Checkout Cinema

It's Oscars season baby! 2025 had some great films, and it's time to pick the best of the best (well, from the local perspective). Amelia and Janine discuss the Oscars and the nomination process before diving into the most anticipated category: Best Picture. There are ten films nominated, so there's a lot of ground to cover!

Janine and Amelia didn't watch all of the films on the list, but that has almost never stopped them from having an opinion. We have our clear front runners for the winner... what's your favorite film of 2025? Did we miss any films we should have checked out? Let us know!

P.S. Darrell's computer died so Janine had to edit this one. Sorry for the lack of cool sound effects.

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00:00 Intro / Oscars discussion

5:52 What makes a "best picture?"

10:04: Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos)

12:52 F1 (Joseph Kosinski)

14:52 Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro)

19:20 Hamnet (Chloé Zhao)

22:45 Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie)

29:10 One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson) - Be sure to listen to our episode on it for our full thoughts!

30:30 The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendonça Filho)

33:14 Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier)

36:24 Sinners (Ryan Coogler)

44:50 Train Dreams (Clint Bentley)

51:00 Outro

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! This week we're discussing our first foreign films: Pedro Almodóvar's WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN (1988) starring Carmen Maura, Antonio Banderas, and Julieta Serrano.

This absurdist dark comedy follows actress Peppa (Maura), a woman determined to understand why her lover Ivan (Fernando Guillén) has abandoned her with little explanation. In her frantic search to track Ivan down before he skips town, her story twists with those around her, including her friend's terrorists troubles and Ivan's past relationships coming to light. Almodóvar brings light and color to the screen in a way that truly brings these women's bombastic personalities and stories to life, making this film a real treat to experience.

Read Elvira Lindo's essay on the film here: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4438-women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown-a-sweet-new-style

Thanks to Darrell Winfree for editing this episode. Support your local library!

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! This episode, we watched WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... (1989), directed by Robert Reiner and starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan as the titular characters.

Arguably the blueprint for all romantic comedies, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY explores the time old question: can men and women be friends? The always-opinionated Harry argues it's impossible, but soon a true friendship with Sally blooms and grows into something more.

What a better way to close out the old year and ring in the new year than with this film with its classic NYE scenes! Plus, it's one of Janine's all-time favorites.

Watch the iconic diner scene here: https://youtu.be/J_lEs4FYkhs

Thanks to Darrell Winfree for editing this episode. Support your local library!

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! This week, we were joined by our editor and producer Darrell Winfree to discuss TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962), which we all saw on 16mm.

Directed by Robert Mulligan, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD stars Gregory Peck in his most celebrated role: Atticus Finch, an attorney in the Jim Crow South. Based on the book by Harper Lee, the film is told from the perspective of Scout (Mary Badham), a six-year-old girl. The film follows Atticus as he defends a Black man unjustly accused of sexually assaulting a white woman.

Celebrated as one of the best films of all time, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is one of Darrell's favorites -- which is why we all decided to check this one out!

Support your local library!

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! This week, we were joined by our editor and producer Darrell Winfree to discuss ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (2025).

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER released to nearly universal critical acclaim. The film, based on Thomas Pynchon's book Vineland, follows a former revolutionary named Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio) who must rescue his daughter (Chase Infiniti) from a corrupt military official (Sean Penn).

It sounds like a simple action movie, but this film is so much more than that! Darrell, Janine, and Amelia share their thoughts on the film and its complex characters, as well as the music and composition.

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Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! This week, we're watching a film that sits on the border of the sound and silent eras: LONESOME (1928).

Originally intended to be a silent film, LONESOME had the misfortune (or luck?) to come out right after THE JAZZ SINGER (1927) wowed picture patrons with sync sound musical scenes. In order to keep up with the demand for "talkies," studios everywhere found a way to shoehorn talking scenes into silent. Director Paul Fejos was behind the silent scenes, which stun with beautiful stencil coloring, superimpositions, split screens, and more.

Listen as we discuss the interesting history of this film as well as its cute romantic story!

Shout-out to Darrell Winfree for editing this podcast. Support your local library!

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! This week, it's a very special episode where Amelia invited Janine to review her favorite film of all time: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952).

Starring legends Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O'Connor, this classic musical has captivated audiences for over 70 years. Join us as we discuss what makes this movie so special, from the choreography, to the music, to the acting. There's a reason why this film inspired Amelia to have a lifetime love of movies.

Shout-out to Darrell Winfree for editing this podcast. Support your local library!

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! This week, it's our second bonus episode, where we stretch our movie legs to talk about some recent watches.

Janine watched quite a few films stretching across genres, including SUPERMAN (2025), THE PEOPLE'S JOKER (2022), THELMA AND LOUISE (1991), and JACKIE BROWN (1997). She also discussed watching OPPENHEIMER (2023) on 70mm in Nashville years ago.

Amelia caught IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000) at Central Cinema. There's also a brief mention of MICHAEL CLAYTON (2007), which Amelia declined to discuss. Some 2000s films are masterpieces, like IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, but other films are better left in the 2000s.

Be sure to tune in for our next episode where we discuss Amelia's favorite film of all time: SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952).

Shout-out to Darrell Winfree for editing this podcast. Support your local library!

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! Hosts Amelia and Janine both watched ROMAN HOLIDAY (1953), a classic romantic comedy directed by William Wyler and starring the talented and beautiful actors Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.

Like what you hear? Follow us @Checkout_Cinema on Instagram for more content. Want to argue with us about movies? Follow us on Letterboxd: Amy Grindhouse and honeyedlife.

Thank you to DarrelI Winfree for editing this episode. Support your local library!

Thanks for listening to Checkout Cinema, a podcast where two librarians check out movies! Hosts Amelia and Janine discuss some recently watched films, including RAISING ARIZONA (1987), THE CONVERSATION (1974), I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1997), and CANDYMAN (1992).

Amelia partnered with Martyn Strange of Filmsplaining (@filmsplainingpod on IG) for a screening and discussion of RAISING ARIZONA. Janine attended a local event called Terror in the Woods where independent movie theatre Central Cinema hosted an outdoor screening of I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and CANDYMAN.

Shout-out to Darrell Winfree for editing this podcast. Support your local library!