The Canon: An Essential Movies Watchlist

This episode is the stuff dreams are made of! Believe it or not, this is The Canon's first proper film noir discussion. SAW Contributor Bob Cram, and the newest SAW in law, Hannah Loomis (of the What a Picture Podcast) join Raf to talk all things The Maltese Falcon . Pretty crazy that this is John Huston's first directorial effort, the movie that made Humphrey Bogart a star, and the defini...

Love is in the air! Season 5 of the Canon is upon us! Teresa Nigolian and Maura Mazurowski join Raf to talk about their upcoming TV show, Year 30, as well as one of the greatest romantic comedies of all time. Okay, maybe it's a stretch to call Eternal Sunshine a romantic comedy. But it is an essential movie very worthy of its place within The Canon. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Waste...

Let's kick off season 5. ScreenAge Wasteland contributors Bob, and Romona join Raf to preview the movies being discussed in season 5 of The Canon. Get the full schedule, including which episodes Bob, Romona, and the rest of the SAW contributors will be appearing on. We'll see you next week for more essential movie talk.

In this very special episode, Sailor, Jacob, and Kane join Raf to nominate some films from 2024 that they believe to be worthy of being enshrined in The Canon. This episode is part of ScreenAge Wasteland's Best of 2024 series. Check out everyone's Top Films of 2024 and much more in the full series: https://screenagewasteland.com/tag/best-of-2024/

Santa's coming! We know him! Duke, Romona, and Raf sit down to talk about the last great holiday classic. John Favreau and Will Ferrell team up for an all-time Christmas comedy. Raf introduces Duke and Romona to SantaCon, and gives his watchlist of "best horny Christmas movies". Plus: are fake trees better than real trees? And is this Will Ferrell's most iconic role? Read the full Canon entry on S...

This episode bows to no one! We end our LOTR trilogy celebration and season 4 with the epic 11 Oscar winning classic. Canon legend Dave Wilson is back. Raf and Dave compare members of the fellowship to their corresponding thanksgiving food, rank their favorite Led Zeppelin albums, and reveal that they don't know anything about the bible. Also, Dave ranks the film's multiple endings. Read the full...

The saga continues! We're still celebrating the greatest film trilogy of all time. This time around RJ is back and Romona joins to celebrate the brilliance of The Two Towers . Andy Serkis deserved an Oscar, Helm's Deep is the best action sequence of all time, and no one has ever looked better opening double doors than Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn. Plus, RJ plugs her new podcast (ADHD Adultish - avai...

One Canon to rule them all! And in the darkness bind them! Elves, Dwarves, Men, and Hobbits travel from all over Middle Earth for a blockbuster episode of the Canon. RJ and Bob are here to debate whether cutting Tom Bombadil out of the movie was good decision and discuss what a spinoff Bombadil musical starring Jack Black would look like. There's also some discussion about the Fellowship in here....

Stay woke, Screenagers! We're wrapping up the post spooky season vibes with Jordan Peele's masterful directorial debut. David Cohan (returning guest) and Christopher Reed Brown (new guest) join Raf for a reunion of old high school friends to talk all things social commentary, r/moviedetails, and what qualifies as proper horror. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewas...

Happy Halloween! The boogeyman is coming. And his name is Michael Myers. Matt Miller and Simon Vangel are back for another spooky season classic. This time around they’re talking about final girls, that famous synth, and making the suburbs terrifying. Simon, Matt, and Raf also discuss whether Halloween is too early for soup season as well as everyone’s favorite soups and Halloween candy.  Read the...

She's alive! She's alive! Bobtober continues with ScreamAge Wasteland resident horror expert Bob Cram's favorite movie. Bob and Raf go back to the days of the Universal Monsters and what is probably the most iconic duo of the bunch. Plus, leave a comment if you know the mystery movie that Raf was going to recommend but didn't. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewast...

The dead speak! Sorry, wrong movie. Anyway, ScreamAge Wasteland is celebrating the spooky season with our resident horror expert to bring Bobtober, featuring the one and only Bob Cram. Bob and Raf talk the genius of Sam Raimi, the charm of Bruce Campbell, and everything else great about The Evil Dead . Autumn vibes are set to 11 for this one. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https...

Do you like scary movies? This week we're talking about the slasher film that redefined the genre. Romona and Duke are back to talk about how awesomely meta (and 90s) this movie is. Plus one of the greatest opening scenes in movie history, Matthew Lillard's inspired performance, and how the rest of the franchise holds up. Plus Raf celebrates a huge Mets victory. Read the full Canon entry on Screen...

