Shows
It's On The List#55: Dissociating at the ZooSammy and Gerry tackle one of the great pop melodramatists of his time - you know him, you love him, it's the one and only Cameron Crowe. The boys discuss his despairing Y2K head-trip, Vanilla Sky (2001), and his beautifully bittersweet family drama We Bought a Zoo (2011). They discuss the effectiveness of his cornball leanings, his excellent direction of actors, and the amount of times that they cried listening to Matt Damon talk about that damn zoo. Contains spoilers for both films.(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:14) Cameron Crowe background(00:09:07) Vanilla Sky(00:36:50) We Bought a Z...2025-07-031h 05It's On The List#54: Milwaukee Film Festival 2025On this VERY belated podcast covering April's Milwaukee Film Festival, Gerry takes on hosting duties by himself to discuss the films he saw. Titles include: The Shrouds, Cloud, Black Dog, Magic Farm, WTO/99, and more!(00:00) Intro(02:39) The Shrouds(11:10) Dead Lover(12:30) Midnight Shorts(19:34) AJ Goes to the Dog Park(20:44) Black Dog(23:14) Cloud(26:59) Magic Farm(30:04) WTO/99(32:43) Outro2025-07-0233 minIt's On The List#53: Bava Told Me ToGenre schlock or high art? The answer is yes. Sammy and Gerry are talking about Giallo maestro Mario Bava's A Bay of Blood (1971) and New York crime/horror filmmaker Larry Cohen's God Told Me to (1976), two films that explore violence and the cinematic apparatus from a variety of angles. Deranged content is discussed, and this episode contains spoilers for both films.(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:00) Bava background(00:08:35) A Bay of Blood(00:27:32) Cohen background(00:31:42) God Told Me To(00:49:17) Outro2025-05-2050 minIt's On The List#52: Here (2024) and ThereIn the last episode, Gerry and Sammy discussed films about trains - one of cinema's oldest subjects, and a topic which innately ties into cinema's essence of moving images. This episode, we're leaning in the other direction, toward isolated locations and still images. The films discussed are Here (2024), Robert Zemeckis' experimental melodrama from last year, and Contactos (1970), Paulino Viota's elusive, under-seen film which was made in secret during Franco's dictatorship in Spain. The two films provide much to discuss, both formally and thematically, with regard to spacial and temporal machinations. Contains spoilers for both films.2025-03-291h 03It's On The List#51: TrainsWe're talking about train movies - more specifically, Nazi train movies. Discussed today are: John Frankeneheimer's suspense-filled The Train (1964) and Lars Von Trier's stylish neo noir Europa (1991). Contains spoilers for both films.2025-03-0344 minIt's On The List#50: Nosferatu(s)Another year goes by, another Dracula adaptation hits the cinemas... Sammy and Gerry are discussing 3 of the most famous film adaptations of the classic text - the 3 which are entitled "Nosferatu:" F.W. Murnau's 1922 silent classic, Werner Herzog's 1979 reimagining, and the latest version from Robert Eggers. The boys discuss which features of the original text the respective filmmakers emphasize and focus on, the various virtues (or downfalls) of their different stylistic approaches, as well as how the films fit into their different time periods. Spoilers for all films, but it's Dracula, you probably know what happens already.2025-01-311h 08It's On The List#49: 2024 in ReviewAnother year has come and gone, the unstoppable march of time continues to yield physical and psychological torment, and another crop of new films has hit the public consciousness. Sammy and Gerry dive into the cinema that 2024 had to offer: their favorite films from the year, their least favorites, and the best older films they watched in the year of our lord 2024. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times - thank you for listening to the boys ramble about movies this year.