Today, AKAPAD The Film Buff dives into the vital role of the romantic comedy, using Netflix’s latest release The Life List as a lens—and spotlighting the underrated legacy of writer-director Adam Brooks, an unsung hero behind some of Hollywood’s most dependable studio hits.

Those who brought us The Life List

Director:

Adam Brooks

Screenplay:

Adam Brooks

Based on the Novel by:

Lori Nelson Spielman

Producers:

Liza Chasin

Adam Brooks (Executive Producer)

Margaret Chernin (Executive Producer)

Kerry Orent (Executive Producer)

Hutch Parker (Executive Producer)

Music:

Will Bates

Cinematography:

Florian Ballhaus

Editing:

Peter Teschner

Main Cast:

Sofia Carson as Alex Rose

Kyle Allen as Brad

Connie Britton as Elizabeth Rose

Sebastian de Souza as Garrett

José Zúñiga

Jordi Mollà as Johnny

Dario Ladani Sanchez as Lucas

Federico Rodriguez as Julian

Marianne Rendón as Zoe

Michael Rowland as Finn

Chelsea Frei

Luca Padovan

Rachel Zeiger-Haag

Maria Jung

Donnetta Lavinia Grays

Daredevil: Born Again has officially wrapped on Disney+, and AKAPAD The Film Buff is ready to break down what worked, what didn’t, and whether it lived up to the hype.

Fresh from 2024 and now streaming on HBO Max, AKAPAD The Film Buff dives into Y2K — a throwback horror flick that channels the wild energy of the AOL era, featuring some of the most original creature designs in modern cinema.

Those who brought is Y2K.

Director:

Kyle Mooney

Writers:

Kyle Mooney

Evan Winter

Producers:

Matt Dines

Alison Goodwin

Jonah Hill

Christopher Storer

Cooper Wehde

Evan Winter

Cast:

Jaeden Martell as Eli

Rachel Zegler as Laura

Julian Dennison as Danny

Daniel Zolghadri as CJ

Lachlan Watson as Ash

Eduardo Franco as Farkas

Fred Durst as himself

Kyle Mooney as Garrett

Mason Gooding as Jonas

The Kid Laroi as Soccer Chris

Miles Robbins as Nugz

Alicia Silverstone as Robin

Tim Heidecker as Howard

Jacob Moskovitz as Trevor

Lauren Balone as Raleigh

Ellie Ricker as Madison

Kevin Mangold as Cool Blue

Music by:

Danny Bensi

Saunder Jurriaans

Cinematography:

Bill Pope

Editing:

David Marks

Casting:

Jessica Kelly

Production Design:

Jason Singleton

Art Direction:

Rosa Callejas

Kristina Porter

Set Decoration:

Katy Porter

Costume Design:

Katina Danabassis

Now streaming on Hulu: AKAPAD The Film Buff breaks down Winner, a must-see biopic based on the true story of Reality Winner, the whistleblower who leaked classified government documents."

Cast:

Emilia Jones as Reality Winner

Connie Britton as Billie Winner

Kathryn Newton as Brittany Winner

Zach Galifianakis as Ron Winner

Danny Ramirez as Agent Garrick

Leah Gibson as Jennifer Solari

Stephanie Sy as Anne McCoy

Shannon Berry as KayLee Thompson

Sam Duke as Taylor

Crew:

Director: Susanna Fogel

Writers: Kerry Howley (based on the article "Who Is Reality Winner?"), Susanna Fogel

Producers: Susanna Fogel, Amanda Phillips, Shivani Rawat, Julie Goldstein, Scott Budnick, Ameet Shukla

Executive Producers: Daniel Bekerman, Michael B. Clark, Connor Flanagan, Daniele Tate Melia, Peter Saraf, Alex Turtletaub, Ben Yano

Cinematographer: Steve Yedlin

Editor: Joseph Krings

Casting Director: Deanna Brigidi

Production Designer: Sara K. White

Set Decorators: Mary Kirkland, Sara McCudden

Costume Designer: Anastasia Magoutas

Makeup Department Head: Kristy Greig

Key Hair Stylist: Lexy Fabiano

Original Music Composer: Heather McIntosh

Travel back to 1993 with AKAPAD as he breaks down why this might be the greatest year in American cartoon syndication, spotlighting three iconic series: Mighty Max, SWAT Kats, and Exo-Squad.

