The Canon: An Essential Movies Watchlist

Come play with us! The Canon ends its Halloween month celebration with Stanley Kubrick's 1980 classic. Friend of the show and ScreenAge Wasteland's resident horror expert, Bob Cram, is back to chat with Raf about how the movie stacks up against the book, nightmares about the woman in room 237, and whether Kubrick really filmed the moon landing. Also, Raf reveals his unhealthy obsession wit...

What the heck is that Thing?! The Canon continues its celebration of the season of spooks with John Carpenter's classic creature feature. Screenwriter Connor McKnight joins Raf to discuss paranoia, isolation, existential dread, and whether a movie about all of those things can have a happy ending. Oh and also, those practical effects in this movie are wild. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenA...

They're coming for you! Spooktober continues with George A. Romero's classic from 1968. To celebrate the granddaddy of all modern zombie movies, Raf is joined by friends of the show Matt Miller and Simon Staples-Vangel. Also in this episode: does the gore in this movie hold up, are Michael Bay and Zack Snyder auteurs, and what's up with all of Simon's trivia nuggets? Read the full...

Witches! Raf is joined by ScreenAge Wasteland’s horror aficionado, Bob Cram to discuss Dario Argento’s classic giallo horror. Suspiria is monumental within the genre and the pinnacle of Italian horror. Raf and Bob also discuss Halloween traditions, when it’s okay to start watching spooky movies, and how much pumpkin spice is too much pumpkin spice.   Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wastelan...

October is right around the corner! Halloween season is almost upon us. To kick off the season, Sailor Monsoon and Romona Comet join Raf to talk about the classic Stephen King adaptation. The crew discusses why Brian De Palma was the perfect guy for the job, why high school is so scary, and how Carrie the book almost never came to be. Sailor and Raf also debate whether Terrence Malick is a great f...

High school reunions can get weird! Especially if you're a hitman back in town for an assigned kill. ScreenAge Wasteland and Canon pod vets Romona Comet and Bob Cram Jr. are back to convince Raf that this 1997 action rom-com deserves it's place in The Canon. Give it a listen and decide for yourself. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wasteland: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-...

The ecstasy of gold! Sean and Sean of the S Rank Podcast (@SRankPod on Twitter) are back. The Seans join Raf to talk about Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western. Also, Sean Welsh talks about his striking experience as a SAG-AFTRA member and other Sean aka NoBananaSuits discusses shake ups in the world of Twitch streaming. There's also a lot of conversation about how cool Clint Eastwood...

If it bleeds, we can podcast about it. Jeff Gordon of the Box Office QBs podcast (@BoxOfficeQBs on Twitter) joins Raf to talk about this epic 80s action flick. Arnold Schwarzenegger headlines this all-star cast of amped up meatheads facing off against a deadly otherworldly foe. Sweat, guns, and muscles dominate the conversation in this awesome episode. Read the full Canon entry on ScreenAge Wastel...

Enjoy this episode with some fava beans and a nice chianti. Friend of the show David Wilson (@DBWilson2 on Twitter) is back to talk about one of three movies to ever win "the big five" at the Academy Awards. Silence of the Lambs is one of the most quoted, parodied, and referenced movies of the last 35 years and an obvious choice for The Canon. Dave and Raf also chat about some of their b...

Gentlemen, there's no fighting in here! This is the Canon! Stanley Kubrick's brilliant political satire solidifies it's rightful place in The Canon. Raf is joined by David Cohan (@AwNotHimAgain on Twitter) to break down this comedy classic. David and Raf also discuss the difference between CGI and VFX, the best OutKast albums, and a little bit of Oppenheimer . Read the full Canon entry...

The Canon is back! Did you miss us? We kick off Season 2 with the definitive western satire. Duke and Sailor join Raf to talk about this Mel Brooks classic, whether poop jokes are funny, and what this movie would look like if Richard Pryor and John Wayne starred. Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-blazing-saddles-1974/

Season 1 of The Canon ends with a bang! Romona and RJ are back to talk more Steven Spielberg. This is the original summer blockbuster. This is the movie that made Spielberg an immortal. This is Jaws ! Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-jaws-1975/

King of the Monsters! This is an absolute beast of an episode. K. Alvarez and Bob Cram join Raf to talk about the original kaiju, nuclear fallout, and how that iconic roar came to be. You might be surprised to learn that this is the only Godzilla movie to make the Canon. But fear not, there's plenty discussion about the other films here as well. Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenag...

