Seeing and Believing

that's the way things have been for twenty-four films and nearly sixty years. The twenty-fifth film in the Bond franchise, No Time to Die, aims to shake up the Bond formula even as it serves as Daniel Craig's swan song portraying the iconic British superspy. Kevin is joined by special guest Don Shanahan to discuss Bond in general, Daniel Craig's Bond specifically, and whether this film is an effective close to the Craig saga that began with 2006's Casino Royale. Does this latest film leave them shaken … or stirred?

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The day has unfortunately arrived: Wade is donning his hat and riding off into the sunset. We pull out all the stops to see Wade off in style, with a retro review of one of Wade's all-time favorite films, some reminiscences about memorable theatrical experiences and fun podcast moments, and even Wade's manifesto of art and moviegoing. Tune in for a fun extravangaza like none other the show has ever seen!

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This week's episode features a Patron Pick courtesy of James Hutton, and it's a doozy: Paul Thomas Anderson's complex, sprawling 1999 film, Magnolia. Wade and Kevin probe the depths of its spiritual undertones, discuss the film's controversial ending, and determine how kind the past two decades have been to what was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the '90s. Plus, an announcement about Wade's impending retirement, which has Kevin sadly lip-synching along to a non-diegetic Aimee Mann song…

To read David Roark's essay on this film, click here.

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The first stirrings of awards season make themselves felt this week with a star-studded biopic, and this one is right up Seeing & Believing's alley! The Eyes of Tammy Faye stars Jessica Chastain in the title role of Tammy Faye Bakker and follows her steps from obscure itinerant minister to the figurehead of one of the biggest televangelism programs ever to exist. Costarring Andrew Garfield as Jim Bakker, Michael Showalter's retelling of the Bakker saga digs into the lives and scandals of the most recognizable televangelist duo in America, exploring the hazy line that divides ministry from business and heartfelt spirituality from insincere posturing. Wade and Kevin take a look at how well the film captures a peculiarly American form of Christianity, warts and all. Plus, they make a big announcement about the future of the podcast!

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Back when Destin Daniel Cretton was directing critically acclaimed indie dramas like Short Term 12, nobody would have thought to pair him with the biggest blockbuster franchise in history, but that's exactly what's happened with the latest entry in the MCU, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. With cinematic luminaries like Tony Leung and Michelle Yeoh and an action-style indebted to the martial arts films of China and Hong Kong, Disney/Marvel take viewers into uncharted territory for the MCU. How successful are they in getting us there? Wade and Kevin take a look!

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Interested in a musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard? How about a rock opera starring Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, and a wooden puppet representing their child? That's what Wade and Kevin dig into this week as they discuss Annette, the Palme d'Or-nominated film from French director Leos Carax, now streaming on Amazon Prime. The guys talk opera, magical realism, the line between sincerity and irony, and the nature of sin as they dig into Annette's bold and strange world.

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A common critic cliche is to say that watching a bad action movie feels like watching somebody else play a video game, but what Free Guy supposes is, “What if we treated that not just as an okay thing but as an actual goal?” Part Wreck-It Ralph, part The Matrix, part The Truman Show, Shawn Levy’s new film features Ryan Reynolds as a smiling, innocent person who finds out that he’s not a person after all but a background character in a video game. Or can he be both? Wade and Kevin log on to see how well Free Guy answers these questions!

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The guys take a turn for the roguish with this week's episode, as they talk about the latest adventure for DC's #1 band of psychos and misfits, The Suicide Squad. Erstwhile MCU director James Gunn switches teams for this reboot of the much-reviled 2016 film of (almost) the same title, and the question on everyone's mind (or least Wade and Kevin's) is "Does Gunn manage to spin straw into gold?" Given Gunn's trademark taste for off-kilter third-string comic-book characters and amoral antiheroes, it certainly seems like a good match, but does everything go according to plan? Or is the stink of 2016's iteration of the Squad too hard to wash off?

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After his foray into creating a superhero cinematic universe, M. Night Shyamalan is back to his bread and butter — spine-tingling chillers — with Old, the movie about how seaside resorts and beach vacations are the absolute worst. A family goes on vacation, discovers a beach that causes everyone to age unnaturally fast, and encounters many other obstacles that can't be divulged due to spoilers. Wade and Kevin take a look to find out where Old fits into Shyamalan's checkered career and determine just how many years will be taken off their lives by the end of this week's episode. Grab your water wings and join them!

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