The Canon: An Essential Movies Watchlist

When Mars attacks! Spooky season is right around the corner (or already here), so we’re getting in the mood for it with some spooky sci-fi. Space invaders and SAW contributors Bob and Val are here to talk The War of the Worlds . Val explains how much better this 1953 version is than the 2025 Ice Cube version and Bob shares some fun factoids. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https:...

We're doubling up this week! Raf gathers a crew of SAW legends - Jacob, Bob, and the return of Alvarez - for a lively discussion about Duncan Jones' Moon . Although it's not a classic in the way many other movies in The Canon are, Moon fully earns its spots. The SAW gang breaks down why it deserves to be here. The gents also debate the legacy of Sam Rockwell's performance and rank...

The perfect murder! I mean perfect podcast. The Canon is back and we're talking the master of suspense yet again. Stephen Gillespie joins Raf to talk about the brilliance of Alfred Hitchcock's Rope . Come for the murder mystery, stay for a discussion about what a Pitbull directed version of Rope would look like. Dalé! Plus, Stephen and Raf talk favorite Pokemon. Read the full Canon entry o...

Let’s take a trip down memory lane! The Canon is going back to high school with George Lucas’ American Graffiti . Raf is joined by Dylan Wolf Gantz writer, director of the upcoming film Liquor Store . Raf and Dylan discuss their high school years, the hardest parts of being an independent filmmaker, and Harrison Ford’s handsome face.  Follow Liquor Store on Instagram - @liquorstorefilm Help fund t...

You’ll believe a podcast can fly! SAW favorite Jacob Holmes is back again. Join us on a trip to Krypton, Smallville, and Metropolis. We’re discussing Superman ’78 as the watershed moment for big screen comic book filmmaking and why Christopher Reeve is the definitive version of the character. Plus, Raf shares his love for Zack Snyder’s Batman V Superman . Read the full Canon entry: https://screena...

Follow the Canon brick road! Season 6 is off and running with an absolute classic. SAW contributor Jacob Holmes joins Raf on a wonderful trip to they magical land of Oz. They meet lions and tigers and bears along the way, discuss why Toto is the greatest movie dog of all time, and why it's okay to like "normy" things. Plus: a discussion about the god awful Wizard of Oz screenings at...

Let's kick off season 6! ScreenAge Wasteland contributors Bob and Val join Raf to preview the movies being discussed in season 6 of The Canon. Get the full schedule, including which episodes Bob, Val, and the rest of the SAW contributors will be appearing on. We'll see you soon for more essential movie talk.

This episode is as real as a doughnut! We’re closing out Season 5 of The Canon with a bang. Quentin Tarantino’s 9th film, which maybe should have been his final film is full of meta moments and fun vibes. Dave Wilson and Jacob Holmes join Raf to break down what makes Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood so beloved. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-tal...

We're taking a trip down the train tracks! Our Stephen King experts Bob and Romona are back for another great adaptation. Hannah Loomis is also back to join in on the fun. The crew can't figure out how to pronounce "Oregon" or "homage". Bob tells the greatest story ever told on The Canon. And there's also some chatter about what makes the movie essential and all tha...

We’re up in the mountains for this one! Sailor and Jacob are back (and so is Jacob’s cat Percy). There’s tons to unpack from this 1947 classic about nuns in the Himalayas losing their sh*t. Raf thinks this is a haunted house movie. Sailor thinks it’s the first nunsploitation movie. And Jacob is trying the keep everything running smoothly. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://s...

This episode is madness! Madness! ScreenAge Wasteland contributor Bob Cram is back to join in on the madness. Bob shares his experience watching The Bridge on the River Kwai with his grandfather who fought in WW2. David Lean goes epic, Alec Guinness and Sessue Hayakawa have a brilliant power struggle, and William Holden is also here. Plus: did Raf fart in an elevator with Anna Wintour? Read the fu...

This episode is on holiday! The one and only Romona Comet is back to share her expertise about the rom-com genre and why Roman Holiday is a classic. Raf can't pronounce effortlessly. Romona and Raf discuss how to best approach movie theater snacks. Plus, Audrey Hepburn and Tom Cruise are two totally different types of movies stars. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://scre...

Off to work we go! Jacob is back to talk more Disney animation. This time around he joins Raf to talk about the movie that started it all. It's hard to believe that animated feature length films are all descendants of Snow White . A movie about haters, washing, and naiveté. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-snow-white-and-the-seven...

