The A.V. Club Presents Film Club

By The A.V. Club

What's The A.V. Club Presents Film Club about?

Welcome to Film Club, the A.V. Club’s movie discussion series. Each week, A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife (and occasionally some special guests) will gab about the week's new releases, explore various corners of the film industry, and examine the lasting impact of some of history's biggest films.

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The A.V. Club Presents Film Club episodes:

12.17.2021
Film Club's favorite movies of 2021
Ahead of The A.V. Club's list of the best films of the year, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife talk about the ones that mattered to them most.
12.10.2021
Looking back on our favorite movies of 2001
Mulholland Drive and The Royal Tenenbaums still shine 20 years later
11.26.2021
Where does Licorice Pizza rank in Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography?
We cap our four-part Paul Thomas Anderson series with a conversation about his latest: Licorice Pizza
11.26.2021
The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (4): The Master & Inherent Vice
Joaquin Phoenix brought out the mysterious, ambiguous side of Paul Thomas Anderson
11.19.2021
The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (3): There Will Be Blood & Phantom Thread
Daniel Day-Lewis and Paul Thomas Anderson are a match made in obsessive heaven
11.12.2021
The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (2): Magnolia & Punch Drunk Love
Is Magnolia brilliant, exhausting, or both? Film Club's four-part series on Paul Thomas Anderson continues with Magnolia and Punch-Drunk Love
11.05.2021
The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (1): Boogie Nights & Hard Eight
In the run-up to Licorice Pizza, A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife are revisiting Paul Thomas Anderson's entire filmography, starting with Boogie Nights and Hard Eight.
10.29.2021
The year in horror
A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife discuss the year in horror movies
10.21.2021
Let's talk about Dune, The French Dispatch, and Last Night In Soho
On this week’s episode of Film Club, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife review three of October’s major auteur works.
10.15.2021
How does Halloween Kills compare to the slasher movies before it?
A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife discuss the latest entry in this undying slasher saga, the middle entry in David Gordon Green’s reboot trilogy, Halloween Kills.
10.15.2021
Revisiting 40 years of Halloween movies
Film Club is taking a deep dive into the whole Halloween franchise, looking back on a dozen slasher movies (and one weird magic-mask outlier) released over the last 40-plus years.
10.08.2021
Our James Bond marathon covers six eras of 007
We’ve programmed a prospective marathon of 007 adventures, selecting one movie for each of the six actors that have played the superspy.
10.01.2021
We're recapping Fantastic Fest
Zombies, car sex, and more at America's leading genre film festival, Fantastic Fest
09.17.2021
The best and worst of TIFF 2021
Let's discuss Dear Evan Hansen, Dashcam, and more of the titles that played TIFF over the last week
09.10.2021
Why turning books into movies is such a challenge
On the tricky art of adaptation and moving a story from page to screen
09.03.2021
Shang-Chi and Candyman go head-to-head
Should you spend Labor Day weekend with Shang-Chi or the Candyman?
08.13.2021
On the highs and lows Netflix's Fear Street trilogy
A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife dig in to the Netflix's buzzy, teen-centric horror series, Fear Street
08.06.2021
On the art (and ethics) of writing negative reviews
On a very inside-baseball episode of Film Club, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife discuss how to write about bad movies right.
07.30.2021
Discussing The Suicide Squad, The Green Knight, and Old
On the brink of August, Film Club discusses some event movies that are actually worth your time: M. Night Shyamalan’s Old; David Lowery’s The Green Knight; and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad.
07.23.2021
Dissecting M. Night Shyamalan's career
There's so much more to M. Night Shyamalan than a collection of twist endings
07.16.2021
The best films of 2021 so far
From Roy Andersson to Zola, our critics salute the best films of 2021 so far
07.09.2021
How does Black Widow stack up to Marvel's best?
We finally have a starring vehicle for Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow
07.09.2021
On the highs and lows of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
With the release of Black Widow, our critics go back through the biggest movie franchise of them all
06.25.2021
Film Club swerves into the Fast & Furious series
Gather the family, open a Corona, and tune in as we trace the evolution of The Fast Saga
06.18.2021
Why isn't Pixar as good as it used to be?
With the release of Luca, our critics look back on a rocky decade for the animation house
06.18.2021
Luca fails to enchant our critics
New to Disney+, the animated fable is a very mild buddy comedy
06.11.2021
The state of movie musicals
It's an all-singing, all-dancing episode as Film Club (with special guest Caroline Siede) delves into movie musicals
06.04.2021
Exploring the Conjuring franchise
Let's investigate the spooky extended universe of the Conjuring franchise
05.28.2021
Should you watch A Quiet Place or Cruella this weekend?
Katie Rife and A.A. Dowd embark on a return to normalcy by reviewing two films coming to theaters this Memorial Day.
04.30.2021
In round two, The A.V. Club finishes Mortal Kombat
Film Club discusses the scant merits of the franchise-thirty martial-arts fantasy currently streaming on HBO Max.
04.30.2021
Why are video games movies always so bad?
Film Club welcomes A.V. Club staffer William Hughes to discuss the history of console-to-multiplex entertainment.
04.23.2021
OSCARS | The best (and worst) of the Best Picture lineup
Before Hollywood’s big night, join critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife for one last round of Oscars talk.
04.16.2021
OSCARS | Is Best Actress the closest Oscar race this year?
Will it be Viola Davis, Carey Mulligan, or Frances McDormand? And who should it be?
04.09.2021
OSCARS | Let's take a look at the directing and screenplay categories
Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher fans, listen at your own risk.
04.02.2021
OSCARS | Diving into the Best Supporting Actress and Actor races
This year's Oscar nominees for supporting performance range from great to Razzie-worthy.
03.26.2021
Looking back on 70 years of Godzilla
On this week’s kaiju-friendly episode of Film Club, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife are looking back on the 70-year history of Toho’s biggest star, Godzilla.
03.19.2021
Revisiting the ups and downs of Zack Snyder's DC universe
A.A. Dowd and special guest Alex McLevy look back on the franchise Snyder launched eight years ago.
03.19.2021
Let's talk about Zack Snyder's Justice League
Let's talk about how Zack Snyder's Justice League compares to the Joss Whedon version
03.12.2021
Let's dive into the world of Wong Kar Wai
From hitmen in the throes of an existential crisis to neighbors embroiled in an emotional affair in ‘60s Hong Kong, this week’s Film Club is for the hopeless romantics.
03.05.2021
Which new comedy should you watch this weekend?
A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife discuss the long-awaited sequel Coming 2 America, the zany Kristen Wiig vehicle Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar, and the newest live-action adventure for the cartoon duo Tom and Jerry.
02.19.2021
Our critics answer your burning questions
This week, critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife are answering a selection of reader questions on a very special AMA episode.
02.12.2021
What's the perfect love story to watch this Valentine's Day?
The Love Week festivities continue on this uncharacteristically mushy episode of Film Club, wherein critics (and usual cynics) A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife talk about cinematic love stories.
02.04.2021
Let's talk about this year's Sundance Film Festival
Reporting “from” Sundance—which it to say, their living rooms—critics A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife discuss this unusual year for the festival.
01.29.2021
Spoiler Alert! Film Club is diving into spoiler culture
This week on Film Club, our critics approach the topic of spoilers from both a historical and a practical perspective.
01.22.2021
Is there a January horror movie worth a damn?
For their first episode of 2021, our critics are setting the prestige pics aside and celebrating a January tradition: Crappy horror movies.
12.18.2020
Film Club's favorite movies of 2020
Film Club's closing the year running down our favorite movies of 2020.
12.11.2020
This Christmas, check out these offbeat holiday movies
This Christmas, look beyond the classics to some more offbeat holiday movies.
12.04.2020
The line between movies and TV got blurrier in 2020
Discussing the increasingly blurry line between film & TV, with special guest, TV Club editor Danette Chavez
11.20.2020
Kicking off award season with Mank, Hillbilly Elegy, and... Freaky?!
An abnormally long awards season is upon us.
10.30.2020
The Howling vs. An American Werewolf In London?
Welcome to The Premise Dome, full moon edition!

