🎙️ Mostly Film

This week on Mostly Film, we’re back with another round of sharp opinions, movie news mayhem, and just enough chaos to keep it interesting.

We kick things off with LIST IT or NIX IT, where we run through the freshest trailers and give our snap judgments: are they Letterboxd-worthy or going straight to the bin? This week’s lineup includes Weapons, The Smashing Machine, Highest 2 Lowest, Everything is Going to Be Great, The Unholy Trinity, and Now You See Me Now You Don’t. No plot summaries here—just instinct, vibes, and a little cinematic judgment.

Then it’s on to What We’ve Been Watching, where Jonathan dives into the weird wild ride of Death of a Unicorn and revisits the rebellion in Andor. JP brings Eephus and Drop into the spotlight, plus some TV thoughts on The Rehearsal and The Righteous Gemstones. We skip the spoilers and zero in on what stuck with us—performances, atmosphere, and themes that hit.

Finally, The News segment covers all the latest chaos from Hollywood:

• The Studio is getting a Season 2

• GTA VI trailer fever

• Pleakley’s dress scene cut from the new Lilo & Stitch (seriously?)

• Jenna Ortega and Robert De Niro team up for Shutout

• Kevin Feige says watching Marvel started feeling like homework (we feel you)

• Jeremy Renner says “no thanks” to Hawkeye Season 2

• Harrison Ford learns he almost played Batman

• And yes, Guy Ritchie is directing Road House 2

It’s a packed episode—fun, fast, and full of film. Let’s get into it.

🎙️ Cruise vs. DiCaprio

In this episode, we’re diving headfirst into two early-2000s classics and the powerhouse performances that defined them: Vanilla Sky (2001) starring Tom Cruise and Catch Me If You Can (2002) starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s Cruise vs. DiCaprio in a showdown of identity crises, dream logic, and con artistry—with both actors stepping outside their comfort zones in unforgettable ways.

First up: Vanilla Sky. We explore how Tom Cruise championed the surreal remake of Open Your Eyes, reuniting with director Cameron Crowe and casting real-life flame Penélope Cruz to reprise her original role. Cruise pushed himself into darker, more vulnerable territory as David Aames, delivering one of the most emotionally raw—and divisive—performances of his career. From the eerily empty Times Square scene to a dreamlike soundtrack featuring Radiohead and Sigur Rós, we break down how this film tried (and sometimes struggled) to balance introspection and spectacle.

Then, it’s on to the charming, jet-setting world of Catch Me If You Can. We get into Leonardo DiCaprio’s pitch-perfect casting as Frank Abagnale Jr., the teenage con man who flew too close to the sun—with style. Working under Steven Spielberg's improvisation-friendly direction and paired with a grounded Tom Hanks, DiCaprio turned in a performance that helped him leap from heartthrob to serious actor status. We unpack the movie’s slick pacing, surprising emotional core, and the cat-and-mouse chemistry that made it one of the most beloved biopics of the era.

Along the way, we compare both stars’ choices, what these roles meant for their careers, and how each film explores the blurry line between reality and illusion—whether you’re living a lucid dream or a million-dollar lie.

Which film holds up better? Which performance hits harder? And what do these two movies say about the movie stars behind them? Tune in for the breakdown.

🎙️

This week on the pod, we dive into the freshest trailers in our LIST IT or NIX IT segment—where we give it to you straight: are these upcoming releases worthy of a coveted spot on our Letterboxd watchlists, or are we hitting the eject button? From the surreal stitching of Sew Torn to the wild desert chaos of Predator: Badlands and the return of a slasher classic in I Know What You Did Last Summer, we make the call upfront—LIST or NIX.

🎞️ Trailers Covered:

• Sew Torn

• Predator: Badlands

• Heads of State

• I Know What You Did Last Summer

• Mountainhead

Next up, in What We’ve Been Watching, we break down what stuck with us this week—Jonathan takes us through gritty action and nostalgic rewatches like Havok, Locked, and Revenge of the Sith, while JP shares his thoughts on The Rehearsal and the continuing brilliance of Havok. We keep it spoiler-free and focused on themes, vibes, and standout performances.

📺 Featured Watches:

• Havok

• Neighborhood Watch

• Locked

• Star Wars: ROTS

• The Studio

• The Last of Us

• The Rehearsal

And finally, in The News, we talk big moves and big opinions. Miami Vice is getting a cinematic reboot with Joseph Kosinski and Dan Gilroy, Dev Patel is going full medieval in The Peasant, and Netflix is throwing shade at theaters again. Plus, updates on Narnia, SISU 2, Split Fiction, and the surprise re-release box office boom of Revenge of the Sith.