(00:00:00) Intro(00:05:40) Best New Releases of 2024(01:04:18) Honorable...2024-12-282h 27It's On The List#48: Only Angels Have WheelsOn this holiday weekend, Gerry and Sammy are feeling thankful for the films of Howard Hawks - one of the greatest Hollywood auteurs. Discussed are: the similarities and subtly radical differences between Hawks' aviation melodrama Only Angels Have Wings (1939) and his dour car racing film Red Line 7000, Hawks' prioritizing of characterization over narrative propulsion, his recurring themes and stylistic approaches, and his filmography at large. Contains spoilers for both films.2024-11-3047 minIt's On The List#47: Black Cats and Bye Bye MenSpooky season is reaching its climax, so Sammy and Gerry decided to dive into two equally revered and beloved horror films: Edgar G. Ulmer's classic The Black Cat (1934), and Stacy Title's misunderstood masterpiece (according to some, at least) The Bye Bye Man (2017). They discuss The Black Cat's unique place in Ulmer's filmography, its lasting thematic potency, and the excellent performances of Karloff and Lugosi, as well as The Bye Bye Man's idiosyncratic tone, its uncanny images and performances, and why its strangeness leads to a uniquely magical viewing experience. Contains spoilers for both films.(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:22) Edgar...2024-10-311h 10It's On The List#46: Francis Ford CoppolaIn anticipation of Megalopolis' release this weekend, Sammy and Gerry are discussing their top 5 favorite films by Francis Ford Coppola. They discuss the arc of Coppola's career, from his low budget 60s work to his renowned 70s blockbusters to his more experimental late period, delving into his rigorous style, unabashed earnestness, and all of the different ways that his interests manifest across his filmography.2024-09-281h 21It's On The List#45: Sammy is Going to LisbonThe title says it all - Sammy is going on a trip to Lisbon, so he and Gerry decided to discuss some films about Portugal: Raul Ruiz's sprawling epic, Mysteries of Lisbon (2010), and Rita Azevedo Gomes' stunningly beautiful The Portuguese Woman (2018). They discuss the distinctly different stylistic approaches of these two filmmakers, how these films break traditional narrative forms, and the ways in which the filmmakers merge other art forms into their cinema. Contains spoilers for both films.(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:32) Movie brain rot(00:07:48) Raul Ruiz background(00:16:19) Mysteries of Lisbon(00:34:32) Rita Azevedo Gomes background(00:37:23...2024-08-311h 02It's On The List#44: The Mise-en-Scène GodsCome on a journey with us to the other side of the French New Wave: working alongside the more renowned likes of Godard, Truffaut, and Varda, critics/filmmakers Alexandre Astruc and Paul Vecchiali are two of the unsung greats of French cinema. Gerry and Sammy discuss Astruc's Balzac adaptation, Albert Savarus (1993), and Vecchiali's tragic comedy, Femmes Femmes (1974), discussing the stunning staging and formal rigor of these two underrated and under-seen artists. Contains spoilers for both films (which are available on YouTube and are linked below).(00:00:00) Intro(00:03:11) Vecchiali background(00:09:08) Femmes Femmes(00:37:42) Astruc bac...2024-07-271h 11It's On The List#43: Ancient and Modern ChinaGerry and Sammy examine two of China’s greatest filmmakers - King Hu and Jia Zhangke - by talking about their films Legend of the Mountain (1979) and Mountains May Depart (2015). They discuss the films’ interesting depictions of the passage of time, their larger connections to China’s culture and politics, the beauty of Hu’s and Jia’s bold stylistic decisions, and more. Contains spoilers for both films.(00:00:00) Intro(00:02:05) King Hu background(00:11:11) Legend of the Mountain(00:45:26) Jia Zhangke background(00:54:31) Mountains May Depart(01:45:36) Outro2024-06-291h 46It's On The List#43: Sports/SexSummertime is here and the sun is out, so it's time to dust off those tennis rackets and get out those baseball bats as the boys discuss Luca Guadagnino's latest film, Challengers (2024), alongside Ron Shelton's baseball dramedy, Bull Durham (1998). Gerry and Sammy breakdown the stylish maximalism of Challengers and what it says about relationships and competition, as well as delving into the romanticism and poetry of Bull Durham's depiction of success and careers. Contains spoilers for both films.2024-05-251h 03It's On The List#42: Genre-hopping with Kiyoshi Kurosawa and M. Night ShyamalanTwo maestros of fascinating genre-blending released two of their strangest genre mashups in the