The Rolling Tape

You are unlikely to encounter another movie like Maddie’s Secret this year. The film, born from the mind of writer, director, and star John Early, satirizes both the Lifetime movies of the 80s and 90s and modern influencer culture while also sincerely addressing disordered eating. arly plays Maddie, a dishwasher turned content creator for mega-company Gourmaybe. It’s her dream come true. However, the newfound attention and popularity in front of the camera causes a relapse of her bulimia.

Adam Patla is joined by director John Early to discuss the unique tone of the film and how he executed the project both behind and in front of the camera.

Read more from the interview here.

Follow our interviewee online:
John Early on Instagram, Twitter, IMDb

Follow our interview host:
Adam Patla

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Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

We’re going to podcast about Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. When the conversation is done, and the recording is finished processing, then you have my permission to die.

RETRO//RANKED is a Rolling Tape network series ranking the individual entries of beloved franchises and filmographies, timed to major new releases. For season 7, we're diving into the complete filmography of Christopher Nolan, building episode by episode, two films at a time, toward the release of his latest film, The Odyssey.

Inception is Christopher Nolan’s seventh movie. It was released on July 13, 2010. For better or worse, Nolan is credited as the sole writer of the film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nolan explained that he based the roles of the Inception team similar to roles that are used in filmmaking. Cobb is the director, Arthur is the producer, Ariadne is the production designer, Eames is the actor, Saito is the studio, and Fischer is the audience.

The Dark Knight Rises is Nolan’s eighth movie. Like the previous film in the trilogy, it was co-written by Christopher Nolan, alongside his brother Jonathan Nolan off a story by Chris Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film released on July 20, 2012, four years and two days after The Dark Knight. The wait must have been excrutiating.

Enjoy all VIDEO episodes of SEASON 7 one week ahead of their public audio-only release.

Our current collaborative ranking so far:

1. The Dark Knight
2. The Prestige
3. Memento
4. Batman Begins
5. Following
6. Insomnia

On this episode:
Evan Miller
Kam Ryan
Paul Rai
Red Broadwell

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

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Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
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Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

It's been a full six months into 2026, and quite a lot has happened. The Sundance, Berlin, and Cannes Film Festivals have come and gone. Greta Gerwig's Narnia has been moved to 2027. Luca Guadagnino's Artificial has been pushed to 2027, dropped by Amazon MGM, and acquired by NEON to go back into the 2026 slate. Michael has surpassed Oppenheimer as the highest grossing biopic of all time, and Obsession is the cultural box office phenomenon of the year. 

That means it's time for an Oscar Pulse check. 

Before Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is out in three weeks, we decided to do an episode where we check in on how we feel about the upcoming Oscar race for 2027. We give our updated predictions for the above the line categories, which include the four acting categories, Best Director, and Best Picture lineups. We discuss how they've changed, how they reflect the current mood of the overall race, and our overall gut check level on how we feel about the awards season so far.

On this episode:
Paul Rai
Danny Jarabek
Jacob Diedenhofer
Adam Patla

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

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Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
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Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

With the second film in the rebooted DCU now in wide release to pair with last year's Superman, we analyze the recent Supergirl movie, exploring its marketing, storytelling choices, and representation of female superheroes. With the film currently sitting at around 54% on Rotten Tomatoes, the reactions have been mixed. We discuss broader trends in superhero films, particularly with female superheroes, gender dynamics, and industry failures when marketing toward female audiences. 

On this episode:
Sara Ciplickas
Bobbi Miller
Sasha Raquel

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

Listen Here:
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Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree

Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

Supergirl is the second film in the DCU created by James Gunn and Peter Safran, following Superman from 2025. Clayface will follow this year as the third entry of "Chapter One: Gods and Monsters" in the soft reboot of the DCEU which featured 16 films between 2013 and 2023.

Supergirl follows Kara Zor-El who joins forces with an unlikely companion on an interstellar journey of vengeance and justice when an unexpected adversary strikes too close to home. The film is directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira and stars Milly Alcock as the titular Supergirl, alongside Matthias Schoenaerts, Eve Ridley, David Krumholtz, Emily Beecham, David Corenswet, and Jason Momoa.

We review the film before doing a blind ranking of 25 randomized DC movies.

Our pre-episode Patreon exclusive conversation features:

• Venice lineup predictions
• Werwulf first look
• Sense and Sensibility trailer

On this episode:
Danny Jarabek
Paul Rai
Joshua Mbonu
Ethan Dayton
Jacob Diedenhofer
Timmy Lee

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms

Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree

Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

In our continued conversation on Queer cinema for Pride, we look toward POC and International Cinema, two topics that often get left out of the Western canon. POC and International Queer cinema provides a platform to explore diverse identities and experiences, often absent from the dominant Western narrative with examples dating back to 1919. These films challenge stereotypes, broaden perspectives, and invite audiences into the lives of those who have often been sidelined. Understanding these narratives is crucial to appreciating the complexity of Queer experiences worldwide. 

