Screeners Podcast

This episode is a double-header, so no extraneous segments, no fluff, no listening to how Josh doesn’t know how to rank things against each other. This episode it’s just the four original Screeners getting back to their roots arguing about movies. Well, OK—the four of them argue about one movie. Josh didn’t see the other one. Duh.

Out of Annihilation and Game Night, though, guess which one he did see. What happens next might shock you...then prepare to be shocked again as you hear what Chris has to say about Game Night. Let’s just say that maybe there are a couple other movies he should rewatch.

We’re not going to say much more about Annihilation than that it’s an adaptation of a novel brought to the big screen by the writer/director of Ex Machina. So, y’know, the movie you’d have expected to have a full Screeners roster for the review. Oh well. Maybe Chad will talk enough for anyone missing.

You know the drill. Click over to Facebook, tell us your favorite joke from Game Night, mock people who haven’t seen Annihilation, and don’t forget to track down the Oscars contest and cast your votes!

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Yes, there’s a new Marvel movie, and yes, they chose to release it in February. Black Panther is something of a departure for Marvel in a couple different ways, not the least of which is its writer/director. Ryan Coogler’s first two features, Fruitvale Station and Creed, were well-received but decidedly more, let’s say “constrained”, than your average Marvel flick. The choices have paid off in a big way, though, with Black Panther shooting to the top of the box office, posting the biggest take for a February release of all time.

The Screeners couldn’t pass up the chance to talk about another Marvel movie. Josh didn’t make it out on opening weekend, but guest host Phil Bonaparte is taking his place to offer maybe a slightly less superhero-fatigued perspective (or maybe not; guess we’ll see). Has Coogler brought a fresh feel to a universe we’re all pretty familiar with by now?

And while we’re in the comics for the main event, this episode’s Top 3 might as well just stay there. The theme this time is, well, Marvel movies, with the slight twist that everyone’s going to rank Black Panther against the franchise’s other movies whether it fits in one of the top 3 slots or not. So...top 2 + new movie? Top 2...ish? Top 3’s easier; just go with it.

We know you have opinions on Black Panther too, and judging by the box office numbers, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen it already. Head over to Facebook and let us know what you think!

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Special Guest: Philip Bonaparte II.

2018 has a lot of movie in store, and it's February already, so it’s about time to get the hype train started and find out what’s on the Screeners’ must-see lists. We have a feeling there will be a bit of diversity here, but we’re not going to name names of people who may or may not be excited for movies about dinosaurs.

And since we talked about the future, let's spend a bit of time on the past. Yes, season 4 of this now-Netflix “original” may have been released to the binge-ready public last year, but that didn’t stop the Screeners from talking about Phantom Thread, so it definitely won’t stop them from talking about Black Mirror. This is Netflix’s second season distributing the British show; have they been able to maintain the unique qualities that made it such a cult hit?

As always, we want to see your lists (and hear about your love and/or hate relationship with Black Mirror) on Facebook!

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Phantom Thread is PT Anderson’s latest movie with Daniel Day-Lewis in a leading role and supposedly Day-Lewis’s last movie ever. It technically qualifies as a 2017 movie, but given that introduction (and the fact that it was only released wide last month), we’re sure you can understand why at least a few of the Screeners wanted to talk about it.

We may have buried the lede there. The real story is that Josh is here for one of these Chad/Daniel bonus episodes, which means he was in the theater for a movie that he wasn’t peer pressured into seeing, which means he went to a theater voluntarily. That alone makes this episode worth listening to, right?

OK, fine. Listen to it because PT Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis. We won’t blame you...as long as you join us on Facebook afterwards and tell us about your history with the 1950’s fashion world.

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So we’re told there was a football game recently. We wouldn’t know; we were busy watching commercials. There were blockbuster movie trailers left and right, something about Australia, and, of course, Tide ads. Chad, Josh, and Daniel (also known as the “non-cord-cutter” contingent of the Screeners) were on hand for the marketing melee; who did they think won the evening?