late 2010s: M. Night Shyamalan's trilogy capper Glass (2019) and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Before We Vanish (2017). The boys discuss how these auteurs play with genre, the silly strangeness of Glass, and the humanist beauty of Before We Vanish. Contains spoilers for both films.2024-05-111h 20It's On The List#41: Milwaukee Film Festival 2024TIFF? NYFF? Cannes? Outdated, normie festivals. All of the cool kids were attending the annual Milwaukee Film Festival, which was held from April 11th-April 25th in the utopian Midwest city by the lake. While Sammy was busy doing lame things such as working full time in Madison, WI and spending time with his family, Gerry saw 9 films at the festival and is here to give you the lowdown. The films include The Sweet East, Close Your Eyes, The Beast, In a Violent Nature, and more. No spoilers this episode, so listen up for a rundown on the great films o...2024-04-2737 minIt's On The List#40: Romcoms (sort of)This episode covers (relatively) lighter fare after consecutive episodes of much weight and intensity. Sammy and Gerry talk about Claire Denis' Let the Sunshine In (2017) and Mabel Cheung's Eight Taels of Gold (1989). They discuss the ways in which the films explore romance, balancing comedy and heavier subject matter, the wonderful central performances, the cynicism and (potential hope) of Denis' film, and the beauty and purity of Cheung's. Contains spoilers for both films.2024-04-1349 minIt's On The List#39: Early and Late Style: The Works of Tobe Hooper (ft. William Mai)Gerry and Sammy welcome a returning guest back to the pod: William Mai is here to discuss all things Tobe Hooper, focusing on his seminal classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and his lesser-known final film Djinn (2013). They discuss Hooper's career at large, his varied filmography and stylistic modes, and examine how Hooper's filmmaking kept evolving with the times. Contains spoilers for both films.(00:00:00) - Intro(00:09:48) - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(00:45:26) - Djinn(01:13:33) - Outro2024-03-301h 15It's On The List#38: Hurt People Hurt PeopleSammy and Gerry delve into the darkest parts of humanity in this episode, covering Monte Hellman's Igauana (1988) and Frank Borzage's Moonrise (1948). The films depicted tormenters and the tormented, as the characters seek revenge or redemption after suffering through severe pain and inflicting it themselves. Next week's episode will certainly be lighter. Contains spoilers for both films.2024-03-161h 17It's On The List#37: Straub/Huillet/CostaThe boys are back to discuss 3 very important filmmakers - the French duo of Jean-Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet, as well as the man who studied under them, Portuguese filmmaker Pedro Costa. Sammy and Gerry talk specifically about Straub and Huillet's Fortini/Cani (1976) and Costa's In Vanda's Room (2000), but also about the background of these artists - the Straubs' Brechtian approach to dramaturgy, Costa's radical digital stylizations, and the ethos of these filmmakers. Whether you're a longtime fan of their work or have never heard of these people, listen up.(00:00:00) Intro(00:01:00) Straub and Huillet background(00:10:38...2024-03-021h 06It's On The List#36: Whatever happened to Gary Cooper?The boys are bringing you an Old Hollywood double bill featuring two films starring the inimitable screen presence Gary Cooper: King Vidor's fascinating adaptation of Ayn Rand's deranged conservative text The Fountainhead (1949) and Ernst Lubitsch's hilarious Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938). Gerry and Sammy discuss how these filmmakers use Cooper's specific persona and gravitas, Lubitsch's direction of Billy Wilder's biting screenplay, and the insanity of The Fountainhead's thesis on American individuality. Contains spoilers for both films.2024-02-1747 minIt's On The List#35: The Real Heroes (Spencer Stone and Abraham Lincoln)The boys honor a subject near and dear to their hearts: Real American Heroes. The films discussed in this episode are Clint Eastwood's bizarre modernist meta-drama The 15:17 to Paris (2018) and John Ford's courtroom drama/superhero origin story Young Mr. Lincoln (1939). Topics covered include late style, how to command a room, selfie sticks, and more in this journey into the beating heart of America. Contains spoilers for both films.