The Extra Credits

Kelsi and Trey explore Akira Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress on Patreon. This is just a free sample. In the full episode, we kick off our Kurosawa journey by unpacking the film’s influence on Star Wars and diving into its narrative structure, tone, and characters. It’s part of our ongoing series pairing classic Kurosawa films with deeper Star Wars deep dives! The Extra Credits YouTube Channel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Kelsi and Trey are back to discuss superheroes: we break down James Gunn’s Superman and Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps , two attempts to reboot tired franchises with sincerity and with varying results. First, we dive into Gunn’s earnest, squirrel-saving cutie Superman, Corenswet’s surprising star turn, and the film’s big ideas about media and occupation. Then we get into Fantastic Four '...

Our Star Wars deep dive continues on Patreon with Attack of the Clones —arguably the wildest entry in the prequels. We tackle Anakin’s emotional spiral, the politics of Star Wars fans, Jedi agents, and...sand. We also talk about the silly-emotional tragiromance of it all! This is a free 15 minute Patreon preview, but you can join us on Patreon to unlock the full four-part series (Episodes 1, 2, 4,...

Kelsi and Trey dive deep into Ari Aster’s bold and chaotic new film Eddington —a post-pandemic western satire that takes aim at America’s digital echo chambers. We break down the film’s story, its genre-blending style, standout performances from Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, and Austin Butler (but an underused Emma Stone), and debate whether Aster’s ambition outweighs the film’s messiness. Go bel...

This is a free sample from our conversation on David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia (1962), the sweeping desert epic that looms large over George Lucas’s vision for his Star Wars saga as a whole. We dig into the film’s imperial critique, Peter O’Toole’s mesmerizing performance, and how Lean turns scale into a tool of psychological storytelling. For the full episode head to our Patreon at the link below...

Our four-part Star Wars deep dive series is now live on Patreon—starting with a free 15-minute preview of our epic Star Wars -Phantom Menace breakdown. From podraces, to tariffs, to Darth Maul's double-bladed duel of the fates chaos, we unpack the Star Wars mythology, this era of Lucas, this massive indie production, and our relationship to the divisive prequels. Join us on Patreon to unlock the f...

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland return to the franchise they helped define with 28 Years Later . A bold, emotional, and politically charged vision of our past, present, and future. We break down the film’s story, style, themes of myth-making, isolationism, nationalism, and standout performances from Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, and breakout star Alfie Williams. We also look ahead...

This full episode is free for a limited time on our Patreon! Sign up as a free member using the link in the episode description below. In this Patreon episode, we dive deep into the 28 Days Later franchise—breaking down its lo-fi horror legacy, Danny Boyle’s kinetic filmmaking, the breakout performances from Cillian Murphy and Naomie Harris, and Alex Garland’s sharp political commentary. We also t...

This is a free sample from our conversation on William Wyler's Ben-Hur (1959), the epic that helped shape George Lucas’s cinematic imagination and paved the way for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace . We talk about Ben-Hur 's blend of myth, spectacle, and spirituality, how its structure mirrors the Skywalker saga, and why Judah Ben-Hur walks so Anakin Skywalker can...get his legs cut off. For...

FULL FREE EPISODE ON PATREON – In this special sample episode, we dive into Mission: Impossible (1996), the film that launched Tom Cruise’s iconic run as Ethan Hunt. We break down Brian De Palma’s stylish direction, that legendary langley heist, and the beginning of one of cinema’s greatest action franchises. This is a full deep dive into the spy thriller that changed the genre forever. Listen to...

Today we dive into Celine Song’s Materialists , a glossy, thematically ambitious romcom that left us more intrigued than moved. Following the quiet power of Past Lives , Song pivots hard...playing with genre conventions to critique romance as transaction, intimacy as performance, and dating as capitalist spectacle. We talk about how the film tries to reclaim a dying genre while simultaneously diss...

Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest is the sleek, stylish spy thriller that basically invented the modern action movie and laid the blueprint for the Mission: Impossible / James Bond franchises. We break down its iconic set pieces, paranoid energy, and why Cary Grant running from a crop duster still rips. This is a 5-minute sample from our full #1 Boy Movie Club episode. To hear the entire deep...

