All Those Moments

Benji and Luke start season two of the podcast by catching up on news from the movie industry, including the announcement of Jess Walter's bestselling novel So Far Gone coming soon to Netflix. They also discuss an essay from A.S. Hamrah in the New York Review of Books on the state of contemporary film criticism. Then, they look back at the nine movies they've covered on the podcast in 2025 before catching up on all the movies they watched to close out the year, including a lengthy discussion of Marty Supreme. Finally, they preview the year ahead for the podcast and announce the first movie they will feature in 2026.

CHAPTERS:

00:00 - Intro of the podcast and a preview of the episode

03:54 - Industry news including Jess Walter's book coming to Netflix, A.S. Hamrah's excellent piece on film criticism and how that relates to the silly discourse around One Battle After Another

28:25 - Benji and Luke review the nine movies from the first year of the podcast and the reception and discourse surrounding movies like Marty Supreme and One Battle After Another

35:00 - Benji and Luke revisit the movies seen since recording the last episode: Bring Her Back, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Worst Person in the World, Materialists, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Jockey, Sing Sing, Zootopia 2, Wake Up Dead Man, Jay Kelly, and Sentimental Value

49:10 - An extensive discussion of Marty Supreme, its reception, and rumors of director Josh Safdie's alternative ending - A VAMPIRE?!

1:05:24 - Benji and Luke preview 2026 for the podcast and announce the first movie they will screen and discuss for season two

Hosts:

Benji Wade

Luke Baumgarten

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Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

Benji is joined by cinematographer Adolpho Veloso to discuss his work on Train Dreams (2025) and Jockey (2021). The conversation starts with Veloso describing life growing up in São Paulo and his love of cinema. Benji then asks Veloso about the filmmakers who inspired him, including César Charlone and Rodrigo Prieto. They then discuss Veloso’s first collaboration with director Clint Bentley and actor Clifton Collins, Jr. on the 2021 drama, Jockey. This discussion is followed by a breakdown of Veloso’s work on Train Dreams, including the artistic approach, challenges, and filming within sets built on location in Spokane and near the Idaho border. Finally, they talk about the incredibly warm reception of Train Dreams among audiences and critics alike and what’s next for Veloso’s career.

Host:

Benji Wade

Guest:

Adolpho Veloso, ABC AIP

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⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

Benji and Luke are joined by award-winning novelist Jess Walter. Born and raised in Spokane, Jess has written several novels set in the Inland Northwest, including The Cold Millions. They begin the episode with an exploration of Jess's background, including his relationship with Denis Johnson, the author of the novella Train Dreams. Jess offers insights and perspectives about the practice of his works being adapted for the screen. Then, they dive deep into the moments from the movie including key distinctions between the movie and the book. Finally, they wrap up the episode with their overall thoughts about Clint Bentley's Train Dreams and the meaning it has to the city of Spokane.

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00:00 - Intro of the podcast and guest Jess Walter

07:42 - Jess describes how historical, real-life figures are used in The Cold Millions as well as Train Dreams

11:16 - Luke asks Jess questions about his career going from reporter to novelist to having his nonfiction book, Ruby Ridge, adapted into a CBS miniseries starring Randy Quaid, Laura Dern, and Kirsten Dunst

13:36 - A discussion of expectations going in and general impressions of the movie Train Dreams23:04 - A brief background on the filmmakers behind Train Dreams

26:52 - A deep dive into the moments from Train Dreams including audience feedback from our first screening of the movie

1:12:02 - The ending of the movie and Jess's final thoughts about the success of the adaptation of one of his favorite books

1:17:00 - Benji and Luke wrap the episode with their summary of where Train Dreams sits among other movies made in and around Spokane

Hosts:

Benji Wade and Luke Baumgarten

Guest:

Jess Walter

⁠Train Dreams⁠

Director:

Clint Bentley

Starring:

Joel Edgerton, Felicity Jones, William H. Macy

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

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Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

Benji and Luke start their conversation about The Mastermind by describing their familiarity with director Kelly Reichardt's films and her history as a hero of American slow cinema. They then provide background and details about Reichardt's creative collaborators and the logline for The Mastermind before diving deep into the moments from the movie including themes, ideas, and thoughts from the audience at their screening. Finally, they wrap up the episode with their overall thoughts on The Mastermind and Benji compares it to Reichardt's 2010 film, Meek's Cutoff.

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0:00 Intro

08:11 Kelly Reichardt's history of creative collaborators including production designer Anthony Gasparro and cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt

11:34 The logline for the movie The Mastermind

13:23 The moments from the movie: recap of key plot points, themes, ideas, and thoughts from our audience

1:00:13 The social, political, and cultural moment of The Mastermind and how Kelly Reichardt's period piece about 1970 is a hilarious tragicomedy that dunks on privileged American white men

Hosts:

Benji Wade and Luke Baumgarten

The Mastermind (2025)

Director:

Kelly Reichardt

Starring:

Joshua O'Connor, Alana Haim, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffman, John Magaro

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

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Follow the podcast on YouTube:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AllThoseMomentsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

Benji and Luke begin the show by presenting context for Kathryn Bigelow’s career to date and their expectations for her first film since 2017 and her first since 2002 without long-time screenwriter, Mark Boal. They then provide an assessment of the cultural relevance of A House of Dynamite along with a spoiler free plot summary of the movie. They follow with a breakdown of themes and key moments from the movie along with audience feedback from their screening. Finally, they briefly discuss Bigelow’s 2017 movie, Detroit, and use that to set up their takeaways about Bigelow’s role as a Trump era director.