A very animated discussion! SAW Contributor, Jacob Holmes, stakes his claim as the resident Disney animation expert. Jacob and Raf discover they’re sickos who appreciate the cinematic mastery of the scene where Bambi’s mother dies. They also discuss why Disney shouldn’t remake Bambi and Bambi is more about the circle of life than all of the circle of life crap from The Lion King . Plus, Jacob’s do...

Let's get spiritual! One of the newest SAW contributors, Val Morreale joins Raf to talk about a radically revolutionary silent film. Val and Raf also discuss their monthly TV and movies to stream articles for the Wasteland, whether the Falconetti performance is truly the greatest in the history of cinema, and how The Passion of Joan of Arc is a horror film. Also in this episode, Raf reiterates...

This episode is a swashbuckling good time! Errol Flynn charms as the legendary Robin Hood in this Michael Curtiz (and William Keighley) classic. Bryan Loomis of the What a Picture Podcast is back to talk watching movies on phones and plane sleep etiquette. Plus, we talk Biggie doing a Christopher Walken impression.  Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewasteland.com/l...

This episode is a killing machine! A couple of ScreenAge Wasteland OG's swing by to talk about this Sly Stallone classic. Kane and Dhal (aka the Texas twosome) join Raf to chat all things First Blood . Including, whether or not this movie works with anyone other than Stallone and how it serves as a bridge between the cinema of the 70's and the action blockbusters that defined the 80's....

We're not showing any stinkin' badges! This episode is on a mission for gold! Jason Christian of the Cold War Cinema Podcast joins Raf to talk about the classic John Huston/ Humphrey Bogart collab. Jason also previews his upcoming memoir, Raf is rude to short kings, and the fellas argue about money. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-...

We'll be useful, sir! This episode is desperately trying to get back to Britain before the Germans get it. Canon regular, Dave Wilson, joins Raf to talk about Christopher Nolan's epic war flick. A new spin on the genre featuring a cast of A-listers pop up for great bit parts and cameos. Plus, 2017 may have been the best year for movies in the last decade and a little bit of Seinfeld talk....

This episode has all of the proper forms! Terry Gilliam’s Brazil feels as relevant today as when it was first released in 1985. The fears and anxieties are just as pertinent. Stephen of the STACKS podcast joins Raf to break down the beauty of the incredibly bleak black humor of Brazil and also how great it is to see Robert De Niro here. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://scr...

Yes, this episode goes up to 11! Bryan Loomis ScreenAge Wasteland's newest contributing writer and one half of the What a Picture Podcast joins Raf to talk about the gold standard for mockumentary filmmaking. Is Christopher Guest the funniest guy of all time? Is Rob Reiner somehow an under appreciated filmmaker? Why do all of the drummers keep dying? All of these questions and much more answered i...

We can see now, ScreenAgers! Charlie Chaplin chatter is back. This time around, Raf is bringing in the big guns. Chaplin aficionado, writer, film historian, culture critic, and “movie buff”, Paul Klein joins to talk about one of the best films of the silent era. Slapstick humor, societal critiques, boxing, and so much more fill up this Chaplin classic. Check out Paul’s writing at www.howtoreadmovi...

30 floors of Canon chaos! Sailor Monsoon is back to talk about one of the greatest action movies of all time. This movie is made for slamming Mountain Dews, crushing Doritos, and screaming at the screen. We discuss machetes being the best cinematic weapon, how to edit an action scene, and what it means to "pound goons". Plus, Sailor reveals his favorite movie year (and his top seven movi...

ScreenAgers, rev your engines! This one is for all the car lovers. Nick Sheist of the Bad Movies We Love Podcast joins to talk about one of the best movies of the 2020s. Titane features murder sprees, car sex, shirtless dancing, and the oddest birthing scene in movie history. It’s no The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift but it’s certainly an essential movie worthy of The Canon. Read the full Cano...

This episode is leaning on the everlasting arms! Raf is joined by the one and only Felicia Maroni of the Seeing Faces in Movies Podcast to talk The Night of the Hunter . Felicia shares her love for all things Robert Mitchum. Raf shares his hate for murderous false preachers. Also in this episode, Felicia and Raf discuss film history, watching TV, and Adam Driver's sex appeal. Read the full Can...