Stories in Motion

In this episode, we dive into  Gen V  Season 2 and how the show navigates the real-life loss of Chance Perdomo while keeping its chaotic, superpowered edge. From heartfelt tributes to shady Vought conspiracies, we break down what works, what wobbles, and why the series still packs an emotional punch.

Fresh off the plane from the Toronto International Film Festival, we break down the 2025 Emmy frontrunners, surprise contenders, and bold predictions. From  Severance  to  The Studio  to the unstoppable  Adolescence , who’s got the momentum—and who might sneak in a surprise win?

Our 36th film at the Toronto International Film Festival pulls no punches. We dive into  If I Had Legs I’d Kick You , Mary Bronstein’s anxiety-ridden, darkly hilarious portrait of a mom on the edge. From surreal ceiling holes to feeding-tube nightmares, this one’s a panic attack in 35mm — and Rose Byrne is terrifyingly good. Buckle up.

Our 29th TIFF film takes us to the glitzy casinos of Macau, where Colin Farrell plays a washed-up gambler on the verge of collapse in  Ballad of a Small Player . It looks sharp, sounds intense — but does it deliver? We talk velvet suits, fake lives, and why this Netflix noir never quite cashes in.

Our 25th film at TIFF 2025 might be the most explosive yet. Nia DaCosta’s  Hedda  is a bold, seductive, and chaotic reinvention of Ibsen’s classic, with Tessa Thompson delivering a career-best performance as the ultimate party puppetmaster. We break down the glamor, the rage, the queerness, and the guns (yes,  those  guns). Things get messy—in the best way.

We’ve just seen our 22nd film at TIFF 2025, and it  wrecked  us. Chloé Zhao’s  Hamnet , starring Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, turns Shakespearean grief into something mythic, intimate, and soul-crushingly beautiful. In this episode, we unpack how this quiet period piece became one of the most emotionally devastating films of the festival. Grab tissues. Seriously.

In our 17th film at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, we break down  Roofman  — Channing Tatum’s true-crime story about a man hiding out in a Toys “R” Us after a string of robberies. Charming but shallow, this crowd-pleaser plays it safe, skipping deeper questions for easy feel-good moments. We discuss what works, what falls flat, and the strange nostalgia at its core.

In our sixteenth film at TIFF 2025, we unpack  Rental Family , a tender yet honest look at modern life in Tokyo through Brendan Fraser’s quietly powerful performance. From rented relationships to real emotions, this gig-economy drama explores the blurred lines between performance and connection in today’s isolated world.

Film #15 at TIFF takes a darker turn as Rian Johnson delivers his most twisted  Knives Out  mystery yet. We dive into  Wake Up Dead Man , a gothic, disinformation-fueled whodunit featuring Daniel Craig, Josh O’Connor, cult vibes, and some seriously unholy twists. This one's more Poe than Poirot — and we’re here for it.

For our 12th film at TIFF, we dive into  The Lost Bus , Paul Greengrass' chaotic, gut-punch of a survival thriller based on the true story of a bus driver who saved 22 kids during the 2018 Camp Fire. We talk McConaughey in hero mode, firestorm realism, and why this film feels more like a panic attack than a disaster movie — in a good way.

Our 11th film at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival is a heavy hitter — literally. We dive into  Christy , the gritty biopic about boxing legend Christy Martin, and break down Sydney Sweeney’s powerhouse performance, David Michôd’s bleak direction, and why this one left a bruise in the best way.

We’re officially in Toronto for TIFF 2025, and we’re starting strong with  Blue Moon , Richard Linklater’s melancholic and magnetic one-night drama starring Ethan Hawke as the legendary (and legendarily messy) Lorenz Hart. A bar, a bottle, and a legacy on the line — we break down what makes this chamber piece sing, and why Hawke might be on track for some major awards love.