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0:00 Intro

10:19 The cultural relevance of A House of Dynamite

11:27 Spoiler free plot summary

25:07 The moments: themes, ideas, and thoughts from our audience

49:54 Was this movie successful or credible in 2025 America?

53:29 Kathryn Bigelow’s career arc from Obama to Trump

Hosts:

Benji Wade and Luke Baumgarten

A House of Dynamite (2025)

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Starring:

Rebecca Ferguson, Idris Elba, Anthony Ramos, Jared Harris

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow the podcast on YouTube:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AllThoseMomentsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

3D artist and filmmaker Julian Glander joins Benji and Luke for a conversation about Julian's background, influences, and the origin of why he wanted to make the animated film, Boys Go to Jupiter. He also shares stories about spending his teenage years in Florida and how those experiences shaped his perception of American life for millennials. Then, Benji and Luke play audio clips of audience feedback from their screening of Boys Go to Jupiter and discuss these moments with Julian. The podcast concludes with a discussion of the relationship between Boys Go to Jupiter and The Florida Project, in particular each film's critique of American dream--peddling capitalism.

00:00 - Benji and Luke talk about their immediate impressions of the movie Boys Go to Jupiter before introducing their guest, writer and director Julian Glander

08:22 - Julian’s background as a 3D artist and animator, his role as writer, director, AND musician on the movie, and how he financed it the project

24:58 - The places around the eastern side of the U.S. where Julian has lived and how regional cultures influenced his storytelling

36:04 - Julian gives feedback to the audience comments from the screening of his movie

1:02:22 - Benji and Luke reflect on their conversation with Julian before wrapping up their thoughts about the movie and the audience feedback

1:10:17 - An intertextual comparison of Boys Go to Jupiter to Sean Baker’s 2017 film, The Florida Project

Hosts:

Benji Wade and Luke Baumgarten

Guest:

Julian Glander

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow the podcast on YouTube:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AllThoseMomentsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

Hosts Benji Wade and Luke Baumgarten are joined by filmmaker Carson Lund, writer and director of Eephus. After premiering at the Cannes Film Festival Director’s Fortnight in 2024 and releasing in theaters in 2025, Eephus has become one of the year’s most acclaimed films, ranking near the top of the year's best list on Rotten Tomatoes among critics.This is not a typical interview. It’s a wide-ranging conversation that touches on both the challenges and joys of producing independent films.

Carson shares stories about making his debut feature, the quirks of shooting a baseball game across shifting daylight, and the details of financing films with help from supporters like Chapo Trap House. We also dive into Carson's influences (Hollis Frampton, James Benning, Liu Jiayin), his thoughts on modern film criticism, and his upcoming project about a candlepin bowling alley, another film that will contemplate the loss of communal spaces.Whether you’re a cinephile, indie filmmaker, or just curious about the creative process, this episode is a thoughtful deep dive into the thoughts, feelings, and ideas of a talented young storyteller and filmmaker.

Highlights of the conversation include:

• How Eephus resonates with film critics, baseball fans, and lovers of cinema

• Carson’s influences, from Hollis Frampton and James Benning to Liu Jiayin

• The challenges of shooting a full baseball game across changing light and weather

• Carson’s background as a film critic and his take on today’s criticism landscape

• Nostalgia, community, and the disappearance of shared rituals in American culture

• The surprising role of Chapo Trap House in financing Eephus

• Carson’s next project: a story about a candlepin bowling alley and vanishing community spaces

• Why Eephus is both a universal story and a deeply specific portrait of a cultural region

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Follow the podcast on YouTube:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AllThoseMomentsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

In Spike Lee’s fifth collaboration with Denzel Washington, Highest 2 Lowest, A$AP Rocky delivers a memorable performance in a forgettable movie. In this episode, Benji and Luke are joined by friend and scholar Inga Laurent to describe why Highest 2 Lowest is a disappointing “reimagining” of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 masterpiece, High and Low, despite a promising premise and a few great performances. We dive into many of the contentious creative choices, including the loudly mixed musical score, product placement, and insurance company mascots.

We also explore:

Why High and Low has more to say about 2025 than Highest 2 Lowest

The prominence of improv from Denzel Washington and the incredible performances from A$AP Rocky and Princess Nokia

A snapshot of High and Low and a full breakdown of one astonishing scene in particular

Spoiler Warning: This discussion contains spoilers for both Highest 2 Lowest as well as High and Low.

Join us as we go into detail about why we’d recommend skipping Highest 2 Lowest and just watching High and Low instead.