Why are these birds so evil?! ScreenAge Wasteland legends RJ Mathews and Bob Cram Jr. join Raf to talk about Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds . The gang discusses whether Hitchcock was a maestro, a bastard, or both. Also in this episode: RJ, Bob, and Raf share traumatizing stories about their experiences with animal attacks. Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-...

Hold on to your butts! We spared no expense on this episode. SAW contributors Romona and RJ join Raf to talk about one of Steven Spielberg's most iconic summer blockbusters. This movie's got it all - incredible scenes, breathtaking shots, and memorable quotes. Also in this episode: which dinosaur would you most like to be eaten by? Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland...

Let's go on an adventure. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg team up for one of the most exciting films ever made. Harrison Ford is an absolute stud. Friends of the pod Michael Ruocco and Sean Ryan join Raf to talk about stage fighting, best John Williams scores, and a whole lot of admiration for how hot Harrison Ford is. Also, this episode features on the most stunning revelations in the histo...

This episode is Gonna Fly Now! Dhal, Duke, and Raf step into the ring with one of the greatest boxing movies of all time and maybe the most inspiring movie ever made. Rocky the definitive underdog story both onscreen and behind the scenes. Also in this episode: Dhal waxes poetic about the great soundtrack, Duke has never seen any other boxing movies, and Raf was inspired to hit the gym. Read the f...

This episode is a big, bright, shining star! David Wilson of the Miami Herald joins Raf to talk about Paul Thomas Anderson's bold sophomore effort about the porn industry, cocaine, and found family. Dave and Raf also talk Miami sports, needle drops, and PTA fun facts. Follow Dave on Twitter: @DBWilson2. Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-boogie-night...

The intro music is pretty sweet, huh? Tim Quinn joins the show to talk about his inspiration for creating the music, the process behind making it, and also to talk about a little movie called Yojimbo . We know you've been waiting for this one for a while and the time has finally come for our most anticipated episode yet.

RJ and Jacob join Raf as the jury members for the case in defense of Twelve Angry Men . As it stands, the jury finds this movie GUILTY...of being an all-time classic. Raf, RJ, and Jacob also discuss whether or not the movie should be titled Twelve Sweaty Men and what it's like to receive a jury summons in the mail. Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-...

In space no one can hear you podcast. Luckily, here on Earth everyone can hear Sailor, Bob, and Raf cover all things Alien . We debate how iconic Ripley is as a character, the classic chest burster scene, and even dabble in discussing Jodorowsky's unfinished Dune project. Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-alien-1979/

We're excited to announce our first guests from outside of the SAW contributor family. Sean and Sean of The S-Rank Podcast (coming soon to a podcast platform near you) join The Canon for a riveting conversation about No Country for Old Men . Raf and the Seans also discuss the origins of their new podcast, story telling in video games, and the thrill of witnessing competency. Follow the Seans o...

To infinity and beyond! This week we're revisiting one of the most influential animated movies of all-time. Toy Story not only kicked things off for the legendary Pixar studios, but also reinvented animation with it's use of CGI. Duke is back for more fun and the one and only Romona Comet joins for her maiden voyage on The Canon. The conversation takes some weird turns, but this is sure to...

Great Scott! This episode is heavy, Doc. Raf, Duke, and Jacob hop in the DeLorean and chat about one of the best time travel movies of all time. You might know this already, but this is Duke's favorite movie of all time. Read the full Canon entry here: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-back-to-the-future-1985/

Let's get furious! We've got more Warner Brothers studio celebration for Canon episode numero 2. This time around, Raf is joined by Duke and Sailor (he's back) to talk Mad Max: Fury Road . We've got a whole lot to talk about around this movie, including George Miller's failed Justice League project. Read the full Canon entry: https://screenagewasteland.com/lets-talk-about-mad-m...