In our episode on Jerry Maguire , we dive into Tom Cruise and Cameron Crowe’s genre-blending masterpiece as both a rom-com and sports drama that dissects the emotional and professional crash out of a self-interested man. Alongside this, we break down the broader arc of Cruise’s career—from 1980s heartthrob to 1990s dramatic powerhouse to post-2000s action icon—and how Jerry Maguire stands at a cri...

Kelsi and Trey review Wes Anderson's newest film The Phoenician Scheme and also trace the five distinct eras of Anderson’s career. Anderson’s latest pastel-laced genre experiment is part espionage caper, part theological road movie, and part anti-capitalist fever dream. We break down how this film fits into the “post- Grand Budapest ” phase of his work, explore its sub-narratives and surreal s...

This is a 5-minute sample of our full podcast episode on Billy Wilder’s The Apartment — a film that somehow blends mid-century office politics, romantic dysfunction, and existential comedy into one perfect holiday movie. To hear the full conversation and unlock over 200 hours of movie deep dives, including more classics, new releases, and filmmaker spotlights, head to our Patreon and become a memb...

Kelsi and Trey react to Tom Cruise's final MI film in 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' plus we rank all eight Mission: Impossible films, from De Palma’s paranoid thriller to McQuarrie’s AI-fighting epics, and trace how the franchise evolved from emotional espionage to Cruise-as-messiah spectacle. We dive deep into each entry’s themes, set pieces, and shifting tone, debating...

Somehow Star Wars Returned! Trey and James Steck dive deep into our personal history with Star Wars—how it shaped our childhoods, our friendships, and how Andor Seasons 1 and 2 reignited our passion. We reflect on the highs, lows, and evolution of the franchise across movies, TV shows, games, and why Tony Gilroy’s Andor redefined what Star Wars could be: smart, political, emotionally rich, and una...

In this special Extra Credits+ episode, we're joined by guests Kira and James to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar . Together, we dive deep into Nolan’s career arc, unpacking how Interstellar stands out as his most spiritual and vulnerable film. Along the way, the group breaks down iconic performances by Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain,...

In this critical deep dive, we explore Sinners, the bold, genre-blending vampire-western-horror-musical from director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. We unpack its ambitious themes of assimilation, artistic legacy, cultural survival, and spiritual freedom—all wrapped inside a chaotic IMAX-sized spectacle. From standout newcomer Miles Caton’s lead performance to the film’s uneven third act...

Trey reviews Ryan Coogler’s Sinners: a $100-million genre-bending vampire western horror musical set in 1930s Mississippi. It’s Coogler’s boldest, weirdest, and most ambitious film to date, blending myth, legacy, identity, and the cost of assimilation into a chaotic cinematic experiment. Trey unpacks the film’s anti-genre intentions, its Faustian themes, its wild tonal swings, and the standout per...

Kelsi and Trey count down and critically discuss our picks for the 30 best movies of 2024—an unpredictable, wildly entertaining, and emotionally resonant year for cinema. From studio epics like Dune: Part Two and Furiosa , to international gems like La Chimera and I’m Still Here , to genre-benders like Challengers , The Substance , and Red Rooms , we break down what made these films stand out—form...

On the 30th anniversary of David Fincher’s Se7en , we take a deep dive into the legacy of one of the most unsettling and influential thrillers of modern cinema. We explore the film’s impact on the serial killer genre, Fincher’s signature style and career-defining choices, and how Se7en critiques the very systems—and audiences—that consume stories of violence and moral decay. We also get into the u...

For Toy Story's 30th anniversary, we’re diving deep into the film and studio that changed animation forever—but also how Pixar itself evolved from a revolutionary indie disruptor into a corporate franchise machine. We’ll explore Pixar’s early era, where its films tackled bold political and existential themes—from A Bug’s Life's working-class rebellion to WALL-E's anti-consumerist dysto...

Today we dive into the world of Bong Joon Ho—exploring his career, his major themes, and ranking his most iconic works. We then deep dive Parasite, his genre-shifting, class-conflict masterpiece. We discuss how he shapes architecture into allegory, comedy into tragedy, and mobility into myth. Parasite might be the smartest movie of the 21st century—so we have a lot to say about it in this 3+ hour...

Kelsi and Trey dive deep into the history of Batman on screen , ranking every live-action portrayal of the Dark Knight and debating what each version got right (or horribly wrong). And then we get to our major conversation on Matt Reeves’ The Batman and Robert Pattinson’s fragile, gothic detective take on the character. We’ll break down the noir-infused world Reeves has built, why Pattinson’s emot...