First Watch

After a few months on the Jams and Tea YouTube, The First Watch Podcast returns to Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts. Morgan, Cole, and Zach discuss the first of two new Lance Oppenheim films of the year, Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson, Skyler Gisondo, and Merrit Weaver.

Hang with us as we dive into all the seediness of 2006 network news and celebrate this exciting release to kick off the year's fall slate.

In the first episode of a new ongoing series, Cole and Zach discuss Wiseman's first four feature-length documentaries: Titicut Follies (1967), High School (1968), Law and Order (1969), and Hospital (1970).We begin with an overview of Wiseman's observational/direct cinema approach before exploring the institutions at the center of these films—the prison hospital, the high school, the police department, and the public hospital—and the ways Wiseman's filmmaking evolves across only a few short years.This series will cover Frederick Wiseman's entire feature filmography, grouping the films chronologically and thematically while following the development of his style, ideas, and vision of institutional and communal life.Up next: "MORAL AUTHORITY"Essene (1972)Juvenile Court (1973)Welfare (1975)EDITOR'S NOTEApologies for the tinny audio that begins around the 20-minute mark. This will be corrected in episode 2.FURTHER READINGMuch of our research throughout this series draws from:Barry Keith Grant — Voyages of Discovery: The Cinema of Frederick Wiseman, Revised and Expanded Edition (2023)Thomas W. Benson & Carolyn Anderson — Reality Fictions: The Films of Frederick Wiseman, 2nd Edition (2002)INTRO MUSIC“Cylinder Two” — Chris ZabriskieFrom the album Cylindershttps://chriszabriskie.bandcamp.com/a...Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...https://chriszabriskie.com/

The First Watch gang (and returning guest Ryley) round out the Paul Thomas Anderson series with his newest release, the much-hyped and much-lauded One Battle After Another.

In part 2 of 3 of First Watch's PTA retrospective, the gang (plus Jams and Tea stalwart Ryley dive deep into two of the American auteur's most confounding works, which is of no surprise considering they're both loose to less-loose Thomas Pynchon adaptations.

On this episode, the First Watch gang begins a three-part retrospective on one of the great American filmmakers, Paul Thomas Anderson, starting here with his second and third films and eventually culminating in a discussion about his newest film, One Battle After Another.

On this iteration of the First Watch Podcast, Cole, Morgan, Zach, and guest and friend Davey Peppers break down the swath of Kurosawa restorations hitting select theaters followed by a deep dive into the Shakespeare jidaigeki Throne of Blood and Ran.

This week, we're back with a dive into horror hit Weapons by Whitest Kids U Kno alum Zach Cregger, as well as discussion of our recent five star ratings.

And we’re back (again)! Cole and Zach have joined forces with previous frequent guest Morgan in a permanent capacity to conquer the films of the summer of 2025 and Ari Aster’s divisive (even amongst the three hosts) Eddington!

In a long-awaited comeback, Cole and Zach reunite to discuss the films of summer 2024, its low lows and... moderate highs, before diving into three big autumn releases, Todd Phillips' box office dud Joker: Folie à Deux, Francis Ford Coppola's self-funded indulgence Megalopolis, and the year's most wickedly funny body horror, The Substance.

On this episode, Cole and Zach take some time to debrief and discuss the 96th annual Academy Awards and then dive deep into the LCL ocean to celebrate the theatrical release of Hideaki Anno's bizarro anime masterpiece, Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion.