The Long Take Review

Theater Camp, a loving send-up of “theater kid” culture, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to high praise from critics. Months later, Searchlight Picture’s sincere comedy starring Molly Gordon (The Bear) and Ben Platt (Pitch Perfect) quietly released in theaters, overshadowed by Barbenheimer fever. That’s why P.T., Antonio, and I wanted to give this heavily improvised indie film a starring role in this episode. We discuss our own personal connections to theater, debate whether or not this film can appeal to a broader audience, compare the film to the work of Christopher Guest, consider how the film represents teaching, and attempt to discern what the film’s satire has to say about art, commerce, and social media. Podcast isn’t home…but, is it, kind of? I think it kind of is.

Image Credit: IndieWire

Movie News Check-In 2:48 A strike update and a quick box office update.

What is Theater Camp? 13:55

Are We “Theater Kids”? 17:53

The Short Take 26:42 What did we think of the film overall?

The Recommendation Algorithm 34:46 Beyond theater nerds, who would like this movie?

The Rhetorical Situation 39:49 What does this film have to say about arts education?How does it represent teachers and teaching?

SPOILER MODE 57:38 Favorite performance? Funniest bit? What is this film trying to say?

Oscars Watch 1:26:09 We dream big about this film’s Oscars potential (especially in original song).

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda. Movie News Check-In music is “Meet Me On the Bridge” by Trio Leo. The Rhetorical Situation music is “Well of Knowledge” by Cercles Nouvelles. Spoiler Mode music is “Thinking of Luther” by The New Fools. All music licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

The simultaneous release of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, now known as “Barbenheimer,” has quickly become the movie event of the year, sweeping pop culture and breaking all kinds of box office records. We share our takes on each film, put them in conversation with one another, and posit their cultural, political, and film industry significance. Rather than reviewing the two films in succession, we’re embracing the very idea of Barbeheimer with one big conversation about both films together.

Movie News Check-In 2:20

The writer and actors strikes, and how The Long Take Review plans to show support.

Barbenheimer at the box office. 7:12

Our Barbenheimer Experiences 13:38

The Short Take What did we think of the films? Who “won” Barbenheimer? 19:03

The Recommendation Algorithm What advice do we have? Do you need to see other films by these directors? 43:04

SPOILER MODE We discuss spoilers for both films together. 50:27

The Rhetorical Situation How did Barbenheimer happen? Who can take credit for it? What does it say about our culture? What is social constructionism and what does it have to do with Barbeneheimer? 51:54

Oscars Watch How many nominations could each of these films get? 1:43:47

Image Credit: Time

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

The new Mission: Impossible movie is exclusively in theaters, and Tom Cruise wouldn’t want it any other way. After shining a light on the actor’s strike that began this week and discussing some of the contentious issues in the context of Dead Reckoning Part One, P.T., Greg, and I unpack (and clarify) the dense spy thriller plot, rejoice over our favorite action set pieces, and compare our notes on characters old and new. We’ll be your parachute as you float down from a blockbuster high.

Movie News Check-In 2:04

The Hollywood Strike in the Context of Tom Cruise, Movie Theaters, and the M:I Franchise 17:42

The Short Take (Spoiler Free) 31:38

The Recommendation Algorithm (Spoiler Free) 44:20

SPOILER MODE 48:33

Predictions for Part Two 2:03:40

What Were Other Actors Were Doing at 61 2:13:35

Oscars Watch 2:17:33

Image Credit: LA Times

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

In anticipation of the new Mission: Impossible film, which skydives into theaters this week, P.T. McNiff, who’s been a fan from the beginning, and I, who only just watched five out of six films for the first time, examine the franchise to date. We provide context about Tom Cruise, the origins or the making of the films, the different directors who have chosen to accept these missions, the spy thriller genre, and M:I’s place in action blockbuster filmmaking. After that extensive primer, we share our personal rankings of all six films, give a quick Oscars assessment, and end with some hype for Dead Reckoning Part One. The fuse on this one is long, but sparks of excitement and joy constantly fly as the clock counts down. Listen on Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Our relationship with the franchise and Tom Cruise. 2:29

Tom Cruise’s career and how he got here. 18:28

What makes the Mission: Impossible franchise work? 38:56

How is Ethan Hunt different than James Bond? 1:00:03

How Mission: Impossible went from TV series to film franchise. 1:06:14

Our rankings of the six Mission: Impossible films. 1:14:57

Oscars Watch 2:12:54

Preview of Dead Reckoning Part One. 2:19:45

Image Credit: New York Times

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Buckle up your prop plane seat for our wide-ranging discussion of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. First-time guest, as well as dear friend and colleague, Jim Clements Jim Clements joins P.T., Greg, and me to compare this fifth film to its predecessors, contemplate whether or not anyone under the age of 40 cares about this genre, nerd out about what we liked, pinpoint what didn’t work for us, and daydream about Harrison Ford winning an Oscar someday. We had the widest variety of takes (of all temperatures!) of any episode of The Long Take Review thus far. Give it a listen and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I also want to give a special shoutout to Greg, who wore a fez for half this recording, but never received any formal acknowledgement of his panache. His hat game continues to be on point, folks.

