The Take-Up Podcast

This week, Andrew and Josh take a trip down to 70s Watts to talk about Charles Burnett’s slice-of-life masterpiece Killer of Sheep ! Going into a film all about "This Bitter Earth", they analyze the down-to-earth quality and humor Burnett brings into his potentially woeful premise, the hidden impact Killer of Sheep had over the decades, its scattered release history, and if it's the most definitiv...

After a night of cat-burgling across Paris, Joshua strips off his latex catsuit and to luxuriate in the world of Irma Vep . He and Andrew peel away the meta-textual layers of French director Olivier Assayas' 1996 tribute to French film history and culture and the cinematic force that is Maggie Cheung. Before that, they have a promised (mini-)discussion about David Lowery's Mother Mary , and after,...

After a spring break of sorts, Andrew and Joshua are back in the Backrooms , Kane Parsons' (née Pixels ) breakout liminal-space horror. Lose yourself in the endless corridors of the YouTube-to-Hollywood pipeline while the critics break down The Discourse around the new filmmaker ("He's 20") and his box office smash and find out whether the two consider it sensational enough to enter the Take-Up's...

Josh and Andrew venture into Soviet Russia to discuss the iconic Dziga Vertov film shown in film history classes, Man with a Movie Camera . Make sure to pay attention and take notes as our hosts go through their thoughts on this essential building block of pure cinema, including a reading of Josh’s undergrad essay, commentary on self-awareness, Eisensteinian montage (or not), the nature of “propag...

Starting off their dare of including silent films into the Take-Up canon, Josh and Andrew watch F.W Murnau’s class-conscious drama The Last Laugh . Tackling the miserablist story of status, our hosts discuss the film’s political connections with Weimar Germany, its place in film history, the immense talent of Emil Jannings, and a mixed response to the "studio-note" ending. Then, they have One More...

Joining Josh and Andrew this week, Washington University PhD Candidate Victor Putinier takes them down to post-Summer-of-Love California for 70s cult horror classic Messiah of Evil . Giddily getting into Gloria Katz and William Huyck’s “California gothic”, the trio voice their admiration for a film that refuses to draw a clear line in the sand, from its unfinished production, subversion of zombie...

Paging doctors Josh and Andrew, returning guest Alex McPherson calls them down to take a look at documentary icon Frederick Wiseman’s Hospital . A seminal early work in the director’s decades-spanning career, the trio dissect all the gross, aggravating, depressing, and heartwarming moments spread throughout this encapsulating look at 1970s healthcare. Including a talk about similarities to Wiseman...

Josh and Andrew thought they could just roll and tumble… live from song to song… kiss to kiss… until filmmaker Stephen Tronicek twirled them around with Terrence Malick’s musical love-quadrangle drama Song to Song ! Picking into a film made in the experimental late-stage of the arthouse icon’s career, the trio quickly get into their love (and some qualms) of one of Malick’s most divisive movies. F...

For their final episode on some of the 2026 Best Picture Oscar nominees, Joshua and Andrew go head-to-head with Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme . How does it fit in the Safdie ouvré? Is Timothée Chalamet a total turd? Do Safdie female characters deserve better? Does everybody really want to rule the world? They'll answer these burning questions and whether this "historical" ping-pong nerve-jangler bel...

Grab some tissues and take some Lexapro as Andrew, Josh and Ryan Verrill (host of the Disc-Connected podcast) go through their memories of Charlotte Wells’ masterful debut, Aftersun . Fitting with his background in physical media and Antenna Releasing , Ryan’s choice for the week allows a thoughtful discussion on the film, the relationship between a person and media, the conflicting nature of memo...

As Oscar night comes ever closer, Josh and Andrew travel down the “Rocky Road to Dublin” for the most-nominated film in Academy history, the much beloved (except by Variety ) barn-burner Sinners ! Getting deep into the hot, sweaty beauty of Ryan Coogler’s Delta blues drama/horror mash-up, our hosts praise the film’s celebration of Black music, its timely views on racism and cultural appropriation,...

Enjoy what becomes the Take-Up’s most polarized discussion, as our hosts go into whether Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein creation has a soul worthy of a few Oscar noms or is a Netflix monstrosity dead on arrival. Debates on the director's camerawork, how much Del Toro’s take gels with all the other adaptations that arose from Mary Shelley’s novel, and if Elordi is the hottest Creature of all...

Wanting to talk about this film for years, Hurdy Gurdy Men Josh and Andrew sing their songs of love for David Fincher’s serial-killer thriller Zodiac . Falling down the numerous rabbit holes Fincher provides in his retelling of the unsolved investigation, our hosts work to solve how Zodiac works its addictive magic. Grab an Aqua Velva and unravel the mysteries surrounding this chilling piece of tr...

