Nick is joined by film critic Erik Childress (with Steve Prokopy off this week) to dig into a fresh slate of movie releases. They cover Paul Thomas Anderson’s ambitious new epic One Battle After Another starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, Matthew McConaughey’s The Lost Bus, Eleanor the Great with June Squibb directed by Scarlett Johansson, and Emma Thompson’s icy new thriller Dead of Winter.

Later, Esmeralda Leon teams up with Nick to respond to a listener complaint about their mail-order catalog talk, before diving headfirst into the world of embarrassing side projects from big-name stars. From Robert De Niro slumming it in Rocky and Bullwinkle, to Joe Pesci crooning as his My Cousin Vinny character, to the glorious disaster that is Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, they unpack the weird detours that even the most talented people can’t live down. [Ep 388]