We’re leaving the Venice Film Festival with sore feet, full hearts, and 37 films under our belts. In this episode, we break down our final rankings, share our predictions ahead of Saturday’s awards, and talk about the biggest surprises, snubs, and standing ovations. Next stop: Toronto.

We’ve hit film #33 at Venice — and it shook us to the core. Kathryn Bigelow’s  A House of Dynamite  is a nerve-shredding, real-time nuclear thriller with Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, and Jared Harris caught in a countdown to potential annihilation. We unpack the chaos, the chilling realism, and why this might be Bigelow’s most urgent film yet.

In our 32nd Venice Film Festival watch, we dive into François Ozon’s hauntingly stylish adaptation of  The Stranger . We talk Benjamin Voisin’s icy performance, the film’s lush black-and-white visuals, and how Ozon reframes Camus’ existential classic through a post-colonial lens. Is this version strange enough? Let’s get into it.

In our 30th film from the Venice Film Festival, we dive into  The Smashing Machine , Benny Safdie’s intimate MMA biopic starring a stripped-down, career-best Dwayne Johnson. Forget The Rock — this is raw, emotional, and unexpectedly tender. We unpack the film’s surprising softness, Emily Blunt’s standout performance, and how Safdie flips the sports genre on its head.

Our 29th film at Venice is a divine surprise:  The Testament of Ann Lee , Mona Fastvold’s rapturous, quasi-musical epic starring Amanda Seyfried as a singing, dancing, soul-searching female Christ figure. We break down this bold vision of faith, feminism, and collective purpose — and why it might just be the most ecstatic film of the festival.

In our 24th film from Venice, we dive into Jim Jarmusch’s  Father Mother Sister Brother  — a triptych of tender, fractured family stories told in the quietest tones. From Tom Waits as a reclusive dad to Cate Blanchett and Vicky Krieps navigating maternal distance, this episode explores how Jarmusch turns silence into poetry. No fireworks, just slow cinema that cuts deep.

Our 23rd film at Venice is Olivier Assayas’ cold and cerebral take on modern Russian power. We unpack  The Wizard of the Kremlin , starring Paul Dano as Putin’s fictional spin doctor — a slow-burn descent into political manipulation, media control, and the quiet banality of evil.

In our 18th film at Venice, we dive into Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited  Frankenstein . A haunting, gorgeous reimagining of the classic tale, this version trades jump scares for deep emotion. We unpack Oscar Isaac’s unhinged Victor, Jacob Elordi’s heartbreaking Creature, and how del Toro turns a horror icon into a story about forgiveness, grief, and what it means to be human.

Film #17 at Venice takes a softer turn — we dive into  Late Fame , a gently devastating drama about lost potential, identity, and aging in a world obsessed with reinvention. Willem Dafoe is quietly brilliant. Let’s talk about it.

Film #12 at Venice is a brutal banger. We dive into  No Other Choice , Park Chan-wook’s darkly hilarious capitalism thriller about a laid-off paper man who literally kills for a job. Violent, absurd, and painfully relatable — this one's got bite. Listen now. Link in bio.

We’re at the Venice Film Festival and just watched our 11th film — Luca Guadagnino’s  After the Hunt . With Julia Roberts in a bold, messy role and a storyline tackling post-#MeToo academia, it had all the ingredients… but did it deliver? Let’s break down what works, what doesn’t, and why this one left us wanting more.

At the Venice Film Festival, we dive into  Jay Kelly , George Clooney’s fictional alter ego in Noah Baumbach’s insider look at fame, family, and aging in Hollywood. Is it a sharp critique or just a smooth, likable stroll through celebrity life? Tune in for our take on the seventh film we saw at Venice.

We’re fresh from the Venice Film Festival with our take on  Bugonia , the fifth film we’ve screened — and it’s a wild ride. Yorgos Lanthimos pits a cold-blooded CEO (Emma Stone) against an unhinged eco-extremist (Jesse Plemons) in a surreal, satirical kidnap thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is disturbing. Let’s unpack the madness.