Unspooled

Paul & Amy break down Nomadland, Mank, Judas & The Black Messiah, and all the Best Picture nominees before this year's Academy Awards! They discuss which movies looked too depressing to tackle during a pandemic (and which are less depressing than you'd think), ask why the Best Picture and Best Director nominations aren't one and the same, and give their predictions for the big category winners (an...

Amy & Paul hit a grand slam for 1992's Penny Marshall baseball comedy A League Of Their Own! They make the case this is a film about female friendship as much as a sports movie, dig into the camaraderie between Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell, and ask what was really going through Dottie's head in the final game. Plus: Amy met a Rockford Peach!   This is the fifth episode of our Underdogs series; next...

Paul & Amy run through 1981's Olympic track drama Chariots of Fire! They learn why this is Joe Biden's favorite film, ask if this thoroughly British story was at all jazzed up for American audiences, and compare the arcs of individual sports like running to the team sports they've covered so far. Plus: How composer Vangelis fought to get his iconic theme in the film. This is the fourth episode of...

Paul & Amy slide through 1993's Jamaican bobsledding comedy Cool Runnings! They learn which parts of the script were true and which were exaggerated for the film, praise John Candy's generous straight man performance, and ask whether formula is always a bad thing in filmmaking. Plus: Doug E. Doug (Sanka Coffie) recalls talking the production team out of some bad ideas.   This is the third episode...

Paul & Amy tackle 1971's football integration melodrama Brian's Song! They learn why Burt Reynolds ultimately wasn't cast in the James Caan role, praise the film's use of real game footage, and discuss why it all works despite often feeling like an after school special. Plus: what makes Brian's Song a famous 'guy-cry?'   This is the second episode of our Underdogs series; next week’s film is Cool...

Amy & Paul double team 1986's Gene Hackman basketball drama Hoosiers! They praise the film for capturing the realism of small town life, dissect what makes films based on true stories successful, and ask whether Hackman is actually a good coach. Plus: How does Jerry Goldsmith's Oscar nominated score hold up?   This is the first episode of our Underdogs series; next week's film is Brian's Song! Lea...

Amy and Paul sit down with Mark Harris, author of "Mike Nichols: A Life," to discuss the career of the famed director of films like "The Graduate" and "Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?", and the insights Harris uncovered by diving into his life and work. Next week, movie discussion resumes, as we kick off our Underdogs series on real-life-inspired sports films with Hoosiers! Learn more about your a...

Amy & Paul fight for 1987's Rob Reiner meta-fairytale The Princess Bride! They discuss what makes Reiner's films stand out, listen to Cary Elwes' Marlon Brando impression, and ask if this is a perfect example of an 'everything' film. Plus: some Andre The Giant stories you won't believe.   This is the final episode of the Couple Goals series; next week we kick off Underdogs, our series on true-life...

Paul & Amy can’t quit 2005’s groundbreaking gay romance Brokeback Mountain. They analyze how the beginning and ending shots of the film mirror each other, ask why so much early coverage of the film felt tone deaf, and praise all four central performances as the emergence of a new generation of great actors. Plus: What makes Ang Lee one of our greatest living directors.                             ...

Amy & Paul alley-oop 2000's Gina Prince-Bythewood athletic romance Love And Basketball! They discover the impact this film made on WNBA players like Candace Parker, learn why Sanaa Lathan had to prove she was up for the lead role, and ask if a childhood argument foreshadows the central couple's turbulent relationship. Plus: Why did the love scene almost get cut by the MPAA?   This is the sixth epi...

This week, Paul & Amy can’t forget 2004’s mind-melting romance Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind! They learn why director Michel Gondry asked Jim Carrey not to improvise, discuss the charm of practical affects, dish on a character cut from the film, and ask if this couple is really meant to be together. Plus: learn which rap superstar was heavily inspired by the movie!   This is the fifth epis...

On a bonus Unspooled, Paul & Amy discuss 2020's thorny modern revenge story Promising Young Woman! They praise the film's tonal balancing act and subversion of audience expectations, view Cassie's story through the prism of the misogynist pop culture of the 00s, and listen to highlights from Amy's conversation with director Emerald Fennell and star Carey Mulligan. Learn more about your ad choices....

Amy & Paul are infatuated with 1951's tragic love triangle A Place In The Sun! They hear Elizabeth Taylor explain how watching Montgomery Clift helped make her a real actress, ask what makes George Stevens a great director, and discuss how the film expertly toys with the viewer's sympathy. Plus: an infamous Tonight Show moment with Shelley Winters.   This is the fourth episode in our Couple Goals...