The real show-stealer may have been how Netflix took on NBC’s This is Us marketing machine by releasing The Cloverfield Paradox right after “The Big Game”*. It was a bold move, and one that hooked at least Chad and Daniel into staying up even later and watching it. Or maybe they cheated and watched it on Monday—that’s the problem with Netflix; you just can’t tell. Either way, was it worth it, guys?

You know the drill—head over to Facebook; tell us if you’ve caught The Cloverfield Paradox yet and what you thought of Netflix’s release strategy. ‘Til next time!

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The Oscar nominations are out, and we already know that Daniel has plenty to say about them. He’s got enough, in fact, that he roped Chad and Britain into recording a bonus episode just to recap the highlights and talk about this year’s snubs and surprises.

We know these three aren’t the only ones with opinions, though. Josh might not have anything to say, but if you do, head over to Facebook and let us know!

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Special Guest: Britain Miethe .

It’s almost February 2018, so the Screeners thought it would be a good idea to go back and relive 2017...in cinema, at least. That’s right; it’s time for the annual Best of (insert last year) episode! There’s something for just about everyone in this year’s selections, whether, you saw 18 movies last year (like Josh) or closer to 18² (like Daniel). Join the Screeners as they laugh, cry, and unanimously deride Chris’s picks1.

Once you’ve listened (and congratulations if you made it this far; we know it wasn’t easy), hop over to Facebook and send us your own picks!

1 OK; so in reality they might actually agree on most of them, but this sounded totally plausible, didn’t it?

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There are a lot of people involved in The Post. Sure, it stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, and it’s directed by Steven Spielberg, but if we named everyone else in the cast, we might not have room to say anything else about the Screeners’ review of...wait a second, that’s a perfect excuse; why are we trying to talk ourselves out of it?

Know who’s in The Post? Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, David Cross, Alison Brie, Bradley Whitford, Jesse Plemons...OK; we can’t keep doing this in good conscience. Just know that that’s not an exhaustive list—there are other very recognizable actors in there too. Will the star power be enough to win over the Screeners?

Oh, and one more thing: The Screeners blog is getting a new regular author! Britain Miethe has been a listener for some time now, and it turns out he has opinions too. We’re all about giving people a voice here at the site (though not on the podcast; Josh can keep his thoughts to himself), so we thought we’d give him a regular column. Just so everyone can get to know him, he’s also guest hosting tonight along with everyone else. Welcome, Britain!

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Special Guest: Britain Miethe .

In this special episode, Daniel is joined by Paul Walter Hauser, one of the stars of the new film I, Tonya, which chronicles the life of Tonya Harding. Paul has been receiving rave reviews for his scene-stealing work as Shawn Eckardt in the film.

Daniel and Paul talk about what it was like to get cast in the film and to work alongside a spectacular cast and crew. They also discuss Tonya Harding herself, and whether or not America should re-evaluate her place in history.

Check out the interview, and stay tuned for more episodes coming your way soon!

Happy New Year, everyone! The calendar has changed, but the Screeners haven’t...right down to the part where Josh hasn’t seen the movie they’re reviewing. It’s a shame, too, because this episode’s main event is Molly’s Game, written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. High-stakes poker, the FBI, and skiing weren’t enough to bring Josh out of his cave, which seems like a bad omen for the year in general. Oh well; we suppose there’s still time for him to make a resolution or two. In the meantime, the rest of the crew will be there for you, watching movies all year long and taunting him.

In honor of Aaron Sorkin, this episode’s Top 3 focuses on everyone’s favorite directorial debuts. There have been some pretty great first efforts throughout the years, so competition could be heated. Maybe Josh will join in the fun if the Screeners ever decide to do “worst directorial debuts”. We won’t hold our collective breath.

Make sure to let us know your thoughts on Molly’s Game and your favorite first films over on Facebook, and we’ll see you next time for our review of The Post!

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