Loose Canon

On today's episode of Loose Canon, Ella and Simon take a look at the career of Tom Cruise, specifically focusing on his dramatic, non-genre endeavors (sorry Mission: Impossible heads, we'll get back to you!). First, Ella and Simon discuss Tom Cruise's newest film, Digger, then they go on to square up two of his most career-defining films, Jerry Maguire (Simon's pick) and Eyes Wide Shut (Ella's pic...

Hey batta batta batta PODCAST! Playoff baseball is here and this (recorded slightly before playoff baseball) episode of Loose Canon is all about movies dedicated to America's national pasttime. The most cinematic sport, Ella and Simon bring two heavy hitting baseball movies to the table that capture two very different views of the game: A League of Their Own (Simon) and Moneyball (Ella). 

Pack your backpacks, because we're going back to school! Topical as always, Ella and Simon have dedicated their first post-labor day episode to discussing the best of the best movies that would be shown in high school english courses. On today's episode, Ella and Simon share some stories from their high school english classes, discuss the types of books they read in and out of school, and pit two...

On today's episode, Ella and Simon discuss one of the most well-documented movies in cinema history: San Francisco! Have either of the hosts been to San Francisco? Do they have informed opinions on the city? What makes a San Francisco movie? Can two Hitchcock movies enter the official Loose Canon? All of these questions and more will be answered as The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Ella's pick)...

As the hot days of summer come to a close, Ella and Simon get together to talk about some of their favorite heat wave movies. It's two heavy hitters on today's episode, Dog Day Afternoon (Ella's pick) vs Do the Right Thing (Simon's pick), and Loose Canon is going hyperlocal to discuss these two Brooklyn-based films. 

The Podcast Event of the Summer is here!!! On today's episode of Loose Canon, Ella and Simon dive into The Odyssey, replete with as many tangents as Odysseus's journey. After a hefty discussion of The Odyssey, Ella and Simon consider two of their favorite Greek myth adaptations, O' Brother Where Art Thou? (Simon's pick) and Hercules (Ella's pick), before selecting one very special movie to be adde...

On today's episode, Ella and Simon tackle one of the most iconic genres of all time: "what if someone showed up somewhere and their intentions were a bit unclear" movies. In other words, Dubious Stranger Movies. The Night of the Hunter (Simon's pick) faces off against Birth (Ella's pick). 

It's the 250th year anniversary of the United States of America and the 10th episode anniversary of Loose Canon, two equally important events. In a belated Fourth of July episode, Ella and Simon discuss a very broad category of films: American Epics. But what is an American Epic and is Born on the Fourth of July (Simon's pick) or Malcolm X (Ella's pick) a more fitting movie to take the mantle and...

Hold on to your butts, because it's time for the longest episode in the history of Loose Canon. In this episode, the disgustingly adorable E.T. the Extraterrestrial (Ella's pick) faces off against the equally lovable, but much more dangerous dinosaurs of Jurassic Park (Simon's pick). 

On today's episode Ella and Simon discuss one of their shared favorite genres: Mockumentaries. What defines a mockumentary? Can a brand-centered movie be good? Is Rob Reiner's Flipped really so popular? Does Laufey have an Icelandic soda? Will Waiting for Guffman (Simon's pick) or Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (Ella's pick) enter the Loose Canon? All of these questions, and more, will be answ...

On the latest episode of Loose Canon, Ella and Simon discuss Ella's love for Thuroughbreds and the Thai restaurant in her hometown that was used as a filming location for the movie, Simon's love for single location movies, the stage to screen threshold that single location movies must pass to earn their existence in the cinematic form, possible drag king names for Simon, and Ella and Simon put the...

Alright everyone! Gird your loins! On this Episode of Loose Canon, Ella and Simon discuss a New York City institution (Hustler Club), Loose Canon classics The Moment and Emilia Perez, what makes a High Fashion movie, and a new High Fastion release in The Devil Wears Prada 2. Then, The Devil Wears Prada (Ella's pick) and Phantom Thread (Simon's pick) face off the be crowned the best High Fashion mo...

On the latest episode of Loose Canon, Ella and Simon attempt to unpack Michael, the new Michael Jackson biopic, using it as a frame of reference for understanding one of Hollywood's most resilient genres: the musician biopic, before jumping into an extensive conversation on why these movies are often atrocious. Ella and Simon then get into a discussion of two diamond's in the musician biopic rough...

HERE'S PODDY! On this episode, Ella and Simon discuss one of the biggest artistic figures of the last century: Stephen King. First, there's much talk about two of the most recent--and not very successful--Stephen King Adaptations (The Monkey and The Life of Chuck), Stephen King's varied degree of involvement in movie adaptations of his works, his interesting filmic taste, and Ella and Simon's pers...

This week on Loose Cannon, Ella and Simon discuss reclaimed movies: movies that were initially critically and commercially panned but have since grown to become beloved films that are beloved. Ella brings Showgirls and Simon brings The Thing to the table.

On the newest episode of Loose Canon Ella and Simon discuss if Hollywood should reinstate the Hays Code, the best screwball comedy of 2025 ( The Testament of Ann Lee ), what makes a good credit sequence, and the defining characteristics of screwball comedies before centering the main conversation on the two selected movies of the week:  Bringing Up Baby (Ella's pick) and The Lady Eve (Simon's pick...

Welcome to Loose Canon, a podcast where we (Ella and Simon) work to create an all-encompassing movie canon. Every week we pick a unique theme and each bring one movie that we believe best meets the criteria. One movie will be crowned victorious and added to the official Loose Canon. This week's theme is: Directorial Debuts. We discuss what makes a good directorial debut, some of our favorite debut...