Paul & Amy dream of 1994's Wong Kar-wai romantic diptych Chungking Express! They look at Wong's influence on modern auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Barry Jenkins, trace a metaphor through the film for a Hong Kong in transition, and ask why it was considered "too MTV" by some contemporary critics. Plus: What does this film have in common with Final Fantasy VIII?   This is the second episode in o...

Amy & Paul go to the airport for 1989's quintessential romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally! They learn how director Rob Reiner helped Meg Ryan prepare for the orgasm scene, ask why Harry Connick Jr. doesn't appear in the film, and discuss whether the film's ending undermines the message that men and women can be just friends. Plus: Highlights from the scenes that didn't make the theatrical cut.  ...

Paul & Amy highway into Yorgos Lanthimos' jarring family parable Dogtooth! They learn how audiences around the world interpreted the film differently, discuss how parents can radically shape their children's world, and lament that more American films don't use Lanthomos' method of high allegory. Plus: A snippet of the younger sister's real-life art punk band.   This is the final episode in our Kin...

Amy & Paul break into 1990's abandoned child comedy phenomenon Home Alone! They praise John Candy as the film's MVP, learn why Joe Pesci was tougher to wrangle on set than any of the child actors, and debate whether Kevin McCallister is a sociopath. Plus: A look at how Macaulay Culkin has responded to the film's success as an adult.   This is the seventh episode in our Kinspooled series on “effed...

Amy & Paul say hello to 2019's Chinese-American family reunion The Farewell! They praise director Lulu Wang's use of motion, discover how Awkwafina won the dramatic lead role despite being best known as a rapper and comedian, and learn about the real fake mourners common at Chinese funerals. Plus: What's that familiar song covered in the end credits?   This is the sixth episode in our Kinspooled s...

We're releasing this episode of our Premium game show series Screen Test with Paul & Amy for free! To listen to more Screen Test, just sign up for Stitcher Premium - you can go to stitcher.com/premium and use the promo code UNSPOOLED for one month free. In this holiday-themed episode, contestants Bill, Amanda and Alex attempt to say something nice about Cats, act out Arnold Schwarzenegger looking...

In this bonus episode, Paul & Amy complete the Unspooled Godfather trilogy by watching "The Godfather, Coda: The Death Of Michael Corleone," director Francis Ford Coppola's new edit of The Godfather Pt. III. They also talk to Talia Shire, star of "The Godfather" and "Rocky" franchises, about all things "The Godfather", how she reapproached the character of Connie Corleone and which film she would...

Paul & Amy invite themselves over to 1967's Sidney Poitier "meet the parents" dramedy Guess Who's Coming To Dinner! They praise the movie's light touch with then-controversial social issues like interracial marriage, compare the film to early mainstream gay comedies like The Birdcage, and listen to a posthumous letter star Katharine Hepburn wrote to Spencer Tracy. Plus: Every sitcom with an episod...

Amy & Paul move back in with 2001's Wes Anderson family reunion piece The Royal Tenenbaums! They ask if Anderson is sneakily a great director of actors, posit that Ben Stiller is the true heart of the movie, and discuss whether the female Tenenbaums are well served by their storylines. Plus: Which other legendary actor was considered to play Royal Tenenbaum?   This is the fourth episode in our Kin...

Paul & Amy use their second sight on 1997's Creole family tragedy Eve's Bayou! They learn why director Kasi Lemmons cut a mute observer character from the film, compare the story to To Kill A Mockingbird, and praise the film's slippery relationship with truth and memory. Plus: A look at On Our Own, the Smollett family sitcom.   This is the third episode in our Kinspooled series on “effed up famili...

Amy & Paul visit 1953's Japanese generational drama Tokyo Story! They discuss the unique, still-life-inspired style of director Yasujiro Ozu, learn how the film became regarded as a masterwork by future generations of directors, and ask if the children of the central characters are actually villainous or just human. Plus: Which novelty single was huge in America when Tokyo Story was in theaters?  ...

Paul & Amy raise up 1987’s Coen Brothers kidnapping caper Raising Arizona! They track the secret references to other Coen projects, learn why they thought of a baby as an “emotional squib,” and ask why Hi and Ed are so lovable despite committing an awful crime. Plus: discovering Nic Cage’s thoughts on babies.  Next week’s film is Tokyo Story!   You can join the conversation on Paul’s Discord at ht...