(00:00:00) Intro(00:00:53) The 15:17 to Paris(00:34:13) Young Mr. Lincoln2024-02-031h 01It's On The List#34: BumologyLove, loss, jealousy, coping, beauty, wide-lenses... we're talking about all of the important things in life today, discussing Harmony Korine's The Beach Bum (2019) and Terrence Malick's Song to Song (2017). We discuss the montage-heavy mode of editing/narrative construction in both films, the intuitive nature of Malick's filmmaking, and how these films depict grief, forgiveness, and the human condition. Contains spoilers for both films.(00:00) Intro(01:18) The Beach Bum(24:37) Song to Song2024-01-2047 minIt's On The List#33: 2023 Year in ReviewOur latest behemoth annual recap episode has arrived. We talk all things film from the year 2023: our favorite films, our least favorite films, our favorite older films that we watched last year - we indulge in both love and hate, singing the praises of one of the year's biggest films (Oppenheimer) and debating the merits of another (Barbie)... so sit back, relax, and journey with us through the cinema of 2023.(00:00:00) Intro(00:04:51) The Best Films of 2023(00:48:01) The Worst Films of 2023(01:25:58) Best New-to-us Films2024-01-061h 53It's On The List#32: A Very Gerry ChristmasHappy holidays to the It's On the List groupies - we've got a Christmas film double feature for you that will take you to both ends of the Christmas film spectrum: first, we're talking about Alexander Payne's latest film The Holdovers (2023), following it up with a very different sort of holiday story in Bob Clark's Black Christmas (1974). Discussed are the ways in which these films find originality within traditional sorts of stories, why the saccharine charms of The Holdovers are totally effective, and why Black Christmas is still really fucking scary almost 50 years later. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-12-2353 minIt's On The List#31: (b)eat the rich (off)The boys get bougie with a double feature of growing class tensions, frivolous rich folks, faux-transgression, and tall aspect ratios. That's right, Gerry and Sammy are talking about Emerald Fennell's latest, Saltburn (2023), paired with Jean Renoir's classic The Rules of the Game (1939). They dive into the films' various stylistic approaches to their stories of class violence, Emerald Fennell's place in the contemporary film scene, and the WWII context of Jean Renoir's masterpiece. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-12-091h 00It's On The List#30: Yang Loyalists DO NOT CLICKIt's that time of the month - the boys are back with a double feature of searing Japanese melodramas, talking about Mikio Naruse's Two in the Shadow (1967) and Kenji Mizoguchi's Princess Yang Kwei Fei (1955). Topics discussed include trends of classic Japanese cinema, aspect ratios, and transcending our corporeal trappings. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-11-2556 minIt's On The List#29: NoirvemberListen up you crumbs and broads and don't get sore - the fellas are back with a hardboiled, shadow-filled, paranoid noir double feature to celebrate Noirvember 2023. The two films are Robert Aldrich's classic Kiss Me Deadly (1955) and Jacques Tourneur's lesser known, terrifyingly prescient The Fearmakers (1958). Gerry and Sammy discuss the ways in which noirs act as time capsules for a society's anxieties and fears, as well as how these two films in particular convey these fears with quite unique formal approaches. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-11-1157 minIt's On The List#28: On My Mank Shit (Disillusioned Socialist)Authorship, business, politics, tragedy: all these forces and more collide in this episode's double feature of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane (1941) and David Fincher's Mank (2020). The boys nearly came to blows discussing one of these films, on which they vehemently disagree (guess which one). Will their friendship persevere past this vitriolic opposition? Is the podcast over? Find out in this action packed episode where loyalties are tested, virtues are debated, and hot takes are dropped. The world will never be the same. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-10-281h 16It's On The List#27: Martin ScorseseIt's Marty season. The great American auteur returns to cinemas this week with his latest epic, Killers of the Flower Moon (2023). In preparation for this new release, Sammy and Gerry are talking about each of their top 5 favorite Scorsese films - they touch on his trademark stylistic and thematic preoccupations, the wide variety within his filmography, his place in the contemporary cinematic landscape, and more. Includes spoilers for... well, a lot of Scorsese movies. Just watch them.2023-10-141h 29It's On The List#26: Head MedsThe boys are getting a little CRAZY this episode, discussing two Asian horror films revolving around insanity and madness: Soi Cheang's New Blood (2002) and Teinosuke Kinugasa's A Page of Madness (1926). Sammy and Gerry discuss the films' formal approaches to depicting mental instability, their thematic similarities, and the radical nature of Kinugasa's visual storytelling. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-09-3038 minIt's On The List#25: A Ritual in Transfigured PodcastingThe boys are going full film-school mode today and talking about some experimental short films - 5 from the queen of surrealist short cinema, Maya Deren, and 5 from the depressing-sensory-overload king, Takashi Ito. Tune for some micro reviews of these beguiling works.2023-09-161h 01It's On The List#24: Malick for BabiesGerry and Sammy venture into the world of top tier animated kid's movies, talking about the Disney animated classic Bambi (1942) and the Hayao Miyazaki sci-fi fantasy Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984). Put in your pacifiers and join us on a trip through highbrow baby cinema. 2023-09-0258 minIt's On The List#23: What's a God to a Don?Strap in for a particularly perverted episode. The boys tackle two films that star their directors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt's passion project (and male excellence manual) Don Jon (2013) and João César Monteiro's depraved, comedic epic God's Comedy (1995). A whole lot of NSFW content is discussed, so fair warning to our more sensitive listeners. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-08-1955 minIt's On The List#22: Alpha/Beta/Sigma/PilgrimYeehaw cow-people, Sammy and Gerry are traveling back in time to the Wild West on today's episode, discussing the John Ford classic The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) and Gore Verbinski's notorious box office bomb The Lone Ranger (2013). The boys discuss the surprising amount of thematic parallels between the two films, what the films say about politics and America through vastly different stylistic approaches, as well as how The Lone Ranger foreshadowed Armie Hammer's cannibal fetish. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-08-051h 10It's On The List#21: Christopher NolanSammy and Gerry discuss their top 5 favorite Nolan films2023-07-221h 24It's On The List#20: ASS-teroid SHITTY (just kidding, folks)The boys are talking Edward Norton auteurism today - the famed actor and occasional screenwriter/director appears in Wes Anderson's latest, Asteroid City (2023), as well as his passion project which he starred in, directed, produced, and wrote, Motherless Brooklyn (2019). Sammy and Gerry get into the noir-silliness of Norton's gumshoe crime saga, as well as the ever-present artifice of the Wes Anderson project. Sammy gets so riled up by Motherless Brooklyn that collapse and injury occurs live on the pod. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-07-0858 minIt's On The List#19: God Forgive UsSelf-cannibalism, lobotomized sex slaves, and VR psychic cactus sex are merely a few of the depraved topics discussed in this decidedly NSFW episode. The films featured are: Hisayasu Satō's Splatter: Naked Blood, and Shozin Fukui's 964 Pinocchio. Two gnarly examples of low-budget Japanese horror, with particularly gruesome content and aesthetics. Listeners, proceed with caution!2023-06-241h 00It's On The List#18: is Evan Bird the new Rizz King??"So bad it's good?" Or "a richly sardonic and brutal takedown of the entertainment industry with a singular tongue-in-cheek tonality?" That's right, the boys