Hear 'Deliriants' Josh and Andrew describe their dream of Bi Gan’s long-awaited follow-up to Long Day's Journey into Night , the arthouse celebration/eulogy to cinema Resurrection . The hosts go into the weeds of the head-scratching metaphor and genre-bending ode to the five senses that is the Chinese wunderkind's epic “porterhouse steak" of a cinematic meal. Throughout, prepare to ask the importa...

We're putting a big beautiful bold bow on the films of 2025 with a little help from our friends. Joshua talks to previous guests Elliott Collins of MovieFiles and Webster University Film Series Director Pete Timmermann about a few of their favorites from last year, and new-to-the-pod friends Taylor Blake of ZekeFilm.org and filmmaker Stephen Tronicek are on deck to discuss their choices. After tha...

Wishing everyone a happy New Year, Josh and Andrew purify 2026 with fellow contributor/podcast editor/synopsis writer/ ZekeFilm writer Ethan Tarantella’s pick, Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Suspiria ! Prepare to have your head explode with an extended discussion ranging from the remake’s unrelenting arthouse madness, sociopolitical talk about 70s Berlin, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, witchcraft and danc...

As we here at the Take-Up wish everyone a happy holiday, we bring the gift of Keith Watson’s and Sarah Barabas’ pick of the week and iconic “wallpaper cinema,” Suspiria ! As the Arkadin Cinema owners alongside Josh and Andrew wander down the vast candy-lit halls of this witchy giallo, raving over the fairy tale aesthetics, camp quality, dream logic, and how it all makes for a great date movie. Com...

Film critic Dr. Diane Carson spills the beans on director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s latest political thriller The Secret Agent ! Together with Josh and Andrew, the trio give praise to its pointed commentary on the Fifth Brazilian Republic and darkly comedic portrayal of a political refugee. Featuring a disembodied leg, Carnival, Mendonça's love of cinema, and so many other things, listen in on our h...

Max Havey of STL Magazine shares with Josh and Andrew a film he holds dear, Wes Anderson’s Rushmore ! A beloved staple from Anderson’s early stage in his career, the hosts dive into the comedy of this odd coming-of-age tale, Havey’s last-minute Wes Anderson movie rankings, and which one of the three was a Max Fischer in high school. Also expect a couple Graduate comparisons. Then, expect three thi...

Drew Wendt of Do You Like Apples? has one word to say to Josh and Andrew, just one word: Garfunkel. This week, Drew seduces our hosts into talking about Mike Nichols’ New Hollywood classic The Graduate , a film that appears to defy its reputation as an iconic Boomer comedy. Getting into the nitty gritty of all the power dynamics, WASP-y suburbia, youthful aimlessness, grey morality, and just how c...

Switching things up a bit, Josh and Andrew go to the French countryside with Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia . Featuring an opening French lesson/cameo by Josh’s husband, our hosts get into the intricacies of this dark comedy-thriller, including its observation on relationships, rural France, and “one of the biggest jumpscares of the year”. They have fun talking about a film where everyone in this...

After having to skip an episode due to Josh being held captive in Andrew’s basement last week, our hosts can finally have a dialogue over the latest Lanthimos/Stone collab, Bugonia ! Diving into the sci-fi (maybe?) thriller, they debate over all the conspiracy theories, politics, the ending, and which Lanthimos movie is worthy of being put in the vault before the green planet is saved. Then they g...

Here comes the Fuzz! Alex McPherson of PoplifeSTL brings in Edgar Wright’s cop comedy Hot Fuzz for Josh and Andrew to take a look and probe their thoughts. Together, the trio discuss the sidesplitting highlights, its nature as a Tony Scott parody/giallo/bromance befitting the Dudes Rock! canon, and if it fits within the guidelines of Copaganda. Along with their differing thoughts on Wright’s movie...

Rise and Shine! What Time is It? Well, Comrades Josh and Andrew take a look at PTA’s explosive new thriller One Battle After Another . Together, they praise the film’s views on rebel militias, family, and the current political climate as well as gush over the comedy, the cast, a Support the Girls reunion, the rolling hills, and the Thomas Pynchon of it all. Then they'll have One More Thing about O...

From the moment Billy Rock of Do You Like Apples? watched Signs with his family as a kid, its themes on faith and dedication to genre thrills served as a starting point for his growing interest in films. Twenty years later, Rock brings the M. Night Shyamalan alien thriller to the Take-Up, where Josh and Andrew swing away with their own polarizing thoughts on its intrigue and M. Night’s up-and-down...