The Take-Up

Paging doctors Josh and Andrew, returning guest Alex McPherson calls them down to take a look at documentary icon Frederick Wiseman’s Hospital. A seminal early work in the director’s decades-spanning career, the trio dissect all the gross, aggravating, depressing, and heartwarming moments spread throughout this encapsulating look at 1970s healthcare. Including a talk about similarities to Wiseman’s other doc Welfare, our hosts and guest gladly share their love for the celebrated filmmaker and what he captured through his “reality fiction.” 

Next, they have One More Thing, going a little off-kilter this week with the newly-released RPVG Dungeons of Hinterburg and two Letterboxd accounts archiving reviews from two famous critics, Not Pauline Kael and Not Andrew Sarris.

Next week, Josh and Andrew bring on a new guest, Victor Putinier, to raise Hell over the 70s cult horror movie Messiah of Evil. Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

Josh and Andrew thought they could just roll and tumble… live from song to song… kiss to kiss… until filmmaker Stephen Tronicek twirled them around with Terrence Malick’s musical love-quadrangle drama Song to Song! Picking into a film made in the experimental late-stage of the arthouse icon’s career, the trio quickly get into their love (and some qualms) of one of Malick’s most divisive movies. Featuring a dissection of exactly how many cameos are in this, all the Christian undertones, its depiction of the 2010s Austin music scene, the spinning Emmanuel Lubezki camera, twirling, whispered Rooney Mara monologues, and the magic of Natalie Portman’s abs.

Next, Josh and Andrew have One More Thing, recommending Beast, starring a breakthrough performance from Academy Award Winner Jessie Buckley (Producer Ethan: oh, it feels good to write that), and genre-defying 60s British TV show The Prisoner.

Next week, our hosts reveal they have one more Oscar movie up their sleeve, Oliver Laxe’s desert rave thriller Sirāt. Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

For their final episode on some of the 2026 Best Picture Oscar nominees, Joshua and Andrew go head-to-head with Josh Safdie's Marty Supreme. How does it fit in the Safdie ouvré? Is Timothée Chalamet a total turd? Do Safdie female characters deserve better? Does everybody really want to rule the world? They'll answer these burning questions and whether this "historical" ping-pong nerve-jangler belongs in the Take-Up canon.

After that, Joshua has One More Thing about Netflix's new Japanese gay reality show, The Boyfriend, and Andrew explores some Backrooms lore with Horror in Impossible Places.

On the next episode, filmmaker and critic Stephen Tronicek has some festival fever with Terrence Malick's 2017 drama Song to Song. Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

Grab some tissues and take some Lexapro as Andrew, Josh and Ryan Verrill (host of the Disc-Connected podcast) go through their memories of Charlotte Wells’ masterful debut, Aftersun. Fitting with his background in physical media and Antenna Releasing, Ryan’s choice for the week allows a thoughtful discussion on the film, the relationship between a person and media, the conflicting nature of memory, if this still the best movie Paul Mescal’s been in, and the complex relationship between a parent and child.

Next, Josh and Andrew have One More Thing, recommending Park Chan-Wook’s latest thriller No Other Choice and the works of Soviet animator Yuri Norstein (Hedgehog in the Fog), which can be found in Eternal Family and boutique site Deaf Crocodile.

Next week, our hosts wrap up their 2026 Oscar picks with Josh Safdie’s chaotic ping-pong-dramedy Marty Supreme! Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

As Oscar night comes ever closer, Josh and Andrew travel down the “Rocky Road to Dublin” for the most-nominated film in Academy history, the much beloved (except by Variety) barn-burner Sinners! Getting deep into the hot, sweaty beauty of Ryan Coogler’s Delta blues drama/horror mash-up, our hosts praise the film’s celebration of Black music, its timely views on racism and cultural appropriation, an Andrew-approved take on vampire lore, and the effortless visual splendor and acting. 

After, they have One More Thing, recommending another Carpenter-esque horror with the Master’s Prince of Darkness and Slidebean’s video essay on home video, The Biggest Mistake in the History of Hollywood.

Next up, The Take-Up goes under pressure with Disc-Connected’s Ryan Verrill to talk about the A24 drama Aftersun. Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

Enjoy what becomes the Take-Up’s most polarized discussion, as our hosts go into whether Guillermo del Toro’s new Frankenstein creation has a soul worthy of a few Oscar noms or is a Netflix monstrosity dead on arrival. Debates on the director's camerawork, how much Del Toro’s take gels with all the other adaptations that arose from Mary Shelley’s novel, and if Elordi is the hottest Creature of all ensue.

