Jason and the Movienauts

The Marvelcast, our rewatching of the Marvel movies in chronological order, continues with our watch of Captain America: Civil War . Jason expected to love the movie and only kind of liked it. Carlos, on the other hand, has a hot take -- he thought it was pretty awful. Join us for 20 minutes of honest disappointment, a few laughs, and maybe a few signs of Marvel fatigue...

Carl Smith joins Jason this week to talk about a classic piece of cinema from 1970, Bernardo Bertolucci's The Conformist . It's a gorgeously photographed movie with some vivid characters -- but the lead character is the least vivid of them all. Join them for an hour long chat in which they explore the complex virtues of this deeply complex film.

Next up on the great Marvel movie rewatch is Ant-Man , a movie Carlos had never seen and which Jason barely remembered. Did they like it or hate it, or kinda fall inbetween? (Spoiler: bet in inbetween!) This pod is a 28-minute fun listen, so please listen and enjoy!

Enemy and Under the Silver Lake are two of the oddest films of recent years, but Chris Wunderlich and Jason Sacks were up to the task of trying to make sense of them both. If you've watched them, join us for an hour of us chatting about the films and trying to figure out the puzzles of their deliberately oblique and surreal structures. It's a fun listen and an interesting exploration!

Yeah, so Avengers: the Age of Ultron isn't the greatest Marvel film but it isn't the worst one, either. Join Carlos and Jason as they dive deep into sentient robots, complicated twins and the pointless destruction of a city in this 30 minute chat.

Charlton Heston starred in two science fiction classics in the 1960s and '70s, Planet of the Apes and Soylent Green . Both films are deeply pessimistic about the human spirit and show the excellent actingh chops of Heston. Join Paul Moyer and Jason Sacks as they discuss these two great dystopian films that each have outstanding world-building and a surprising sort of tension. If you enjpy this pod...

The Searchers and Once Upon a Time in the West are two classic westerns that are in dialog with each other. The Searchers is more subtle, a character study of John Wayne. He's utterly laconic in John Ford's classic movie, a man from the "greatest generation" whose emotions are sometimes hard to understand. That contrasts with the operatic feel of Leone's classic film, where closeups mean so much a...

Jason and Carlos knew they'd enjoy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 , but they weren't ready for how much they enjoyed it. The ended up recording a 35 minute pod all about how fantastic this film was - and you should go watch it right now if you love fun. If you enjoyed the podcast, please subscribe and leave us a 5 star rating on iTunes!

It's hard to find two movies more opposite movies than All That Jazz and Singin' in the Rain . But the two movies can be seen as a kind of yin and yang when it comes to movie musicals. One is light, breezy and charming while the other is heavy, dark and self-lacerating. And yet both are astonishing films, movies that deeply inspite Keith Silva and Jason Sacks. Join them for an hour and twenty minu...

Finally Jason and Carlos watch one of their favorite Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy . Both of them love this fun, freewheeling superhero flick, so they trade off in a conversation about why it's so great. Join them for 24 minutes of purely pleasurable chat about a purely pleasurable film! If you enjoyed the show, please subscribe and leave a rating on iTunes.

Rafael Gaitan joins Jason to talk about two classic films, The Departed , starring a super cast of actors and directed by Martin Scorcese, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle , a classic 1970s crime flick starring Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle, and directed by Peter Yates. Raf is a real film historian and does a great job of painting a fascinating picture of the world the characters of both movies are...

Paul Brian McCoy joins Jason again to talk about two more of his favrite low-budget films, Blue Ruin and The Battery. Blue Ruin is a smart, intriguing revenge tale while The Battery is a great, low-budget zombie flick. Join us for an hour-long discussion of these mvies that should be on yuour watchlist. WARNING: There are spoilers for both movies. If you enjoyed this show, please subscribe and lea...

This week Jason starts out saying Captain America: the Winter Soldier is his favorite MCU film so far. But Carlos disagrees with that assertion. He feels it's just not as good as Jason thinks. Join us for 24 minutes of fun debate as well as some bashing of Robert Redford and some praise of Scarlett Johansson.  If you enjoy this podcast, please subscribe and leave a review on iTunes!