This episode is a little mad! But then again, we all go a little mad sometimes. Bob and Duke are here to talk about the Alfred Hitchcock classic that serves as the prototype for the great slasher genre. Duke apparently likes to watch movies on his iPod and Bob almost got murdered by his own real life Norman Bates. You decide which is scarier. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https...

Let's dive into it! ScreenAge Wasteland contributor Jacob Holmes joins Raf to talk about one of the best movies of the 2010s. Scarlett Johansson plays a mysterious lady lurking around the streets of Glasgow in a creepy white van, finding random dudes to lure back to her lair. Is this a movie about environmentalism or immigration or something entirely different? Jacob and Raf discuss plus so mu...

Of all the podcasts in all the gin joints in all the world, you end up at ours. We round up the usual suspects (aka Jason Christian from the Cold War Cinema podcast and Raf) to talk about this classic film. This feels like the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as Jason and Raf discuss everything from the awesome setting of Rick's to the incredible use of music. Here's to looking at you,...

Time to wake up ScreenAgers! We need to break out of The Matrix. The Seans are back to talk all things 1999 tech anxieties, the illusion free will, and kung fu. Raf and the Seans also talk about Rage Against the Machine, casting Keanu Reeves, the connection between Space Jam and The Matrix. Plus: what would it sound like if Donald Trump were in The Matrix. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wa...

Sorry for the delay! After some slight technical issues, we’re back with another great episode. Seth Vargas of The Movie Friends Podcast is back to talk some Buster Keaton. Seth and Raf gush over trains, marvel at Keaton’s stunt work, and are perplexed by the historical backdrop of The General. Also, Raf brings back his proposal that Hollywood produce at least 3-5 silent movies per year going forw...

We're going back to Hogwarts! This time around Raf is joined by SAW veterans Duke, Romona, and Jacob to talk about the third installment in the Harry Potter film series. What happens when you bring in an Award Winning director to helm a franchise film about wizard kids and werewolves? Why does Duke think it's okay to lie about which Hogwarts house he was sorted into? And is this the strang...

Welcome to the wizarding world! Bryan and Hannah Loomis of the What a Picture! Podcast join Raf for a colorful discussion about the film that kickstarted one biggest film franchises of the 21st Century. Everyone gets sorted into their proper house, Hannah schools Raf on Hogwarts specifics, and Bryan takes us to 1980s Czechoslovakia. This is one MAGICAL episode you don't want to miss! Read the...

Look at her go! After dealing with planes, trains, hurricanes, and hospitals, RJ finally makes her Season 4 debut on The Canon. She joins Raf to talk about the 1961 classic Breakfast at Tiffany’s . Audrey Hepburn is undeniably cool and magnetic in the lead role. But what would it have looked like if Marilyn Monroe played the part? Also, where the hell in NYC is Tiffany’s actually located? Read the...

Don’t regret - remember! The Canon is back with a modern classic. Felicia Maroni of the Seeing Faces in Movies Podcast joins Raf to discuss Celine Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire . Felicia and Raf discuss the emotional depths of the film’s romance, the killer ending, and shots that “look like paintings”. Felicia also helps Raf with proper French pronunciation and explains how Portrait of a La...

Drainage! Raf is joined by Betsy G of the Never Seen It w/ Betsy & Trent Podcast to talk about Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 masterpiece. Betsy and Raf dive into oil, religion, how rock star dudes became world class composers and Paul Dano going toe to toe with Daniel Day-Lewis. Also, a celebration of national ice cream day and a trip through PTA's odd filmography. Read the full Canon en...

Bring out your dead! Bob fills in for RJ and Sailor to talk Monty Python and The Holy Grail . Listen to find out how this movie is connected to American cowboy and Japanese samurai movies. Also, Bob’s history as a Monty Python fan, his favorite gags in the movie, and its power to create bonds. Raf forgets to properly connect the sound board and reveals his love for proper Brits getting skewered. ...

Let’s see those great big smiles! The Canon is back for Season 4. Raf is joined by Stephen Gillespie of The STACKS podcast to discuss Cool Hand Luke. Raf and Stephen also talk Christ figures in media, philosophical cinema, and eggs of course. Also, Stephen unveils his deep bag of cinematic reference points and gets a warm welcome as our first British guest on The Canon. Read the full Canon entry o...