🗞️ Headlines We Hit:

• Miami Vice movie reboot

• Dev Patel’s The Peasant

• Isaiah Saxon calls out corporate kids’ movies

• Revenge of the Sith dominates re-release box office

• Emma Mackey joins Greta Gerwig’s Narnia

• Sydney Sweeney in Split Fiction

• Netflix vs. Theaters (again)

• Bill Hader’s upcoming Jonestown series

It’s a packed episode full of sharp takes, new picks, and cinematic chaos—LIST IT and tune in.

🎙️ Cruise vs. DiCaprio: Valkyrie & J. Edgar

This week on the pod, it’s a heavyweight actor showdown as we dive deep into Tom Cruise in Valkyrie and Leonardo DiCaprio in J. Edgar. Two historical dramas. Two mega-stars. Two wildly different approaches to portraying complicated men at the center of power, secrecy, and resistance.

🎖️ The Case for Cruise: Valkyrie
We break down Cruise’s transformation into Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg—the German officer who risked everything to assassinate Hitler. From behind-the-scenes tensions with the German government to Cruise doing his own bomb stunt, we look at how this wasn’t just another action role. Did Cruise’s buttoned-up performance win over critics—or was he too restrained for his own good?

🏛️ The Case for DiCaprio: J. Edgar
Then we pivot to Leo’s turn as J. Edgar Hoover—spanning decades, diving into personal ambiguity, and buried under layers of prosthetics. We unpack why Clint Eastwood saw DiCaprio as the only man for the job, how Leo prepared for the emotional and psychological weight of Hoover’s legacy, and why that Oscar nom never came. Was this peak Leo or prestige overload?

🎭 We Talk:

• Why Cruise’s serious side doesn’t always land

• DiCaprio’s fearless deep-dive into power and repression

• Which film stuck the landing—and which one felt like Oscar bait gone flat

• Historical accuracy, Hollywood polish, and whether star power helps or hurts when portraying real-life figures

Whether you're Team Cruise or Team DiCaprio, this episode is packed with behind-the-scenes stories, hot takes, and side-by-side comparisons that make the case for both performances—and maybe even settle the debate.

🎬 Mostly Film: Sinners, Star Wars & the Life of Chuck 🎬

This week on Mostly Film, we’re diving into everything from apocalyptic storytelling to galactic plotting—and yep, there's even a Weezer mockumentary starring Keanu Reeves. It’s that kind of week.

📽️ LIST IT or NIX IT
First up, it’s trailer time. We break down the newest drops—Weapons, HIM, The Roses, and The Life of Chuck—and decide whether they’re getting the Letterboxd LIST IT treatment or getting NIXED without hesitation. Spoiler: we’re divided on more than a few.

👀 What We’ve Been Watching
Jonathan dives into the gritty morality of Sinners and the blue-collar power of A Working Man, while JP catches up with the adrenaline of MI:7 Dead Reckoning. On the TV side, both hosts check in on the emotional wreckage of The Last of Us, with added dispatches from The Studio, Your Friends and Neighbors, and The Agency.

📰 Movie News Breakdown
We’re talking big moves and weird headlines:

• Sinners smashes expectations with a $48M opening—biggest original film debut of the decade.

• Star Wars is stacking talent: Carlton Cuse joins one series, Tony McNamara pens another, and Mikey Madison says “nah” to a third.

• Keanu Reeves is a villain in a Weezer mockumentary. Yes, really.

• Tim Allen spills some Toy Story 5 tea (Jessie fans, rise up).

• Plus: Sam Neill joins Godzilla x Kong, Damian Priest wants Jason Momoa in the WWE, and Chris Evans is playing a shady church leader opposite Margaret Qualley in Ethan Coen’s latest.

🎧 Hit play for hot takes, deadpan headlines, and a little chaos in your movie feed.

In this week’s Mostly Film, we're pitting two Hollywood heavyweights against each other in a cinematic showdown: Tom Cruise in Legend (1985) vs. Leonardo DiCaprio in Body of Lies (2008).

First up, we go deep into The Casting of Legend—a pre-Top Gun Cruise donning long locks and fairy-tale armor in Ridley Scott’s surreal fantasy epic. We’ll talk about how he nearly passed on the role, the version of the film he actually preferred, and how Legend gave us a rare look at Cruise in the fantasy genre—though Tim Curry’s devilish performance may have stolen the spotlight.

Then we shift gears into the gritty world of Body of Lies, where DiCaprio goes full-on CIA in Ridley Scott’s modern spy thriller. From gaining 25 pounds to demanding on-location shooting in Morocco, Leo’s dedication was real—and so was the intensity. We’ll cover how this film fits into his “gritty realism” era and why his performance is considered one of his most underrated.