The Short Take (Spoiler-Free) 6:48

The Recommendation Algorithm (Spoiler-Free) 14:46

SPOILER MODE 22:12

Oscars Watch 1:30:09

Image Credit: Deadline

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

We are on the precipice of a new Indiana Jones film in theaters, so P.T., Greg, and I *had* to have an episode dedicated to the four preceding films. We share what we love about the character and the franchise, try to figure out what makes Harrison Ford so singular, rank all the films, and parse our expectations for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Grab your fedora and join us on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Image Credit: Variety

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

It’s a Wes Anderson jubilee! Greg, P.T., and I share our thoughts on the beloved yet polarizing director’s newest film, Asteroid City. We attempt to unpack its dense layers, pulling out themes and connections between the various frame narratives. After a robust discussion, we speculate about the film’s Oscars chances and share our top five Wes Anderson films of all time. I felt privileged to be a part of this conversation; P.T. and Greg shared so much insight, and we were having a good time every single second. You can’t wake up until you’ve podcasted with friends. Listen to us on Substack, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Movie News Check-In 1:33

The Short Take (Spoiler-Free) 12:58

The Recommendation Algorithm (Spoiler-Free) 20:27

SPOILER MODE 30:03

The Rhetorical Situation 1:22:33

Oscars Watch 1:39:59

Our Top 5 Wes Anderson Films 1:52:10

Image Credit: LA Times

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

Celine Song’s directorial debut, Past Lives, garnered an immense amount of critical praise, with strong (and very early!) Oscar buzz coming out of the Sundance Film Festival in January. Antonio Elefano and I discuss whether the film lives up to the hype, dissect the the themes, and explain how the screenplay redefines romance. The film will play in theaters everywhere starting June 23rd.

Movie News Check-In :52

The Short Take 16:00

The Recommendation Algorithm (Spoiler Free) 26:53

SPOILER MODE 36:18

The Rhetorical Situation 36:50

Oscars Watch 1:43:00

Image Credit: LA Times

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

With dazzling animation and a superb screenplay, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the follow-up to Oscar-winner Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, has performed heroically at the box office. Greg Cass Greg and I try to pinpoint the source of the film’s success, dissect how the creators have seeded themes into the story so effectively, share our favorite scenes and Easter eggs, and much more. Stick around until the end of the recording to learn just how deep a certain cameo’s connection to Spider-Man really goes.

Movie News Check-In: 1:16

The Short Take (Spoiler-Free): 11:58

The Recommendation Algorithm (Spoiler-Free): 17:04

SPOILER MODE: 28:54

The Rhetorical Situation: 44:35

Oscars Watch: 1:20:22

Show Notes:

More information on who nominates and votes for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. (Jen was correct. In 2017 the Academy created an opt-in committee to determine nominations for this category, and it’s open to any Academy member.)

The Vanity Fair article on the call to de-gender awards.

Image Credit: BBC

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com

The Cannes Film Festival just wrapped up last weekend, which means we now have the first wave of reactions for several of our most anticipated films of the year. P.T. and I discuss the big award-winners, and then speculate as to which films unofficially won the festival. Get ready for a lot of chatter about Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City, and, of course, James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Which films premiering at Cannes have Oscars prospects? What is Netflix’s award strategy this year? What’s the deal with those standing ovations? And why can’t we pronounce any European names confidently? Listen to find out the answers to these questions and more.

Show Notes:

IndieWire’s Guide to the Longest Standing Ovations at Cannes

All The Official Winners of the Cannes Film Festival:

Palme d’Or

Anatomy of a Fall, dir. Justine Triet (France / Neon)

Grand Prix

The Zone of Interest, dir. Jonathan Glazer (Germany / A24)

Jury Prize

Fallen Leaves, dir. Aki Kaurismäki (Finland / MUBI)

Best Director

Tran Anh Hùng for The Pot-Au-Feu (France / seeking distribution)

Best Screenplay

Yuji Sakamoto for Monster (Japan / seeking distribution)

Best Actress

Merve Dizdar for About Dry Grasses (Turkey / seeking distribution)

Best Actor

Koji Yakusho for Perfect Days (Japan-Germany / possibly Neon)

Honorary Palme d’Or

Michael Douglas

Harrison Ford

Camera d’Or for Best First Film

The Yellow Cocoon Shell, dir. Thien An Pham

Palme d’Or for Best Short Film

27, dir. Flóra Anna Buda.

Image Credit: Reuters

Intro and outro music is “Divers,” by Hara Noda, licensed through Epidemic Sound.

Logo art: Illustration 73265080 © Worldofvector | Dreamstime.com