The Canon: An Essential Movies Watchlist

Life! Death! God! Devil! Contrast! Swedes! Calvin Kemph, of the Twin Geeks, makes his Canon debut to talk some Seventh Seal . Cal and Raf rank the top US cities, commiserate over bad baseball teams, and dive into the Seattle grunge scene. Sprinkled in is some chatter about Bergman’s 1957 masterpiece and what it means to “do philosophy”. Check out Calvin's work with the Twin Geeks: https://thet...

Our trickiest episode yet! Jacob Holmes joins Raf to talk about one of the most controversial movies in The Canon. The Birth of a Nation is a monumental piece of film history and a dark stain on the medium's legacy. Jacob and Raf stumble through the form and content of this DW Griffith epic and share some recommendations that hopefully prove to be a bit insightful. Check out Jacob's author...

Our most chaotic episode yet! Friend of the show Dave Wilson is back to some The Hidden Fortress . We unwrap what Danielle Haim, Jalen Brunson, and Toshiro Mifune have in common. There’s way too much Knicks talk, a good amount of Star Wars talk, and a whole lot of Akira Kurosawa legacy talk. Plus Raf missed a golden opportunity to say hi to the world’s biggest Knicks fan who is also a titan in the...

Who’s ready for some ultrapodding? Raf’s top droog and podcasting extraordinaire, Nick Sheist joins the show. We’re hitting the milk bar and we’re bumping the Beethoven because this episode is all about Stanley Kubrick’s  A Clockwork Orange. Is this the original film bro movie? What does this movie have to say about free will? Should this movie be banned? Nick and Raf answer these questions in mor...

This one is for all of the divas! This week’s episode is all about All About Eve. SAW contributors Romona Comet and Thomas Reist join ScreenAge Wasteland’s number one diva (Raf) to talk about this incredible tale about the art of hating. Marilyn Monroe is a scene stealer, Thelma Ritter and Celeste Holm are unsung heroes, and Anne Baxter and goes toe to toe with the legend Bette Davis in this all t...

Time to get gritty! Although Bob and Val both originally thought they'd be talking about a different movie, the SAW contributors join to talk some French Connection . We talk about New York City being a character in its own right and pining for a gross NYC of yesteryear. Raf debuts his top 5 subway scenes and a fake French accent. Bob reveals the genius of William Friedkin's asshole approa...

The Dirty Duo discusses the Dirty Dozen! Bob Cram is back for some more Canon shenanigans. We’re looking at the rollicking good time and 1967 classic, The Dirty Dozen . Bob and Raf look at everything from discovering movies on cable TV, to the legacy of Jim Brown, to New Hollywood and anti-war movies. Plus, Bob brings some props for recommendations. Check out Bob's author page on ScreenAge Wastela...

Let's go for a ride! Friend of the show, David Cohan, returns to talk about Training Day . There's a lot to explore with this one. Including but not limited to David Ayer's script is tighter than a snare drum, the brilliance of Denzel's Oscar winning performance, and the absurdity of the film's soundtrack. Plus, David talks about working on the Oscar winning K-Pop Demon Hunters...

A mighty good time! This week we’re exploring German silent cinema, the origins of movie stars, and watching movies on planes. SAW contributor and Canon fave Bryan Loomis is back for his season 7 debut. Bryan breaks down this reclaimed classic about embracing female fun and open expression. Bryan and Raf also talk listening to podcasts at the gym and how Netflix has changed our viewing habits. Che...

Who’s ready for season 7?!?! The Canon makes its long awaited return with a brave and dangerous mission - discuss what makes Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan one of the most essential movies of all time. Joining Raf for this perilous mission are SAW contributors and first time Canon guests, Tyler Harner and Thomas Riest. Listen to find out which member of the trio recreates the Matt Damon in...

Let's get scary, ScreenAgers! SAW's very own Vincent Kane joins to talk about his recent list of the 100 Greatest Female Horror Movie Characters of all time. Kane and Raf talk about characters featured in movies in the Canon, characters from movies that should be included in the Canon, and characters from movies in the Canon missing from the list. Read the full top 100 here: https://screen...

Happy Valentine's Day, ScreenAgers! SAW's resident rom com expert, Romona Comet joins Raf to talk all things about the genre. How she fell in love with rom coms, her favorite rom com movies, and why the genre doesn't always get the respect it deserves. Plus: Romona and Raf talk pen names at the Wasteland. Check out Romona's rom com rewind reviews: https://screenagewasteland.com/tag...