Chris Wunderlich joins Jason this time to debate the quality of the notorious Southland Tales . Is this 2006 film the work of an auteurist genius, a crazy sprawling mess, or a mix of both? Chris loved this movie as a "perfect COVID watch, while Jason has to be presuaded of its quality. It's an hour of interesting listening about a baffling movie. We hope you enjoy! Please subscribe and leave feedb...

Is Thor: the Dark World a great movie fantasy or a weird, dull tangent in the Marvel Universe? This time Carlos liked the movie, feeling it was a fun derivate take on Lord of the Rings trilogy, while Jason thinks there's just not a lot there to latch onto. It's 28 minutes of fun argument we hope you'll enjoy!

Carlos hated I ron Man 3 , but Jason has a hot take on the movie: it's actally not terrible. The guys argue a lot about whether Tony actually grows, if the end battle in this movie is worthwhile, and whether this is an appropriate conclusion to the Iron Man trilogy. They almost break their friendship based on this flick - or at least Carlos threatens that! Join us for a 20-minute chat that will fo...

Jason and Carlos have made it to the end of Phase 1 of the MCU as they discuss The Avengers, which stars just about everybody in an awesome special effects blockbuster. Carlos was frustrated by the sketchiness of this movie, while Jason enjoyed the spectacle of it. Come spend 28 minutes listening to Carlos grouse and Jason kinda sounds happy about this flick.

Keith Silva joins Jason Sacks again to talk about two celebrated films about drinking. First they discuss the cult classic Withnail and I , which Jason doesn't quite get but which Keith is persuasive about. Then they discuss the Academy Award-nominated Another Round , which both agree is extraordinary and special. It's an hour-twenty of great conversation we're sure you'll enjoy!

SPOILER WARNING for this episode! Paul Brian McCoy joins Jason this week to talk one of Paul's favorite movies, Russ Meyer's classic from 1965, Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill! . Jason has never seen this movie before but was blown away (appropriate term!) by the great lead characters, the film's fascinating mood, and the energy of the story being told. Paul talks about some behind the scenes facts tha...

Finally a movie we love! Thor is animated by great performances by Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, and directed with gravitas by Kenneth Branagh. Carlos and Jason agree Thor is a delight, with a smart plot that doesn't take itself too seriously, some good supporting characters, and some great godly battles. Join us for a 27-minute listen in which the guys are mostly happy for most of the show...

Daniel Elkin, editor at the outstanding indie comics website Solrad , joins Jason to discuss two fascinating recent documentaries. Weiner tells the story of the rise and fall of Anthony Weiner, a politician undone by his own lusts. Jason and Daniel debate the Jewishness of Weiner's scandal, the dichotomy between public and private personas, and whether Weiner is a tragic hero. Feels Good Man tells...

Next up in our rewatch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is perhaps the low point, at least so far: The Incredible Hulk , from 2008, a film that just doesn't quite work on any level and just ends up making Carlos and Jason fewel frustrated. And just for fun, they also look at Ang Lee's Hulk , from 2003, which also doesn't work, but doesn't work in a very different way. Despite our frustration, we t...

Welcome to week four of the Marvelcast. Every week Jason and Carlos watch a Marvel movie in chronological order by the timeframe of the film, then have a quick conversation about the movie. This week: Iron Man 2 (2010). Yow, what a POS! Hear Jason get all worked out by how stupid this movie is, and hear Carlos try to like it and (spoilers!) fail. Give this 20 minute pod a listen and let us know wh...

Paul Moyer joins Jason to discuss two paranoid thrillers of the 1970s. The Parallax View and All the President's Men are dark looks at America's secret, terrible underbelly. Both directed by the great Alan J. Pakula in the early '70s, these films are just as spooky and compelling today as the day they were first made. Join Jason and Paul for an intriguing 50-minute, SPOILER FILLED look at these cl...

Welcome to week three of the Marvelcast. Every week Jason and Carlos watch a Marvel movie in chronological order by the timeframe of the film, then have a quick conversation about the movie. This week: Iron Man (2008). Carlos and Jason feel that the character of Tony Stark hasn't quite aged well, but that at least the scenes set in Afghanistan are interesting enough. Give this 20 minute pod a list...