This Animation Weekend, AKAPAD The Film Buff continues his deep dive into the Hellboy media franchise with Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms—a 2006 straight-to-DVD feature that strengthens the case for Hellboy’s true potential being fully realized in the world of animation.

TGIF Film Buffers – AKAPAD dives into Holland (2025) today, the second film from Mimi Cave. With his love for spoilers, Peter explores how to classify this film—less of a psychological thriller and more of a mystery-comedy farce. When the story pivots, the audience buys in, a feat not easily achieved from a filmmaking standpoint.

Luca Guadagnino delivered two films in 2024, and The Film Buff is all in. Given the strength of his previous works, AKAPAD decided to give Challengers another shot—and it did not disappoint. By the end, what unfolds might just be the greatest tennis film ever made.

Those who brought us Challengers

Main Cast

Zendaya as Tashi Duncan

Josh O'Connor as Patrick Zweig

Mike Faist as Art Donaldson

Darnell Appling as New Rochelle Final Umpire

Shane Harris as Art's Security Guard

Nada Despotovich as Tashi’s Mother

AJ Lister as Lily Donaldson

Naheem Garcia as Tashi’s Father

Jake Jensen as Finn Larsen

Hailey Gates as Helen

Crew

Director & Writing

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Writer: Justin Kuritzkes

Producers

Amy Pascal

Luca Guadagnino

Zendaya

Rachel O'Connor

Cinematography & Editing

Cinematographer: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Editor: Marco Costa

Music

Composer: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

Production Design

Production Designer: Merissa Lombardo

Costume Design

Costume Designer: Jonathan Anderson

Casting

Francine Maisler

Those who brought us Asphalt City

Director

Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire

Writers

Shannon Burke

Ryan King

Ben Mac Brown

Main Cast

Tye Sheridan as Ollie Cross

Sean Penn as Gene Rutkovsky

Michael Pitt as Lafontaine

Mike Tyson as Chief Burroughs

Gbenga Akinnagbe as Verdis

Raquel Nave as Clara

Katherine Waterston as Nancy

Kali Reis as Nia Brown

Producers

Shannon Burke

Eric Gold

Warren Goz

Ryan King

Christopher Kopp

John Ira Palmer

Music Composers

Nicolas Becker

Quentin Sirjacq

Cinematographer

David Ungaro

Editors

Saar Klein

Katie McQuerrey

Casting Director

Lori Eastside

Production Designer

Robert Pyzocha

Today, The Film Buff explores the mastery of director Luca Guadagnino and his ability to construct films that culminate in powerful final shots. This technique aligns so closely with Pete’s recent viewings that he insists the film must have been reverse-engineered to achieve this effect.

Queer is recently available on HBO MAX.

Those who brought us Queer.

Daniel Craig as William Lee

Drew Starkey as Eugene Allerton

Jason Schwartzman as Joe Guidry

Lesley Manville as Dr. Cotter

Henrique Zaga as Winston Moor

Drew Droege as John Dumé

Andra Ursuța as Mary

Ariel Schulman as Tom Weston

Andrés Duprat as Dr. Hernandez

Omar Apollo as Chimu Bar Guy

David Lowery as Jim Cochran

Lisandro Alonso as Mr. Cotter

Michaël Borremans as Doctor

Ronia Ava as Joan Vollmer

Crew

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Screenwriter: Justin Kuritzkes

Producers: Lorenzo Mieli, Luca Guadagnino

Executive Producers: Christian Vesper, James Grauerholz, Peter Spears, Elena Recchia, Maria Teresa Monaco

Cinematographer: Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Editor: Marco Costa

Music: Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Production Designer: Inbal Weinberg

Costume Designer: Jonathan Anderson

Casting Directors: Luis Rosales, Maurilio Mangano, Valentina Materiale