Plus, we’re breaking down The Performances, The Direction, and The Critical Reception—how both actors were shaped (or overshadowed) by their directors, the worlds they stepped into, and the legacies these films left behind.

Is Cruise’s ethereal Jack a forgotten fantasy prince? Does DiCaprio’s Roger Ferris deserve more love in the spy thriller pantheon? You decide.

It’s fairytale forests vs. Middle Eastern war zones. Light vs. Lies. Cruise vs. DiCaprio.

🎬 LeBron Barbie, Matrix Reboots & Chicken Jockey Chaos 🎬

This week on Mostly Film, we’re diving into the wild, weird, and wonderful corners of the movie world—starting with the freshest trailer drops and ending with the hottest headlines shaking up Hollywood.

First up, it’s LIST IT or NIX IT, where we check out the new trailer for Eddington and decide whether it’s making it to our Letterboxd watchlists or getting the boot.

Then, in What We’ve Been Watching, Jonathan shares thoughts on Warfare, Drop, Gunslingers, and The King of Kings, while JP revisits The Life Aquatic. Plus, we both check in on our latest TV obsessions, including The Studio, The Bondsman, and The Pitt.

Finally, in The News, we’re covering all the big stories—from Sinners scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and Cate Blanchett maybe quitting acting (say it ain't so!), to Drew Goddard taking the reins on a new Matrix movie. Also in the mix: a Bodyguard remake, a Star Wars horror project, the long-awaited Best Stunts Oscar category, and yes... the LeBron James Barbie doll and Hawk Tuah Girl’s actual casting as herself.

Hollywood is getting weirder, and we’re here for it. Tap in.

Two legendary actors. Two iconic performances. One showdown.

In this week’s episode, we’re diving deep into the worlds of Jerry Maguire and The Wolf of Wall Street to unpack what makes these roles career-defining turns for Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio.

We kick things off with The Casting, where we break down the behind-the-scenes stories that shaped each performance—from Cruise shadowing real sports agents and helping write iconic scenes, to DiCaprio fighting for years to get Wolf made and throwing himself (literally) into the chaos of Jordan Belfort’s world.

Then we dig into The Films themselves—Jerry Maguire’s heart, romance, and redemption versus Wolf of Wall Street’s debauchery, ambition, and downfall. We’ll explore how both films use charisma and collapse to tell two wildly different American dream stories.

And of course, we bring in The Critics—what did the biggest voices in film say about Cruise’s emotionally layered performance and DiCaprio’s unhinged, fearless energy? From Oscar nods to iconic scenes, we look at how both roles helped reshape the legacies of two of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

So, who wins the title of best performance? Is it Cruise’s “You complete me” or Leo’s lewd, lude-fueled spiral? Tap in for the debate, the deep dive, and maybe… a little yelling of “Show me the money!”

🎙️ 🎙️

This week’s episode is packed tighter than a movie theater on opening night.

We kick things off with LIST IT or NIX IT, where we speed through a fresh crop of trailers—from The Naked Gun reboot to Tron: Ares, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Bears on a Ship, and The Phonecian Scheme. Will they earn a spot on our Letterboxd watchlists… or get the boot?

Then it’s What We’ve Been Watching, as Jonathan and JP break down the films and TV shows that hit (or missed) over the past week. We’re talking Opus, Mickey 17, The Day the Earth Blew Up, Y2K, and the Reacher finale, plus new episodes of The Studio and The Pitt.

And of course, we close things out with The News, covering everything from Minecraft’s massive box office debut, to The Fantastic Four’s ‘60s-era space race vibe, and the wild lineup of upcoming projects: Road House 2, John Wick 5, a Tangled stall, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood 2, and Peter Jackson buying the actual Iron Throne for nearly $1.5 million.

Oh—and Sydney Sweeney might be piloting a Gundam.

Tap in. We’ve got thoughts

🎬 Cruise vs. DiCaprio: Collateral & The Aviator 🎬

Two of Hollywood’s biggest stars went head-to-head in 2004 with two vastly different films—Michael Mann’s sleek, high-stakes thriller Collateral and Martin Scorsese’s sweeping biopic The Aviator. But who delivered the more unforgettable performance?

In this episode, we break down Tom Cruise’s rare turn as a villain in Collateral—from his meticulous training with real hitmen to the bold casting choices that almost led to a completely different film. Then, we dive into Leonardo DiCaprio’s transformative portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator, exploring his deep-dive method acting and passion for bringing the project to life.

We’ll look at what the critics had to say, the behind-the-scenes stories, and ultimately decide: which 2004 performance left the biggest impact?