Chapters:

• (00:00) Introduction to the podcast, the two films we will discuss, and our guest, Inga Laurent, along with first impressions of Spike Lee’s movie, Highest 2 Lowest
• (07:34) A discussion of key moments from Highest 2 Lowest in the first hour of the movie: the role of overbearing music, character relationships, David King’s isolated portrait of masculinity, and the ethical dilemma at the heart of the story.
• (29:34) The subway handoff of money to the kidnapper has divided audiences and we describe the many moments that didn’t work, starting with the music and ending all the bad one liners an insurance commercial character, Mayhem.
• (36:11) Our favorite moments of Highest 2 Lowest involved the least experienced actors in the project, A$AP Rocky and Princess Nokia. We also discuss the mano a mano climax of the movie and whether we bought the idea of 68 year-old Denzel Washington.
• (48:04) We compare Highest 2 Lowest’s conclusion unfavorably to Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, in particular the latter’s critique of capitalism and social stratification which is missing from Spike Lee’s movie and seems to be replaced by ideas that resemble prosperity gospel.
• (58:40) Benji provides the plot summary of High and Low, including a breakdown of a three minute scene to begin the third act. We then provide our reasons for finding Highest 2 Lowest disappointing, especially when compared to High and Low. Finally, Luke and Inga talk about a movie they’d like to see involving A$AP Rocky’s character, Yung Felon, before Benji concludes the podcast with a few movie recommendations.

Highest 2 Lowest

Director: Spike Lee

Starring: Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky

Cinematographer: Matthew Libatique

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/⁠⁠⁠⁠

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⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AllThoseMomentsPod⁠⁠⁠⁠

Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

Several generations throughout the world have responded to Amy Berg’s movie by affirming the accuracy of its title: It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley. This is a stunningly beautiful portrait of Buckley as an artist and human being and that’s true whether you learned about Buckley through his cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah or, like David Bowie, think Grace is “the best album ever made.” In this episode of the podcast, Benji and Luke have a conversation with director Amy Berg, then discuss their thoughts and feelings about moments from the movie. They also include audience responses from the evening of the movie’s theatrical release.

• 00:00 - Benji and Luke discuss their experience of Jeff Buckley’s 1994 album, Grace, and introduce the moment of choosing Amy Berg’s latest movie - “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” - to talk about on the podcast. Then, they describe the generations of people in the audience from the screening of the movie as well as Jeff Buckley’s place in contemporary culture.

• 08:36 - We go over the major chapters of Jeff Buckley’s life and key moments from the movie: being raised by a single mom, Mary Guibert, Buckley’s success as an artist and reputation among his peers, and ultimately his tragic death at age 30. Then, an introduction of filmmaker Amy Berg.

• 16:55 - Our interview with filmmaker Amy Berg that includes a discussion of the reception of the movie, the pressures faced by Jeff Buckley, his role as an inspiration and mentor for a younger generation, and Amy’s trilogy of films about musicians: Janis Joplin, Jeff Buckley, and an upcoming project about Chris Cornell. Amy also talks about her relationship to musicians championing vulnerable and exploited groups through her films.

• 41:35 - Luke and Benji reflect on the interview with Amy Berg, including her announcement that she’s working on a Chris Cornell documentary

• 44:42 - Moments from the audience responding to the movie and the music of Jeff Buckley. Topics include: a shared history of absent father figures, insecurity, and emotional sensitivity, disappointment with Buckley’s story, whether we can ever really know a person in relationships, and the wisdom of Buckley in declaring, “Without ordinary life, there can be no art.”

• 58:03 - A discussion of how Jeff Buckley would be received in 2025, especially through social media, and how the death of other famous artists and cultural figures impacted us.

• 1:01:56 - Benji and Luke wrap up with a conversation about the idea of Jeff Buckley as a “circuit” connecting people throughout the world with his music and the legacy of the album Grace.All Those Moments is hosted by Benji Wade and Luke Baumgarten

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It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley (2025)

Director: Amy Berg

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/⁠⁠⁠

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Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.

From his thesis film at AFI in 2010 through his fourth movie under the A24 banner in 2025, filmmaker Ari Aster likes to show audiences what happens when our attentions are overtaken by disruptive or disturbing phenomena and what that does to relationships.

The moment was when we learned Ari Aster is just as worried about data centers as we are. The movie is Eddington (2025) and the story is presented as a modern western with a thinly defined good guy and bad guy while the real villain glows patiently on the edge of town. WARNING: This episode is filled with Ari Aster movie spoilers, including Hereditary, Midsommar, Eddington, and The Strange Thing About the Johnsons.

Hosts: Benji Wade & Luke Baumgarten

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Eddington (2025)

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Deirdre O'Connell

Director: Ari Aster

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Follow the podcast on Instagram:

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/allthosemomentspod/⁠⁠

Follow the podcast on YouTube:

⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@AllThoseMomentsPod⁠⁠

Thank you to Mitch Davis for the artwork and Lucid Terminal for the theme song.