In this very special episode of The Canon Romona, Val, Bryan, and Jacob join Raf to nominate some films from 2025 that they believe to be worthy of entry in The Canon. This episode is part of ScreenAge Wasteland's Best of 2025 series. Check out everyone's Top Films of 2025 and much more in the full series: https://screenagewasteland.com/tag/best-of-2025/ Read Val's great essay about &#...

Yippee ki yay Screenagers! The Season 6 finale is an action packed one. SAW’s very own, Romona Comet and Val Morreale are here to talk all things Die Hard . Raf and SAW’s leading ladies blast the NFL for having Christmas Day games, celebrate the glory of Nakatomi Plaza, and confirm Die Hard ’s standing as the peak of the action genre. Plus: what makes a Christmas movie? Read the full Canon entry o...

This episode goes beyond the infinite! Dave Wilson is back to talk about one of the 3 or 4 most monumental movies ever made - Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey . Raf and Dave rank the best cinematic Daves and the Knicks winning the NBA cup. But also, what’s the real meaning of the monolith? And is the star child a version of space buddha or cosmic nirvana? Read the full Canon entry on Screen...

A sweeping epic! An indie passion project! What do these things have in common you may ask! The answer is the conversation between Raf and returning guest Dylan Gantz in this episode. Dylan joins to talk about the latest on his short film project, Liquor Store and David Lean's Doctor Zhivago . Dylan and Raf also talk favorite New York Mets and their hometown hotspots. Follow the Liquor Store i...

Bonjourno ScreenAgers! It’s time to explore the wonderful world of Italian neorealism. Bicycle Thieves is the definitive example of the genre. Jason Christian from Cold War Cinema and Felicia Maroni of the Seeing Faces in Movies podcast are back to offer their expertise on one of the greatest films ever made. Plus, Raf botches his Italian intro. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: ht...

A murder mystery! The blueprint for the screwball comedy-hard boiled crime drama hybrid, The Thin Man is a most deserving of the "essential" tagging. SAW contributor Bryan Loomis joins Raf to talk why this movie is such a good hang. Plus Bryan shows off his Eastern European cinema knowledge, and lists his least favorite movies of 2025. And Raf can't stop talking about martinis. Read the full Canon...

This episode is for our fatherland! For glory! Jacob Holmes fills in for Sailor Monsoon, who is still dealing with ongoing technical difficulties. All Quiet on the Western Front is maybe the most defiantly anti-war movie ever made. Jacob and Raf discuss its legacy, as well as where Emergen-C should be stored in the home, the best fast food chicken sandwich, and the current state of the Oscars race...

Happy Noirvember! We're kicking off the season with Fritz Lang's 1931 classic. Jason Christian and Paul T. Klein of the Cold War Cinema podcast join Raf to break down this brilliant early version of a "talkie". Raf debuts his Trump impression, Jason shouts out his favorite video store, and Paul plays Film Studies 101 bingo. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewastela...

Welcome to our 100th episode extravaganza! What better way to celebrate than with a Chainsaw Massacre. Aaron and Derek from the ‘Watch if You Dare’ podcast join us for the festivities, along with Bob and Val. Join us for a discussion about the smelliest, most unrelenting, filthiest movie of all time. The only reasonable way to close out the Halloween spooky season. Read the full Canon entry on Scr...

Wouldst thou like to pod deliciously?! Things are still spooky here on The Canon with Robert Eggers’ The Witch . SAW Contributors Val and Jacob are here to discuss all things religion, family dynamics, and isolation in the woods. Jacob reveals his first R-rated theater experience, Raf defends a controversial film, and Val can’t stop knitting. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https...

They’re hereeeeee! Romona and Bob are back for a haunting good time. We discuss the Amblin 80’s, how scary TVs are, and why homes should never be built on top of cemeteries. Plus we answered the following questions: are pumpkin spice lattes overrated, are there any Thanksgiving movies, and how much of Poltergeist did Steven Spielberg actually direct? Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wastelan...

This episode has us howling! The one and only Bob Cram is back for yet more Spooky fun. This time around, Bob and Raf are hopping across the pond for John Landis' classic horror comedy. Bob and Raf also discuss the most haunted US and international cities, the spooky nature of Creedence Clearwater Revival's discography, and whether this is the definitive werewolf movie. Plus: Bob reveals t...

You can see right through this episode! Spooky season is officially here. And we’re celebrating the beginning of Bobtober with our second HG Wells adaptation of the week. Bob is back yet again, this time around to discuss James Whale’s take on The Invisible Man . Obviously, Bob and Raf discuss what they’d do with invisibility powers, pumpkin spice lattes, and Tom Cruise running (again). Read the f...