What's The A.V. Club Presents Film Club about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The A.V. Club Presents Film Club episodes:

Film Club's favorite movies of 2021

Looking back on our favorite movies of 2001

Where does Licorice Pizza rank in Paul Thomas Anderson's filmography?

The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (4): The Master & Inherent Vice

The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (3): There Will Be Blood & Phantom Thread

The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (2): Magnolia & Punch Drunk Love

The films of Paul Thomas Anderson (1): Boogie Nights & Hard Eight

The year in horror

Let's talk about Dune, The French Dispatch, and Last Night In Soho

How does Halloween Kills compare to the slasher movies before it?

Revisiting 40 years of Halloween movies

Our James Bond marathon covers six eras of 007

We're recapping Fantastic Fest

The best and worst of TIFF 2021

Why turning books into movies is such a challenge

Shang-Chi and Candyman go head-to-head

On the highs and lows Netflix's Fear Street trilogy

On the art (and ethics) of writing negative reviews

Discussing The Suicide Squad, The Green Knight, and Old

Dissecting M. Night Shyamalan's career

The best films of 2021 so far

How does Black Widow stack up to Marvel's best?

On the highs and lows of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Film Club swerves into the Fast & Furious series

Why isn't Pixar as good as it used to be?

Luca fails to enchant our critics

The state of movie musicals

Exploring the Conjuring franchise

Should you watch A Quiet Place or Cruella this weekend?

In round two, The A.V. Club finishes Mortal Kombat

Why are video games movies always so bad?

OSCARS | The best (and worst) of the Best Picture lineup

OSCARS | Is Best Actress the closest Oscar race this year?

OSCARS | Let's take a look at the directing and screenplay categories

OSCARS | Diving into the Best Supporting Actress and Actor races

Looking back on 70 years of Godzilla

Revisiting the ups and downs of Zack Snyder's DC universe

Let's talk about Zack Snyder's Justice League

Let's dive into the world of Wong Kar Wai

Which new comedy should you watch this weekend?

Our critics answer your burning questions

What's the perfect love story to watch this Valentine's Day?

Let's talk about this year's Sundance Film Festival

Spoiler Alert! Film Club is diving into spoiler culture

Is there a January horror movie worth a damn?

Film Club's favorite movies of 2020

This Christmas, check out these offbeat holiday movies

The line between movies and TV got blurrier in 2020

Kicking off award season with Mank, Hillbilly Elegy, and... Freaky?!

The Howling vs. An American Werewolf In London?