This Movie Saved My Life

This week, John and Miles take a close encounter with Disclosure Day, a film that asks big questions about evidence, secrecy, belief, and the search for truth. Along the way, they discuss what the film shares with investigative classics like The Conversation, All the President's Men, and even Memories of Murder, exploring why unresolved mysteries continue to fascinate us. Whether you're...

For our third journey into cinematic exile, we venture into truly strange territory with Death to Smoochy , Yesterday , and A Dirty Shame . These are films that have been dismissed as disasters, frustrations, or outright assaults on good taste, but are they really unwatchable, or simply misunderstood? Join John and Miles as they explore failed masterpieces, wasted premises, weaponized bad taste, a...

Miles and John wander into the strange world of Hokum to unpack haunted houses, Celtic folklore horror, and why some places feel haunted long before anything supernatural arrives. Along the way, they explore the uncanny, folk horror, and the unsettling feeling that a house may not be haunted at all, but simply built too close to something old.

Three Spielberg films. No easy emotions. With filmmaker Sam Coale, we dive into 1941 , A.I. , and Empire of the Sun —the moments where Spielberg’s control slips and something deeper emerges. 

In this episode, we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of a film that took over conversations, quotes, and everyday life. Which film? Listen and find out. 

Thirty years after its release, Trainspotting still hits like a jolt to the system — a film about addiction and dead ends that somehow became a rallying cry for living. John and Miles are joined by Shawn C. Baker ( The Horror Vision ) to explore how Danny Boyle’s kinetic, transgressive masterpiece turns nihilism into something strangely life-affirming. Why does this film still feel so urgent, and...

In this episode, John and Miles explore how the original Star Wars trilogy became a kind of emotional survival guide— A New Hope teaching us how to believe again, The Empire Strikes Back showing us how to live with failure, and Return of the Jedi reminding us that sometimes the bravest act is letting go. Along the way, they pay tribute to Catherine O’Hara, Robert Duvall, and Frederick Wiseman, ref...

John and Miles kick off 2026 by reintroducing themselves to you, dear listener, as well as answering questions and talking about their most anticipated films of 2026. They also discuss the latest film in the 28 Days franchise - The Bone Temple. 

Listen as Miles and John break down 2025: what worked, what didn't, and some very pleasant surprises. 

We're back with one of our end-of-year anniversary celebrations, this time with two years-in-movies that were well-celebrated in 2025. Listen as John and Miles talk about their favorite films of 1995 and 1975. 

John and Miles talk about Michael Mann's Heat - one of the best L.A. neo-noirs ever made - turning 30 this year. Listen as they talk about their history with the film and what it means to them today. 

In this episode, John and Miles bid farewell to internationally renowned actors Tatsuya Nakadai and Homayoun Ershadi, as well as a discussion of Richard Linklater's latest film Nouvelle Vague. 

John and Miles discuss Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein and how it holds up to other versions and John's love for the original novel. 

Happy Halloween, dear listeners! In this episode, we are once again joined by Shawn C. Baker from The Horror Vision podcast. Listen as we discuss our top five favorite British horror films of all time. 

In this episode, John and Miles talk about their love for the horror film streaming channel Shudder and Joe Bob Briggs (aka "Joseph Robertson Brigadier"). 

John and Miles discuss Paul Thomas Anderson films, focusing on his latest work One Battle After Another. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss the latest FX series Alien: Earth, created by Noah Hawley. 

We continue our exploration of Chicago films, discussing High Fidelity (Stephen Frears, 2000) and Judas and the Black Messiah (Shaka King, 2021). 

John and Miles discuss a few of their favorite films set in one of their favorite film cities: Chicago. In part one of this two-part series, listen as they talk about the horror film Candyman (1992) and Michael Mann's crime thriller Thief (1981). What will they talk about next? Stay tuned. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss season 4 of The Bear and their response to The NY Times "Best of the Century So Far" list (kind of). 

In this episode, we're joined by friend of the show and host of The Horror Vision podcast. Listen as we talk about 28 Years Later and our top five zombie movies of all time. 

Listen as John and Miles discuss why Airplane is the greatest comedy film of all time. 

John and Miles discuss why Jaws, 50 years later, is still a perfect film. 

We're back with another installment of Unwatchable. Listen as the hosts assign each other a film that they think will make the other recoil in horror. 

While co-host John recovers from surgery, listen to our classic episode "Unwatchable" from 2021.  We'll be back in May with "Unwatchable: Part 2," where the hosts assign each other films they think the other would struggle to sit through.