropriate! Please enjoy. Music by White Bat Audio.