Nick is celebrating 40 years as a professional film critic in 2025, and one of the ways he’s marking the occasion is with the release of his new book, 40 Years 40 Films, a collection of essays analyzing his favorite film from each year of his career. He previews the book and reflects on his journey before welcoming TV critic Dan Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter.

Dan shares highlights from his recent trip to London, where he saw some incredible theater, and gives his thoughts on the recent Oscar telecast featuring Conan O’Brien. He also reviews the new Netflix documentary CHAOS: The Manson Murders and the tricky new legal thriller Adolescence.

Later, Esmeralda Leon joins Nick to discuss Mickey 17 (which they both enjoyed), debate how many movie trailers is too many, and wonder why anyone would wait in line for three hours to see The Fall Guy. They also chat about weird dreams—including one where Esma is eating sandwiches with old-school MTV celebrities. [Ep 331]