AKAPAD the FILM BUFF Podcast

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

A Complete Unknown is now streaming on Hulu, and The Film Buff is here to dive into the career of director James Mangold, the rise of star Timothée Chalamet, and the creative allure of Bob Dylan. Don’t miss this episode!

Those who brought us A Complete Unknown

Timothée Chalamet – Bob Dylan

Elle Fanning – Sylvie Russo

Monica Barbaro – Joan Baez

Boyd Holbrook – Johnny Cash

Edward Norton – Pete Seeger

Nick Offerman – Alan Loma

Corey Stoll – Tom Wilson

Vincent D’Onofrio – Albert Grossman

Crew:

Director: James Mangold

Writers: James Mangold, Jay Cocks

Producers: James Mangold, Bob Dylan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Andrew Rona, Fred Berger

Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael

Production Company: Searchlight Picture

More about this film.

Get ready to go electric! A Complete Unknown, directed by James Mangold, dives into the transformative years of Bob Dylan’s career as he shakes up the folk scene and reinvents himself as a rock icon. Starring Timothée Chalamet as the enigmatic singer-songwriter, the film follows Dylan’s rise to fame, his controversial switch to electric guitar, and the cultural revolution he helped ignite. With Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, and Edward Norton rounding out the cast, A Complete Unknown promises a soulful, star-studded journey through music history.

For this Animation Weekend, AKAPAD The Film Buff dives into an overlooked Paramount+ animated series—ARK: The Animated Series. This show impressed Peter so much that he had to bump today’s scheduled release to make room for this discussion. We’re often told to seek out what’s new and what’s good—ARK: The Animated Series is both.

Beyond the show itself, this episode also explores a larger question: Why isn’t there more dinosaur-driven storytelling in today’s marketplace?

*** Producers note***

AKAPAD recoreded this episode with very little sleep, so at time he rambles.

Those who brought us The Ark The Animated series.

Main Voice Cast

Madeleine Madden – Helena Walker

Michelle Yeoh – Meiyin Li

Gerard Butler – General Gaius Marcellus Nerva

David Tennant – Sir Edmund Rockwell

Zahn McClarnon – John / Thunder Comes Charging

Devery Jacobs – Alasie

Jeffrey Wright – Henry Townsend

Recurring and Guest Roles

Dee Bradley Baker – Dodo, Scary, Rhubarb, Monkey

Juliet Mills – Chava

Tonantzin Carmelo – Zitkala

Cissy Jones – Gladiatrix

Armen Taylor – Randall Wallace

Russell Crowe – Kor the Prophet

Vin Diesel – Santiago

Karl Urban – Bob

Elliot Page – Victoria Walker

Deborah Mailman – Deborah Walker

Tatanka Means – Mato

Malcolm McDowell – Senator Lucius Cassius Virilis

Alan Tudyk – The Captain

Monica Bellucci – Cassia Virila

Production Crew

Directors: Jay Oliva, David Hartman, Chase Conley, Sebastian Montes, Jeremy Stieglitz

Producers: Vin Diesel, Gerard Butler, Jeremy Stieglitz, Jesse Rapczak, Alan Siegel, Doug Kennedy

Writers: Marguerite Bennett, Kendall Deacon Davis

Composer: Gareth Coker

A little bit more about The Ark The Animateed Series

ARK: THE ANIMATED SERIES

Alright, nerds and dino-fanatics, buckle up because ARK: The Animated Series is here to rip through your TV screen like a raptor in a meat locker! Based on the massively popular survival game, this show is a high-octane, time-bending thrill ride that asks one simple question: What if history’s greatest warriors, scientists, and survivors all woke up in a prehistoric nightmare—together?

Enter Helena Walker, a 21st-century paleontologist who finds herself resurrected on a savage world where dinosaurs roam, warlords rule, and survival is anything but guaranteed. With no memory of how she got there, Helena has to adapt fast, forming uneasy alliances with warriors from different eras—think samurai, Vikings, and futuristic soldiers—all while fending off the ruthless General Nerva and the sinister alchemist Sir Edmund Rockwell. Oh, and did we mention Vin Diesel is in this? Because Vin Diesel is in this.

It’s Jurassic Park meets Conan the Barbarian, with a dash of Lost and a whole lot of dino-fueled action. The animation? Slick. The battles? Brutal. The stakes? Nothing short of survival itself. And with a voice cast stacked with Hollywood heavyweights like Michelle Yeoh, David Tennant, Gerard Butler, and, yeah, Vin freakin’ Diesel, this is one prehistoric epic you don’t want to sleep on.

So sharpen your spears, mount your T-Rex, and prepare for war—because ARK: The Animated Series is coming for your eyeballs!

AKAPAD The Film Buff reviews Call Me By Your Name