are talking Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls (1995), paired with David Cronenberg's descent into the evil of the Hollywood Hills, Maps to the Stars (2014). Contains spoilers for both films.2023-06-1059 minIt's On The List#17: "From my point of view, the boyars are evil!""So this is how democracy dies... with thunderous applause." Today, the boys are talking about two films that are far more similar than they may initially appear to be: Sergei Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible Parts 1 and 2, and George Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith. Political maneuvering, betrayal, and cross cutting abound. Contains spoilers for both films2023-05-271h 26It's On The List#16: The SICK and TWISTED Mind of Ari AsterSammy's busy with finals, so Gerry steps up for another rambling, incoherent solo episode where he discusses the films of Ari Aster, as well as the reaction to those films and the culture around Aster. Discussed are A24 groupies, Letterboxd posers, misanthropy, YouTube critics, and more. Contains spoilers for Hereditary and Midsommar.2023-05-1324 minIt's On The List#15: Late Style (ft. Collin Brinkmann)On today’s episode, the boys are joined by the Midwest’s resident expert on late style, Collin Brinkmann, to discuss later works from master filmmakers Michelangelo Antonioni and Manoel de Oliveira: Identification of a Woman (1982) and Gebo and the Shadow (2012). Topics covered include the evolution of these two filmmakers across their accomplished and prolific careers, generalizations around late style as a concept, the inherent profundity of older artists extrapolating on their pet themes, and more. Listen up!2023-04-291h 40It's On The List#14: THIS IS NOT A DREAMIt's almost Halloween (it's April) so Sammy and Gerry decided to get spooky with it, talking about John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness (1987) and Gore Verbinski's The Ring (2002). The two films tackle the transmission of evil in different ways, and both serve as time capsules of the fears of their respective eras. Also discussed are 9/11, Gerry's early internet memories, the promiscuity of the average astrophysicist, and more. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-04-151h 03It's On The List#13: Flips, Kicks, and WicksWith the recent release of John Wick 4 (2023), the boys decided to talk Wick's latest adventure alongside one of the many influences on the franchise: Jackie Chan in The Legend of Drunken Master (1994). Discussed are: gun fu, kung fu, drunken boxing, kicks, falls, stairs, headshots, nunchucks, knives, stoicism, honor, and the many other elements that put John Wick and Jackie Chan at the top of the action canon. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-04-011h 04It's On The List#12: she Dix on my Woodcock til I SteeleThe boys tackle two warped relationship dramas that follow lead characters with phallic names - Reynolds Woodcock, played by Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson's Phantom Thread, and Dixon Steele, played by Humphrey Bogart in Nicholas Ray's In a Lonely Place. They're two of cinema's greatest faux-masculine bad boys, filled with mommy issues and violent dispositions - but can these fellas overcome their abrasive natures and find true love? Contains spoilers for both films.2023-03-181h 04It's On The List#11: OUR OscarsWell folks, awards season is in full swing, and per usual, some lame ass movies are up for the most prestigious awards. Join Sammy and Gerry as they posit a brighter alternative reality, one where the movies that they liked are the ones that get nominated, going through their own picks for nominees and winners in the first official "It's On The List Oscars!"2023-03-0428 minIt's On The List#10: HitchPalma DeCockWhaddup you PERVERTS! The boys have a leering and voyeuristic double feature in store for you from two of Hollywood's most accomplished deviants. Discussed in this episode are: Brian DePalma's Obsession (1976) and Alfred Hitchcock's Torn Curtain (1966). Gerry and Sammy dive into the suspense, the thrills, the kills, the chills, and everything in between from these masters of the deranged. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-02-1854 minIt's On The List#9: Home Invasion SpecialHappy M Night opening weekend! The boys tackle a home invasion double feature, talking about Shyamalan's latest, Knock at the Cabin (2023), and Michael Haneke's provocative meta classic, Funny Games (1997). Is Shyamalan at the peak of his cinematic abilities, or will his haters be vindicated? Are we going to Hell for enjoying violent movies? Listen and find out. Contains spoilers for both films.2023-02-041h 32It's On The List#8: Sigma Males, Limitless, and the Films of Neil BurgerWhile Sammy is off in Japan enjoying his winter with his girlfriend, Gerry stepped up to the plate to deliver you a solo episode about an undisputed 2010s classic of male grindset, Limitless, as well as a summary of the filmography of its director, Neil Burger. Is he a hack, or a competent journeyman director? Listen and find out. Spoilers for Limitless2023-01-2142 minIt's On The List#7: 2022 In ReviewToday's episode is a comprehensive behemoth of all things film from the year of our Lord 2022. Sammy is sick in Japan and Gerry is tired in Wisconsin, so this remotely recorded episode is a bit scrappy: bear with Sammy's coughing and sneezing and the street sounds from Gerry's studio apartment as the boys talk their top 5 best and top 5 worst of 2022, as well as their top 5 first-time-watches from the year.2023-01-072h 20It's On The List#6: Dad and DadThe boys are talking about the two autobiographical works from Jewish American filmmakers that were released in 2022: that's right, you guessed it, Steven Spielberg's The Fabelmans and James Gray's Armageddon Time. Sammy and Gerry discuss the relation of memory to film, how these films navigate their personal and universal elements, and why it's okay to be self-aggrandizing if you're a god-tier filmmaker. Includes spoilers for both films.2022-12-241h 56It's On The List#5: MARIAAAAAWith the recent release of The Fabelmans (which will be discussed in our next episode), it's our second Spielberg winter in a row, so the boys decided to return to "creeps on the streets" territory with this week's double-bill of both West Side Story film adaptations - Robert Wise's and Jerome Robbins' 1961 smash-hit, and Steven Spielberg's 2021 reimagining. Will ex-theater-kid Gerry and West-Side-virgin Sammy see eye-to-eye on the theatrical antics of these vocally talented gangs, or will their discussion reflect the animosity between the Sharks and the Jets? Find out as they dive into the various differences and similarities between...2022-12-101h 06It's On The List#4: No Sense of CockWe're getting contemporary and feminist with it, tackling Alex Garland's searing indictment of the British (and maybe misogyny, perhaps??), Men (2022), and Jane Campion's erotic thriller deconstruction, In the Cut (2003). Sammy and Gerry dive into how these films use genre elements to explore social themes, and why one is so much more successful at this than the other. Contains spoilers for both films.2022-11-261h 06It's On The List#3: Creeps on the StreetsDeath and wishes and creeps, oh my! Sammy and Gerry are talking 1980s street youth flicks today - Francis Ford Coppola's Rumble Fish (1983) and Michael Winner's Death Wish 3 (1985). Take a shot every time we say “German Expressionism” or “fascistic”. Contains spoilers for both films.2022-11-121h 13It's On The List#2: I'm a Fiend for Digital (ft. Will Mai)"Why does it look so weird?" your friend asks. "Dude, it's a famous auteur experimenting with digital cinematography in a feature film," you explain. We have a doozy of an episode today in which we break down two films from 2006 that were shot entirely digitally: Inland Empire and Miami Vice. Will Mai stopped by to talk all things Michael Mann, David Lynch, go-fast boats, and of course, rabbits. Take a step out of the celluloid into the digital with us, as we dive into two landmarks of digital cinematography. Contains spoilers for both films. Note: there is some barking...2022-10-291h 21It's On The List#1: Hollywood CowboysWelcome to the first episode of It's On The List! Gerry and Sammy dive into Jordan Peele's latest film Nope (2022), and Clint Eastwood's drama White Hunter, Black Heart (1990) - two films that reckon with spectacle and filmmaking in unique ways. Contains spoilers for both films.2022-10-141h 09