Next, they have One More Thing, keeping the gothic talk going with Andrea Arnold and William Wyler’s adaptations of Wuthering Heights (as well as some thoughts on Emerald Fennel’s brat summer take on the classic story) and Abel Ferrara’s cyberpunk thriller New Rose Hotel.

Next week, Josh and Andrew continue their Oscar talk with one of the most acclaimed films from last year, Ryan Coogler’s gangster/musical/horror smash Sinners! Prepare to sink your teeth into a film bursting with genre-bending and commentary fit for a long discussion.

Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

Wanting to talk about this film for years, Hurdy Gurdy Men Josh and Andrew sing their songs of love for David Fincher’s serial-killer thriller Zodiac. Falling down the numerous rabbit holes Fincher provides in his retelling of the unsolved investigation, our hosts work to solve how Zodiac works its addictive magic. Grab an Aqua Velva and unravel the mysteries surrounding this chilling piece of true crime, such as what exactly constitutes a comfort movie, which actor should stay human in a muppet-led version, and where the hell did Jim Emerson go?

Next, Josh and Andrew have One More Thing, serving up Cocktails with George and Martha, Phillip Gefter’s dishy making-of tome on Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Sofia Coppola’s underrated father-daughter drama Somewhere (also shot by the same DP as Zodiac).

Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

Hear 'Deliriants' Josh and Andrew describe their dream of Bi Gan’s long-awaited follow-up to Long Day's Journey into Night, the arthouse celebration/eulogy to cinema Resurrection. The hosts go into the weeds of the head-scratching metaphor and genre-bending ode to the five senses that is the Chinese wunderkind's epic “porterhouse steak" of a cinematic meal. Throughout, prepare to ask the important questions, such as, “Do your dreams have film cuts?”

Next, Josh and Andrew go into One More Thing, recommending Stephen Frears’ Terrance Stamp-starring 80s crime film The Hit and the hidden gems of cult film streaming service Eternal Family.

Until next time, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

We're putting a big beautiful bold bow on the films of 2025 with a little help from our friends. Joshua talks to previous guests Elliott Collins of MovieFiles and Webster University Film Series Director Pete Timmermann about a few of their favorites from last year, and new-to-the-pod friends Taylor Blake of ZekeFilm.org and filmmaker Stephen Tronicek are on deck to discuss their choices. After that, Producer Ethan and Joshua count down their top 10 films of 2025.

Want a preview of the films discussed? Listen to find out who shares the critical love for The Mastermind and Sorry, Baby; and who's stumping for The Naked Gun; The Phoenician Scheme; and Resurrection. Of course, Joshua can't give quit ⁠The Secret Agent⁠, ⁠One Battle After Another⁠, and ⁠Misericordia⁠—all previously covered on the podcast.

On next week's episode, Andrew returns to expand upon Bi Gan's latest, the aforementioned mind-trip meta-movie Resurrection. Until then, read on at ⁠thetake-up.com⁠ and follow us @thetakeupstl on ⁠Instagram⁠, ⁠Twitter⁠, ⁠Letterboxd⁠, and ⁠Facebook⁠. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.

Wishing everyone a happy New Year, Josh and Andrew purify 2026 with fellow contributor/podcast editor/synopsis writer/ZekeFilm writer Ethan Tarantella’s pick, Luca Guadagnino’s remake of Suspiria!

Prepare to have your head explode with an extended discussion ranging from the remake’s unrelenting arthouse madness, sociopolitical talk about 70s Berlin, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, witchcraft and dance, fascism, queer theory, acclaimed actor Lutz Ebersdorf, the way Dakota Johnson says “Ohio”, and much, much more. Give your soul to a movie so powerful, overwhelming, and crammed with ideas no wonder it's one of this writer’s favorite movies.

Complimenting this episode includes Ethan giving an impromptu Guadagnino ranking (can you guess where After the Hunt is?) and the trio having One More Thing, recommending Kinji Fukasaku’s Black Lizard, Hong Kong gangster film Exiled, along with recent shows The Chair Company, Women Wearing Shoulder Pads, and Haha, You Clowns.

Next week, friends of the Take-Up join Josh to discuss the best of 2025! Until then, read on at thetake-up.com and follow us @thetakeupstl on Instagram, Twitter, Letterboxd, and Facebook. Special thanks to Social Media Manager Kayla McCulloch and Contributor Ethan Tarantella. Theme music by AMP.