We explore these stories and why they matter, with a Letterboxd list capturing the films we discuss.

On this episode:
Sara Ciplickas
Red Broadwell
Des Mack

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms

Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree

Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

Now, are you watching closely? Let’s begin with today’s films.

RETRO//RANKED is a Rolling Tape network series ranking the individual entries of beloved franchises and filmographies, timed to major new releases. For season 7, we're diving into the complete filmography of Christopher Nolan, building episode by episode, two films at a time, toward the release of his latest film, The Odyssey.

The Prestige is Christopher Nolan’s fifth movie. It was released on October 20, 2006. This is a film that was once again co-written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan. The movie’s editing includes one hundred forty-six time jump cuts, in which the next shot either flashes back or skips ahead to another time period of the storyline.

The Dark Knight is Nolan’s sixth movie. It was co-written again by the Nolan brothers off a story by Chris Nolan and David S. Goyer. The film released on July 18, 2008. It was the first movie in his filmography to be released in that coveted July release spot.

Enjoy all VIDEO episodes of SEASON 7 one week ahead of their public audio-only release.

Our current collaborative ranking so far:

1. Memento
2. Batman Begins
3. Following
4. Insomnia

On this episode:
Evan Miller
Kam Ryan
Timmy Lee
Claire May Lewis

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms

Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree

Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

With the release of Toy Story 5 (and its estimated $160 million+ opening weekend box office), we're focusing on examining a specific category in the 2027 Oscars race that perhaps has gone through the most interesting evolution over its 25 year history: the Best Animated Feature category. 

Here we discuss how we feel about the category itself, the animated race that's shaping up this year for the 99th Academy Awards, and what animated films we've seen so far this year and are looking forward to in the near future.

We cap off with a ranking of all 25 Animated Feature Oscar winners going back to Shrek in 2002. Check out our Letterboxd list of the full rankings here.

Some of these titles were reviewed by Nandita Joshi at Cannes here.

On this episode:
Paul Rai
Adam Patla
Red Broadwell

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms

Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree

Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

This is Read Receipts: A Big Screen Book Club where the pronunciations don’t matter! Every month over here at The Rolling Tape, we read a book, watch its onscreen adaptation, then share our receipts with our Read Receipts host Kasey Dunifer – or should I say Dune-ifer?

Because this month, for DUNE JUNE, we read none other than Frank Herbert’s 1965 seminal science-fiction novel DUNE. Additionally, we watched the first two installments in Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Trilogy: DUNE: PART ONE from 2021 and DUNE: PART TWO from 2024. This is in preparation for the final installment, DUNE, you guessed it, PART THREE, coming out later this year, adapting DUNE MESSIAH. This is a little something different for Read Receipts. It’s a Throwback adaptation and covering TWO films AND a kind of big book.

So Happy Dune June, everyone! Thanks for joining.

On this episode:
Kasey Dunifer
Patrick J. Regal
Adam Patla 

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

Listen Here:
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Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree

Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller

How many hours has it been since you've been scrolling on your phone or tablet? Did you forget that the toys you once played with are now collecting dust and feeling neglected? It's one of the pressing themes we'll discuss with today's review of Toy Story 5, the 31st feature-length film from Pixar Animation released by Disney on June 19th. It's been seven years since we've hung out with the Toy Story gang since Toy Story 4. Toy Story 5 is co-written and co-directed by Andrew Stanton and McKenna Harris.

We review Pixar's latest in their most successful franchise ever before ranking every single movie in Pixar's catalog.

Today you've got a friend in us as we regroup with Woody, Buzz, and Jesse and more with our discussion of Toy Story 5. The film is described as follows: when Bonnie receives a Lilypad tablet to start making connections with friends in the real world, her screen time obsession makes playtime with her toys exponentially harder, as Jesse, Buzz, and Woody have to go head-to-head with the biggest threat to toys and their connections to children. The film stars Joan Cusack, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks, Greta Lee, and Conan O'Brien.

Our pre-episode Patreon exclusive conversation features:

• Artificial dropped by Amazon MGM
• Sean Penn to direct story of January 6th Cop
• Curry Barker 8-figure deal
• Spider-Man: Brand New Day Trailer
• Shrek 5 Teaser

On this episode:
Paul Rai
Risa Bolash
Adam Patla
Sasha Raquel
Joshua Mbonu 

Support the show

Subscribe for Early Access and Video:
The Rolling Tape Patreon

Listen Here:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
All Listening Platforms

Have questions? Email [email protected]

Podcast Website Link
Website & Publications: www.therollingtape.com
Social Platforms on Linktree

Credits:

• Theme music: Eugene Rocco Utley & Karl Vincent
• Artwork: Danny Jarabek
• Editor: Danny Jarabek
• Assistant Producer: Evan Miller