First Watch

Last weekend the historic Texas Theatre hosted one of the era's premier cinematographers, Roger Deakins, with a series to celebrate the accomplishments of Team Deakins', their Oscar glory, and some of the best looking films of this century. This week, new guest Tyke sits down with Zach to discuss the event and all four films screened - Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Denis Villeneuve's Sicario, the Coen brothers' No Country for Old Men, and finally, Deakins' first Oscar winner, Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049.

The demise of the superhero film has been greatly exaggerated. This week, Ben joins Cole & Zach to discuss the latest insect/arachnoid caped comic adaptations, Hideaki Anno's Shin Kamen Rider, and the much anticipated animation juggernaut, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Our final episode has finally arrived. The big one. The best ever Czech film, according to the Czech people: František Vláčil's Marketa Lazarová. Ryley joins Cole and Zach to unpack this masterpiece and a specific type of period film that eschews modern themes and character dynamics in favor of the cold, harsh realities of the past.

This week Ryley joins Cole and Zach to continue with the third part of our Czechoslovak New Wave series. On this episode, we dive into the communist political context that defines all the films in the movement by focusing in on Miloš Forman's radically silly The Firemen's Ball.

Pop on LP3. This week we're mixing it up and interrupting our ongoing Czechoslovak New Wave series to discuss the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe trilogy finisher, James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Guests Ben and Trevor discuss with Zach what makes this entry stand above the rest of the fold and also talk about recent theatrical re-releases of trilogy final installments, Return of the King and Return of the Jedi.

Heard of some gravesites, out by the highway, a place where nobody knows... This week, Cole and Zach are once again joined by Ryley to discuss one of the best and most famous films of the Czechoslovak New Wave, Juraj Herz' The Cremator. After discussing some new releases, including the latest seasons of Barry and Succession, we dive into a discussion of one of the movement's - frankly one of film history's - boldest, funniest, and darkest political provocations.

This week is the beginning of a new series, where Cole, Zach, and guest host Ryley sink their teeth into the Czechoslovak New Wave. Kicking off these conversations is Věra Chytilová's wild, crazy, madcap provocation, Daisies. Simultaneously one of the movements most popular and difficult films, it's the perfect unconventional focal point for a discussion on our first topic—anarchism. Stay tuned for our next episodes, which will be on The Cremator, The Firemen's Ball, and Marketa Lazarová!

"Jeanne Dielman should be on Chopped." This week kicks off a new ongoing series where Cole and Zach discuss the top 100 movies in the 2022 Sight & Sound Greatest Films of All Time poll, beginning with the one and only, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. Join us as we take a trip back in time to discuss not only Chantal Akerman's revolutionary slow cinema masterpiece, but also some of the masterworks from a century ago, such as Cabiria, Pandora's Box and Die Nibelungen, as we unpack some of our favorite "deep cuts" from the silent era!

It's Easter, and it's Passover, and it's Ramadan! With so many holy holidays stacked up, Cole & Zach are celebrating with their seasonal favorites, from studio bible epics to the modern day. This week's new release includes (spoiler-free) discussion of Air, No Bears, and Enys Men, and culminates with a full review of the 2022 Cannes Icelandic and Danish drama, Godland, to wrap up our faith-focused episode.