Once again, the Academy picked our movie for this month, so Ryan and Nate are re-watching Oppenheimer, 2024’s Best Picture Oscar winner, written and directed by Christopher Nolan. On top of continuing this year’s theme of revisiting 2023, Ryan and Nate realized they’ve never talked about a Christopher Nolan movie on air. Given the decades worth of praise that’s been heaped upon Nolan, as well as the mountain of awards his latest movie won, it seemed like the time was right to take a trip back to Los Alamos.

Where does Nolan rank for you among favorite directors? Where does Oppenheimer rank among Nolan films? Let us know!

Watch Christopher Nolan narrate the opening scene of Oppenheimer in this New York Times Anatomy of a Scene.

Read Jennifer Ouellette’s Oppenheimer review for Ars Technica.

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For this episode, Nate and Ryan picked from the slate of Best Picture nominees and decided to re-watch Past Lives, their favorite movie from 2023, and a stunning directorial debut from playwright Celine Song. While it’s not a front-runner for any Oscars, Past Lives has been widely recognized as something special, which is saying something, given how strong the field was this last year. It’s unexpected Golden Globe nominations put Past Lives on many people’s radar, and a slew of nominations (and a few wins) followed. Listen in as we talk about what makes this movie so special and why it deserves all the love it gets.

What are your thoughts about Past Lives? Let us know!

Celine Song interview on the Scene 2 Seen Podcast

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Nate and Ryan discuss the Golden Globe winning and Oscar nominated Alexander Payne comedic drama The Holdovers. Much has been made of the reunion of Paul Giamatti and Alexander Payne after 20 years. Added to their alchemy are Da’Vine Joy Randolph (in yet another standout performance) and newcomer Dominic Sessa. What results is a throwback comedy that unfolds in emotional and unexpected ways. Nate and Ryan talk about how Payne and Co. create a lived-in atmosphere and whether The Holdovers has the goods to be in the annual watch rotation. On top of all that, hear their plans for this year’s theme!

What are your thoughts on The Holdovers, and what movies should we talk about in future episodes this year? Let us know!

Read Wesley Morris’s review of The Holdovers (New York Times)

Watch The Holdovers trailer

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For our Gap Year T. Hanksgiving, Nate and Ryan watch The ‘Burbs, the 1989 Tom Hanks cult classic directed by Joe Dante. Featuring a stacked cast, including Carrie Fisher, Bruce Dern, and Corey Feldman, in addition to the man himself, The ‘Burbs is a horror/comedy that kind of befuddled audiences and critics in the late ’80s, but has developed a growing reputation as a prescient criticism of the corrosive power of a humdrum suburban existence. The ‘Burbs showcases the burgeoning realist side of Hanks, but gives plenty of opportunity for over-the-top crazy Hanks to shine through.

Let us know your thoughts on The ‘Burbs!

Roger Ebert’s review of The ‘Burbs

The ‘Burbs at 30: how the cult comedy horror skewered suburbia by Charles Bramesco

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‘Tis the season for our 10th annual Holiday Spooktacular, and as part of our Gap Year, we’re watching Hereditary, Ari Aster’s 2018 hit horror film starring Toni Collette. Hereditary took audiences by storm and continued studio A24’s rise to prominence in the current film conversation. It’s a career-making first feature for Ari Aster, and an electric performance by Toni Collette that seemed to impress everyone. As per Holiday Spooktacular tradition, Nate and Ryan had scared themselves out of watching it until now, seeing as Hereditary’s place as a must-see horror movie seems more or less cemented.

What did you think of Hereditary? Let us know!

Read Hereditary’s Ari Aster Answers Our Burning Questions About His “Upsetting” Horror Film by Jordan Crucchiola (Vulture).

Nate and Ryan watch Bringing out the Dead, a Gap Year movie by one of their favorite directors, Martin Scorsese. Released in 1999, Bringing out the Dead was largely ignored by audiences and remains one of Scorsese’s forgotten works. Listen in as Nate and Ryan dig into the merits of this underappreciated gem. If you haven’t seen Bringing out the Dead, check it out and discover one of Scorsese’s most complicated  (and chaotic) examinations of the intersection of humanity and divinity.

If you have seen Bringing out the Dead, tell us your thoughts! Where does it rank among the many Scorsese masterpieces? Let us know!

Read Fran Del Pizzo’s great essay on the movie: Bringing Out the Dead: Scorsese’s Tale of Guilt and Compassion

Nate and Ryan get in the summer blockbuster mood by watching Predator (1987) for the first time. As part of our Gap Year series, we’re catching up on this action classic over 35 years later. As often happens, Predator is now looked at quite differently from when it was first released. Nate and Ryan share their first impressions and whether or not another over-the-top action movie is an appropriate means of critiquing over-the-top action movies. Get to the choppa for a ride full of explosions, biceps, and foreign policy that oversteps through overuse of military! As always, let us know your thoughts on this movie!

Predator Turns 35: A Look Back at Sci-Fi’s Most Subversive Creature Feature by Cole Burgett (Christ and Pop Culture)

Predator: Why is it So Good? – Rossatron on YouTube

Predator: The Smartest Genre Mash-Up Ever? Probably! – Patrick (H) Willems on YouTube

Every Predator Movie is Worth Watching by Jesse Hassenger (Polygon)

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Nate and Ryan watch Under the Tuscan Sun with special guest Rachel Hughes Gates. As we continue to rectify blind spots during this Gap Year, Rachel suggested that we watch Under the Tuscan Sun, a movie that has stuck with her ever since she saw it in theaters 20 years ago. Though the movie didn’t make the biggest splash upon its release, it has maintained popularity with its effective blend of romance, comedy, scenery, food, and affection for Italian cinema. Rachel talks us through what the movie has meant to her and why she thinks more people should watch Under the Tuscan Sun, preferably while eating some Italian food and some good wine.

What are your thoughts on Under the Tuscan Sun? What movies do you think we should watch to continue our Gap Year? Let us know!

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Nate and Ryan watch and discuss Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve. As the beginning to what we’re calling our Gap Year, where we fill in gaps in our viewing history, we’ve chosen to watch Sicario, with an unbelievable cast and crew that includes cinematographer Roger Deakins,  and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, not to mention stars Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Benicio Del Toro, Daniel Kaluuya, and Jon Bernthal. As fans of everyone involved, there was no clear reason why we haven’t seen this tense political action thriller.

Share with us your thoughts on Sicario!

Watch 1 Brilliant Moment of Tension by Cinefix – IGN Movies & TV for a great breakdown of the Juarez convoy sequence.

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Really quick announcement: We will NOT be discussing Marcel the Shell with Shoes On for our March episode and will instead be watching and discussing Sicario. Watch it with us!